Vegas is an asset (San Diego, San Jose: foreclosure, credit, loans)

[subPrimeTime]

One of the most underrated things about living in SoCal which most people take for granted is the easy access to Las Vegas. There’s just no place like Vegas, so having the ability to spontaneously take a weekend road trip there is great (this of course assumes that you’re non-married for the most part, with like-minded friends, and have a reasonable amount of disposable income).

I realize that the northeast has Atlantic City, but it makes me wonder, where do people in big cities like Seattle, Portland, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Miami, etc go to spontaneously get away and let loose for a weekend without flying somewhere? Even Atlantic City (based on the one time I went there) seemed to be just an assortment of casinos with plenty of gambling, but not much in terms of night life, events, celebrities, shows, etc.

Can anybody who’s lived in any these cities share their thoughts? Is my view of Atlantic City accurate? Am I giving Vegas too much credit?

[yamota]

Shhh! What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas

[LABornandRaised]

Too funny that you started this thread. I literally got back from Vegas yesterday. The strip is gigantic now. I remember how it was 10 years ago. It has transformed in a huge way.

Has anyone noticed now when you drive to Hollywood, how it's starting to resemble Vegas? Looking at the Patron advertisement in neon driving South on the 101, the Big W hotel with its huge advertisements, etc.

[jbunniii]

I think Las Vegas is crap, personally, but to each his own.

[Joseph Marnix]

Vegas is just any other place but I think I can understand how easy it is to put your mind away from reality and into the possibilities of fantasies.

See, if I'm a working stiff for 5 days, and when I go to Vegas spending my earned money, I kinda feel like I'm living like a king. My hotel room is taken cared off, and it is nice: marble tiles, jacuzzi / spa suite, pool outside where I don't have to worry about bringing towels. I can get a massage. I gamble my minimum bet of $25 with the high rollers who drop $,$$$ at the time. I get free drinks and get to see nice butts and cleavage of the serving women.

I can job from casino to casino and using the free valet and get away just giving $1 tip.

And it takes about 4 hours trip to come back to reality.

But the way I looked at it, the money I spent in Vegas, I could do about the same in LA with some pre-planning. I already live in a gated area with a community pool. I can spend some money on delivered food and drink, and invite friends for an afternoon at the pool.

Or I can go to a club and enjoy an evening, spending about the same amount of money. I've spend an afternoon in the beach, cruising on a bike, then having dinner as the sun sets, then clubbing the evening away.

[subPrimeTime]

Thanks for the responses so far. I guess the purpose of this thread was not to debate if Vegas is great or not, but to just appreciate the easy access we have to this place (whether you choose to use it or not) compared to any other area in the country. My point is, wherever you live, you need to get away a few times a year just to keep your sanity, which is why we go on vacations and getaways. I don’t consider Vegas a vacation (since you can enjoy the place within a weekend without taking time off work), but it’s definitely a fun, quick, getaway. All in all, I can’t imagine not having that option.

So, once again, if you lived in any of the big cities that I listed, where would you go for a quick, weekend getaway from reality that doesn’t require flight arrangements a month in advance?

[Lovetheoutdoors]

If you're talking about gambling, then Detroit has casinos, there are casinos in Colorado, casinos around the Chicago area, casinos in the Miami area, casinos in Washington State, casinos in Oregon and Texas is close proximity to the Louisiana and Oklahoma casinos.

While Vegas is nice, I still like going to San Diego. The Gaslamp is a great place to have fun and TJ is just across the border.

[VLWH]

Originally Posted by subPrimeTime

Thanks for the responses so far. I guess the purpose of this thread was not to debate if Vegas is great or not, but to just appreciate the easy access we have to this place (whether you choose to use it or not) compared to any other area in the country. My point is, wherever you live, you need to get away a few times a year just to keep your sanity, which is why we go on vacations and getaways. I don’t consider Vegas a vacation (since you can enjoy the place within a weekend without taking time off work), but it’s definitely a fun, quick, getaway. All in all, I can’t imagine not having that option.

So, once again, if you lived in any of the big cities that I listed, where would you go for a quick, weekend getaway from reality that doesn’t require flight arrangements a month in advance?

You posted in the LA section, may not get any posts from residents of those cities

[EscapeCalifornia]

"spontaneously take a weekend road trip there"

Yeah, just hop in the car and spend 8 hours crawling there in weekend traffic up I-15, then spend another 8 hours crawling back to be to work on Monday along with everyone else. With just a little bit of planning, anyone in the western US can fly there in an hour.

[learningCA]

Originally Posted by subPrimeTime

Thanks for the responses so far. I guess the purpose of this thread was not to debate if Vegas is great or not, but to just appreciate the easy access we have to this place (whether you choose to use it or not) compared to any other area in the country. My point is, wherever you live, you need to get away a few times a year just to keep your sanity, which is why we go on vacations and getaways. I don’t consider Vegas a vacation (since you can enjoy the place within a weekend without taking time off work), but it’s definitely a fun, quick, getaway. All in all, I can’t imagine not having that option.

So, once again, if you lived in any of the big cities that I listed, where would you go for a quick, weekend getaway from reality that doesn’t require flight arrangements a month in advance?

subPrimeTime, let me guess: business is not well in Vegas.

The subprime loans, made to people trying to keep up with escalating home values, are belly up now.
At 13% Nevada has the highest state unemployment rate in the country.
Also, Nevada holds on to the nation’s highest foreclosure rate:

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/sep/12/nevada-holds-nations-highest-foreclosure-rate/

So California, with it's own 12.5% rate of unemployment, and the nation's 2nd highest foreclosure rate:

California again has nation's 2nd highest foreclosure rate - Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal:

should now rejoice in its great benefit of "easy access to Vegas"?!


P.S. What a pity that good, old George Bailey never came to be...

:O)