Notes on Las Vegas

This is a young city, where buildings are considered aged at 20 years (compare that to my house in MA which was built in 1893). And recession be damned, this is a growing city, with last week's unveiling of City Center and an additional 4,000 new hotel rooms. The Strip is slated to double in size in the next couple decades, stretching south to reach the M resort.

Water conservation is a major issue, and houses are allotted a certain amount of water usage annually. Or you can drill private wells. The tap water here does not taste very good; Lake Michigan is better by far, and the Finger Lakes top that. If you destroy your lawn by covering it with gravel or sand, you can get compensation from the government by sending in photographic evidence. Housing and land are cheap and plentiful, which makes the city surprisingly car friendly and conversely, pedestrian unfriendly. Parking on the strip is generally free at casino lots, and free with validation downtown. I can't think of another urban center that boasts free parking. There is no subway system (other than the Strip lightrail), but the bus system seems fairly extensive. Walking down the Strip is a slow process due to crowded sidewalks and the overhead crosswalk system. Each time you cross a street, you have to climb up and down a flight of stairs (or take the escalator). The streets are laid out on an imperfect grid system similar to Chicago's, with 8 blocks to a mile, and the Strip dividing addresses east and west. Avoid driving on the Strip whenever possible; it can take over an hour to traverse the four miles. However you can travel 60 or 70 blocks in just 10-15 minutes if you head away from the Strip.

There is a vibrant "Chinatown" just a couple miles west of the Strip, a series of shopping plazas and storefronts along Spring Mountain Road. I found it quite diverse compared to other asian enclaves, which are generally dominated by one ethnicity. In this two mile stretch though, there are strong Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese and Filipino offerings. Prices are low, possibly due to the proximity to CA. For a dollar, you can pick up 12 heads of garlic, a pound of tilapia or 3 pounds of limes. Restaurants are abundant and many are cash only. The pho I had here was just okay, but the duck feet and reindeer were excellent.

Las Vegas must be the only city in the world which characterizes itself by imitating other cities. In the four miles of the Strip, you will pass a mock Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty, Venetian gondolas, an Egyptian pyramid, Roman columns and a medieval castle. And in case that's not enough to grab your attention, you can watch an exploding volcano outside of the Mirage (colored water and lights set to music) and scantily clad bucaneers at the Treasure Island pirate show. I was warned that this was NOT family friendly, but opted to drag the crew there anyway for maximum hilarity. Unfortunately, it is currently closed for the winter.

I didn't take any of the prostie cards that they pass out on the Strip (figured they might be infectious), but Steven and Stanley grabbed them by the dozen (for Irony, I imagine). Having collected about fifty or so, they then decided to try standing on a corner and passing them out. This was rather unsuccessful. Then Stanley tried to drop one into a homeless guy's hat, and the homeless guy got mad and started yelling after him, "Boy! Leave me alone!"

Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon

The artificiality of the Strip aside, the Las Vegas area actually has lots of natural attractions worth seeking out. Red Rock Canyon is a short drive away, and you can get to Lake Mead and Hoover Dam in less than an hour. With 4-5 hours of driving, you will reach the Grand Canyon in AZ, and if you drive west instead, you will hit Death Valley in CA. With a bit of internet scouting, I found a $79 bus tour that would take you to see Hoover Dam, Lake Mead and the Grand Canyon in an all-day excursion. So, one morning at 5 am, we all bundled up and hopped onto a tour bus to escape the city.

Hoover Dam was constructed at the height of the Great Depression, and completed in 1936, under budget and 2 years ahead of schedule, an amazing feat for a public works project. Lake Mead is the reservoir created by the dam. At completion, Hoover Dam was the world's largest hydroelectric power generating facility and the world's largest concrete structure. Currently, it is ranked 38th in hydroelectric power generation.

