Vegas is proving to be a surprise. The weather, almost sublime. Mild (80’s/70’s) and breezy.
Sporadic internet access has me blogging less than desired. Despite being a former 5-year resident, there are a few long-time attractions I never visited. Along with some new finds are some highlights worth posting about. Pictures and some tales of Sin City uniqueness will follow sometime soon.
Classic Las Vegas Blog recently posted about the Paradise Palms neighborhood in Sin City. While Vegas is mainly overrun with big-box stores, boring neighborhoods and one or two casinos, there are a few remaining architectural treasures to be found.
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Some works of Palmer and Kriesel can be still found in Vegas, and new versions of these homes are being recommissioned in Palm Springs and LA.
Something like those homes are all but impossible to find here. Houston has a lot to offer in modern architecture and we have had much fun finding neighborhoods that we would like to call home. When we sell our Vegas house (3bd, 2b, pool, Rancho Manor, email me for questions 🙂 we will be looking to buy in Houston. The dream of building from scratch will be a dream unrealized. But it is fun to look and see what we could have if only someone would drop off a dump truck of money for us.
Until we sell in Vegas, we will continue to window shop in Houston.
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The Houstonist posted about the Frame House and other lovely Houston homes – Flickr: MidCentArc’s photos tagged with houston
In all my time living in Vegas, I never saw the Johnston J-B Stables. When my wife saw the pictures Sin City friend Ms. Bonanza took of it (on Flickr), she said it reminded her of the Orange Show photos I took. I think she is totally right.
Strange things in the desert, pinball machines and naked ladies! Part 2 of our 1,700 mile trip out west.
Tuesday, July 31st
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Yuma had little to offer us besides a good, clean motel with a great sign.
It was the drive north that provided some interesting sights. Based on my research from Roadside America, I knew of several places of interest. A tiny, tiny church was seen and passed, but the abandoned McPhaul suspension bridge was looked at, appreciated, and photographed.
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It was clear to me that the narrow bridge could not withstand modern traffic needs, but I was amused to know that the rerouting of the river, a new bridge location, and bad weather had all combined to destroy the replacement bridge in ’84.
We continued north, deep into the Yuma Proving Grounds. Soon we passed the two atomic cannons, weapons that sounded good on paper until it was realized that battlefield soldiers would be handling lots of nuclear warheads. Not the most secure way of dealing with atomic weapons. (– hee! — Ed) The program was scrapped because of that and many other reasons and the cannons parked on the side of the 59. Later in the drive, there was a massive white blimp, far off in the distance, on the ground, silhouetted by the mountain. Even without much as a frame of reference, I could tell it was big.
Turns out that it was a Tethered Aerostat Radar System. Twice as big as the Goodyear blimp and significantly more expensive, it was designed in part to detect low-flying drug-running planes.
I would be hard pressed to want to go to the city of Yuma, but the proving grounds have a museum and I’m a sucker for such places. Maybe another trip will take us this way, possibly one where we stay at the Shady Dell.
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Eventually we made it to our northern destination, Quartzsite, AZ, home of the Grave of Hi Jolly and the Quartzsite Yacht Club. The grave is a memorial to a Syrian-born man who came to the US to help the army develop a camel corp. The program never met the expectations of the government, and the camels were let loose in the desert to fend for themselves. Hi Jolly died in 1902, and the pyramid-shaped memorial was placed in the cemetery in 1935 by the Arizona Highway Department.
The Quartzsite Yacht Club has a slogan, “Long Time, No Sea.” They have t-shirts with that on it that members can get. But the place was closed, so I didn’t get my membership card and t-shirt. I need a t-shirt!
We headed east to Phoenix with no stops for sightseeing interruptions and arrived, hungry, in the late afternoon. My sweetie had spent some time here in Phoenix as a kid. So, after setting into the hotel we headed to a favorite destination, The Sugar Bowl. Mostly known for its ice cream , we had a little lunch before making a night of it at the Hotel Valley Ho.
