[zxro]

So I just got home from Vegas. I was there over the weekend for a convention, and I stayed out at the Westin in Lake Las Vegas. I typically visit once a year, but this was my first time with a rental car. I got to do some suburban tourism, and see a bit of the non touristy parts. It was great, and I still can't wait to make a permanent move there.

I thought I would share a little perspective, for anyone that is interested. Maybe someone can clear some things up for me too.

I checked out some open houses in the Summerlin area. It's nice, I like it. It's pretty much exactly what I expected from all my Google tourism and Redfin house hunting. However, what's up with all the pigeons? Is this something that you people just have to deal with? I see people talking about pest control on this board all the time, but usually it's about scorpions and ants and whatnot. I saw tons of pigeons, all up on people's roofs and such. That would annoy me.

I didn't see any Safeway's or Fred Meyer's or QFC's or anything like that. Just a bunch of places called Smith's. Is this your only grocery option aside from Whole Foods?

What is up with all the debris on the highway? I see the occasional tire chunk up here in Seattle, but down there it's all over the place, along with bags, papers, heck, I even saw a blanket in the middle of a lane. That's a lot of highway hazards. Is this typical?

Had my first In And Out burger. What a letdown. I don't get the hype. El Pollo Loco, on the other hand, was delightful. Dunken Donuts rocks my world too, once I move out there that will replace my daily Starbucks fix immediately.

DuPar's is still the best pancakes I ever had. Do locals ever eat there? Is there a better place for pancakes anywhere in the valley?

Lake Las Vegas isn't really that far out of town. Why is it so deserted? Seems nice enough to me, lotsa cool looking houses and whatnot.

What is the deal with Terrible's? Why would you name a chain on mini-marts that?

Is Water Street in Henderson a "scene"? Seems like it to me. Lotsa bikers, don't know if it was an event or a typical Friday night.

Apparently the Town Square Pink Box Donuts is a hoax. I couldn't find it for the life of me. Too bad, I wanted to try a cronut finally.

I'm convinced that those slushy drinks in the crazy big cups have no alcohol in them. Am I wrong?

Real estate prices are insanely cheap down there compared to Seattle. Is commercial real estate equally affordable?

Anyway, that's a lot of rambling about stuff, but I wanted to get it all out before I forgot it. I'm sure I already forgot some. Feel free to address any questions, or don't. I just want to participate in this forum a bit more and learn as much as I can. I'm already planning my next trip, probably in November, so I can experience something other than mid-June, which is all I know of Vegas.

[jet757f]

As far as grocery shopping there is also Vons and Albertsons. Sprouts is around too where you can get a lot better meat and produce.

Yes I think In N Out is over-hyped too. The hamburgers are nothing special. I think they are a lot like McDonalds when they first starting opening. Give it time the thrill will wear off and I'm sure In N Out will screw it up by doing something to save time and money that will make them just like all the other fast foods.

[NLVgal]

Hi! Welcome to the LV valley.

Yes, real estate is relatively cheap here (though it was way cheaper three or four years ago). The retail market is still over-saturated so I think there are bargains to be had in retail space. Maybe the RE experts will chime in.

We don't have Safeway stores. We have Von's which is Safeway's name brand out here. Smiths = Kroger, and it is a local favorite. Best Foods mayo = Hellmans mayo in other parts of the country.

Pigeon problems are usually related to neighbors who feed their dogs outside. My Australian Shepherd was fed inside, and tolerated no violations of her airspace. No pigeon poop on my property. Birds are smart and soon learn where they are not welcome.

Summerlin isn't the only desirable neighborhood in Las Vegas, though the landscaping is nice.

November is one of our best months here. You'll like it.

The summer here sucks.

[LuisSuarez]

The debris on the road was probably due to the winds we get blowing the garbage out of peoples bins.

[8to32characters]

Von's = Safeway in NV, but Sprouts is where it's at, esp. for very reasonably-priced high quality meat and produce. Thought they had Sprouts in WA, but guess not.

Since Albertson's doesn't have a club card/discount program like Safeway/Von's and most of their stores across the country are falling apart, I don't shop there--ever.

Dunkin' Donuts is coffee-flavored water, which is why it's so much cheaper than Starbucks coffee. There are over 30 DD stores w/i a 5-mi. radius of my parents' home in RI--they have a cult-like following in New England. However, you will notice that most of the people who drink DD coffee are much heavier overall than people who drink Starbucks coffee because DD puts more cream/sugar in their coffee plus they have lots more options for very sweet flavored coffee (e.g., "Cookie Dough" coffee). Ugh.

Real estate is cheap in NV compared to WA because there are no jobs--well, at least no corporate jobs.

November will be cooler than you expect.

[ragabnh]

You should have checked the district, Green Valley Ranch and Seven Hills Areas, quite nice.

[yellowsnow]

Vegas is a great place to live as long as you don't have to make a living here. There are very few decent jobs that pay anything and forget benefits.

