[unf0rgiven6262]

Pretty much anyone with a car can experience downtown in 30 minutes or less. I can get there in 10 minutes or less at a good hour. With that being said, living downtown doesn't offer any escape so you better really love it there. It's certainly not the environment I have any desire to be around 24/7 but to each his own.

[Grofica]

Hey your from my hometown... welcome!!!!

before you buy in the "arts district" you need to go look at it... it is NOTHING like what we have... ok well you i moved a long time ago.

but they are TRYING to make it an arts district... but that area looks more like sprauge over in spokane... think tacoma around the dome if your not familiar with east wash. its not the greatest... but they are trying...

personally i like the highrises but can get over the HOA's... PM me if you want more specific information...

[jhiker1o]

Originally Posted by Grofica

Hey your from my hometown... welcome!!!!

before you buy in the "arts district" you need to go look at it... it is NOTHING like what we have... ok well you i moved a long time ago.

but they are TRYING to make it an arts district... but that area looks more like sprauge over in spokane... think tacoma around the dome if your not familiar with east wash. its not the greatest... but they are trying...

During one of Summerlin's Art Walk, I spoke to an exhibitor and asked her if she has ever done the First Friday event Downtown. She said yes but would not do it again. According to her, the scene is more like a street party than a true Art event in the community.

I agreed with her but in fairness to the First Friday event, there are decent exhibits the last time I attended but there are other exhibits as well that should have never been shown during the event. My biggest peeve about the Downtown art scene is the 2 ridiculously expensive and ugly art pieces, the supposedly "paintbrushes" on Charleston Blvd. welcoming everyone to the Arts District. It looks more like a flashlight or a pole for changing light bulbs. The city's electrical post looks better than those 2 expensive art pieces.

[Swigchow]

Originally Posted by noexcuseforignorance

Didn't mean that in a bad way. Just posted somewhere about it before and was told that you can't recreate Seattle elsewhere especially in Las Vegas.

I've been to Las Vegas about a dozen times. I'm not sure that taking a trip there would do anything. The condo buildings I was looking at were Newport Lofts or Sodo Lofts. You can find units in either for $150ish or less.

Thanks but I'll pass on the franchiseland strip mall. In Seattle, neighborhoods are compartmentalized and driving is largely optional and the concept of strip malls and Walmart doesn't exist. Suburbs are not what I'm going for.

Downtown Las Vegas seems to be going through a gentrification process. It reminds me of Columbia City in South Seattle but maybe ten years earlier. I just drove through Columbia City yesterday and was amazed at the changes, vibrancy, and all the new places and restaurants.
I dont know much about Soho but Newport Lofts is nice.

[happyhunting]

Thanks but I'll pass on the franchiseland strip mall. In Seattle, neighborhoods are compartmentalized and driving is largely optional and the concept of strip malls and Walmart doesn't exist. Suburbs are not what I'm going for.

I moved to Seattle (Ballard) from Vegas. I know where you are coming from. I can walk anywhere. There are more mom and pop shops, very few chains (if you can even find one), and condensed neighborhood districts each with their own little main street, so you are pretty self sufficient if you don't want to wander from your exact neighborhood. You won't find an equivalent in Las Vegas, especially downtown, but your options are to pick an older more established neighborhood built "close" to the city center. For example, McNeil estates, Spanish Oaks, Scotch 80s.......They are well established, architectually diverse, with-in walking distance to things downtown, and if not walking, a short bus or car trip. The university hospital, restaurants, even the "arts distict" without living there. I'd like to add that the arts area is very fledgling. That area is nothing like those in Seattle, so it may be cool to look at the art, or go to a cafe, but I wouldn't live there. The other option would be in the So Ho Lofts or other condo downtown, but downtown Vegas is not the equivalent of say Belltown. It's not as trendy, you don't have all the artists lofts, it's a completely different vibe.

