http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/29/travel/escapes/29summerlin.html?_r=1&ref=escapes&oref=slogin
Although the title is misleading (since the suburbs they mention are still part of Las Vegas), but interesting article. I live in Summerlin.
====================================
February 29, 2008
Leaving Las Vegas, for the Suburbs
By MATT VILLANO
WHEN Bob Carson set out last year to find a second home in the Las Vegas area, his list of must-haves was short but sweet.
He wanted to be close to golf courses. He wanted a pick of fine restaurants. Perhaps most important, he wanted to be a comfortable distance from the hubbub of Las Vegas, without keeping it too far out of reach.
Mr. Carson found all of these things in and around Summerlin, a booming community about 12 miles northwest of downtown Vegas. Mr. Carson, a retired shopping-center developer, spent nearly $2 million on a 10th-floor condominium at One Queensridge Place, a new two-tower Art Nouveau high-rise on the outskirts of Summerlin with commanding views of the Las Vegas Valley.
“Being here is the best of both worlds,” said Mr. Carson, who expects to visit from his primary home in Del Mar, Calif., roughly once a month.
Despite a sagging real estate market across the country (including in Las Vegas itself), real estate agents say second-home owners are still attracted to this area in the shadow of the fire-red Spring Mountains and the 196,000-acre playground known as Red Rock National Conservation Area.
While nobody keeps specific figures on secondary residences in the Summerlin area, Jeremy Aguero, principal analyst at Applied Analysis, a real estate economics consulting firm in Las Vegas, said that over the last five years Summerlin had become one of southern Nevada’s top destinations for vacation homes.
“Summerlin offers many different things to many different people,” he said, noting that home prices range start in the high $200,000s and go up to more than $10 million.
Real estate growth in this part of the West certainly is nothing new; according to data from Home Builders Research, a Las Vegas research firm, there have been nearly 257,000 new housing units since 1998 in Clark County, a 55 percent increase overall.
On the Las Vegas Strip, many of these properties have been planned expressly with the second-home buyer in mind — urban retreats for people tired of frittering $300 a night for hotel rooms. In the Summerlin area, some of which is in Clark County and the rest in Las Vegas, the vibe is much more residential, and development is accelerating.
First there’s Summerlin itself, where crews recently broke ground on a 107-acre urban core named Summerlin Centre, which eventually will house department stores, offices and restaurants. Adjacent to One Queensridge Place, construction also is moving forward on the Village at Queensridge, a 700,000-square-foot mixed-use facility with offices, restaurants and more. Both spaces are scheduled to open next year.
Other projects in the Summerlin area are already complete. The Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa, the flagship property of Station Casinos, opened in 2006, and now includes a 16-screen movie theater and 72-lane bowling alley.
Elsewhere, Boca Park Fashion Village, a 97-acre shopping mall, opened a few years ago and now contains such high-end boutiques as Talulah G, Pink and Von Dutch.
Top-notch dining options have sprouted, too, including a number of chic wine bars with tapas-style menus and Marché Bacchus, an upscale Mediterranean bistro with a menu that attracts Damien Dulas (of Guy Savoy) and other top chefs from the Strip on their days off.
Summerlin has endless options for outdoor recreation; the area is home to more than 100 public parks, nearly 150 miles of manicured trails and nine golf courses, including the Tournament Players Club at Summerlin, which was designed by the golf greats Fuzzy Zoeller, Bobby Weed and Raymond Floyd.
Add these to the hiking, mountain biking, rock climbing and horseback riding available in Red Rock National Conservation Area, and even the most committed coach potatoes can’t stay slothful for long.
For Howard Cohen, a local second-home owner who spends half of the year in Aspen, Colo., all of this was irresistible. “We bought here because of all the things to do,” said Mr. Cohen, who paid $1.5 million for his 3,400-square-foot, single-story home in Summerlin. “The area is new, exciting, convenient and has all the comforts of home.”
Mr. Cohen added that there are financial benefits to buying a home in southern Nevada: the state has some of the lowest property taxes in the country at less than 1 percent of assessed value, and (for those second-home owners who end up staying for more than six months a year) is one of seven states that do not levy personal income tax.
