Tag: Las Vegas

Vegas Lie a Local

Vegas Like a Local: Places and Points of Interest

Megan Edwards 3 Comments

A Glossary of Local Names for Las Vegas Places

Maps provide names for places and landmarks, but they don’t let visitors in on local secrets, like what those names might mean or the alternative monikers favored by residents. Here is an incomplete list of some of the names locals use in Las Vegas for neighborhoods, streets, and points of interest. If you’d like to add to this list, please leave a comment!

D.I.: Desert Inn Road. The hotel Howard Hughes owned and once called home no longer exists, but the memory lives on in the street name.

Glitter Gulch: Now known as “The Fremont Street Experience” or, more casually, just “Fremont Street,” You’ll still hear long-time Las Vegans refer to these casino-lined blocks as “Glitter Gulch.” In the same breath (more…)

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#VegasStrong

#VegasStrong and Even Stronger

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“I can’t imagine.”

It’s a well-worn comment most of us have fallen back on when we hear about an awful event.

She lost her baby.
His wife was killed.
The whole family died.

“I simply can’t imagine what that would be like/what I’d do/how I’d feel.”

In the wake of the events in Las Vegas last Sunday, I’m sure the phrase was oft repeated.

But not by me. Because I can imagine. If I let my mind travel to the country music festival last weekend, I can easily picture the happy throngs in cowboy (more…)

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One Book at a Time

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Last Thursday, I went to school. E.W. Griffith Elementary School, to be exact. It’s in Las Vegas, not far from downtown. When I got there, a big truck was parked right in front of the main entrance, and a bunch of excited kids had gathered nearby. The truck was from Spread the Word Nevada, and the children had obviously gotten wind of why it was there. Their school was about to become Spread the Word’s 49th “adoptee.”

Channel 8 was there, too, along with a crowd that included (more…)

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The Writer's Block bookshop and Grouchy John's Coffee Shop

The Best Spots for Writing and Coffee in Las Vegas

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Coffee Writing Club
How can any coffee-loving writer resist? The Coffee Writing Club at the Writer’s Block meets every other Sunday morning.

I’m sitting in the back room at The Writer’s Block with a handful of other people. We’re here for the Coffee Writing Club, a bi-weekly gathering of folks who assemble to drink some good coffee (generously donated by PublicUs down the street), chat, and even get some writing done. I have to drive across town for this one-hour event, and over the past couple of months, I have not missed a single session. Kind of crazy, don’t you (more…)

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Here and Now

Setting a Story in the Present and Other Moving Targets

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I learned the hard way that setting a story in the “right here and right now” is not as easy as it sounds. Sure, it’s simple to set the stage, because you’ve chosen a place and time that’s all around you. What does a house look like? Just peek out the window and start describing. What slang should your characters use? Go to an airport or coffee shop and eavesdrop. Same goes for clothing, cars, (more…)

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Legal Weed Hits Las Vegas

Megan Edwards 1 Comment

Legal WeedI like to witness historic events in Las Vegas. Among many momentous occasions, I helped christen the new Aladdin (now Planet Hollywood). I was on hand when the Stardust fell down, and I observed as the La Concha Motel dangled into place to become the new lobby for the Neon Museum. I now lay claim to yet another “I was there.” I braved the heat on July first to attend the One Love Cannabis (more…)

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Loving Las Vegas

Megan Edwards 3 Comments

Over the seventeen years I’ve lived in Las Vegas, I’ve written a few times about why I like it. Since it’s been awhile—and I’m still enthralled—I thought I’d take a new look at a few of the things that make me love calling Las Vegas home.

    The Mob Museum

  1. MUSEUMS. Las Vegas is often accused of imploding its history, but it has actually been reveling in its roots for quite a while now. Nowhere is this more obvious than within the walls and grounds of its (more…)

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