If you are ever depressed about the state of American science, hearing about the ingenuity of Hoover Dam construction will cheer you up. Two cofferdams were constructed to create a dry riverbed for construction. To divert the flow of the Colorado River, four diversion tunnels were blasted into the walls of Black Canyon, with a combined length of over 3 miles. To smooth the sides of the canyon, high-scalers were suspended from the canyon walls with ropes. They strategically placed dynamite in crevices, then swung away just in time to avoid the blast. There were 112 deaths recorded during dam construction, but contrary to rumors, no bodies were buried inside the dam. However, there is a dog buried inside, a mascot adopted by the construction workers.

When the Bureau of Reclamation solicited bids for dam construction, there was no single company with the capabilities to construct a dam of this size. So, six construction firms on the West coast banded together to bid for the contract. Appropriately, they called themselves "Six Companies." This being the height of the Depression, stable jobs were scarce and Six Companies was able cut corners on worker safety and pay. When striking workers demanded greater access to water and better working conditions, they were fired and replaced.

Two years after construction began, engineers were ready to pour concrete for the dam. Since concrete contracts and generates heat as it hardens, the dam was built in interlocking trapezoidal pours to prevent cracking. If the dam had been done in one single pour, it is estimated that it would have taken 125 years to cool and harden.

As you drive over the top of the dam, you cross the border from Nevada to Arizona, or vice versa. Since AZ doesn't observe DST but is in the Mountain time zone, there are two clocks on either side that show the correct time.

The dam is curved like an eggshell to better distribute water pressure. Two spillways protect the dam from being overtopped by water. These have been used only 3 times in the history of the dam. Lake Mead contains over two years worth of water from the Colorado River. You cannot overemphasize the impact that Hoover Dam had in reshaping the development of the West. Looking at the dam, I felt a mixture of awe, pride and terror at mankind's ability to reshape his environment.

The kids

The old people

Afterwards, we continued west through Arizona to the Grand Canyon. This is the first time I've been in a desert climate, and the mountains are drastically different from the verdant Appalachians that I am accustomed to seeing. I fell sleep for a couple hours, and when I woke up, the landscape had morphed from arid desert dirt to picturesque snow-capped mountains and pine trees. Looks like I came all the way from Chicago to be surrounded by more snow and wind.

We stopped at a visitor's center for lunch, and watched a half-hour National Geographic IMAX film titled "Grand Canyon: The Hidden Secrets." Unsure of whether or not to see the movie, the tour coordinator told us, "It will be the best $12 you've ever spent. I used to tell people that if they saw it and thought it wasn't worth the $12 bucks, they could call me and I would refund their money...then a group of 58 people called and wanted their money back." With such a rousing recommendation, we all decided to see the movie, and it was totally worth every penny, definitely the best IMAX film I've ever seen. I would go so far as to say it was better than seeing the actual canyon, because the footage of the inner canyon walls and whitewater rapids is something we wouldn't be able to see. You also learn about the history of exploration in the canyon, and how the canyon is still relatively untouched by modernity, an untamed pièce de résistance by Nature. If you visit the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, definitely make a point to stop and see this movie.

We have arrived! You can't see the ground, but it was treacherously icy near the edge, and my mom was freaking out about one of us slipping and falling underneath the railing.

Mather's point, the widest part of the Grand Canyon

This area is where ~90% of photos of the Grand Canyon are taken

Group shot in front of a stagecoach with everyone except Uncle Thuan

Stanley and Marilyn sword fighting with hiking sticks in a gift shop, luckily we didn't get kicked out.

Stanley pretending to be a unicorn. Icicles were an immense source of fascination for the Cali kids.

Sunset over the Grand Canyon, framed by picture-perfect snow-covered pine trees

Christmas

I have now celebrated 25 Christmases, and though they've varied wildly in terms of location, company and gift quality (the bubble gum pink shoes were a nadir), every celebration has been marked by reconnecting with people I haven't seen in a while. This year, Christmas sort of turned into this domino effect of families latching onto other friends and families to converge in Vegas. At one point, we had a roving horde of 20 asian people. Seriously, if I weren't part of this group, I would be scared of us. It was loud. I tried to get people to form battle formations, but this proved to be too complicated/people were inept at making rows of four. Then, I assigned everyone a number and tried to get people to count off. This was also a formidable task because people kept forgetting their numbers. Le sigh.

