A Beautiful Day . . .

It's another beautiful day here in Southern Nevada.  I just got back from walking my puppy (well, he's not really a puppy anymore, he's 4, but he still answers to that).  It's a lovely 79 degrees with just enough breeze to move the air around without blowing so hard that there's dust in the air and leaves in your apartment.  Of course, it's still early, so it'll be over 100 by the afternoon, but by then I've shut up the windows and turned on the air conditioning.

Yesterday I had a couple of errands to do, so as usual I took my camera along, and got the shots above – if you can believe it – from the parking lot at the local Target.  I love the fact that everywhere here has a picture-worthy view in the background, if you remember to look up and beyond your immediate surroundings.  As great as my home state of New Jersey is (And yay, Jersey Devils! They made it into contention for the Stanley Cup!), you just don't see backdrops like this there.  (I miss the ocean . . . even the ocean smell, but that's another story). 

On the way to do my errands, I drove through a local housing development that had previously been full of foreclosure and, "For Sale By Bank," signs, only to find them mostly absent.  So maybe, just maybe, things are starting to turn around a bit.  On the other hand, it could just be localized to my area, or it could simply mean that deep-pockets investors have just bought up all those houses and will just sit on them until prices go back up or they can rent them out for exorbitant rates.

I also passed yet another construction site on my way, and as with a lot of others, this one seems to be sitting quietly and waiting.  You might have noticed a recurring motif in this respect, and if you haven't yet, you will do soon.

It's slightly depressing, and for me a little mystifying.  I mean, who wouldn't want to set up house or shop in such an awe-inspiring area?  Who would not want to invest here?

But then, I guess it has a lot to do with the casinos, and the gambling roots of this town.  People seem to want to take chances here that they wouldn't otherwise normally take, and they also do things in excess.  You know, "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas"?  But when you get away from the lights and the shows and the craziness of The Strip and Downtown, it's really not any more of a gamble than anywhere else.  It's a place people live and work, and not just in hotel/casino-related jobs, either.  Someone has to run the Subway, the Sev (7-11, in JerseySpeak), the local bank, and someone has to teach school here (Yes, we have them!  But the schools here have . . . issues, shall we say?  Mostly underfunding, but that's a discussion I'm not sure I'm qualified for).

So as all people with any sense at all here will do, I will now stay inside for most of the day, looking out my window at the scenery, and avoiding the sun in the hottest parts of the day unless I really have to go out (well, I will have to for the puppy's next walk, at least).  And then only when heavily covered in sunscreen.  This is vital for anyone even visiting to understand: sunscreen is all-important!  Even if you have a darker complexion!  But especially for those of us of the ghostlier variety of skin-color.  Never, ever, under any circumstances go out without sunscreen.

Desert Landscaping

This is what they call "desert landscaping."  You see it all the time at the entrances and exits of freeways here.  They're really fond of elaborate use of boulders, for some reason I haven't quite figured out.  Don't get me wrong, I like the boulders.  I just think they're probably not cheap, and aren't actually necessary. (They've got such a budget shortage here they find any way they can to make a buck, but then spend money on boulders.  Go figure.)

They also use desert landscaping in place of lawns and as part of the "park-like setting" of every apartment complex grounds.

And since it is a holiday weekend, the police are out in force here.  Yesterday morning around 6:00am I was awakened to the sound of sirens.  Someone got pulled over on the street right next to me, on the other side of the wall (every complex here – whether it's apartments or houses – is surrounded by these high walls).  Apparently they found something on the person they pulled over, because a second car came out, which doesn't usually happen for a traffic stop.  (It was probably narcotics, but I'll likely never know for sure.)

Here's an example of the walls they put around everything.  This is from the northwest area, up near Summerlin.  While they're usually a little nicer than this, and often have trees hanging over top to disguise it and make it look less depressingly wall-like. 

You might have noticed, too, that the houses all look very much alike, too..  Not to mention that they are close together and close to the walls.  This is also a common thing here, with both houses and apartments.  I guess being from someplace where house types were all mixed so that the neighborhood doesn't look boring, and had a little character, this drives me a little crazy sometimes.  I'm often surprised that people can find their own home. 

You tell me!

