I saw a news story on one of our stations and immediately bristled. How did we fall so far, and what is the company that judged us?
Other than Times Square in New York City, Las Vegas has traditionally enjoyed being in the top spot as THE place to party on New Year’s Eve. Not anymore. We’re now number five. North Las Vegas – which, let’s face it, was never a real competitor to begin with – at number 98, is below the likes of San Bernardino, Toledo, Bakersfield, and just one spot above Anchorage. That’s out of 100, by the way. To be fair, NLV is really more of a bedroom community rather than a party town, so it had no mojo to lose. Out of a hundred cities examined, Vegas is number 5, Henderson is 51, and Reno is 52. But I’m still annoyed.
I mean, SAN DIEGO is ahead of us. San Diego?!? A wonderful city to be sure, but hardly party central.
So What Happened?
I have no idea. For once, I can’t even hazard an answer. It’s not the expense since New York City, who’s number 1, is also at the bottom of the list for affordability. We’re talking pricey beyond recognition. So taking the time to sneer at the casinos for pricing us out of the competition can’t happen; unless, of course, Las Vegas is losing its spot as what I call the “glam on a budget” destination. By the way, the least expensive place to spend NYE on a budget is Gilbert, AZ. I know. Me neither.
Entertainment, maybe?
Vegas is in 5th place for, behind NYC, San Francisco, LA, and Atlanta. While I think we should be number 3 for that spot (behind NYC and LA), I’ll take it. I’m sure that Atlanta is charming and entertaining.
How about safety? We have The Strip, right?
Actually, this is where the big fail is, but we’re safer than Oakland, Memphis, Phoenix, and Portland. I know, huh? We’re even safer than Anchorage and our sister city, North Las Vegas. By double-digit points.
So what gives? While I’m happy that we’re in the top ten at least, I’m enough of a Pollyanna to believe that we should be Number One.
New York City be damned.
You have to go here to see information about the famous Las Vegas Strip fireworks!
