Daily lives do exist in Las Vegas

Anything else would have been surprising since the city has 2.6 billion inhabitants. I went exploring with the bus, out to discover another kind of city than 'the strip'. The bus was – as several comments to my blog suggest – used only by people who could not afford a car. The bus system works quite well, but with anything in-between half an hour and 45 minutes between each departure, not very efficient.

I took a trip of about 12 miles each way. A bus trip of this distance would take at a minimum 30 minutes in Denmark. In Las Vegas it did not – a mere 20 minutes did it, since the roads have 6-10 lanes, even when you move beyond the massive tourist area that the strip is.

What I found out side the epicentre was large supermarkets, large auto facilities and some few specialised shops. I found residential areas for different income groups from gated communities to barrack areas. In some places, there were green trees and lawns and in others, it revealed that Las Vegas is located in the middle of a desert. Most homes had cars parked outside, often of a relatively high standard.

I saw one playground during this trip - of course, surrounded by a parking lot - but then I do not know what is hidden behind the gates of the gated communities. Some one told me life was lived in these residential areas - in people's homes - where you met to play and socialize.

It is possible to bring your bike on the Las Vegas buses, but the bike is also, only for those who cannot afford a car. That is, unless it is used for sports, in which case people bring the bike - or running shoes for that matter - out of town by car; out into the mountains where sports activities take place.

Las Vegas is an exciting, wild, different and horrific city in which silence is a luxury very hard to find. I stayed there for a full week - it was hard - but also very rewarding since it gave me time to explore some of what Las Vegas also offers. I only scratched the surface but I am sure that the city has many interesting stories to tell - at least that was the impression I got when sitting on the bus listening to people's conversations.