[revelated]

I just got back from there on business travel. I have one new client and one potential client. From the moment I passed over the border I thought, "ok, desert, what I expected" and then all of a sudden it changed. I see rocks lining the embankments. I see huge arching bridges with words and drawings. Then I start to see McMansions. I had to take a double-take on it. Then I get farther in, I see wide sprawling streets with tons of so-called "master planned" developments. It's like someone copy-pasted Carmel Valley, CA out there.

My visit was isolated to Summerlin, but is all of Vegas like this? It's absolutely not what I expected.

On a side note, those folks do not know how to drive.

[jfkIII]

Well...all those transplantees had to be put somewhere!

[olecapt]

Originally Posted by revelated

I just got back from there on business travel. I have one new client and one potential client. From the moment I passed over the border I thought, "ok, desert, what I expected" and then all of a sudden it changed. I see rocks lining the embankments. I see huge arching bridges with words and drawings. Then I start to see McMansions. I had to take a double-take on it. Then I get farther in, I see wide sprawling streets with tons of so-called "master planned" developments. It's like someone copy-pasted Carmel Valley, CA out there.

My visit was isolated to Summerlin, but is all of Vegas like this? It's absolutely not what I expected.

On a side note, those folks do not know how to drive.

It is, in a lot of dimensions, the most eastern suburb of Los Angeles. Note that virtually all of So Cal is in fact desert. It is particularly similar to the Inland Empire.

Roughly 33% of the population came from CA and drive...welll...like Californians...the rest are better.

[stingraynm]

Originally Posted by olecapt

It is, in a lot of dimensions, the most eastern suburb of Los Angeles. Note that virtually all of So Cal is in fact desert. It is particularly similar to the Inland Empire.

Roughly 33% of the population came from CA and drive...welll...like Californians...the rest are better.

I'm originally from Idaho, and as I liked to facetiously say in New Mexico as well, if you see people using their turn signal, merging with the flow, giving way when somone needs in, and offering the other myriad of what should be self-evident courtesies, they're probably from the Northwest. One almost gets the sense that the Southwestern driving m.o. is for one person to drive slow in the left lane and block you while another tailgates you at what the speeds would determine to be a truly lethal distance. It really is crazy how inevitable that scenario has become every single day I commute. I don't think that particular volatile mixture of drivers could be more obnoxious and dangerous if they planned it!

Thanks to all you courteous native Southwesterners, too. I can't forget to give you props after my facetious stereotyping, as I get the pleasure of commuting with you every day as well and would hate for you to think that your awesomeness goes unnoticed.

[stingraynm]

Originally Posted by revelated

I just got back from there on business travel. I have one new client and one potential client. From the moment I passed over the border I thought, "ok, desert, what I expected" and then all of a sudden it changed. I see rocks lining the embankments. I see huge arching bridges with words and drawings. Then I start to see McMansions. I had to take a double-take on it. Then I get farther in, I see wide sprawling streets with tons of so-called "master planned" developments. It's like someone copy-pasted Carmel Valley, CA out there.

My visit was isolated to Summerlin, but is all of Vegas like this? It's absolutely not what I expected.

On a side note, those folks do not know how to drive.

Sadly, McMansions and prick/brat drivers have invaded most every formidably populated locale in the West. All that flatness and money back East had it coming, but there are locales/regions here that make courteous drivers, wilderness lovers, mom-n-pop biz enthusiasts, and decent architects want to scream.

[jpk]

I live in the Northwest most of the year and prefer the Southwest/California driver that you get in Las Vegas. As stingraynm says, the NW driver is courteous (to a fault). They don't know how to merge and drive too slow. I think 65-70mph is normal cruising speed on the freeway, so I can get along with California drivers just fine. (It's how they act outside of the car that gets to your nerves.)