THE area surrounding Summerlin wasn’t always such a hot spot; as recently as 25 years ago, it was nothing but sand. In the 1950s, Howard Hughes purchased 25,000 acres for 25 cents per acre. He named the parcel after his grandmother, Jean Amelia Summerlin, and sat on it for decades. In the late 1980s, as Vegas established itself as one of the 30 largest cities in the United States and the Howard Hughes Corporation started building, people arrived in droves.
Today, this land comprises a 22,500-acre master-planned community with a combined full- and part-time population of nearly 100,000. Tom Warden, vice president of community and government relations for the Howard Hughes Corporation, said an additional 120,000 residents are expected in the next 10 to 20 years.
Many residents live in tract-house neighborhoods with names like the Mesa, the Willows and the Trails. Most of these neighborhoods have European roundabouts, walking paths and easy access to a new I-215 freeway, dubbed the Bruce Woodbury Beltway after a politician on the Clark County Commission, which governs unincorporated portions of Clark County.
A handful of neighborhoods, including Red Rock Country Club, Eagle Rock, the Ridges and Aventura, are gated — a feature that has appealed to second-home owners concerned about securing their investments between visits.
“For these people, knowing that their homes will be safe and looked after if they don’t get back to Summerlin for a month or two offers great peace of mind,” said JoAnne Federico, an agent with Prudential Americana Group in Las Vegas.
Still, life in a master-planned community can have its drawbacks.
After adding up fees for the community’s master plan fund and the individual neighborhood homeowners’ association, most buyers must shell out about an additional $1,000 a year. What’s more, a number of local homeowners’ associations have adopted strict regulations, such as limitations on when cars can park on certain streets, requirements that homeowners put portable basketball hoops away at night and restrictions on the colors that homes can be painted.
Michael Chorna, who has owned a home in the Sun City neighborhood since 1998, said the codes present challenges for those who frequently come and go.
“It’s not like you can just buy a second home in Summerlin and do whatever you want,” said Mr. Chorna, who also owns homes in Briarcliff Manor, N.Y., and Century City, Calif. “For someone who is new to the rules and regulations of a master-planned community homeowners’ association, it can be tough to keep up.”
Perhaps the biggest concern for all homeowners in the high desert is water. Lake Mead, the area’s main water source, has dropped to 48 percent of capacity, and drought conditions have forced the Las Vegas Valley Water District to prohibit use of sprinklers between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. from May through September. Violations during drought alerts result in water-waste fees starting at $40 a pop, but the water district also doles out credits to homeowners who rip out grass and plant desert landscaping.
“Dealing with the ongoing water shortage is just part of life here,” said Jason Ekus, an agent with ReMax Central in Summerlin and president of the homeowners’ association for the Casa Rosa neighborhood.
With so many housing options, perhaps the biggest challenge for prospective second-home buyers in the Summerlin area is figuring out where to buy. Mr. Warden, the vice president of community and government relations for the Howard Hughes Corporation, said new homes in the master-planned community are still sprouting almost daily.
On the outskirts, with projects like One Queensridge Place and the brand-new C2 Lofts, alternative living options are adding up as well.
For all of these reasons, Tricia Reilly Johnson and her husband, Matthew, are getting acquainted with the Summerlin second-home market slowly.
Mr. Johnson is the owner of the Sushi Samba restaurant chain, and the couple came to the Vegas area from New York City in late January to open one of his restaurants at the Palazzo, a new hotel on the Strip. Knowing they’ll spend the better part of the next two years here, the Johnsons opted to lease a second house, instead of buying one, until they find the perfect spot.
“We’ve identified certain neighborhoods as ones we like, but at this point, we’re just waiting to see what’s available and what’s coming onto the market next,” said Ms. Johnson. “Things are growing so quickly here that it’s possible the home we want hasn’t even been built yet.”
Friday, February 29, 2008
Thursday, February 28, 2008
BookPALS Storyline Online
http://www.storylineonline.net/
I saw this on Pop Candy this morning and thought some of you parents out there might be interested.
