In the summer of 1988, our family was on a southern California vacation, and my dad decided to take us to Las Vegas in the middle of it. What I remember of that desert drive is the lonely long stretches on Interstate 15 after we left the Victorville area. There were Barstow, Yermo, and Baker of course, but in between were vast stretches of gold and brown loneliness. Las Vegas, of course, was a true desert jewel! Lots of dazzling lights, not many skyscrapers then, many restaurants, and the promise of entertainment at every facility. There were NO promises of riches, only fun and food...which a 15 year old like me enjoyed, even if it was just at the Sahara Hotel pool. One place I remember looking for was the Riviera Hotel as the final season of The Hollywood Squares (1980-81) had been produced there(that's where my mind was then, TV land and roads!).
We didn't stay long. The next day, we took a drive to Hoover Dam so my dad could see all the engineering marvel of it. I wasn't all that interested in that part, though the view from the bottom was pretty neat. After the tour, we headed back to the the megalopolis that was Los Angeles.
Who knew or could have even guessed that I would be living there in 14 years?
Before Las Vegas, I had been living in Sonoma County, California, mostly in Santa Rosa, for 8 years. When I learned that the Clark County School District had hired me, I was thrilled, but also had a LOT of preparing to do, mostly mental preparation....getting ready to live in a new place in a new town alone was going to take some doing. I was 29 and hadn't really lived alone at that point. My somewhat strange psych-up was watching the 2001 remake of Ocean's 11 many many times. CSI didn't really excite me for the move as well, but there were fun stories on it.
In July of 2002, my mom and I traveled to Las Vegas to see my new workplace, Tom Williams Elementary School, and got myself an apartment near Nellis AFB, which wasn't too far from the school at all. It was a hot, humid July weekend, and we had driven in on a stormy Friday night. We stayed at Circus Circus, a pretty decent place actually, for 2 nights. My overall impression was...undecided. I got living quarters taken care of for sure, but a weekend in Vegas with my mom didn't give a reality hint at all...but that was soon to come.
Three weeks later, my dad and I arrived at the Nellis Oasis Apartments in the early afternoon of August 2, 2002. We had left Santa Rosa at about 2:30 a.m. and were already zonked from the 11 hour drive. After some time in a nice air-conditioned office signing papers and giving the Oasis people money, we spent a hot few hours unloading my car and his rental truck.
Unlike the trip with my mom, I had a much different feeling about this one. This was permanent. I had said farewell to my just-one-year-short-of-a-common-law-marriage roommate Scott the previous night. All my stuff was packed up. Apart from Scott, I hadn't really made any firm connections in Sonoma County. temp jobs and substitute teaching made daily money but were lonely jobs in nature. Dating had been pretty slim and unfulfilling, too.
After we finished unpacking, my dad and I went in search of some good food and perhaps a beer. Las Vegas Boulevard in North Las Vegas did not have attractive selections, most looked seedy or just plain fast food. We went further down and finally saw an attractive sign: Tony Roma's at the Stardust! We were there, dude! A couple beers and some ribs and we were ourselves again. Back at my new apartment, Dad just sacked out on the floor as I slept in my bed. The next morning he was up before dawn, wrote me a check to get some basic supplies, and he was gone. I never saw or heard him go.
I think that's important to note because when I did wake up, I was truly on my own for the first time in my life! It was an exciting feeling...a scary one at that! It was just me and my stuff and there was some organizing to do for sure, but the first order of business was breakfast and a plan for the day.
After filling up at a nearby Chevron for $1.43 (yay 2002 prices!) I asked the clerk for a tip on good breakfast. He recommended the Blueberry Hill on Las Vegas Blvd. across form the base. I went there, loved it, and ended up eating there every Saturday for the next 4 years. After that, I found the Wal Mart close by and did a little stocking up of food and cleaning supplies. That Nellis Wal Mart would be a main store for me for the next few years. Sadly it closed a few years after moving to a new neighborhood. The crime had gotten pretty bad around there.
The rest of that day was spent organizing the living room and dining room areas, mostly my videos. It was all VHS at that point, I had not yet acquired a DVD player at that point. The next day, I wanted to explore a bit more. A movie sounded good. After looking at the newspaper listings, I decided on Austin Powers:Goldmember, playing at the Regal Theatres at Texas Station. In Vegas terms (as I would soon learn), it wasn't that far away.
Texas Station itself would be a main movie venue for me in the years to come. They had a good food court, the theatre itself was pretty big, I occasionally enjoyed some slot play, and there was a good basement level bowling alley. The buffet also was enjoyable. Overall, there was a basic hominess, aside from the constant cigarette smoke, in the place. Until COVID hit, it was a pretty regular place for me and Vickie.
