LAS VEGAS
Las Vegas is a monument to human ingenuity and vice; capitalist performance art let loose in the outer reaches of the Mojave Desert; a neon-lit oasis existing solely to entertain us. Each year, up to 40 million people visit the city of just 635,000 residents that’s home to the world’s biggest tourist trap: the Strip. Many travellers might feel predisposed to dislike Sin City for its brashness, its lurid aesthetic, its populist appeal — but I find its unique brew of hedonism and heart intoxicating.
My first stop is the residential Arts District. In March 2020, when casinos on the Strip were closed for an record six weeks in response to the pandemic, the focus shifted to other neighbourhoods. Consequentially, here and in Downtown, local artists were hired to paint murals. Today, Frida Kahlo smiles down on me on a Main Street full of small businesses, including craft breweries and vintage clothes shops. Many Americans are now moving to Vegas; it’s not just the sunshine, good salaries and affordable housing that lure them, but the thriving culinary scene and community feel.
The Vegas