The Valley Ho is a fantastic retro-modern hotel. Recently renovated, the place looks like money well-spent. Clean lines, lots of expensive-looking furniture scattered about and loads of details that complete the look. While the room was an off-season rate, our stay there was the biggest splurge of the trip. So was the much-needed massage I got at the spa. Driving and heavy luggage had conspired to make me achy.
Wednesday, August 1st
Phoenix-Flagstaff. Stayed with friends outside Flagstaff, AZ. While talking with one of them about the myriad of strange places that are around the country, I mentioned that Roden Crater, a longtime project of James Turrell, was not too far away. Shawn noted that not only was the crater literally just over the hill from where they lived were, but that he had seen James flying his plane many a time. Turrell in addition to being an artist, was a former CIA pilot. Shawn said that there were times when he pulled over and stopped driving just to watch Turrell fly his plane as he would cut through the sky putting the plane through all manner of amazing acrobatics.
Thursday, August 2nd
After fun with the folks in Flagstaff, we headed south for a little tour of Arizona. We drove up to the historic mining town of Jerome. Crazy mountain roads twisted and turned as we got into the town. Time constraints kept us from stopping and we headed on a back way to Prescott. Prescott was the former capital of Arizona and the city looks like old money. Had a really good meal. And continued on to Vegas.
Driving to Hoover Dam I noticed a smashed-up mobile crane near the massive construction site. Work on the huge Hoover Dam overpass was put drastically behind schedule when a windstorm blew down many of the cranes. Must have been a hell of a blow to bring them down like the one I saw.
Once home, we found that the annual Las Vegas Air-Conditioning Breakdown was right on schedule at our house, so a friend hosted us for a couple of nights until it was repaired. We dined at Tinoco’s with our host, and another good meal was had.
Friday, August 3rd
Gallery hopping. Had dinner with a good friend Matt and his girlfriend. Since we care about our friends and don’t care about clubbing, spending the evening with them was a perfect Friday night.
Saturday, August 4th
More time spent with Matt and his girl. The weekend started with a trip to Luv-It Custard, which is a neighbor to the Olympic Gardens strip club and can be found underneath the shadow of the Stratosphere on Oakey St. Another must-have Vegas food destination, it lived up to our memories. Matt and his girl decided that we needed to go to the Pinball Hall of Fame.
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I continue to love the Pinball Hall of Fame in part because they rotate machines on occasion (which is great for photography’s sake) and also because, on this last visit, Tim Arnolds (owner and operator) was there tending to one of the machines, cleaning and maintaining it. Previous interviews have made it clear that this has always been a labor of love. And it shows.
Sunday, August 5th
Our friend Steve had us over for drinks and food at his sweet downtown pad. We were talking about the relocation of the burlesque Exotic World museum from Helendale, CA, to Vegas. The Vegas venue has been closed, and I mentioned my disappointment at not seeing the place. Steve had met the guy who was running it and told me that he would see what he could do.
Monday, August 6th
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Steve came through, and I got to visit the Burlesque Hall of Fame (renamed from Exotic World USA.) The operator, Luke, opened it up for me. Development meetings, fund raising, and everyday life prevent the museum– a labor of love– from keeping full-time hours. It now resides next to the Commerce St. Gallery, but since these buildings have been sold for development (like Vegas needs more condos?!) the museum will be relocating sometime in the near future. For the time being, the collection of photos, memorabilia and costumes will be on display whenever the manager has time, like First Fridays.
After all of that, we flew home late that night and arrived in Atlanta at 8:30am. And that was the end of our vacation out west.
Desert mystics, dinosaurs and Palm Springs! Part 1 of our 1,700 mile trip out west.
I had editing help from the lovely and talented San Francisco Fussygirl. So when you read something by the editor, that’s her. Thank you, Kelly, for making me sound smarter than I am!
Wednesday, July 25th, 2007
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We flew into the Vegas airport and were greeted by large animals at the terminal. Got to the house about 1am (we are lucky enough to own a house in Vegas).
Thursday, July 26th
Many of our Vegas plans revolve around food. First on our list was Broadway Pizza. Atlanta had lots of good food, but good pizza was hard to find. Not here in Vegas.
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I hit the Red Rooster antiques market and bought this vintage cookbook with a retro-fantastic cover. No stereotypes here!
