Moving To Las Vegas

I had enough money saved to get to Vegas, but that is all. A majority of my money went to hiring movers, getting my car shipped across the country, and arriving to a house I'd never seen. Let's get right into it.

I graduated college with a degree in Film Production and a minor in Film Studies. My ultimate dream job would be that of a screenwriter. However, that has not been the case.

In Nashville I worked at a restaurant inside of the Zoo. Because it was a pandemic, the zoo was so empty I was essentially a private chef for the staff. This job was relatively cool. I got to see all kinds of animals on a daily basis. I was still just a cook, though.

I decided I needed to move to a city where entertainment mattered more inside of the city's culture. While Nashville is definitely music city, I had no interest in making music videos or recording live shows. I certainly had no interest in producing ads for social media start-ups.

I wanted to be paid to do what I wanted to do; I wanted to take photos and write stories. I did that for a bit. I'd go to these darned live shows and take photos and write about them. This was miserable.

I would be at terrible live rock shows probably 5 nights a week. At the time, I lived with two separate rock bands that began fighting with each other. For a year of my life, all I saw was music and bickering. That's the reality of what's going on behind the music.

It's a bunch of boys bickering with each other like it's a middle school cafeteria. It has to be that way because if you think about music, it's really a bunch of adults trying to target young girls. Here's why: young girls are fans for life and boys will listen to whatever the girls they want to date listen to. It's that simple. Is Justin Bieber really sad about his girlfriend breaking up with him, or the fact the girl he wants to ask out makes him nervous? Absolutely not. He's in his mid-late 20's. His problems are with taxes, lines at the DMV, and the psychological toll of being hailed as a sex god to young girls. That's rock and roll.

That is not a shot at Justin Bieber. Fill in the blank with the pop star of your choice. Most of these musicians don't even write their own music. The songwriters are far more interesting. They're the ones who actually do feel those things you love to hear, but I digress.

So, I decided I needed to pack up all my stuff and move to Vegas. The Zoo and freelance photography had built me up enough savings to leave all that noise, literally, behind me.

I remember my last night in my apartment in Nashville. Everything was gone except for a lamp, a table, and a chair. I ate a pizza then slept on the floor. That was that. I left my friends (two pictured below), and moved to Vegas.

My flight was a night flight, so I'd be landing in Vegas long after midnight where my roommate would pick me up from the airport. I had been told, "It's a pandemic, no one's flying. You'll have a row to yourself." This was not the case.

My flight from Tennessee to Denver was packed with a Middle School Youth Cheerleading squad. It was miserable. Me and the man in the seat beside me did not speak or even look at each other. I'm not sure I even took a breathe that entire flight.

I landed in Denver. I had a substantial layover at the Denver airport. Usually I'll wander around and see what the airport is like. Usually an airport is a pretty good indicator of a city. However, if the airport is too nice you're in trouble. This is the case with Atlanta.

I had never been to Denver before but my brother, who had just passed away, loved Denver. It was night and a pandemic.Everything was closed and all the lights weren't even on. I decided I would give Denver the benefit of the doubt.

I will say, the people of the Denver airport are a peculiar bunch. I was sitting and charging my phone on one of the devices they have on their terminal seats. I got that signal in my brain that someone was staring at me. I looked up, and sure enough, a big-ole giant bearded man in one of these knitted caps was just taking me in. When our eyes met, he began to shout. At this point I decided my phone was charged enough and I returned to my specific terminal.

I felt every millisecond of those three hours in the Denver airport. Like all thing in life, my time in Denver came to an end (Praise God). Next flight was also packed, however I came to find I did have my own row! A family had decided they didn't want to fly that day. I was thrilled because if they had, I would've been right in the middle of them. Just then, the stewardess made the announcement I dreaded. The plane was off-balance and this had to be corrected before we left. Just like that. My solo row was filled again. This time I had the window, though. A slight advantage.

About halfway through this flight someone farted. I'm hesitant to cast blame, but I certainly have my suspicions. I suspect it was the man in the aisle two ahead of mine. He was eating cajun trail mix. That's great going in, but it comes out with the wrath of God. For no less than 20 minutes, I was praying the plane would go down and save me from this stench. It did not. I safely made it to Vegas without getting the great disease of our time.

There's something comforting about arriving at the Las Vegas airport. They have slot machines and all sorts of different colors. I'd consider it a good representation of the city. You'll see people gamble their lives away in Vegas without ever actually making it into Vegas! I will say that I've only ever seen the Las Vegas airport after midnight.

Needless to say, I made it. I was home, I guess. I waited outside the airport for an hour waiting for my roommate. Eventually he showed up and we treated ourselves to Raising Cane's on the way to the house I was renting but had never seen.

Raising Cane's is better than a Bojangles, but not quite a Zaxby's. Zaxby's has better tenders while Cane's has a better sauce. While the American West has several different food chains that aren't available in the South, you really aren't missing anything.

How can I be living so close to Mexico, but so far from good Mexican food. I regret to inform you that the south does both Mexican and Chinese better than Vegas.

People will swear to you that In-n-Out is the best of all the burger chains. This is also not the case. Five Guys Burgers and Fries is far superior, and available in most parts of the U.S. 

There isn't a Moe's Mexican Cantina in sight. This has been the biggest adjustment for me in Vegas.

I thought I'd miss all the trees and grass. Turns out no-humidity supersedes all other nature-based short comings. I haven't gone out into the nature of Vegas yet. This is only because I had been told to watch out for scorpions so often in Tennessee that now I worry about scorpions far more than I need to. In fact, I have not seen a single scorpion, except at the zoo I worked at. If anything, it feels like I'm even further from scorpions than I was in Tennessee.

Because of the fact I graduated college and landed in the middle of a pandemic, there have been no Vegas jobs, yet. I hope this changes soon, or I'll be forced to return to Tennessee where the scorpions are...and spiders. Worst of all, the humidity.

The things I do miss from Tennessee are the people, first and foremost. The people in Las Vegas have been less than sociable. I've made two friends here, and that is it. I can't go out and meet people. Pandemic. I can't seem to get a job. Pandemic.

The Las Vegas I moved to is not the same Las Vegas I visited before the pandemic. My industry is still closed. The jobs I've applied for out here have been varied. I've interviewed at sex shops, restaurants, and a museum. I've applied for jobs as a writer, journalist, production assistant, and a manager of a McDonald's. No hits.

All I need to turn Las Vegas into paradise is a job, otherwise Paradise will just remain the part of Vegas I don't live in. The history of Las Vegas is a tumultuous and fascinating one. I will continue to dive into as long as I'm able to live here.