Three years ago, when we gathered with this set of relatives, we put together a gingerbread house. Since the constructing-something-gingerbread thing clearly needs to become a tradition, I picked up a gingerbread tree this year. The piping of the icing was surprisingly tricky, the green icing didn't look at all like leaves (the way the box looked) and the overall effect was sort of like slime dripping down steps.

Here's the finished tree, with a snowman on the bottom-left and presents in front. Some of us (high school boys, ahem) looked at the presents (upside-down) and immediately started making comments about boobs.

Then of course, we immediately dismantled the entire thing. The gingerbread was pretty tough to bite, but it was still edible overall. Mmm, sugar, preservatives and Red 5.

That's right, we were all drinking (mock) mojitos by noon on Christmas. What better way to celebrate a birthday??

As a reminder that we are in Vegas, the house down the street has this ridiculous 90,000 light display, synchronized to music broadcast on 95.9 FM for a four-block radius. According to the hand-out, the owners begin work on the lighting system after Halloween, and the light show goes live after Thanksgiving. There are 16 dedicated circuits of 20 amps each powering the lights, and the electricity bill is comparable to one month of heavy summer a/c. You can't see it in the video, but there is a custom made Ferris wheel, built in pieces similar to an erector set. During the off-season, the lights and equipment are stored in a large barn. Why do they do it? "We are both still kids at heart, and enjoy seein the smiles on all the children, especially the "adult" ones. This is our Christmas gift to everyone." Let's hear it for public goods.

Signs

In case you weren't aware, sex sells. Here's a selection of signage from the Strip:

At the M&M World store, four floors chock-full of M&M golf tees and poker chips

Paris (casino) is filled with lots of Frenglish, like "Le Car Rental"

This moving billboard and one for Chippendale's moved up and down the Strip, but I couldn't find the stripper mobile, alas.

The line for this nightclub was pretty intimidating, my pi t-shirt would not have passed muster.

Somehow I didn't realize that shrimp cocktail actually came served in a cocktail glass until this trip.

I did a double take when I saw this leaflet because at first glance I thought it said "barely legal asian blondes." That would win points for most specific porn demographics ever in my book.

Roots

In case you are wondering, I haven't been blogging my Las Vegas escapades extensively for a few reasons: 1) the density of WTF-I-must-blog-this-now events is lower compared to Tokyo, 2) I have comparatively less control over my downtime and by extension, blogging time, and 3) sheer laziness.

Let point #1 in no way undermine your opinion of Vegas however. The thing is, though Vegas has strong potential for hilarious shit to take place, the prospects for ridiculousity are rather muted if one is traveling with one's parents. At least, that is what happens with my parents. Moreover, I am here with a good deal of extended family, most of whom are well-meaning but fairly conservative, typical Asian parents. And well, if it is no fun to drink alone, it is not much better to drink while surrounded by a dozen sober/underage people. It is a darn shame that none of these cousins are legal. Ironically, I somehow got suckered into playing bartender and making mocktails for everyone.

This is not to say that vacation hasn't been fun, but simply that this is much more a family vacation than a Vegas vacation. Which is fine, seeing as I haven't seen my family in 6 months and my cousins in about 3 years. I actually arrived a couple days before Chester (something about a minor snowstorm on the eastern seaboard...), and for that period, I felt like I was an only child. I can't remember the last time I had the undivided attention of my parents, and it felt pretty weird. On the other hand, I did enjoy catching up with my mom on family gossip, and it feels good to speak extensive amounts of Chinese.

Much to my relief, Chester arrived soon enough, and pretty much the second thing he said was "Hey Crystal, feel my pecs!" Apparently he's been making ample use of his gym pass at school, and can now bench his own weight. Um, what happened to the scrawny nerd I left behind in MA?

All was not lost though, as Chester whipped out a DVD with the Christmas special for It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. We've finally reached the point where our interests have converged and we find the same things funny (IASIP, Hipsters Discussing Cyclocross). Six years is a significant age difference for siblings, and as the older child, I always took the lead in Making Shit Happen. This week, for the first time, it dawned on me that Chester is all grown up and I could afford to take a step back.

