John Ur is back this week with a detour in Nevada...
In 1924, the AASHO (American Association of State Highway Officials) and the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Public Roads began to lay out the proposed routes of Interstate Highway System. Since that time, Americans have driven across the country for pleasure and for business, with family, friends, or solo. I remember the itch I felt in the seat of my pants reading about Sal Paradise speeding through the middle of the country headed to the promised land of California in Jack Kerouac’s On the Road. America is made for road tripping.
The excitement of the road comes partially from the air rushing past the window as you fly down the asphalt and it comes partially from pulling out a large map of the country, taking a marker and drawing the first lines of what could be your future path. The United States, with our vascular structure of easily accessible roads, lends itself to an infinite number of routes for a cross-country trip. What it does not give is one convenient path to hit all of the lower 48 states.
Nevada is the first state of many that we will explore that does not fit cleanly into an itinerary. It is one of many landlocked states that does not border an ocean or another country and requires a bit of zigzagging to reach. The question for you when planning your trip becomes – when do I zig and when do I zag?
This question should be relatively easy to answer after we examine the geography of Nevada. Eighty-six percent of the state of Nevada is owned by the federal government. This area, largely the vast, empty Mojave Desert, is used for a range of purposes, including nuclear testing. Without going into the political implications of the subject, suffice to say there is a large portion of this relatively flat state that is either off limits or not high on the list of tourist destinations.
So let us narrow our focus on the two destinations the majority of visitors do frequent: the Reno/Lake Tahoe area and Las Vegas. A trip to Reno makes the most sense as an inland excursion from the California Coast. You might be able to spot a few sights from some Paul Thomas Anderson movies (Hard Eight and Magnolia). But the iconic images of Nevada live in Las Vegas. You can reach Vegas within a few hours from Los Angeles, San Diego, central Arizona or southern Utah. Feel free to insert this episode of CRT into your trip itinerary at any of those points (assuming you don’t take the unconventional ride south from Idaho into Nevada).
Let’s pretend that you have planned to head from the Grand Canyon to
southern California, or vice versa, and Las Vegas will be your midpoint
stopover. You probably do not need my help in conjuring up visions of the blinking lights and glitz that illuminate the Vegas skyline. Plenty of TV
shows and commercials and music videos have that covered. But I am here
as a guide and I must fulfill my duty. There is no shortage of movies
covering the city from top to bottom, so which to choose?
Martin Scorsese dulls a bit of the shine in Casino, a worthy entrant into our collection. But if you’re going to Vegas, you’re going for fun and entertainment and no film in recent memory has filled that order as well as Ocean’s Eleven. Directed by Steven Soderbergh (one of my top five directors), Ocean’s Eleven takes us all over the Strip with a myriad of stars including Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Julia Roberts and George Clooney as Danny Ocean.
The classic cinematic moment can be seen at the end of the picture.
The members of Ocean’s team gather around the Bellagio hotel in the
evening to watch the famous choreographed fountain display.
(For the
unanointed, the pool in front of the Bellagio shoots water synchronized
to music approximately every half hour throughout the day.) In the
evening, with accompanying light effects, the look of the pool is
magical, made for Hollywood. Imagine a Busby Berkeley dance sequence
played out by water molecules. Experience this once in your life, and
you’ll have intimate knowledge of the best Las Vegas has to offer.
Also recommended: Ocean’s Thirteen, The Cooler.
Read More: Check out a full list of Reno movies and films shot in Las Vegas. Previous stops on the Cinematic Road Trip: Idaho, Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas.
For free things to do and see in Vegas, check out our Free Las Vegas roundup in Free Cities.
Photos: Above, Leslie Estelle and Kristen Coleman; below, John Ur.
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