I came because I've got family here, it's warm, and it's cheap.

Philly had a pretty similar cost of living as Vegas does, but winters are still an issue. I don't miss the winters, the salt on the roads, or the high rent in Boston. It took me forever to get used to the grid layout, which was very disorienting having grown up in a city like Boston where no intersection could possibly be confused with any other because every spot is so unique. I find Vegas to be ugly and boring to look at. I miss being around art, history, and culture. I miss east coast sushi (out here it's hard to find sushi that actually tastes and looks like fish) and I miss east coast style American Chinese food. I miss trees and green and seeing animals besides pigeons. I miss being able to use a bicycle to get around (the roads here are too wild for that) and I miss good public transit. I moved from Philly and Boston before that. Every section of town has 1 of everything, all in a beige strip mall.

A lot of the city doesn't have character. I think the only thing you have to adjust to is how mundane things are away from the strip. You still have a place like South Point, or Green Valley Ranch, but they don't feel the same as being at The Venetian because you can just walk out and go home without any hassle. When you live away from the strip, you don't see the tourist side of things. You don't have to drive more than 5 minutes for pretty much anything, and sometimes stuff is open 24 hours (it used to be that everything was 24 hours here, but that's sort of going away). Having an intersection with 2 gas stations and 2 grocery stores? Great (specifically thinking about Silverado and Maryland, but I think Eastern and Flamingo and I'm sure several others exist). What's better here? There's stuff on every corner. It feels the same as a city like San Bernadino or Fresno. Vegas was easy for me, because Vegas seems like a Los Angeles suburb. I'm from Los Angeles, but have lived in San Diego, San Francisco, and New York (I lived across the river in NJ but commuted into Manhattan for work).

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