As time went on, I saw many changes to the Strip. The Riviera, Sahara, and Stardust all eventually went away, as did the "family-friendly" theme that Vegas was dabbling with before I arrived. Seriously, when people on the main drag are giving out hooker flyers near a family-themed venue, the reality sets in, and the fantasy fades away in a blink.
As I got comfy in my new workplace, I continued to explore my new city and the surrounding desert. I took a drive one weekend around the Lake Mead area, winding up at Logandale and Overton before meeting I 15 and heading back. Another day I went to Mt Charleston and had a drink and snack at the Lodge, which would become a regular destination to get relief from the summer heat as well as an eventual Christmas Eve mecca for me and Vickie. Sadly the lodge burned down last year...that sadness remains with me to this day and I remain hopeful for a new place to premiere before I die.
I also took a drive to Pahrump one day. I had heard about it from a few people. Pahrump is in neighboring Nye County, and has been known as a legal brothel town. Of course, as time has passed, more families have moved there for more economical living conditions and the brothel life has taken more of a back seat, though they still do exist. I wasn't particularly impressed by the town, but state highway 160 had some scenery as it looped back to U.S. 95 30 miles to the northwest.
On Friday nights when I was unaccompanied (which were several in the early months), I would sometimes go to the Red Lobster on Decatur, enjoy a meal at the bar, then maybe cruise to the Stratosphere and ride to the top to enjoy Vegas from high up.
One of my favorite nerdy activities was going to Best Buy at Best of the West on Lake Mead and stocking up on music, movies, and TV show full series on DVD...once I bought the DVD player, I went disc-wild! Probably a bit too much at times, but that's where I was in life.
In the course of three years, I had many dates though most were one-shots. There were some regulars, some semi-regulars, but I didn't find happiness until I found Vickie in early 2006. At 5'5 and somewhat round in the middle, I was not Captain Stud and did not get to enjoy the empty high-life of constant 1-night stands, clubbing, and buying expensive meals and drinks in hopes of achieving those brief carnal experiences. Somehow, though, I think being me helped to avoid trouble and disease.
As with any new experience and location, like a penny, time does a lot to dull the shine. New casino hotels replaced the old, new ugly residence towers shot up quickly, and although the Las Vegas Strip is a beautiful gem in the night, in the daytime it is an ugly-looking city. Now, I say that as a RESIDENT WHO DOES NOT LIVE ON THE STRIP! Most residents live nowhere NEAR the Strip, in fact. Most of us live in residential neighborhoods consisting of houses or apartment complexes, with local retail venues supplying our daily needs. Yet on the Strip, especially on weekends (though weekdays are getting just as bad), people come from all over, mostly southern California, on Fridays, get in all their jollies at night, sleep hung over in the daytime, and resume their vampire status later in the day, then go home on either Sunday or Monday if they called in sick. I learned early on to NEVER go to visit my California family on a Sunday, I-15 doesn't handle it well.
Despite the healthy distance from The Strip, The Strip itself dominates the landscape from almost all angles, almost a reminder of why we as residents get to enjoy BEING residents in the first place.
As for teaching, I will begin my 21st year in the CCSD soon. I am at my third and favorite school and still enjoy what I do...I just don't always enjoy who I do it for and I don't mean the kids.
It is not a city for everyone. Early in my teaching career, my school district would hire a few thousand new teachers every year...and often within months, those new hires would run away for their own reasons. Sometimes they realized who they were working for and escaped with their souls, but I suspect most left because Las Vegas is not a place that supports weak constitutions. If you want your green lawn and well-landscaped parks, it's not for you. If you like only occasionally hot summer days, then Vegas is definitely not for you! All that said, I have met many a Las Vegas native and they couldn't live anywhere else, it is home to them. They have a particular angle on Vegas living, and like newbie residents they know where to go to get what they need and want.
Las Vegas, like other cities, is what you make of it for yourself. While many are gambling or enjoying the Forum Shops at Caesar's Palace, there are many also getting hardware at Home Depot or Lowe's, or eating at their favorite fast food joint, or bowling, or eating, or just stating home to enjoy the AC. I have been here for 20 years now, and while I can happily say I am a 4-year homeowner, I cannot see myself living here at 70 years old. The water emergency is real, and idiots keep building more and more and don't see the big picture. I see more new beginnings for me down the road, but for the time being, I remain.
Happy 20 years to me living here!
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