Finally I have arrived in Las Vegas...any tips from the locals?

Kiss1 · Jun 2, 2004

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote">quote:<HR>Originally posted by vegasisdead:
To all who posted in a positive manner for vegas i would like to know if you have young children? Im guessing no.I lived in one of the best areas in vegas and it is more dangerous then the worst neighborhoods surrounding me now. As for cost of living, it's quickly catching up with the rest of the usa.Much happier where i am now with 2 small kids.I will still visit but its not a place for families.no way.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

What city's worse neighborhoods are safer than LV's best ?

Just curious.

I'm not here to defend LV so don't get the wrong impression. I'm happy here but I have not lived here long enough to form any definitive subjective opinion. I bought a beautiful home in a gated golf course community for 1/3 of what it would have cost in San Diego and it's already worth 50% more than I paid for it. It's hard to complain picking up 6 figures in 6 Months on equity alone. Did you send your kids to Catholic school here ? ( Just Kidding! )

-K1

Fishhead · Jun 2, 2004

KISS1- No doubt about it, TAMPA is probably in the top 25 in INCREASING traffic congestion.

But CURRENTLY it is 10x better than Las Vegas, trust me, I have lived in both cities.

Tampa is a breeze currently compared to Vegas..........for all long?, thats another story.

soccerbob · Jun 2, 2004

Mr NJ- Here are some tips that will help you driving in Las Vegas.

1. Don't turn in your out of state plates until you have been here for at least ten years. I like looking at 50 different state's license plates on my way to work each morning.

2. Don't use your turn signals. Those things are for tourists. You're a local now. Full speed ahead.

3. When the light turns yellow, floor it or you'll get rear ended. When the light turns red, floor it harder or you'll get rear ended twice.

4. If you see a woman in an SUV talking on her cell phone and she's within 100 yards of you, get ready to call a tow truck.

5. Morning rush hour lasts from 5 am to 1 pm and evening rush hour lasts from 2 pm to 10 pm.

6. NEVER let anyone cut in front of you. That sets a bad precedent. Besides if they had any juice, they would have already been in front of you.

7. Anything goes on the road here except in a school zone. Hey, whoever said this city didn't have ANY standards?

8. The orange contruction cones aren't really orange construction cones. They're the state flower.

9. The ten guys in the back of a landscaping truck aren't violating any laws. They're trying to get into the Guinness Book of World Records.

10. Welcome to the armpit of America. Drive safely.

VaultedTreehouse · Jun 2, 2004

We will miss you here in NJ. Don't forget your roots....You'll be back, even if you don't know it yet.

vegasisdead · Jun 2, 2004

Kiss,
I live on shelter island which is a town on the east end of long island that can only be reached by ferry.The nearest towns to me are towns such as south hampton, east hampton, sag harbor etc...
I had a good time while i was there but it is a pretty depressing place.I never got used to the way it fed off of peoples problems. There is a pawn shop on every corner it seems (not so much in your area or the lakes and green valley). people begging, rip off srtists etc...I had people that worked for me that would literally sell their blood plasma to feed whatever demons haunted them.Drugs, drinking and gambling are a problem in every community but it seems much worse in vegas. I am familiar with the area where you live and still have friends there and congrats and on the house.You bought at the right time.Unfortunately theres a very dark side to vegas beyond the gates. My kids are still too young for school but no they will not attend catholic school (my mom did that to me and i would never stuff religion down their throats like that).
Maybe i was a little harsh with my views on vegas but if you are single with no kids its a great place if you like city life. Like i said i enjoyed it before the kids but raising them back here is much safer (there has only been 1 murder here in the last 50 years and that was justified)and they will get a better education and wont be affected bt the horrible gang problem that reigns in vegas (even the summerlin schools).I think people get the wrong idea of what vegas is all about.Its not the modern day utopia that lures all those 25 year old couples from anyplace, usa thinking they are moving to a better life.The veneer is pretty but there is a dark underbelly.And don't even get me started on the drivers

Kiss1 · Jun 2, 2004

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote">quote:<HR>Originally posted by FISHHEAD:
KISS1- No doubt about it, TAMPA is probably in the top 25 in INCREASING traffic congestion.

But CURRENTLY it is 10x better than Las Vegas, trust me, I have lived in both cities.

Tampa is a breeze currently compared to Vegas..........for all long?, thats another story.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Fish you go to the Bar once a Week and post all day for a meager living ... You don't have to worry about traffic.

FWIW I ran down to the MGM Grand this morning. It took me less than 21 minutes to be INSIDE the Mammoth beast.

My Neighbor has been working at NY NY for eight years, days. She is smart enough to jump on Rainbow and run down to Trop. It takes her less than 30 minutes each way.

BTW

HAPPY "B" DAY !

Fishhead · Jun 2, 2004

You would have LOVED Vegas in the early 80's..............Rainbow was a country road!

Kiss1 · Jun 2, 2004

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote">quote:<HR>Originally posted by vegasisdead:
Kiss,
I live on shelter island which is a town on the east end of long island that can only be reached by ferry.The nearest towns to me are towns such as south hampton, east hampton, sag harbor etc...
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Ok ... not exactly a "bad" part of town there at all.

I know what you mean about the drivers, they suck. I see a lot of tweekers, drunks and losers here. I'm not blind nor was I naive enough to think I was moving to utopia. San Diego is a beautiful city but like any other large metropolis it also has it's share of problems.

I am really missing "June Gloom" this year ( 104 here today ), thank God it's a short flight "home."