"Storyline Online features members of the Screen Actors Guild reading children's books, and it's useful for parents and teachers. (It's also fun if you're just sitting at your desk waiting for the clock to strike 5.)
Elijah Wood, Jason Alexander, Jane Kaczmarek, Al Gore and Lou Diamond Phillips are just a few of the stars who contribute. After you watch them read the books, you can click on related activities to do with kids, some of which involve using the Internet. The site is really smart and well done, and it includes captions so children can read along with the actors."
I saw this on Pop Candy this morning and thought some of you parents out there might be interested.
"Storyline Online features members of the Screen Actors Guild reading children's books, and it's useful for parents and teachers. (It's also fun if you're just sitting at your desk waiting for the clock to strike 5.)
Elijah Wood, Jason Alexander, Jane Kaczmarek, Al Gore and Lou Diamond Phillips are just a few of the stars who contribute. After you watch them read the books, you can click on related activities to do with kids, some of which involve using the Internet. The site is really smart and well done, and it includes captions so children can read along with the actors."
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Friday, February 22, 2008
Play Trivia to Help Save Dogs
http://www.experienceproject.com/savepets/index.php
Similar to the free rice link I posted a while back (www.freerice.com), on this site, for every trivia answer you get correct, they donate food to shelter dogs and cats.
Similar to the free rice link I posted a while back (www.freerice.com), on this site, for every trivia answer you get correct, they donate food to shelter dogs and cats.
Fictional Montecito resort closes its doors
http://www.lvrj.com/news/15870572.html
My favorite guilty pleasure, the TV Show Las Vegas, has been cancelled. no more weekly Josh Duhamel. Guess NBC realized shows like "My Dad is Better Than Your Dad" is the future of TV. yuck.
My favorite guilty pleasure, the TV Show Las Vegas, has been cancelled. no more weekly Josh Duhamel. Guess NBC realized shows like "My Dad is Better Than Your Dad" is the future of TV. yuck.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Frances Bean Cobain - Bazaar.com
http://www.harpersbazaar.com/fashion/fashion-articles/frances-bean-cobain-lookbook-0308
Holy crap- I feel old. These are photos from a Harper's Bazaar photo shoot with Frances Bean Cobain (aka Kurt and Courtney's baby).
wow.
Holy crap- I feel old. These are photos from a Harper's Bazaar photo shoot with Frances Bean Cobain (aka Kurt and Courtney's baby).
wow.
Friday, February 8, 2008
Movie Premiere / after party- Weirdsville
| Start: | Feb 1, '08 6:00p |
| Location: | Downtown / Neonopolis |
In Business 40 Under 40
| Start: | Feb 28, '08 6:00p |
| End: | Feb 28, '08 9:00p |
| Location: | Prive at Planet Hollywood |
Art Evolution
| Start: | Feb 21, '08 6:00p |
| End: | Feb 21, '08 8:00p |
Art Exhibition
| Start: | Feb 9, '08 6:00p |
| End: | Feb 9, '08 9:00p |
| Location: | The Gallery at Summerlin |
Eight Artists Interpreting One Another's Work
ARTIST RECEPTION & BOOK SIGNING ~ SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 9 ~ 6PM-9PM
Sculptor: Sharon Gainsburg
Painter: Beti Kristof
Poets: Gary Ashman, Jan Ashman, Thomas J. Fitzpatrick, Sheila Paris Klein, Ken Wanamaker
http://www.thegalleryatsummerlin.com/
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Romney Suspends Campaign - USA TODAY
http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-02-07-romney_N.htm?csp=34
This surprised me.
"Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney suspended his presidential campaign Thursday, telling a convention of conservative activists a protracted fight with John McCain would only aid the Democrats.
"I entered this race because I love America, and because I love America, I feel I must stand aside for our party and our country,"
This surprised me.
"Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney suspended his presidential campaign Thursday, telling a convention of conservative activists a protracted fight with John McCain would only aid the Democrats.
