Las Vegas.....bright lights, medium-sized city. There's a lot of fascination about my town. Some of it is warranted. A majority of it is hype.
When you're watching a movie that 'claims' to take place in Vegas, the events within (unless it's some sort of documentary....and even then there are exceptions) are most likely to be bullshit. Whenever I watch a film in which the characters are traveling down 'The Strip' or anywhere Downtown, I can't keep myself from yelling at the screen. People are traveling down Las Vegas Blvd. North in one frame, and then miraculously driving South in the next. Even more astounding are the scenes in which someone is leaving one casino downtown, and within a few minutes, walking into...say...The Luxor (which is far south on a completely different street). Most of you wouldn't know enough to spot the flaw. It drives us seasoned locals fucking nuts, though.
When I moved here in '73', my folks drove me into town at night, for maximum effect. Coming in from Cali, seeing a brightness up in the sky, but not yet knowing where it came from........only to pass over that last little hill to gaze down into the valley of lights. That was amazing to me then. I understand the awe it inspires at first glance. It's also a huge fucking mirage.
There was a perk back then, however.....which was that the Mob was still very active here. People didn't walk into casinos wearing the shit they'd mow their lawns in, like they do today. You dressed up to go out, you treated your valet, waiter/waitress, dealer, maid with respect because you had better not do otherwise. Nowadays, tourists strut around as if their shit doesn't stink and that the service people are no better than dogshit on the bottom of their knock-off designer shoes.
Las Vegas isn't just a tourist town. I'll grant you that its economy is driven, in a somewhat large part, by the idiots who come here with champagne wishes and caviar dreams, only to wind up gambling away their house, junior's college fund...or worse. I don't gamble. I'm fully aware that the reason the casinos are able to build extensions and do massive renovations is because MOST PEOPLE DO NOT WIN. It's a fact.
When I talk to people from around the world who've never been here, I'm confronted with a lot of flaws in reasoning and understanding about myself and others who I'll call 'natives'. A very large percentage of us do not work in the casino industry. An even larger percentage of us are not strippers/drug dealers/gang bangers/hookers.
It's quite sad to hear questions like: 'Are there schools in Las Vegas'?, 'Do you actually live there or somewhere else and commute?', 'Are there libraries there?'........ad nauseum.
Yes, yes, yes....there are schools ( I came here starting 2nd grade and went all the way through to Community College Of Southern Nevada. Lived here since 2nd grade...obviously. As for libraries...yes. Lots of them........and museums and historical sites and art galleries...........and anything you'd find in any other major city (with or without gambling).
Vegas is more than just the 2 streets that you see in movies. It's not only much more, but the much more is better. The 'much more' is the part I love and the part that tourists will never see.
Don't define me by your perception of Las Vegas. Don't think that you can come here and mistreat the locals without consequences. Those of us who DO work in the casinos and hotels are Real People with Real Families. Your primadonna attitude is not appreciated, nor do you have a right to it. Trust me, what you do in Vegas gets gossiped about, laughed about and ridiculed by the rest of us. Sorry to bust your ego-bubble.