The evening was spent with much-missed friends. Dined at the lovely Ichiza sake and Japanese restaurant where lots of good food and drink was had for less money than one would think. It’s always like that there and the reason we always go.
Friday, July 27th
Our time in LA was spent celebrating the 10-year wedding anniversary of friends. They went all out with a 3-day extravaganza of which we attended two days. Day 1 consisted of munchies, drinks and a massive chocolate buffet.
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The dizzying array of sweets was a result of world travel and the sampling of regional sweets. The stranger-tasting confections included salt-laden chocolate and one with curry (– And coconut! — Ed.) It was an interesting experience; I’ll stick to the more traditional styles.
I love the culture that Los Angeles is home to, but damn if I don’t hate the traffic. If I were rich I would have a driver to handle the nightmare that is LA drivers. That being said, why the hell was Lindsay Lohan at the wheel at all!? If I were her I would have a chauffeur-driven nightclub so I could snort all the coke I wanted while cruising the streets in safety and unmolested by press and police. Kids these days!
Saturday, July 28th
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Day 2 was hosted at the Silent Movie Theater on Fairfax Street. In between marriage-themed silent movies, singer Janet Klein serenaded the guests with songs from the ’20s and ’30s.
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She was accompanied by Bob Mitchell, a 95-year-old organist who began playing for the silent movies when he was 12. He wasn’t the clearest of talkers but put him in front of a keyboard and he shined.
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We were staying with a friend outside of LA. He had oil wells behind his apartment complex. By day they looked ugly, but by night I thought them beautiful.
Sunday, July 29th
We headed out from LA with Palm Springs as our next destination. This was the beginning of The Road Trip. Much planning and internet research had provided me with many destinations that demanded viewing. Large, strange things, created by men (always men) with visions of dinosaurs or Jesus or weapons that would kill enemies on a mass scale.
These were to be our destinations.
The missus was the one who planned all our hotel accommodations, and the theme for these motels/hotels was mod-kitsch. Because we were traveling during the off-season, we benefited from low rates as a result of few people traveling in the summer heat.
It was damn hot!
Halfway into our drive, the valley started to fill with massive windmills, some at dead stop but many spinning away, providing power and amusing the oil industry. An unplanned stop at the roadside outlet mall scored many cheap clothings for the missus. More driving on the highway that cut through the fields of windmills. And there they were.
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The Cabazon Dinosaurs! Two of them just hanging out. A close look made it clear that they were nicely built, well-painted and huge. A closer look and it was clear that these were god-fearing, Jesus-worshipping, creation-believing dinosaurs. (Sigh. 
I was so disappointed to discover this, when I visited the dinos in Jan 06– Ed.)
This former kitschy roadside attraction now had a greater purpose, to explain why evolution was wrong, geology and plate tectonics needed revision and what the bible meant when it was talking about leviathan. The gift shop inside the larger (an apatosaurus– Ed.) was full of such things for purchase. The monsters had been bought by bought and repurposed, and while I don’t believe in their message, the Christian owners have been taking good care of these guys since they bought them in 2005 (so says wikipedia.)
Our late arrival at Palm Springs provided little clue of what the city was like. We arrived at the charming and kitschy Caliente Tropics Resort. The resort has the second largest pool in Palm Springs, and it was quite lovely after the drive.
Monday, July 30th
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This day was spent driving around the city with a side trip to Desert Christ Park in Yucca Valley, CA. This park was one of two religiously-based attractions on the trip. Many of the white-washed statues had suffered damage in an earthquake, but I found them even more appealing because of how they now appeared.
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The preconception I had of Palm Springs did not match what I was seeing on my first time there. While there were the many lovely mid-century modern homes the city is known for, they were often surrounded by boring and bland neighborhoods, or worse, genuinely bad architecture. Before leaving we ate some very good food, courtesy of Thai Smile, would recommend it.
Left Palm Springs going southeast. Drove the desert full of homes of wealthy retirees and snowbirds. (Did you know “snowbird” is also a slang term for a cokehead?– Ed.) Continued south through poorer communities and into vast fields of date palms and towards the accidental body of water called the Salton Sea.