Those darn pigeons. Maybe they will be eradicated if people start eating them. I honestly don't know what changed but I don't recall any pigeons around residential neighborhoods before the last 15 years or so.

[timtemtym]

Smith's is part of the Kroger family, so is Fred Meyer's and Ralph's (here in LA).

Von's is part of Safeway which is in the process of being bought by Albertson's. You also have WalMart, Target, Sam's, Costco for groceries as well as Fresh and Easy.

Same options as every other city in the US, just named differently based on your region.

There have been some crazy hot winds lately in both Vegas and LA. It blows all kinds of crap around. Don't worry, it will get cleaned up.

I'm surprised you didn't mention the crazy drivers! Vegas drivers are from all 50 states and 7 continents and they bring every sort of cultural driving rule with them.

[Raiderman]

My thoughts in red.

Originally Posted by zxro

So I just got home from Vegas. I was there over the weekend for a convention, and I stayed out at the Westin in Lake Las Vegas. I typically visit once a year, but this was my first time with a rental car. I got to do some suburban tourism, and see a bit of the non touristy parts. It was great, and I still can't wait to make a permanent move there.

I thought I would share a little perspective, for anyone that is interested. Maybe someone can clear some things up for me too.

I checked out some open houses in the Summerlin area. It's nice, I like it. It's pretty much exactly what I expected from all my Google tourism and Redfin house hunting. However, what's up with all the pigeons? Is this something that you people just have to deal with? I see people talking about pest control on this board all the time, but usually it's about scorpions and ants and whatnot. I saw tons of pigeons, all up on people's roofs and such. That would annoy me. Friends of mine put up home-made pvc pipe around their pool, as the pigeons would land there and drink. They remove it when the pool is in use, but even when it is not there, no pigeons. Thought it was pretty genious.

I didn't see any Safeway's or Fred Meyer's or QFC's or anything like that. Just a bunch of places called Smith's. Is this your only grocery option aside from Whole Foods? As mentioned, there are a variety of national chains, as well as many discount local chains.

What is up with all the debris on the highway? I see the occasional tire chunk up here in Seattle, but down there it's all over the place, along with bags, papers, heck, I even saw a blanket in the middle of a lane. That's a lot of highway hazards. Is this typical?I'm not sure what part of town you went through, but we were actually amazed at the lack of debris on the roads. But yes, it gets windy here.

Had my first In And Out burger. What a letdown. I don't get the hype. El Pollo Loco, on the other hand, was delightful. Dunken Donuts rocks my world too, once I move out there that will replace my daily Starbucks fix immediately.We lived for the past few decades in New England, most recently RI. We get our DD fix daily

DuPar's is still the best pancakes I ever had. Do locals ever eat there? Is there a better place for pancakes anywhere in the valley?We are there at least once a month, and it's a must-go with friends when they visit

Lake Las Vegas isn't really that far out of town. Why is it so deserted? Seems nice enough to me, lotsa cool looking houses and whatnot.Unless you have a car, it is a $70 cab ride. When people are visiting from other parts of the country, they can get pretty upset that they are supposedly going to "Las Vegas" and end up in the middle of nowhere and can't leave without paying $140 R/T. That's the price of a flight!

What is the deal with Terrible's? Why would you name a chain on mini-marts that?Ed Herbst got the nickname from his competitors and it stuck.

Is Water Street in Henderson a "scene"? Seems like it to me. Lotsa bikers, don't know if it was an event or a typical Friday night.You went by the Gold Mine on Water St. Yes, they have bike night, but also classic car night, rockabilly night, etc.

Apparently the Town Square Pink Box Donuts is a hoax. I couldn't find it for the life of me. Too bad, I wanted to try a cronut finally. It is there

I'm convinced that those slushy drinks in the crazy big cups have no alcohol in them. Am I wrong?

Real estate prices are insanely cheap down there compared to Seattle. Is commercial real estate equally affordable?Yes, RE is crazy cheap here. And don't let people scare you about jobs, as it depends on your field. I moved here a year ago from New England, and my company set me up with a home office. Things aren't going very well with that company, so I sent out 5 resumes a couple of weeks ago. I got 4 callbacks, went on 3 interviews, and am starting my new job next week. (for more pay than my New England employer was paying me). It all depends on what field you are in.

Anyway, that's a lot of rambling about stuff, but I wanted to get it all out before I forgot it. I'm sure I already forgot some. Feel free to address any questions, or don't. I just want to participate in this forum a bit more and learn as much as I can. I'm already planning my next trip, probably in November, so I can experience something other than mid-June, which is all I know of Vegas.

[jayway]

Oh OP, you can't really judge Vegas by this weekend because EDC was in town. Picture ~130k rabid horny young people wearing brightly colored feather head dresses and ultra shaggy fake fur boots leggings (even the dudes) rampaging about town. That she-ite doesn't happen even when the porno convention cums here.