Post Magazine: Strip Search

Lauren Wilcox went looking for her grandparents' Las Vegas. And she found it . . . sort of.

Wilcox, whose article about the entertainment and gambling capital of America appeared in yesterday's Washington Post Magazine , was online Monday, Sept. 19 to field questions and comments.

Lauren Wilcox is a freelance writer who lives in Little Rock, Ark.

____________________

Durham, NC: You seemed interested to find the vintage Las Vegas. Were the people at Pogo's Tavern tourists or residents? Did you search for the Las Vegas that people inhabit? Did you talk to folks who live there, to get their take on the town, their impression of the changes made?

Terrifice imagery. Many thanks.

Lauren Wilcox: Thanks for writing in. You're right, I was particularly interested in vintage Las Vegas, perhaps because it is the identity that I most strongly associated with the town, but also because today the town seems to be such an odd mix of the past and the present. Everyone I talked to, without exception, loved Las Vegas both then and today, but everyone's reasons were different. Several people I talked to, who said they moved to Vegas to "make a fresh start," loved the mega-hotels and the standard entertainment. A college kid working at an art gallery said her favorite thing in Las Vegas and possibly the world was a Prince impersonator called Purple Reign. The folks at Pogo's (all residents) seemed to live in a smaller, older, desert town, where they knew everyone and the live music was great. I ended up feeling that one thing everyone really liked was that Las Vegas could be whatever they wanted it to be--and there was a feeling that they could be whatever they wanted to be, too.

_______________________

New York, NY: Did you get a sense of what your grandparents generation opinion is of the current Las Vegas, compared to its heyday?

Lauren Wilcox: Great question. I asked my grandparents about their last visit to Las Vegas, which if I remember correctly was about five or six years ago, and they had the same response they'd always had--that they loved it, and seeing the new hotels going up was so exciting, etc. It made me think that their appreciation of Las Vegas wasn't tied to a particular era, like mine was--that what they liked was more general and abstract, the spirit of possibility and newness available in a city constantly reinventing itself. (My granddad worked in real estate in Detroit for years, so he probably appreciated the growth not just on an aesthetic level.)

_______________________

Philadelphia, Pa.: As someone interested in history, I found the comment that everything in Las Vegas is torn down before it can become historic. What historic buildings, if any, did you find? (Would the Golden Nugget be the closest, which means it will soon be torn down?)

Lauren Wilcox: Thanks for your question. I thought it was an interesting comment, too. It made me think about what made something historical--that a building would have been part of a town's daily life long enough to be associated with an era that maybe isn't there anymore, or is disappearing. I visited an official historical structure, the old Mormon Fort, built by the town's first settlers on the site of an old spring (which is no longer there). The fort was interesting because it is such a drab, unassuming, utilitarian piece of architecture in a town full of buildings that are just the opposite, but it feels very remote from the Las Vegas you or I would recognize. I did feel that the buildings I liked the best and responded to the most--like the Golden Nugget or other iconic old structures--are not, on the whole, what Las Vegas focuses on, and the whole thrust of the city's development is not about the past at all. Obviously there are some drawbacks to this, from a preservation perspective, but it does give the city's growth a real (if sort of manic) energy, too.

_______________________

Silver Spring, Md.: Hi Lauren,

Enjoyed the article! I have been traveling to Vegas regularly for almost twenty years now, attending the NAB convention. I have seen some of the change taking place and tend to mourn the loss of the kitschy, red-velvet, rat-pack Vegas of yore.

There is virtually nothing left, as you discovered. One year I played the poker machine in the Landmark Hotel, the next year it was a parking lot. It's now been swallowed up by the Convention Center.

But next trip I will visit the funky spots you found. I'm particularly interested in the neon sign museum!

-- Eric

Lauren Wilcox: Hi Eric, thanks a lot. I would imagine that even for a regular visitor it is easy to get disoriented, with the loss of the usual landmarks (or Landmarks). I got the impression that most of the folks who have moved out there like the new Las Vegas better, but I talked to a few of the old guard--like a woman who worked as a cocktail waitress at the Silver Slipper all her life, until the day it was torn down--who really felt the loss. On the other hand, that same woman told me how much she loved the buffet at the Bellagio, so change can be good...