And these are very typical-looking.  Perhaps it's because everything here was built so recently, I don't know.  But I once took my dog to a dog-sitter who lived in a housing complex where every house looked so alike, when I asked how they found their own house, they told me that on many occasions they had pulled into the wrong driveway. 

Though they look nice, these kinds of places (and my own complex is no different) make me want to paint my exterior purple or pink or something!

Stay tuned!  I have some really cool photos coming up!

Driving in Vegas

This is a design that I see when I get onto the freeway, but it's everywhere here.  It looks like a reverse @ sign, but it must be Native American or something.  (If anyone knows what it is or what it means, I'd love to know!) 

Aside from some cool designs on freeway overpasses, there's also usually some kind of interesting decorative rocks on the cloverleaf areas of the freeways here.  Of course, it's harder to get photos of those if you're driving, but I will figure out how at some point (eventually I'll be a passenger).  It might not be so different from what you're used to if you're from Arizona or New Mexico, but for someone who came here from California, it's not what you'd normally see: no trees, for one thing. 

So the other day I got on the freeway and I had an NHP (Nevada Highway Patrol) right near me, but in the middle lane, not the left, where I was.  I realized he was clocking me when I started to move back to the middle lane, and rather than continuing over to the left lane (as he had started to do), he moved back into the center lane, right behind me.

One thing about this place is that they don't screw around when it comes to that.  I suppose the upcoming holiday weekend might have something to do with the increased presence (I had one behind me on the way, and saw one on the way back, which is a bit more than I usually see). 

The NHP stayed behind me, and I got the message: you're going too fast.  So I dropped down 10 mph, which seemed to take his attention off of me, and he took off after someone who had passed in the left lane and left both of us in the dust. 

Close call, especially since I can't afford a ticket right now.  (I have a great driving record: my last actual ticket was years ago.  I just don't have the money to pay a ticket, since from what I understand, they can be pretty expensive!)

If you're moving here, you have to get your car registered pretty quickly.  It's not cheap, either.  My friend in Florida pays less than $100, while here, a car that's in the same age group is over $300.  And if you've got a high-end SUV, be prepared: an acquaintance of mine pays over $900 . . . per year!

Also, if you don't have registration at all (If you have a car that's just sitting and waiting, as I see occasionally in my complex; I expect it's not running or at least isn't being driven), or if you've got out-of-state plates and they see them for an extended period of time in an apartment complex parking lot (I don't know if that applies to private homes with private driveways, though), you get a warning.  If you don't get your Nevada plates in the specified period of time, they can haul the car off.  The police drive through apartment complexes and housing subdivisions at regular intervals, too.

I suspect this is because there are a lot of people coming and going, seeking their fortunes, as it were, in a gambling town.  I guess they got tired of people coming here and not paying up.  They do take pretty decent care of the roads . . . again, much better than Los Angeles.  But that's not really a fair comparison, I suppose, since this is so much smaller a place.

Very Windy Day

One day last week it was very windy, which is not an uncommon thing here.  Now that I got a reply to my question about video formats, you can see just how windy.  The reason I wanted to try and show this is because it's something you should know, whether you're coming here as a tourist and just staying on the Strip or Downtown, or whether you are planning to move here. 

If you're vacationing, it's something you should take into account when you go out anywhere.  It may factor into what you wear, or even what you do.  For example, if you're getting talked into a helicopter tour of the city and really aren't comfortable with that idea, I wouldn't choose a windy day to test my nerves!

If you're thinking of moving here, it's definitely important to keep in the back of your mind.  Honestly, I have never lived anywhere where there was so much dust.  If, like me, you like open windows (and there are only a few weeks in Spring and Fall when you really might want to open them, unfortunately), you don't want them open on a windy day, or all your cleaning is for nothing.  Even with closed windows, you still end up getting tons of dust and dirt and leaves (leaves, leaves, and more leaves) that get into your house or apartment, no matter how much you sweep (it does help if your entryway has something other than carpet).  When I lived closer in to the city proper, it wasn't quite as bad.  But it seems that the further out you get, the worse the effects of the wind on your housekeeping efforts.  Did I mention the leaves?! 

