If you're ever wondering what Las Vegas is about - not the Strip, any Las Vegasan (Las Vegan?) will tell you that's not Las Vegas - then you can head to Hemenway Park, in Boulder City, about half an hour outside of Las Vegas proper, but still part of the "Las Vegas metro area", if such a thing can be said to exist. This park is also called Bighorn park. Rumor has it that Bighorn Sheep roam the park sometimes, eating the grass, posing for photo opportunities on Instagram. I know this because it came up on Trip Advisor as one of the Top 25 things to do in Las Vegas if you don't want to be on the strip. We stopped there today on the way out to the Grand Canyon. It was the second time we've been there. It's a very nice little neighborhood park. There's a swing set, a tennis court, a small patch of perfect green grass. What there are not any of - and seemingly never have been any of - is Bighorn Sheep. Nary a one. But that hasn't stopped them from putting signs up everywhere - Did You Know style signs, signs about watching out for your dog (I guess the sheep bite?), historical signs about the naming of the park. I'm not saying they're lying about the sheep. I've seen the pictures, I know they must have been there at least once. But I can tell you there aren't any sheep today.
And this, to me, sums up Las Vegas - the thing that isn't really there. Fake pyramids filled with fake Egyptians, fake Paris, fake NYC. Small patches of carefully manicured and expertly tended grass popping uninvited out of the barren desert, kept alive through sheer willpower and 600 foot dug wells. I know that sounds cynical. I think there's a lot to recommend Las Vegas. The weather is predictable, the cost of living is low. But the essence of Las Vegas is hubris - the hubris of man, to build where he/she is not wanted. I don't think I could live here, long-term; my soul cries out for more authenticity.
Time to find the real sheep.
