ONLINE GAMBLING AND CASINO GUIDE

Rexville.

Much like Compton, the Bronx, and the Encore Hotel and Casino … the word denotes a location that strikes fear in the hearts of all men.

This may be coming to an end, however.

The neighborhood best known for overrated custard stands, pants-less murderers, talk show hosts with bad accents, petrified Indian actresses, and questionably sane Las Vegas “bloggers” is finally getting a little love from the city.

The Scenic Byways project has begun making its way south from Downtown into Rexville, and so far I like what I see.

Obviously, “Rexville” is not an official map designation, although it goddamn well should be since I have never seen as much concentrated mainstream coverage of this area than I have in the last several months.  Is it a coincidence, or is the 30% tail wagging the 70% dog?

It’s a legitimate question, but it doesn’t matter terribly much.  The important thing is that the neighborhood is finally starting to get some routine pub, and regardless of the reason … it’s a beautiful thing.

The area is officially known by the city as “18b” or “The Arts District”, but I don’t really agree with either of these monikers.  “18b” is cryptic and makes no sense, while “Arts District” implies that the area is inhabited by a large number of artists … which is either untrue, or so true that it’s irrelevant.  I don’t know anyone that isn’t an artist in some way, and thus the designation for a particular class of people is specious.

Before I narcissisticly renamed the area, I referred to it as “Central Vegas”, and I think this is a far more accurate description.  It’s still much more of an inner-city environment and bohemian enclave than a haven for professional painters.

Sure, we have art galleries, but for every such business, there are a dozen wedding chapels, houses, drug dealers, prostitutes, mostly-dilapidated apartment complexes, motels, bail bonds, restaurants, and general business endeavors.  The city is trying to do the “arts” thing simply to jack up prices, but it’s more or less bullshit.

I would like to see the “arts” integrated into the community instead of seeing the community integrated into the “arts”.  Assuming one can define “art” at all.

Why is the bum defecating on the sidewalk not merely engaging in his own form of performance art?  Some might say that he is.

I’m fairly new to area residency, but many of the people surrounding me have been here since the 1960’s and they have a larger stake here than do the galleries.  Therefore, if they are going to shove the arts thing down our throats, I’m going to shove the Rexville thing down theirs.

I’m even thinking about circulating a petition renaming it as such.  I’m completely serious.

If I become Mayor, I may able to make it happen.  If Oscar Goodman can get a local pole named after him, I don’t see why I can’t get a few city blocks.

Anyway, the current crop of signs are making their way south down Casino Center Drive instead of Las Vegas Boulevard, and there is a good reason for this.

Rexville is about to get a brand new transit system, and Casino Center Drive will be an integral part of the route.

In the next couple of months, we are getting a bullet-bus called the “Ace”.

According to the RTC website:

“The sleek ACE bullet-shaped vehicles will travel in dedicated lanes where possible with less frequent stops than fixed-route transit, enabling the service to change routes based on traffic patterns and move passengers longer distances in a shorter time period than fixed-route bus service.”

From the preliminary renderings, it looks as if the Ace “buses” will simply be rebranded versions of the existing “Max” vehicles which already serves North Las Vegas.

I’m psyched about the ACE, because I will be a very frequent rider of the system.  If the preliminary map stays true to design, I will be able to walk to an ACE stop in roughly 45 seconds.  This means that, in addition to the Monorail, I will have near door-to-door service to just about any casino on the Strip or Downtown.  My dream of a car-free Las Vegas existence, while not complete, will certainly be much closer to a reality.

The cost will be $7 for a 24-hour pass, or $3 for a one-way ride.

Unfortunately, the ACE will not be the perfect replacement for a proper rail line.  The bus/train hybrid will still be at the whim of traffic, but the dedicated lanes and fewer stops than the Deuce should have some positive effect.  Sometimes in life, you have to take what you can get.

In any event, Rexville, the greatest neighborhood in the Southwest United States is about to get a little more livable … not to mention a little better looking.

The only thing we’re missing is a great slogan.

I was thinking of “What Happens in Rexville Stays in Rexville”.

It’s not original, but since I paid $87 million for the idea, I might as well re-use it and get my money’s worth … not unlike the LVCVA.

• Keep updated through Newsletter or on Facebook

  E-mail:
  

  Subscribe
  Unsubscribe