Here are a few questions aimed mostly at locals like myself who have lived in Las Vegas for quite a while, but also have little or no interest in casinos, gambling, and other attractions that are synonymous with the city.
The questions are — why do you stay here? And — why remain here if the primary reason that the city exists doesn’t interest you?
These thoughts came to me a few nights ago. Some friends wanted to meet at a spot on the Las Vegas Strip. My first reaction was — “oh no, that’s the last place I want to go.” That’s when it came to me, like a revelation. How can I live in Las Vegas and also despise the idea of going to The Strip? It’s like living in Miami and hating the ocean.
Thinking more about this, I realized it’s not just the big casinos I want to avoid. It’s all the casinos — even so-called local’s places. Sure, I still enjoy casino restaurants and some even have movie theatres. But the temptation to go into any casino and gamble simply isn’t there. Besides, if I want to gamble (on sports primarily), that option exists on my smartphone and is far more convenient since I have online betting accounts. So, why even bother?
I doubt if my feelings on this are out of the ordinary. In fact, many Las Vegas locals I’ve talked to about this dread visiting The Strip, and would never go there. Many of us have been to every attraction (many times). We’ve seen most of the big shows. We’ve pretty much done everything any tourist could do….100 times over. We’ve done the amusement park thing, but are tired of the roller coaster. So then, why continue living here with all of the obvious negatives associated with a tourist attraction — higher costs, more traffic, increased crime and noise, climate change issues, constant water shortages, and other problems?
In short, the things that were once most attractive about Las Vegas before and when I moved here have become irrelevant. Do many of us stay put simply out of habit?
To be clear, I’m not looking to move anytime soon. Even though there are many other places I’d love to move to (especially abroad), at least temporarily, I’m not looking to leave Las Vegas. Yeah, I know that seems strange. It’s one of the reasons I’m posting this, hoping to listen to what others think.
This is primarily targeted at people who don’t have jobs or family ties to Las Vegas. Since many of my friends have neither, then why do you stay?
READ MORE: Is Las Vegas Still a Good Place to Live?
READ MORE: Is Las Vegas Still a Good Place to Visit?
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