"I entered this race because I love America, and because I love America, I feel I must stand aside for our party and our country,"
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
A President Like My Father - New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/27/opinion/27kennedy.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin
By CAROLINE KENNEDY
Published: January 27, 2008
OVER the years, I’ve been deeply moved by the people who’ve told me they wished they could feel inspired and hopeful about America the way people did when my father was president. This sense is even more profound today. That is why I am supporting a presidential candidate in the Democratic primaries, Barack Obama.
My reasons are patriotic, political and personal, and the three are intertwined. All my life, people have told me that my father changed their lives, that they got involved in public service or politics because he asked them to. And the generation he inspired has passed that spirit on to its children. I meet young people who were born long after John F. Kennedy was president, yet who ask me how to live out his ideals.
Sometimes it takes a while to recognize that someone has a special ability to get us to believe in ourselves, to tie that belief to our highest ideals and imagine that together we can do great things. In those rare moments, when such a person comes along, we need to put aside our plans and reach for what we know is possible.
We have that kind of opportunity with Senator Obama. It isn’t that the other candidates are not experienced or knowledgeable. But this year, that may not be enough. We need a change in the leadership of this country — just as we did in 1960.
Most of us would prefer to base our voting decision on policy differences. However, the candidates’ goals are similar. They have all laid out detailed plans on everything from strengthening our middle class to investing in early childhood education. So qualities of leadership, character and judgment play a larger role than usual.
Senator Obama has demonstrated these qualities throughout his more than two decades of public service, not just in the United States Senate but in Illinois, where he helped turn around struggling communities, taught constitutional law and was an elected state official for eight years. And Senator Obama is showing the same qualities today. He has built a movement that is changing the face of politics in this country, and he has demonstrated a special gift for inspiring young people — known for a willingness to volunteer, but an aversion to politics — to become engaged in the political process.
I have spent the past five years working in the New York City public schools and have three teenage children of my own. There is a generation coming of age that is hopeful, hard-working, innovative and imaginative. But too many of them are also hopeless, defeated and disengaged. As parents, we have a responsibility to help our children to believe in themselves and in their power to shape their future. Senator Obama is inspiring my children, my parents’ grandchildren, with that sense of possibility.
Senator Obama is running a dignified and honest campaign. He has spoken eloquently about the role of faith in his life, and opened a window into his character in two compelling books. And when it comes to judgment, Barack Obama made the right call on the most important issue of our time by opposing the war in Iraq from the beginning.
I want a president who understands that his responsibility is to articulate a vision and encourage others to achieve it; who holds himself, and those around him, to the highest ethical standards; who appeals to the hopes of those who still believe in the American Dream, and those around the world who still believe in the American ideal; and who can lift our spirits, and make us believe again that our country needs every one of us to get involved.
I have never had a president who inspired me the way people tell me that my father inspired them. But for the first time, I believe I have found the man who could be that president — not just for me, but for a new generation of Americans.
By CAROLINE KENNEDY
Published: January 27, 2008
OVER the years, I’ve been deeply moved by the people who’ve told me they wished they could feel inspired and hopeful about America the way people did when my father was president. This sense is even more profound today. That is why I am supporting a presidential candidate in the Democratic primaries, Barack Obama.
My reasons are patriotic, political and personal, and the three are intertwined. All my life, people have told me that my father changed their lives, that they got involved in public service or politics because he asked them to. And the generation he inspired has passed that spirit on to its children. I meet young people who were born long after John F. Kennedy was president, yet who ask me how to live out his ideals.
Sometimes it takes a while to recognize that someone has a special ability to get us to believe in ourselves, to tie that belief to our highest ideals and imagine that together we can do great things. In those rare moments, when such a person comes along, we need to put aside our plans and reach for what we know is possible.
We have that kind of opportunity with Senator Obama. It isn’t that the other candidates are not experienced or knowledgeable. But this year, that may not be enough. We need a change in the leadership of this country — just as we did in 1960.
Most of us would prefer to base our voting decision on policy differences. However, the candidates’ goals are similar. They have all laid out detailed plans on everything from strengthening our middle class to investing in early childhood education. So qualities of leadership, character and judgment play a larger role than usual.