My cousins have also grown by leaps and bounds, losing rounded baby faces and gaining height with shocking speed. It seems that longish hair is in these days for guys. Or maybe it's just the recession-friendly option.

Where's Chester?

My mom (#6) is closest to her two younger siblings (#7-8), so we tend to hang out with their families and shun the others. The second generation is pictured here in a classic sidewalk self-portrait. We run the gamut from 8th grade (Marilyn) to two years post-college (me). I was mildly taken aback when Marilyn told a masturbatory joke, and also when she began laughing uproariously and pointing at a sign advertising Hot Babes with the number 696-9696...kids these days.

My aunt brought along her dogs as well, two pint-size chihuahuas. Apparently, shelters in CA are flooded with chihuahuas, not surprising given the popularity of toy dogs in purses on the west coast. We never had pets at home other than the cursory goldfish because my mom thinks they're too much trouble. As it turns out, she used to have a dog when she was a kid (my uncle kept teasing her, "Remember that time you made me go buy five cookies, and gave one to me and four to the dog?"). Then somewhere along the way she went grinch. I'm not firmly planted in either the pet or no pets camp, but I could kind of see her point when we got back one night to find that Lucy had gotten out of the kitchen, where we had penned her, and had proceeded to pee in four places, poop in several more, and her sweater had somehow disappeared. Oh and, she dragged a pair of my underwear into the living room, where Chester found it. Awk.

Media Dinners

So the other night I went to a media dinner for the opening of two new restaurants. It was incredibly stressful. It was also extremely rewarding.

Media dinners are held by restaurants to quickly spread the word about an opening, advertise a new menu, introduce a new chef, etc. Back in the old days, this was a good way to get local journalists, writers and publicists all on the same page and to answer any questions at once. Nowadays, the lines between journalists, free lance writers and bloggers have blurred, and many mainstream media publications forbid their staff from accepting gifts. That prevents traditional reporters from attending these sorts of galas, where you are plied with all sorts of complimentary food and drink. Wait, so this is a party with free food and wine, what's to be stressed out about?

Mistake #1: severely underdressing. I've been to these types of functions before, but they were smaller and more low-key than this particular party. I'd just come from work, so it wasn't as if I was wearing jeans, but as I walked into the lounge I quickly realized that in a sea of black cocktail dresses, I stuck out like a sore thumb.

Mistake #2: arriving alone. Since I'd gotten the invitation last-minute, I didn't have a chance to grab someone else to accompany me. (Usually I show up with my editor.) Picture the discomfort of going to a bar by yourself. Now add the unease of being a lowly grad student at a prestigious conference. As I cast glances at the unfamiliar faces around me, I overheard snippets like "You were at Blackbird with Thomas? Who else was he with, Grant? But of course!" That would be eminent chefs Thomas Keller and Grant Achatz, by the way. Great, I not only look like a hot mess, I am surrounded by people (who know people who know people...) who are my heroes. I beelined to the champagne station.

After chugging a flute of champagne, I resolutely dove back into the crowd, looking for openings and people who seemed amenable to making new friends. At your average party, you ask things like where do you work, what do you study, and where are you from. Here, the default was to quiz people on the publications they write for. Invariably, I would mention that I work in economics research at the Fed, which resulted in a casual "Oh, that's interesting" before the conversation came to a dead end. Let's just say that my knowledge of asset-backed securities was of no help in this setting. Just as I was wondering if my inner hotelie had died and I'd completely lost the ability to make small talk, I struck up a conversation with a guy who works in film, and we started talking about Miyazaki and my recent trip to the Ghibli Museum. Everyone else began tuning out, but heck, I was thrilled to have made a friend, and one who watched anime to boot.

Mistake #3: chugging alcohol. Though this goes against my usual behavior at places with open bars, I strongly recommend not getting drunk, or even tipsy, at these affairs. After all, you need to remember these people's names, jobs, publications, etc for next time. And I am so bad at remember names and faces to begin with, I really don't need any extra handicaps.

