Past Issue
» City Limits riding the rail
November/December 2008
My carbon footprint is the size of a Sasquatch’s, and something’s got to give. So I’ve planned an entire day revolving around the Las Vegas Monorail. The train runs along a four-mile stretch on the east side of Las Vegas Boulevard from the MGM Grand to the Sahara, with seven stops along the way. The $5 ticket (for a single ride; $12 for an Unlimited Ride Day Pass) opens up a world of adventure, while saving my weary feet—and helping the planet.
» Wide Open livin’ on the edge
November/December 2008
Nevada. There might not be universal agreement about how to pronounce it, but there is one common denominator concerning the Silver State—crossing its border practically guarantees a good time. Gaming, shows, bright lights, seemingly endless and undiscovered terrain…Nevada has whatever form of entertainment you’re looking for. Following, we cover a mixture of towns that border Arizona, California, Idaho, Oregon, and Utah.
» Cravings champions of chocolate
November/December 2008
You can follow your heart or be led around by the nose, but no part of the anatomy provides such a strong navigational signal as the sweet tooth. Fortunately, visitors to the Las Vegas Strip have plenty of opportunities to indulge that insatiable incisor, and perhaps do some holiday shopping at the same time.
» Living a house of straw
November/December 2008
Constance Alexander’s straw-bale, all-electric home in Minden is warmed courtesy of Nevada’s consistent winter sun, and her house’s thick stucco-finished walls hold the heat for hours. Alexander only pays for power from January to May. During the rest of the year, 14 solar panels on the roof generate electricity to run her lights and appliances, and the power company banks the excess in a process known as net metering.
» Nevada Books 2008 nevada books
November/December 2008
Are you having trouble figuring out what to buy some of those people on your holiday gift list? Let Nevada Magazine’s annual book-review package do the work for you. Visit the book’s listed Web site for ordering information.
» Events Spotlight earth, ice, and fire
November/December 2008
In Nevada, art has been known to take many—often peculiar—forms. Maybe the most unusual are the sculptures at the annual White Pine Fire and Ice Show near Ely. They’ve recently added fireworks to give further incentive for locals and tourists to check out the festivities.
» Shows Spotlight messages from the great beyond
November/December 2008
Believers and the curious will fill the Flamingo Las Vegas showroom on December 6 to hear from psychic medium John Edward, hoping they will be chosen to receive messages from those who have “crossed over to the other side.” For more than 20 years, Edward has used his books, television shows, and live appearances to—as he contends—help connect people with spirits, cope with unresolved issues, and offer assurances that life continues after death.
» People
Q&A with Willy Vlautin
In 1996, the now-defunct No Depression magazine announced that Willy Vlautin, co-founder of the Richmond Fontaine band, had “relocated to Portland from the musical wasteland of Reno, Nevada.” Although the Reno native has not returned to the Biggest Little City to live, the Northern Nevada burg is far from a wasteland to Vlautin given how it has shaped his career.
More than a decade after he left Nevada, Vlautin’s music has received high acclaim for its unique alternative-country sound, and his back-to-back novels, The Motel Life and Northline, have been honored for their simple and gravelly depictions of people surviving challenging conditions. He writes his songs and novels almost exclusively about Nevada, and the conflicted relationship that his characters have with Reno and the surrounding landscape.
Vlautin, who spoke with Caleb Cage in July, is a 2007 recipient of the Nevada Writers Hall of Fame Silver Pen Award, granted to successful mid-career writers.
