I heard a story once. About how, during the prohibition, gambling rooms and bars had to be hidden from the law in Las Vegas. So they were housed in plain brick nondescript units, as boring and un-noticeable as possible. There were no windows so no risk that the cops would know there were people inside [...]
the birth of neon – early Las Vegas
The rat pack, the 1950′s and 60′s, the old classic movies, the original Ocean’s 11. When I visit Las Vegas now I can find it hard to find any trace of the old Vegas I absorbed as the backdrop to so many old movies and TV shows as I grew up. I first visited Vegas [...]
PhotoFriday: Street: The eye-popping Folsom Street Leather Fair, San Francisco
There’s no shortage of colourful neighbourhood street festivals in San Francisco every summer, but the most eye-popping is definitely the Folsom Street Leather Fair – and no, this is not some industry apparel convention! I wondered whether the festival patrons might be a bit annoyed having a camera toting tourist in their midst, but I [...]
Walk like an Epicurean – in Portland, Oregon
Today is all about FLOSS - no, I am not on my way to the dentist, this is about exploring the Fresh, Local, Organic, Seasonable, and Sustainable local produce of Portland. Portland, and indeed all of Oregon, has a reputation of being a clean, green, wet and rainy kind of place, populated by mountain biking, [...]