The rest of the night went more smoothly as I met other area publicists, bloggers and minor Chicago food scene celebs. Some were quirky and eccentric, others were stand-offish, but the majority were friendly and interested in meeting people. Stories were swapped on who to call to kill your chickens (Mike Sula), and how David Chang (of Momofuku) decided to go get tacos at Big Star at 3 am while he was in town for a book signing last week. I debated the ethics of media dinners and journalistic integrity with other bloggers, and discussed asshole chefs and past scandals (like the ad Rick Bayless did for Burger King) with publicists. I met the chefs and management team for the host restaurant, and we were regaled by the manager's stories of working for his aunt as a youth. The aunt in question is none other than organic revolution figurehead, Alice Waters. My jaw dropped when I heard that.

I need a Twitter account. Also a black cocktail dress. And a better memory for names.

Holiday Shorts

After the frenetic pace of posting in Tokyo, I haven't been updating, partly because I needed a break and partly because I've spent an embarrassing number of hours watching Fullmetal Alchemist in the last couple weeks. But due to popular demand, here is what I've been up to in the last weeks of 2009:

• For the first time, I hosted Thanksgiving dinner this year for assorted friends and Thanksgiving orphans. Since my rule of thumb for dinner parties and potlucks is to never cook anything I haven't cooked before, I immediately ruled out turkey and substituted beer can chicken instead. Besides, beer can chicken looks theatrical and complicated while being really easy. In essence, you put an open can of beer inside the chicken's chest cavity, and the beer evaporates into the chicken and keeps it moist. My other concern was carving the chicken, and I spent a while reading the wikihow on how to carve poultry. Luckily, Sean volunteered to cut up the chicken for me; this kid is definitely getting invited to all future dinner parties. The rest of the menu included sun-dried tomato hummus, vegetable crudite platter, acorn squash-apple soup with pepitas, zucchini cups stuffed with cannellini bean, mashed potatoes, sauteed mushrooms over cheese grits, cornbread stuffing, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie and pecan pie.
• Due to a series of (un?)fortunate events, I recently got a stand mixer. That's right, this is the Kitchen Aid stand mixer, something I've coveted for years but could never justify buying myself because I don't bake nearly that much. But now that I have a shiny cobalt blue stand mixer, I have been making an effort to bake bread once a week. The results have been mixed (har), and I have yet to duplicate restaurant quality bread, but hopefully it will get easier with practice. After I get tired of breads, I plan to move on to macaroons, meringues and marshmallows. Or, maybe it's time to splurge on the attachment appliances, which you can use to turn your mixer into an ice cream maker, pasta roller, meat grinder, grain mill, etc. Pictured below is focaccia topped with Bergkase mountain cheese, rosemary, red pepper and onion flakes.

• After seeing this amazing barbershop video and Tomas' Lymph Notes project, I was inspired to do some singing of my own, and decided to rope people into going caroling with me. I tried to recruit people who either a) were strong musicians and would be able to read music or b) were ballsy enough to sing in public with me. Unfortunately, the two sets did not really intersect. This meant that the people who were singing correctly were far too quiet, and the people who were out of tune were singing quite exuberantly and enthusiastically. I did my best to belt out the melody to cover up any discrepancies. At any rate, it was still fun and I can now say that I've caroled under the Millenium Park Bean.
• With Chester off to college and out of the house for the first time, the parentals have been relishing their newfound status as empty nesters/having a mid-life crisis. For instance, my mother informed me the other day that she signed up for belly dance lessons. (Do not make comments on how my mom is a MILF.) And for the holidays, we are abandoning the traditional New England Christmas for Christmas in...Vegas. Yeah, this will be hilarious. My uncle (#7) and his family are coming too. Also my aunt (#8) and her family. And their two dogs. And also my aunt's brother in law and his family are coming along. And my mom's friend from St. Louis and his brother. I have been assigned the task of finding family-friendly activities to keep the not-yet-legal high schoolers entertained. Do you think we can go looking for the stripper mobile? No?? Ok, I am also planning an excursion to see Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon. As it so happens, J&P will also be in Vegas at the same time, so I might sneak off for a bit to hang out on the Strip with them.