| the Las Vegas strip; gambling, slot machines,
blackjack, good food, & great shows! Disney for
Adults? Casinos keep popping out of the desert. Las Vegas
growth appears endless. More slot machines, roulette,
blackjack and craps tables appear almost daily. The Las Vegas
with free breakfasts, cheap shows and $2.00 buffet dinners
gave way to $500 a round golf, $100 (and more) show tickets,
and loads of top notch gourmet restaurants.
Vegas started not so long ago as a water stop for the
railroad. Las Vegas is Spanish for "The meadows", and the
availability of water in the desert was probably the only reason Las
Vegas got it's start. Once gambling became legal, the growth took
off. You really have to live there to appreciate the impact. I used
to joke that they just poured water on a lot and a new 7-11 or strip
mall popped up in a matter of days. Stay out of a neighborhood a few
months and you're lost when you go back! But it's only in the last 10-20
years people stopped thinking that all the residents lived in
trailers behind the casinos.
I lived in Las Vegas for 17 years and for 5 years, worked as a
"Craps" dealer for the Las Vegas Hilton and the Flamingo Hilton. I
go back on occasion and continue to photograph Vegas (and other
places on 3 continents!) I hope I can share some of the excitement,
fun things to do (some of them far from the casinos) and a give you
a look at this desert phenomenon that isn't in the guide books.
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