August is the 15th anniversary of my first trip to Las Vegas which began on the third and went for about four weeks. It’s not the type of introduction I’d recommend for the place. What made it more memorable were all the crazy things that went down:
- PowerComputing’s pending IPO, it didn’t happen of course
- Apple’s ongoing (public) struggle resulting in Gil Amelio’s departure and Microsoft’s investing
- Grandpa’s terminal illness worsening
- The housing/building bubble was starting to gain steam in Clark County
If I could do it all over again, I think the only major facet I would change would be the hotel I stayed in. The Orleans was a dozen times better than the Howard Johnson’s on Tropicana and Industrial. The former remains, the latter is boarded up yet it changed hands at least once. Most of my regrettable actions were when I returned, score one for Panic and its big brother Anxiety.
Anyway, the header photo was taken in 1997. The city’s famous sign had fallen on hard times despite the construction boom. As you can see in the background, Mandalay Bay hadn’t been started and numerous other sites from the past remained. When I got my then boss Larry to go with to check out the sign for a picture, I was amazed by how “abandoned” the area was. I recall it wasn’t much better during my honeymoon in 2003. I don’t know the year it was cleaned up but now the sign is well-cared for, there’s parking and a small contingent of “volunteers” working there to assist with photos.
Maybe the picture is a metaphor for my life in 1997 versus today? Probably not. Last time I checked the finances of the Maggi Republic, we are better suited to weather the Great Bush Recession.