_______________________

Syracuse, University: As a former resident of Las Vegas, I was very interested to read your article. Afterwards, however, I was disappointed because I felt that it portrayed Las Vegas negatively and perpetuated the stereotype that real people can't live possibly live normal lives there. By limiting yourself to downtown Las Vegas (which is frankly less inhabited, more run-down and offers little to look at), you deprived yourself of the opportunity to see REAL life in Las Vegas. Additionally, 'history' does exist in Las Vegas, it is simply different than typical 'history'. It is a more recent history, a history that is being formed every day. I wonder, considering your impression of the city, do you think you will ever return?

Lauren Wilcox: Thanks for your comments. Actually, I loved the city, and would go back anytime. I did meet many people living normal lives there, who absolutely loved it, and told me that they wouldn't live anywhere else in the world. But I would also certainly be willing to believe that there was a whole other "real" Las Vegas that I didn't see, and which might take more than a few days to uncover. I also really like your comment that "history" is calibrated differently in Las Vegas than it is in other towns. I believe it, and I know that whatever impressions I got of the town were probably shaped by whatever definitions of history, etc. I showed up with. I'd love to spend more time there, and get a better sense. Thanks again.

_______________________

Washington, DC: Did you like anything about the new Las Vegas? The mega hotels? The shops? The restaurants?

Lauren Wilcox: For the purposes of the article, I went looking for nontraditional forms of entertainment in Las Vegas--a little tricky to do. But I did do a little sightseeing in the regular places, and I did like what I saw. I think by the end of my visit, I was much more appreciative of the new Las Vegas--having been a little overwhelmed by it at first. But in essence, it has the same extravagant glitz that I suppose it has always had--just packaged differently. It just keeps outdoing itself, I think. I've really never seen anything like it.

_______________________

Detroit, Mich: How long did it take you to put this article together?

How long were you in Las Vegas gathering information?

Did you do any gambling while you were there? And did you win anything?

Lauren Wilcox: Thanks for writing in, Detroit. It took me a few weeks to put the article together, and I was in Las Vegas for four or five days. I did try to gamble, one night on my way to my hotel room. The lobby was full of quarter slots. I approached one with a quarter, but I couldn't figure out where to put it. Probably for the best.

_______________________

Santa Barbara, Calif.: Lauren:

Thank you for a fascinating piece! I regularly visited Las Vegas in the 70's and 80's, and the era of glamour was winding down, but still in place. Let's face it, the Mob had style!

The corporations that own Vegas have no inkling of the town's glamorous past. My family recalls when people dressed for the evening, yet, it was Vegas itself that (in the 50's) encouraged people to "come as you are". Do you think George Clooney's casino will fit into to a shorts and t-shirt society? Thank you.

Lauren Wilcox: Thanks. Glad to hear your thoughts. I think you've put your finger on something important with the comment about big business. The feeling of old Las Vegas was really more of that of a collection of small, distinctive establishments, whereas today it's more of these huge, sensational casinos and hotels. Both have their appeal, but are quite different. I do think, though, that some of the big hotels and casinos today are quite glamorous and fancy, and part of the fun of the place is getting to be a part of that. On the nights I was out, I felt that people really rose to the occasion, dressing up and getting into it--and that was very fun to see. So perhaps the old Las Vegas still lives.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: You should go back and do a second article on the "New Las Vegas" and go to those mega hotels like the Venetian, Bellagio, Wynn - they're all absolutely gorgeous, upscale, have their own individual attractions and the non-gambler can enjoy museums, gondola rides, first class shopping and gourmet restaurants (19 alone at the Wynn hotel). It's the new New York of the West!

Lauren Wilcox: I'd love to do that. All the locals I talked to were very appreciative of the "New York of the West" quality of the town--having these great attractions at their doorstep. I got the feeling it was one of the main reasons people came, and stayed. I also met many folks who had moved there from L.A., when L.A. got prohibitively expensive, and liked it better. Thanks for your comment.

_______________________

Lauren Wilcox: It looks like that's all we have time for. Many thanks for all your questions and feedback. Viva Las Vegas!

_______________________

Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.