Downtown Las Vegas seems to be going through a gentrification process. It reminds me of Columbia City in South Seattle but maybe ten years earlier. I just drove through Columbia City yesterday and was amazed at the changes, vibrancy, and all the new places and restaurants.
I dont know much about Soho but Newport Lofts is nice.

The thing is that I don't think the arts distric will ever get to what Columbia City is. I love Columbia City's mix of urban and residential, extremely culturally diverse, everywhere you turn, the open plots of land were turned into pea gardens, farmer's markets, eclectic people and shops, funky art and cafe's. In Columbia City you still have couples walking dogs, families lining up to eat at Geraldine's, chess competitions near the coffee house. I was just there this week...........but I used to drive through the area they want to establish the arts district everyday in Vegas (no families, no homes) and it is much smaller.....They just don't seem similar to me in the least.

IF Vegas had the money (and they don't unfortunately), they'd be smart to convert the property around there to mixed-use, with the cafes, antique bookstores, coffe shops, and retail on the bottom, the living spaces above, with the top lofts reserved for artists......They'd also need to clean up the surrounding area to be attractive to walkers, bicyclists, make it pedestrian, dog friendly, and then encourage people to live, work and play there.

Goodman was originally aiming to make downtown more like San Diego's Old Town, and Gas Lamp Districts. Some of the roads were cleaned up, the medians repaired and plants added, they put up those flags on the light poles that say what neighborhood you are in, that type of thing. Not much else really got done, that I could see.

[yellowsnow]

I like downtown and I'm one of the few who would actually live there. But it's not nearly as nice or as walkable as Seattle. I remember being amazed that Seattle was alive after all the commuters left and people actually lived there by choice. Great city!

Come visit and actually stay in the area. Walk around and explore. Find out if it's really right for you.

[MSchu]

downtown... great place to visit, but i wouldn't want to live there.

[dynimagelv]

I work there and have for 24 years, I LOVE downtown much more then the strip.....would I live there....nope.

I live 6 miles away near Alta and Jones and LOVE the neighborhood. [what's an HOA anyway?]

[J78Jason]

Grew up in Vegas, currently living in Seattle.

To answer your question: Crazy to live in downtown LV? Most likely.

Disclaimer: My comments below are harsh, but I really am only discussing downtown which is separate from the other areas in the city that I could say plenty of nice things about.

I worked in downtown Vegas for 3+ years and it is not a desirable place to live. It's not a downtown. It's okay to visit on a Friday/Saturday night if you are into drinking and gambling at the older, less trendy casinos (Golden Nugget is nice however) and maybe a stop by Hugo's for a nice dinner, but there isn't much else. Lots of empty buildings, empty courthouses, empty stores, pawn shops, etc. There's no shopping, no grocery stores, no farmers markets. The business district consists of one or two buildings. It's also very small - head a couple blocks over from Fremont street and you'll have a very strong desire to turn around.

Another thing to point out is that the neighborhoods surrounding downtown are some of the worst in the city and in the country. That isn't highly unusual for a downtown but in other cities you at least get the perks of living downtown. To me it's a lose-lose.

I did check out the so-called "arts" district a couple times and even though it's nice that there is something, it's mostly just a novelty to go check out on First Friday once or twice a year. Las Vegas just isn't that type of town. There are artists, of course, but it's not why anyone chooses to live there.

In a nutshell, if you're used to Seattle and not just downtown Seattle, but any of the surrounding neighborhoods you will be dissapointed living in downtown LV. It's not a real "downtown" and won't be for a long time, if ever.

[ScoopLV]

Originally Posted by noexcuseforignorance

I've been to Las Vegas about a dozen times. I'm not sure that taking a trip there would do anything.

What did you do those dozen times you were here? Stand in line at DMV? Grocery shop? Try to meet people? (It's VERY hard to do that in this town. I still don't know most of my neighbors.)

There's a big difference between being a Vegas guest and a Vegas local. Don't get me wrong -- I want to see a lot of people move here to fill all the empty houses left vacant by the housing meltdown.

But look before you leap.

ScoopLV