But where is Buck Adams?

You mean the monorail that's losing so much money that it may be closed in the next year? That one?

I agree, Las Vegas can be depressing, but that's not an especially compelling reason.

Maybe I'm depressed about that, Chris B.

Maybe it's losing money because it doesn't go anywhere. They deliberately built it down the back of the casinos on the strip, where it is a major pain in the ass to find or ride, by the service entrances down a mile-long block in 110-degree weather. Who wouldn't want to ride that?

Buck Angel was on The Howard Stern Show a while back. He was a fascinating interview. He also rode the Sybian. So interesting.

Exactly, Fnarf. It always struck me as a glorified version of Detroit's People Mover, with more neon in the area.

Ah, Buck Angel. The first transman I ever knew, whom I'd known since he was a dyke, brought a Buck Angel photo spread into the GBLTC office right after he began transitioning. Oddly enough, it really normalized the phenomenon for me.

The lights on the strip are the fun thing in Vegas. Go walking around the strip and look at all the weird people and go into casinos and watch old people who have that slot machine stare lose money and laugh at them. Vegas can be fun!
The drive to Vegas is the ugliest drive on the planet.
Oh and say Hi To Annie Lobert if you see her!! You did an article on her a while back. I know she's not on your list of people to see but it's fun to be a brat.

Sioux City is the most depressing place on Earth. It was even before
that DC-10 cartwheeled down the runway.

What makes you think Las Vegas is on Earth?

I walked all over Vegas last night, and saw a couple of signs for their monorail. But I never spotted the thing itself. I can't figure out why they didn't run it right down the middle of the strip -- imagine the view of the hotels as it swooshed along.

They blew it by building their monorail where they did. We blew it by not building ours where we'd planned.

All you saw was a couple signs? You didn't see a mile long concrete ribbon bisecting the street?

While I'm certain that the casinos would look lovely from the monorail, I'm also willing to bet that the infrastructure for it is butt-ugly, and nowhere as appealing as the first artist's renderings of the hokum that we were sold on up here.

No, YOU blew it, Dan. I haven't blown anything.

@9: That DC-10's landing was miraculous, cartwheeling or not. No one should have survived, and it is a testament to the flight crew that so many did.

Thanks for the read, BSven.

I used the vegas monorail a fair amount last year during a weekend binge. it was pretty ok for getting from one end of the strip to another.

everyone who hates the rain/living in seattle...should move to vegas, please.

In other words, it's a good short haul line, primarily for tourists?

O, if only we could have something like that!

I was astounded that you had to pay for the Vegas monorail. I mean, it's a way to get you from one place to lose your money to another. It should be paid for by the casinos it services, like the Mandalay-Luxor-Excalibur train or the TI-Mirage train.

I've moved on.

I'm now just saying build more transit.

And some high speed passenger rail.

And no more new roads. Period.

As someone who grew up there, yes. Most of the people who grow up there dream of leaving.

Vegas does nothing for me. Why go all the way the fuck out to the desert just to go on rides or window shop at Gucci or go to Cirque du Soleil or whatever the fuck it is huge people in sandals go there for.

Reno is where it at. I like booze. I like blackjack. It's simple.

I recently enjoyed the long drive in and out of Vegas from Utah, and it's charming. It's one long strip of litter the whole way, once you get out of the canyon. A carpet of broken glass glittering in the sun, plastic bags stuck in every bush, occasional heaps of rubbish. Makes you proud to be an American.

That drive from St. George through the Virgin River canyon is one of my favorite stretches of interstate in the US. But yeah, as soon as you hit Mesquite, it's all bad.

I'm in Vegas right now for CES. It's almost over and I'm ready to go, but I cannot. Someone tell me something fun and non-touristy to do so I don't have to go to the AVN convention?

Matt Fuckin', tomorrow night you can go to a hockey game. Las Vegas Wranglers play at the Orleans. That's always a good time and not too expensive.

And for drinking, go hang out downtown. Good bars in walking distance from each other. The Griffin is a favorite of mine.

Also, if you've never been to the Happiest Place On Earth, you should go check out the Double Down Saloon over by the Thomas & Mack.

Buck Angel always reminds me that my ideal mate is a male-leaning androgynous bisexual hermaphrodite.

Dan, if any of those people write to you, please give them my email address. Thanks.

I agree with the hockey game idea. Should be fun. Good call!

Yeah. Vegas bites. The shear stupidity of a place that sucks all that electricity being located in a desert. Good luck on those water-wars! I'm sure you noted all the single-family/single story housing causing all that sprawl.

Try driving SW outta town into the Mojave National Preserve for a few hours. You may even want to eat a peyote buton (like Tony Soprano did) before you take off!

I am Seattle's Buck Angel...just not a porn star...YET!

Q: If you are against a good transportation idea, how do you get smart people to think it is a bad idea?

A: Add up the total costs of the entire project (including maintenence and interest over 50 years) and start touting that total as cost of the project.

Q: How does a publication fuck up its chance to help get something good done in this city?

A: By buying into the opposition's "total cost of ownership"