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Life in Las Vegas, part 2

by Heather on August 28th, 2007

Continuing from yesterday, here’s what makes living in Vegas fun:

- See that sunset up there? That was taken from my backyard in February. The sunsets here are spectacular and I cannot imagine more beautiful sunrises anywhere else either.

- Waiting for a seat at a restaurant. Wait — there is no waiting! The longest we’ve had to sit and twiddle our thumbs has been probably 20 minutes before being whisked away. There are just so many restaurants here that unless you’re going down to the Strip at happy hour, you’ll probably get to eat when you want to.

- The restaurants themselves. There is literally a restaurant here for any craving you may have (and I guarantee a few you’ve probably never even heard of), and some are considered the best in their cuisine of choice.

- If Giant Retailer down the street doesn’t have it, chances are the Giant Retailer 2, 4, or 7 miles away will.

- The weather. To me personally this isn’t a huge bonus. I grew up with snowy winters and tree leaves that change color in the fall and I like that. The six years that we’ve been here we’ve had four snowfalls (this is only at my house, some areas have gotten flurries while we’ve had nothing but clouds) and the neighbor has a tree in his backyard that turns orange for about two days around Thanksgiving. But our mild winters and springs are a huge draw for most people.

It’s only fair to have a “Why it’s not so fun to live in Vegas” list too, right?

- “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas!” The clever advertising campaign from several years ago is still going strong, if only for out-of-towners to get a chuckle from saying it to a local. As the saying goes, the first time was funny, the 100th, not so much.

- “But it’s a dry heat!” Sorry, heat is heat. I’ve been to both New Orleans and Orlando in the middle of July and I’ll take either one of them over Vegas in the dead of summer. Here’s the biggest thing a local will tell you when you try to console them about a dry heat: When it rains pretty much anywhere else — New Orleans or Orlando, for example — it cools down. It’s a nice break from the humidity and heat and things are vibrant and green for a little while again. Here, it stays 118°, it’s now sticky hot and everything’ll be dusty again by sundown. Rain does not cool anything down unless it’s February.

- Cockroaches. As I mentioned yesterday, I had never seen a cockroach before living here. The previously mentioned trips to New Orleans and Orlando happened after we moved here so I was already well-versed concerning the second insect of Satan (ants being the first, if you were curious). I’ve heard tell there are also scorpions and giant spiders in this here desert, but I have yet to see one and now I need to go find some wood to knock on quickly.

- The weather. I still dread summer. I’ve become acclimated only the last two years, which just means I’m not marking off the days on a calendar until November, but the summers here are brutal regardless of how used to it you are. I don’t understand how anyone willingly comes here mid-July for a “vacation.” Also, we’re in the 100’s consistently from mid-June well into September. There’s no “we hit 100 for two weeks last month!” here.

What are you favorite and not-so-favorite things about Vegas? (Bulleted list or not, your choice.)

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POSTED IN: Miscellaneous, Photos, Sound Like a Local - Local "Speak", Top Ten