Letter: Las Vegas like a roller-coaster ride

Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2006 | 7:25 a.m.

San Francisco has its Golden Gate Bridge. New York has the Statue of Liberty. Whenever I'm on the Strip at Tropicana I look up and think, "You know, that roller coaster is the perfect symbol for Las Vegas."

I moved here with my family five years ago. We bought a home, strapped ourselves in, and held on tight. The ride was exhilarating from the start. The higher we climbed, the better Las Vegas looked. Our home soon doubled in value. The neighbors were giddy. Our jovial mayor promised us a new professional sports franchise. Steve Wynn was busy building his new hotel masterpiece. George Clooney had a project. What a city!

The world's greatest chefs moved here and opened up restaurants. The world's greatest fashion designers opened boutiques. We lured "Avenue Q" away from Broadway. We would become Broadway West. Las Vegas was the talk of the universe. The roller coaster kept climbing into the heavens. We were surrounded by stars. Unfortunately, we had reached the top. There was only one direction we could go.

"Avenue Q" never found its audience. I don't hear much talk about baseball stadiums or NBA teams anymore. I started realizing that even Las Vegas had its warts. Some of them were named Lance, Dario and Erin. My home is supposedly worth less than it was last year.

I guess I can't bail out now. But hold on a second is our little roller coaster car starting to climb again? Is that possible? Did someone tell me this annoying election will be over soon? We came crashing to Earth but we survived. Living in Las Vegas is a thrill ride, constant and fast moving. We don't get many chances to catch our breath but now I think I'm ready for another ascent. I wonder what the view will be like from this next peak?

James Price, Henderson