Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas

“In the fledgling days of the town, the notorious Block 16 was set aside for card games and prostitution. Sin and commerce have marched hand-in-hand ever since, but this alliance made Las Vegas no more atypical than any other American city of the time. The difference is that Las Vegas extolled with pride what other places sought to hide. To the commonplace culture of heavily populated cities and industrial towns that made up the urban fabric of the country, Las Vegas alone stood as the behavioral “Other,” a land where the “victimless” crimes of sex, drink, and gambling were not only condoned, but celebrated." — Mark Gottdiener, Las Vegas

Contemporary Las Vegas is astonishing. At night, it is a brilliant cluster of jewels of all shapes, sizes, and colors, glowing in the middle of a vast, black velvet canopy. By day, it is also an amazing sight, almost like a mirage. There is nothing but desert and rugged mountains all around, and then—in the middle of it all—one of the largest and fastest growing cities in the United States … truly an enigma. — Thomas Taj Ainlay, Las Vegas: The Fabulous First Century

Las Vegas was and is a hard town that will make you pay for your inability to restrain your desires…. If you have a weakness, Las Vegas will punish you. — Hal Rothman, Neon Metropolis