There are some days when it's so windy I worry that my puppy will leave the ground, and that I'll be holding onto him by his leash like a puppy-shaped kite.  It hasn't happened yet, but there are days when he really hesitates to go out.  He looks at me as if to say, "Are you kidding?" 

A New Section

The view from my patio at dusk.

As you might've noticed, I did, indeed, figure out how to upload a photo, though not as a background.  But hopefully you will bear with me as I figure out the mechanics of this system. 

I had to take another trip to the northwest area of the valley late last week for an errand, which isn't that far, maybe 20-30 minutes.  (That's where I took the photo I posted in my first post.)  This place just isn't that big.  At least from the perspective of someone who has lived in the Los Angeles area, where a traffic jam means 4 hours on 405 from 101 to 90.  Here a traffic jam means adding about 15 minutes to your trip during rush hour.  It can actually be pleasant, if you take the time to look up at the scenery off in the background.  (And/or have a good audiobook.) 

The whole valley can be driven across about an hour, and there's a beltway that was built large enough that it's actually ahead of the amount of traffic we have (again, unlike L.A., where there's so much traffic that they can't build sufficient roads to keep up with the number of cars).  I used to live here a while back, and only recently returned, after the beltway had been built.  I must confess that I love the beltway! 

While I was up in that end of the valley, I took a little side trip and saw a new housing development going up.

Everything looks sooo pristine and fresh out there on the edge of the desert.  Actually, it's really close to a mountain . . . okay, it's a mountain if you're from Jersey, where anything higher than sea-level is high . . . here it might be considered a foothill, I don't know.  But you can judge for yourself.  Here's some of the scenery around that new housing complex.

And a lot of the streets out in the new areas look something like this:

But of course that's a new housing complex.  There are plenty of ones closer in, or even at different edges of the valley, that are very nice.  And, as you probably know, there are also a great deal that are full of houses that have been foreclosed on.  (I haven't been through a section like that recently, or I'd have snapped a pic or two; when I find myself in an area like that, I will do.  After all, I said I'd show you both the good and the bad.)

Just Starting Out

As I sit here trying desperately to figure out how to upload a background photo I took earlier today, I realize that either I'm not getting it (which seems unlikely, since not only am I quite proficient in reading, but have also done Tech Support in a previous life), or the folk who write instructions for how to do this need a little professional help.  At any rate, I have some lovely, genuine Somewhere Near Vegas photos I would love to share, if only I could figure out how to do that.  Something did, indeed, upload . . . I just have no idea where it went.  I'm hoping it will become more obvious as I proceed.


After all, the whole idea of this blog is to share what it's like to live here, on the outskirts of so-called Sin City, and what will do that better than photos?


In the meantime, I can tell you that it seems like it's awfully early to be full-blown summer temps here, and yet the forecast calls for it to be 99˚ today.  But then, I don't think most people realize the variety of weather we have here.  Yes, it's getting into the scorching hot time of year, but we do actually have seasons.   And rain.  And I could've sworn I even saw a couple of snowflakes this past winter. 


Yes, it's in the desert, and people normally equate desert with, "hot."  But that is really only part of the story.


I have spoken to a number of people who said they were contemplating moving to Vegas, and for those in that category, this is the place to find out what's beyond all the hype, both the good, and the bad.  Everyone should feel free to ask questions (I assume there's a way to do that), and I'll do my best to answer them if I can.  Even if you're somewhere else in the world and have no intention of ever coming here, but you're curious, welcome!  Come along for the ride!


I've seen a few blogs that claim to be an "insiders" point of view, but even the ones claiming to give a perspective from the real world away from The Strip concentrate on things like the best restaurants and night clubs and such.  But if you aren't looking for an off-the-beaten-path vacation, that's not really all that unique.  You can find that sort of thing in a number of places.  But for those of us who aren't independently wealthy people of leisure, Vegas and its surrounding areas are an actual place to live and work.  If you're interested in "normal" life in a resort town, this is the place.


I suspect this blog will take on the shape and life of those who read it and ask questions, and I will try to find interesting things to tell you about, and hopefully show you, once I get that photo upload thing worked out!


So hop in and let's get going!  Don't forget the sunscreen and shades!