-K1

I'm glad your kids daddy has there best interests at heart !

vegasisdead · Jun 2, 2004

I'm glad your kids daddy has there best interests at heart ![/QUOTE]

He does

I have been to san diego once and it is beautiful..Anyways, you seem like a good guy and i look forward to talking to you at the rx bash. One thing there is no arguments about though....THE FOOD!! I miss eating tacos from thhis taco shop on the corner of sahara and maryland.THE ABSOLUTE BEST!!I told my wife i was going to fill a cooler full when i come home from the trip, lol. Also i was hooked on oxtail soup and the texas station buffet..They roll up the sidewalks after 7pm here. Hmm, where is that vegas apartment guide i had lying around?

Kiss1 · Jun 2, 2004

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote">quote:<HR>Originally posted by FISHHEAD:
You would have LOVED Vegas in the early 80's..............Rainbow was a country road!<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Fish, I loved everything in the early 80's.

I Think ...

Some of it is a bit fuzzy.

NICKYTHEFISH · Jun 2, 2004

Soccer Bob that list is too funny!However it is the truth.

Mr NJ Sports · Jun 2, 2004

good list Bob

...I thought the armpit of the USA was NY?

WildBill · Jun 2, 2004

You boys have never been to El Paso if you think Vegas is the armpit of the US. Come on now!

Personally though I am starting to get on the Fish-wagon so to speak. I am burning out on Vegas and hell I don't even live there all that much time. The whole state of Nevada is having this boom in jobs and growth, but for people like me with a professional career it isn't exactly making things all that much better. I remember back in the early 90s when I first moved to Vegas and people talked about how great it was just to get a job, that places like Ohio and Michigan didn't have any jobs period. Sad thing is I hear almost the same damn thing today while housing prices and cost of living have soared. And what you people don't see is the desperation to get a job of any quality in this state. In my position we get hundreds of ridiculously overqualified resumes from people that will do anything just to make Nevada their home. You tell me, if a position we have is meant for someone with 2 to 5 years of financial analyst experience, what would you think of a guy that worked at the World Bank as a senior economist and had stints in Singapore, Tokyo, and Washington on his resume? Would you hire that guy? For some reason HR thought he would be a good interview so we went through with it, but after he left we were just shaking our heads. This is the reason why if you look on places that have job postings 95% of all Las Vegas postings say "Southern Nevada residents only".

So don't kid yourself. If you really intend on just making it by and taking mediocre jobs or gambling then by all means Vegas (or Reno) will serve you fine. Just don't think you will find anything remotely resembling paradise. The New York Times is in the midst of doing articles on Las Vegas showing this darker side almost no one seems to know about or even acknowledge.

As for myself I am already looking at options to leave in the next year, this place I used to love is wearing me out in many ways beyond just the top 10 Bob shared with us. If you are retired, have a ton of home equity like Kiss1 or really want to gamble this is a good place to be. If you aspire to make something of a career and don't want to be surrounded by a population where only 10% of the people have college degrees and almost a quarter haven't even finished high school then probably best to realize there are greener pastures out there.

GottaWinToday · Jun 2, 2004

Get a Fat Burger on Charleston. Heartburn for a day but real nice....You don't have to eat for a day, aye....

Tour Fremont at 2AM in the morning....Lots of action and no cops will stop you if you are in a nondescript car, and middle aged....Of course you DON'T INDULGE....Oh, by the way, it's dangerous but what the hell, aye.....

Oh, and by the way, don't get sick, you go to the doctor's office and you think the population explosion just happed, in the room, it sucks.......

Summerlin is nice, I sold ice cream there for about four years.......Pretty safe, kinda, better than North Las Vegas, they shot an Ice Cream vender there.....Next week he was out there selling like a soldier.....

I miss Vegas sometimes......GREAT PLACE TO LIVE IF YOU HAVE MONEY, AYE.....

GottaWinToday

Fishhead · Jun 3, 2004

Wild Bill- Thanks.......great insights, and all very true.

Geez, I may single handedly end the Vegas boom right here in these forums.

But like I have mentioned before, no disrespect is intended on my part to the people that live in Vegas that love it.

Mr NJ Sports · Jun 3, 2004

There are good and bad things about just about anywhere that you pick. Drive far enough in any neighborhood and you hit the crappy parts I guess.

Kiss1 · Jun 3, 2004

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote">quote:<HR>Originally posted by WildBill:
You boys have never been to El Paso if you think Vegas is the armpit of the US.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I was born and raised in Upstate NY, left at 18 and never looked back. My brother lives in Albany, you wanna talk armpits ... now that's a stinky one !

and

It's f*cking cold in the Winter !

ARRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGG !!!

RIOSHILL · Jun 3, 2004

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote">quote:<HR>Originally posted by Mr NJ Sports:
Just moved here...Loooooong drive from NJ.

any tips from the locals on anything?

I am only 20 mins from the strip if i take 215.

Any non smoking card rooms besides mirage n bellagio?

Thanks

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
G Nugget non smoking beautiful card room.

BrianG103 · Jun 3, 2004

Try to spot Rapper Tupac Shakur's ghost in front of the MGM grand where he was shot at on September Friday the 13th 1996.. at 11:04 pm

Fishhead · Jun 3, 2004

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote">quote:<HR>Originally posted by EveryDayGambler:
Try to spot Rapper Tupac Shakur's ghost in front of the MGM grand where he was shot at on September Friday the 13th 1996.. at 11:04 pm<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

He got shot on KOVAL & FLAMINGO...........not in front of the MGM.

This area is behind BALLYS........and right next to the ELLIS ISLAND Casino.