What it’s really like to grow up In Las Vegas

My hometown is everyone else’s spring break vacation. Las Vegas, Nevada is a beautiful gem in the Mohave Desert that invokes images of slot machines, alcohol, and strip clubs. So, when I tell a person that’s where I grew up, I get some weird looks and some even weirder questions. After four years, I’m used to it by now. But let’s talk about what it’s really like to grow up in Las Vegas.

For one thing, we don’t all live in casinos. In fact, most of us don’t even live near the Strip. The Las Vegas Valley is roughly 600 square-miles and us locals have attempted to inhabit every little bit of it.

The truth is, lots of locals work on the Strip but would rather go to the less crowded and less touristy places on days off. The majority of Las Vegas citizens live in suburban communities surrounded by strip malls. But the party culture of Las Vegas Boulevard still bleeds into everyday life. In fact, it normalizes things that are actually illegal everywhere else.

If I were to walk around Irvine with an open beer can, you would think I’m an alcoholic. The police would probably stop me. That’s not a problem in Vegas. You can walk around with your yardstick full of alcohol in broad daylight and no one gives you a second look. I never understood the concept of brown bagging until I moved to California or the idea that you can only buy alcohol until 2am. I didn’t even realize that gambling was illegal in most places until I moved out of Vegas. How’s that for a skewed worldview?

And yes, it’s hot. But, as every person who has lived in Vegas has heard before, it really is a dry heat. Plus, you sort of get used to it to the point where I can bear 110-degree weather with no humidity easily, but die in 80 degrees with 30% humidity. Don’t look at me like that.

Then there’s the ever-popular question, “What do you do as a kid in Vegas?” Well, the same thing as every kid everywhere else. We go to the movies, bowling alleys, and arcades. We just usually have to walk through a casino to get there.

Vegas is a unique place to grow up. The city is constantly changing. Growing up, you never get bored. Nothing ever closes and there are always new, and sometimes weird, things to explore. So, next time you’re on the plane shouting “Vegas 2k16!” just remember the locals in Vegas who make it possible.

@Ancmateo