And the original post makes no sense. Who thought Summerlin was a good idea? Probably the same folks that thought Las Vegas was a good idea. Which is basically the same sort of person that thought America was a good idea. Moderator cut: cut

[jksouthbay88]

Originally Posted by revelated

I just got back from there on business travel. I have one new client and one potential client. From the moment I passed over the border I thought, "ok, desert, what I expected" and then all of a sudden it changed. I see rocks lining the embankments. I see huge arching bridges with words and drawings. Then I start to see McMansions. I had to take a double-take on it. Then I get farther in, I see wide sprawling streets with tons of so-called "master planned" developments. It's like someone copy-pasted Carmel Valley, CA out there.

My visit was isolated to Summerlin, but is all of Vegas like this? It's absolutely not what I expected.

On a side note, those folks do not know how to drive.

Some of Vegas is like that.The developments in Southwestern Henderson,the Northen Tip of the Valley and places like Mountains Edge.And Carmel Valley and Summerlin where built around the same time.

[stingraynm]

Originally Posted by jpk

I live in the Northwest most of the year and prefer the Southwest/California driver that you get in Las Vegas. As stingraynm says, the NW driver is courteous (to a fault). They don't know how to merge and drive too slow.

Now that you mention it, last time I was up North I visited some friends in Spokane, and several other poor souls and myself got to share a near-death experience as someone actually tried to merge in 65-70 mph heavy traffic going what couldn't have been more than 30 mph. They were actually riding their brakes as they merged. What followed was a nightmarish chain reaction. That brief moment was so unbelieveable and horrifying, it took me a good couple exits down to even realize how enraged I was at that person's idiocy. My friends and I spent the rest of our day at Pig Out in the Park and The Viking bar celebrating the joy of still being alive and able. That's the only good thing that came from that situation, and I'm glad the other folks on the road with me were equally skilled drivers (with equally vigilant guardian angels, too, as skill really doesn't offer much when you have to contend with such sudden oblivious idiocy).

For some reason, bad mergers really are all too common in Vegas as well, I must say. With the traffic on freeways/highways and thoroughfares around here, one really can't drive like everyone's just going to move over, but all too many make the stupid choice anyway at the expense of the unfortunate souls who have to follow them and give way to them. If you ask me, the only vehicles that are entitled to merge slow are semis and other rigs that are either large or towing. Everyone else needs to either get with the flow or, even if they have some mechanical excuse, stay off roads that require merging.

[SoHoVe]

Originally Posted by revelated

I just got back from there on business travel. I have one new client and one potential client. From the moment I passed over the border I thought, "ok, desert, what I expected" and then all of a sudden it changed. I see rocks lining the embankments. I see huge arching bridges with words and drawings. Then I start to see McMansions. I had to take a double-take on it. Then I get farther in, I see wide sprawling streets with tons of so-called "master planned" developments. It's like someone copy-pasted Carmel Valley, CA out there.

My visit was isolated to Summerlin, but is all of Vegas like this? It's absolutely not what I expected.

On a side note, those folks do not know how to drive.

I am very curious about WHAT you were expecting?

No, not all of Vegas looks like Summerlin but much of the city is newer housing stock so its basically a sea of similiar looking residential structures.
I found this topic interesting because I think the past 20 years of development in Vegas is quite typical of what can be found in any arid region that experienced tremendous growth during that time frame.

[DavieJ89]

Originally Posted by revelated

I just got back from there on business travel. I have one new client and one potential client. From the moment I passed over the border I thought, "ok, desert, what I expected" and then all of a sudden it changed. I see rocks lining the embankments. I see huge arching bridges with words and drawings. Then I start to see McMansions. I had to take a double-take on it. Then I get farther in, I see wide sprawling streets with tons of so-called "master planned" developments. It's like someone copy-pasted Carmel Valley, CA out there.

My visit was isolated to Summerlin, but is all of Vegas like this? It's absolutely not what I expected.

On a side note, those folks do not know how to drive.

Summerlin actually reminds me a lot of Florida. It's pretty similar down here. Houses in developments that are nearly identical, bad drivers that sounds about right