Senator Obama has demonstrated these qualities throughout his more than two decades of public service, not just in the United States Senate but in Illinois, where he helped turn around struggling communities, taught constitutional law and was an elected state official for eight years. And Senator Obama is showing the same qualities today. He has built a movement that is changing the face of politics in this country, and he has demonstrated a special gift for inspiring young people — known for a willingness to volunteer, but an aversion to politics — to become engaged in the political process.
I have spent the past five years working in the New York City public schools and have three teenage children of my own. There is a generation coming of age that is hopeful, hard-working, innovative and imaginative. But too many of them are also hopeless, defeated and disengaged. As parents, we have a responsibility to help our children to believe in themselves and in their power to shape their future. Senator Obama is inspiring my children, my parents’ grandchildren, with that sense of possibility.
Senator Obama is running a dignified and honest campaign. He has spoken eloquently about the role of faith in his life, and opened a window into his character in two compelling books. And when it comes to judgment, Barack Obama made the right call on the most important issue of our time by opposing the war in Iraq from the beginning.
I want a president who understands that his responsibility is to articulate a vision and encourage others to achieve it; who holds himself, and those around him, to the highest ethical standards; who appeals to the hopes of those who still believe in the American Dream, and those around the world who still believe in the American ideal; and who can lift our spirits, and make us believe again that our country needs every one of us to get involved.
I have never had a president who inspired me the way people tell me that my father inspired them. But for the first time, I believe I have found the man who could be that president — not just for me, but for a new generation of Americans.
Barack Obama - Yes We Can music video
Supporter-created video of Barack's speech after the New Hampshire Primary
Friday, February 1, 2008
U23D
| Rating: | ★★★★★ |
| Category: | Movies |
| Genre: | Other |
I wanted to see the new concert movie U23D for a couple reasons. 1- I love U2, 2- I enjoyed the Vertigo tour and wanted to see concert footage.
I had heard reviews of this movie on the radio- "The First Live-Action 3D Digital Concert Movie." Wow- sounds impressive.
It was absolutely amazing, way beyond expectation. I saw this at an IMAX Theater. From what I had recalled about the old 3D movies (was that in the '80's?), I wasn't expecting Bono to jump out and sit in my lap.... Can I tell you? He did. Bono sat in my lap. Ok, maybe not exactly, but pretty darn close.
The 3D was incredible, but it wasn't just that it was in 3D. They also did some creative editing to overlay images, whether it be the band, or fans, or graphics, or words, layered over itself to really take extreme advantage of the 3D technology.
But wait, there's more. The digital surround sound. It sounded a zillion times better than the concert actually did when I saw them, and even better than the album. It was loud. **Warning- if you are someone who wears earplugs to live concerts, either bring them to this, or stay home. The sound was so loud it was all you could hear. If you wanted to chat with the person sitting next to you, forget it (but you won't want to).
I didn't want to sit too close to the screen because the last time I saw an IMAX film, I remembered feeling a little too close. So I sat mid way back. It didn't matter though, Bono was literally in my lap and would have been no matter where I sat. **Warning- if you are someone who gets dizzy sitting in the first 10 rows of a theater, this film may not be for you.
So about the footage- If you didn't already know that The Edge is a god, you will after seeing this. It will give you new appreciation for all of the band members, Adam Clayton, Larry Mullen, The Edge and of course Bono. The close ups and layered images take you all around the stage. You can drum along with Larry, you can strum the bass with Adam. It was like nothing I have ever seen before.
And if you have ever wondered how someone could shell out big bucks (over $100+) for a concert ticket, the footage of the fans explains it all. You may not be one of these people, who thoroughly appreciates a live show at any cost, singing and jumping along to every song, but there is no way you can deny the true raw feelings when you see the fans (in 3D digital clarity) swaying and screaming along to the music.
I know I had a smile on my face during the entire hour and a half (more like 1.25). If it is playing in digital IMAX 3D near you, go see it before it leaves. You will never get to see it like that again.
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