Viva Las Vegas, Part 1

zagg: 11th Sep 2006 - 10:22 GMT

and thus my lack of urge to ever go to Las Vegas. i don't see anything that would tempt me in going except for the gondala! hahaha.

EvilGentleman: 11th Sep 2006 - 14:54 GMT

Wow, what style...

What I find amazing is the incredible waste of resources. Water is so precious in the desert, and the Colorado River feeds Western Arizona, Southern Nevada and Southern California (including LA and San Diego)before it reaches Mexico. Yet look at the extragant waterfalls, the fountains, even gondolas in a replica of the canals of Venice. I wonder how many Mexicans are thirsty because Las Vegas stole their drinking water.

Look at this Google Earth view of the Colorado River in Mexico about halfway between the Arizona border and the mouth of the river, where it empties into the Sea of Cortez, known to Americans as the Gulf of California.

Amazing isn't it? 54 inches! That's 4 and a half feet! Kindergarten students can actually jump across the Colorado River. The same Colorado River that carved the Grand Canyon. The same Colorado River that forms Lake Mead at the Hoover Dam. Nobody thought to leave any water for the Mexicans. What a world we live in.

joey: 12th Sep 2006 - 02:17 GMT

it's all so fakey-fake there. you won't see me in las vegas. i'd rather be in battle mountain, or ely, or tonopah, nevada.
members.aol.com/joeyknow/jk63.html

BZZZP: 12th Sep 2006 - 10:16 GMT

the fun thing is that hairspray sign - they removed the mouth because it was determined to be too offensive.

aer suzuki: 12th Sep 2006 - 11:12 GMT

zagg & joey : no reason to go unless you're a gambler or you want to see the spectacle for yourself. we had fun, can't explain why. it's expensive and we didn't even gamble that much...i'm generally more into camping. nice photos on your site, btw joey, thanks for the link.

evilgentleman : this is america, we don't give a rat's ass about resources when there's money to be made, what are ya thinkin'? it's just water, only the very thing all life sprang from and needs to survive, what's the big deal?

seriously though, don't fountains recycle the same water? vegas, being primarily a playground for people with money to burn, is a particularly infuriating example of exploitation, agreed. however it's not alone among cities in the wasting of resources (and i count money as a resource, most major cities have a sports stadium they funnel millions into). when i lived in tempe (a suburb of phoenix, arizona) people from back east would insist on planting lawns. ok. the desert doesn't naturally support that kind of vegetation, obviously, but they'd be out there hosing it down every day while the sun evaporated alot of it and every once in a while we'd have a drought. my dad still lives out there and he told me they put in some sort of artificial lake, so they still haven't figured out it's best to let the desert be desert.

however none of this lets vegas off the hook...

EvilGentleman: 13th Sep 2006 - 15:04 GMT

Yeah, I gotta admit, I've done Vegas myself, once upon a time. Beautiful place, ugly place, boring place, exciting place, all in one. But I wonder, if all the water lying about everywhere winds up evaporating, does this eventually mean that humans will alter the natural weather patterns of the desert by providing moisture for unnatural clouds to form and dump rain on a land that is meant to be arid?

And as far as wasting resources goes, I understand all too well. I live in Quebec, which provides substandard services in all areas except education, yet we pay the highest taxes in North America. SUVs that are only used in the city now account for about 1/3 of all private vehicles on the road around here, despite the price of gas still being quite high. Our back alleys reek because of all the food rotting in the garbage bins.

2less2: 14th Aug 2007 - 02:26 GMT

it's to bad that you guys haven't taken the time to see the actual truths as they relate Las Vegas and all you've managed to find fault with.

first, one of the biggest reasons the Colorado River doesn't flow like it did just a short time ago, relative speaking, is minly because of a lack of a lack of any appreciable 'snow melt' in the Rocky Mountians. In fact, if you'd like more proof, on your next Vegas visit take a ride out to Boulder Dam, or any Lake Mead viewing area for that matter, and you'll see that the water level of the lake is down more than 50 feet because that source has dried up. That's a whole lot of water when you consider that Lake Mead is over 100 miles in lenght with more than 500 miles of shore. Something else that effects the water level of the Colorado and Lake Mead is the increased evaporation caused by global warming.

