Last week’s traffic nightmare on Interstate 15 is a sharp contrast to the joy I usually experience driving between Las Vegas and Southern California.
It’s a reliable routine. Leave on a Thursday or Friday. Spend a few days on or near the beach somewhere along the Pacific Coast. Then drive back to Vegas on a Sunday afternoon. It’s an easy, breezy drive without a care in the world. I’m listening to my favorite podcast, powered by a tank full of (relatively) cheap California gasoline, and marveling to my wife about making “good time” between Victorville and Eddie World 🍦
I’m having the time of my life after a weekend vacation. I can't say the same for the traffic moving — or barely moving — in the opposite direction. I usually notice it around Baker. It’s one of those perks of being a Las Vegan that nobody tells you about: the joy of watching Californians battle congestion while returning home after blowing on their money at the Vegas casinos.
I relish in their misery. It’s not me! I ease down harder on the pedal, pushing the car past the speed limit while sipping on a tall, frosted travel mug of schadenfreude — and maybe a Monster energy drink I picked up at Alien Fresh Jerky.
But while those drivers grapple with the progressive stages of road rage — denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance — I’m overcome with another emotion. Gratitude. Not just for my 4 hour, 22-minute drive, but for the crowds of tourists spending money in my hometown while I was away.
Vegas will continue to be driven and funded by the travel dollars of visitors for the foreseeable future. They’re the reason we have rapid development, a thriving economy, and a booming job market while other cities see their employment numbers move in the opposite direction (as the editor of Hey Portlandpointed out to me with a touch of jealousy).
If Portland is going to envy Las Vegas — at least in a few departments — I’m going to appreciate Las Vegas and the visitors who continue to spend money here. On my last drive home on Interstate 15, I recall thinking, “If each person stuck in those cars on the other side of the highway spent just $100 in Vegas over the weekend, that’s a huge amount of money.”
And let’s be clear, they spent a lot more than a hundred bucks (especially if they caught a show at the Sphere.) So, cheers, departing tourist 🥂 I hate to see you go, but I love to watch you leave.
