Where Spectaculars Retire: Las Vegas Neon Museum

When you think “Las Vegas,” what comes to mind? I bet neon signs — “spectaculars” as the largest of them are called — will be high on the list. They flourished in this desert town as it grew from a dusty railroad outpost in 1913 to the flashy, decadent oasis it is today. With LED and LCD lighting now leading … Continue reading →

Marscape of the Red Rock Canyon

I am in the midst of two days of meetings in Detroit and Ann Arbor, my first time in Michigan, but my mind wanders further West: Here, a once-forest of burnt Joshua trees in the Red Rock Canyon, only half an hour away from the Las Vegas strip…

At Not-Quite Olympian Speed

Light in the Desert: Monet at the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art

There is no place like Las Vegas: it is ostentatious, absurd, wasteful, unapologetic, remarkable, spectacular, surreal. To my complete surprise, I enjoy it immensely. A good thing, too–I now have family there. Two places, neither a typical Las Vegas fair, are always on my menu: the breathtaking Red Rock Canyon (best visited at dawn or dusk) … Continue reading →