In the past two years marina owners on Lake Mead have had to move their docks and all boats at least one mile during each move and each marina has been moved at least twice.

you should also know that usage rights of the rivers waters are not exactly what you'd call a free-for-all. The Colorado River Water Commission[?] made up of those states that the river flows through are responsible for determining the percentage of water each state has rights to use. If you look into the history of Boulder Dam you'll learn that the primary reason behind the building of the dam was, and still is, irrigation. Especially the area known as the Imperial Valley near Palm Springs in Southern California. One of the most fertile agricultural farming areas in California and the entie USA.

as for the enormous volume of water that the strip casinos apparently waste, you might be happy to learn that almost 100% of that water has been recycled by the casino after it's initial use as potable water. While much of the water continues to be recycled at the casino for additional fountian and entertainment uses, the casino returns of high percentage of that recycled water into the city waste water system which processes the water again before returning it to Lake Mead where the process begins all over again.

And don't forget about our rapidly growing population. For the past 18 years we've been the fastest growinh community in the US. And we're still #2 falling slighly behind Phoenix. Something like 1% point. When I moved to Vegas ten years ago, Nevada's total population was 1.8 million. Yeap, that's a lot of water. However, consider this; according to the latest population estimates, Southern Nevada, which in essence is Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, Henderson, and Boulder City, [Clark County] will pass 2 million this summer.

from a vistiors point-of-view, Las Vegas may seem to a town of phoney facades and plastic personalities. On the other hand, once you're a resident you'll quickly learn that our city is much more than hotels, casinos, and gambling. If you're a golfer, that are more than 50 courses in town. Red Rock Canyon and The Valley of Fire are among the most popular hiking areas in the West. And the desert is loaded with activities. Gold mining, hunting semi-precious stones and rock, skydiving, off-road auto racing; even snow skiing on Mt. Charleston, 35 miles northwest of downtown Las Vegas and more. Lots of Vegas residents travel to Lake Powell, a lake about 2/3 the size of Lake Mead, located in in Southern Utah, along with Zion National Park in the same area, and more skiing, too. Of course, the Grand Caynon isn't very far or why not head west to the LA area and enjoy the beaches and everything they offer. Lake Havasu isn't far to the south and, and while it's more than a day trip, Lake Tahoe and Reno are about a 7 hour drive North. While you're at it, take a tour of the Nevada Test Site. A vast area 100 miles north where more that 100 ground level and underground nuclear test took place during the 50s, 60s and, 70s. Visit Rachel, Nevada, home of the Little Alien Inn and most things Area 51. And you'llenjoy The Extratrestial Highway that runs through that part of the state.

I haven't even touched upon the World-class shopping and dining and some of the best stage shows you'll find anywhere in the world.

What I'm saying is that there's much more to Las Vages that the wasteland and wasted resources you see. Believe me, I've lived in several major cities and I can honestly say that there's not another that comes close to the excitment and the nonestop 24-hour action. Off the Strip as well as on, everyday offers something for everyone.

Anonymous: 16th Aug 2007 - 04:55 GMT

vegas is one of the most misunderstood cities in this world. only the locals see how it really is. i love las vegas, and dont give a damn what anyone else thinks.

nick castle: 28th Oct 2007 - 15:44 GMT

i worked in las vegas in 82 stayed in the AAA RENT A BED THEN stayed IN THE CONDOR HOTEL and worked in the old peoples home across the road,my boss was jim perry ,big black texan he was, went drinking in the horseshoe and golden nugget, got saved in 84 thank you jesus in israel elat, castlenjl@hotmail.com get in tough from that little english man