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A short stop near the sea had us walking the smelly-but-beautiful beach which was made up of fish bones.
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We headed out to Niland, CA for a viewing of Leonard Knight’s Salvation Mountain, where he hosted us and showed us around his 20+ year project.
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The mountain is three miles away from the main road, and needs to be walked around to take in the full beauty of the lifelong passion.
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A detailed recap of the trip will be posted at time when I have more rest…
Our vacation is now over. A red-eye flight out of Vegas had us arriving in Atlanta at 8-ish AM. We are now back in an apartment full of boxes, which by weeks end, will be packed up in a truck ready to be driven to Houston.
Is it smart to relocate to a new city in 5 days after driving 1,700 miles out west, plus a late-night flight back here?…
Well, almost 7 years ago, 10 days after we married, we packed up our New Orleans apartment, moved to Vegas with no job and no place to stay. So, we will be arriving in Houston with more plans in place than that first move.
And we got some help with the unloading the truck once we are there! Behold the power that is friends-who-have-friends-in-Houston, beer and food!
Las Vegas.
The desert turned oasis. From sand and scrub to a city unlike any other in the world. North of the city, the atomic testing grounds, where elements were transmuted from one to another. Transformation in the desert.
It seems appropriate that a city that remakes itself often is going to be host to the first International Alchemy Conference in October 2007.
The fantastic image archive BibliOdyssey has loads of posts tagged with “alchemy” on del.icio.us.
Truth in Advertising
Strange house that seems to covered in leftover marble countertop.
Great gates. Off of Eastern, on Twain Ave.
Hardcore gambling problems require a hardcore God!
Dray’s Place, a collection of cottages slated for demolition. A shame to see them go, but I’m sure this place will be a springboard for more artistic success.
Every month there’s a big arts throwdown the first Friday of every month. For a short while, we walked Main St. taking in the few new galleries and murals that have appeared since we left Vegas. There’s some talk about the street carnival/low-brow nature of First Friday, with a concern that high culture isn’t enough of the night’s focus. But I love seeing all the people that wouldn’t be braving the summer heat otherwise. The diversity of people walking around means that there is broad appeal for the event, and its less likely to be affected by the fickle tastes of trendsetters and hipsters that seem to doom clubs and events in Vegas that are no longer in favor.
I didn’t expect to buy anything that night, but while walking by the new Avant Arts gallery, I bought this t-shirt…
And right before we left for the night, we ran in to local artist Shan Michael. We love his work and we bought 5 pieces a few years ago. Since then, he generously gave us 3 more, and I got a t-shirt that night from him…
All in all a good night that went by too quickly.
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Pictures from First Friday, June ’06
The Artwork of Amy Sol at the Arts Factory.
Burning Man near the Funkhouse.
Mike Bigg’s “Freak Baby” at the Avant Arts Gallery.
The Grand Prix World Cup (Senior World Cup Fencing) was at the Stardust Resort & Casino this weekend. Women from all around the world came to our city to whack at each other with sabers and poke at each other with foils. Electronic uniforms and wireless weapons automated the scoring and gave the event an unexpectedly hi-tech quality. It was Xena, warrior princess, with electronic beeping and LEDs.
With my brilliant wife out of town and me having worked my last day at the MGM on Friday, I’ll be searching for entertaining and free events all summer like the one I described above. Fortunately, one day before my last, the MGM gave out to all its employees freebies for the summer. I took the option of 4 free movie tickets. So do the math.
4 tickets = about $36
MGM has about 10,000 peeps… so that’s about $360,000 in gifts.
Say what you will about working in casinos (it sucked/paid the bills/kept me insured), the perks ain’t bad. That and the employee dining room had a larger buffet than some of the smaller casinos’ public buffets. Got paid for my lunch hour and ate for free. Perks!
Ticket #1. Batman Returns
Grade A-
Reasons to see the movie: Christian Bale, Cillian Murphy (Scarecrow), The Batmoblie, no Robin.
Currently researching Atlanta, surfing selected blogs (see side column) and listening to Andisheh Nouraee on his My ‘Lanta podcast.
Funny stuff.
Neon Poisoning 