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My favorite things Nevada
I am flying there tonight, to speak at www.freedomfest.com. But yikes people, this is a tough one. I never finished Walter van Tillburg Clark's The Ox-Bow Incident and what else can I think of? Wikipedia tells me that Curtis Hanson, who directed L.A. Confidential, is from Reno. Does Wayne Newton somehow enter this equation? The Killers are OK.
How about this?
1. Movie, set in: Viva Las Vegas, with a number of strong runner-ups, including Ocean's Eleven, Leaving Las Vegas, the still under-rated Casino, Diamonds are Forever, Showgirls, Austin Powers (partly, I recall), and you might even squeeze Godfather II into the category. Catch this erotically supercharged clip of Elvis singing to Ann Margaret. Wasn't Them set in Nevada?
2. Song, set in: Viva Las Vegas, with Las Vegas, by Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris, as runner-up.
3. Architecture book, set in: Robert Venturi, Learning from Las Vegas.
The state has excellent food, but overall I come no further.
The bottom line: You tell me. If you're wondering, I've never gambled, although I have visited the city four times. I genuinely cannot understand why so many other people find gambling to be an appealing pastime. It's negative expected value! There are so many positive expected value things to do.
Posted by Tyler Cowen on July 10, 2009 at 07:22 AM in The Arts | Permalink
Comments
"I genuinely cannot understand why so many other people find gambling to be an appealing pastime."
Never been, but from what I hear, the loss leaders aren't what they used to be. Maybe they should give free room and board to culturalists.
Posted by: Andrew at Jul 10, 2009 7:35:29 AM
for book i'd like to recommend the groundbreaking Jean Baudrillard's work on hyper-reality. Las Vegas is the setting and the agent for Baudrillard's best work
Posted by: farmer at Jul 10, 2009 7:45:39 AM
You are wrong, not all forms of gambling are -EV. If you are good, poker is +EV. Sports betting might be as well.
Posted by: spec at Jul 10, 2009 7:52:06 AM
If you believe that sporting betting markets are efficient (I tend to), for most, sports betting is not +EV (the casino takes a % of your winnings).
Posted by: thehova at Jul 10, 2009 7:56:02 AM
"Casino" underrated? Even though it's at #196 in the IMDb Top 250 and with an 83% Tomatometer score?
Posted by: Melpomene at Jul 10, 2009 7:57:14 AM
Well, if you only look at the costs, then aren't most forms of entertainment -EV? Going to a movie will cost me $10 plus another small fortune if I decide to go to the concession stand. An amusement park will set me back even more. Don't even consider traveling to another country. Why do people do these things? Sheesh.
Posted by: Todd P at Jul 10, 2009 8:05:45 AM
What's up with the EV? It's all about the higher-order moments!
Posted by: Benoit Maison at Jul 10, 2009 8:07:22 AM
You've got it all wrong about gambling Tyler. It's not about the expected value of money, it's about the utility of playing the game. The betting adds utility to the game by making it more risky and thus exciting. So the expected value can always be positive even if you expect to lose money if you're risk loving.
Posted by: ao at Jul 10, 2009 8:13:33 AM
The Hoover Dam is awesome.
Posted by: Alex Tabarrok at Jul 10, 2009 8:15:48 AM
The Burning Man fest is in Nevada (www.burningman.com/) and if you're going to go the less than high brow route, Reno 911 is one of the most under rated shows on TV (produced by JERSEY Television!)...
Posted by: Tom A at Jul 10, 2009 8:31:21 AM
I believe that the stock market is far from efficient, so I certainly can't believe that sports betting is efficient. Yes, of course most people lose money in both poker and sports betting and the vig is high, but they can be +EV for some.
Posted by: spec at Jul 10, 2009 8:32:58 AM
Part of Lake Tahoe is in Nevada. Beautiful scenery, great skiing, lots to do on the lake, etc.
Posted by: Carrie at Jul 10, 2009 9:00:33 AM
"Them" was set in New Mexico. Remember, it was the atom bomb tests rom the 1940s that created the giant ants.
Posted by: Bruce Bartlett at Jul 10, 2009 9:06:04 AM
Wasn't the 1990 movie "Tremors" (as well as, presumably, its sequels) set in Nevada?
Great movie. Never saw any of the sequels.
Posted by: Garth Wood at Jul 10, 2009 9:09:03 AM
Given your diffidence, might I suggest you add Sheryl Crow: Leaving Las Vegas to the list.
Posted by: Jonathan Falk at Jul 10, 2009 9:15:08 AM
Vegas is the undisputed world capital for boxing and mixed martial arts (e.g., UFC).
Swingers is another movie partly set in Vegas. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is another, of course.
Posted by: C at Jul 10, 2009 9:15:16 AM
'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas' was a pretty terrific movie (never read the book, sad to say).
Posted by: Kyle S at Jul 10, 2009 9:15:25 AM
You forgot this epic:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Amazing_Colossal_Man
Posted by: bruce at Jul 10, 2009 9:18:11 AM
Slip a $20 bill to your desk clerk and see what sort of room upgrade you get. Almost always works.
Last time we were there they moved us to a larger room on the top floor. People in the elevator were always impressed and when my told some guy how we got it, he refused to believe it.
Posted by: Ray at Jul 10, 2009 9:21:09 AM
This will probably be hard to believe, but the best Thai food I've ever had is in Vegas, and not on the strip, but in a random strip mall.
Lotus of Siam
http://www.saipinchutima.com/
It's totally bizarre that such a diamond exists amidst such roughness, but if you like your thai food spicy and perfect, you have to try this place.
Posted by: vimspot at Jul 10, 2009 9:28:45 AM
I found the original novel better than the film version of "Leaving Las Vegas." And while I agree with your opinion of gambling, if everybody thought that way we wouldn't have game theory.
Posted by: Ted Craig at Jul 10, 2009 9:44:21 AM
In what conceivable universe is "Leaving Las Vegas" better than "Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas"? In fact the former is one of the worst films I've ever seen.
Also on the gambling score, I'm not a gambling fan either but I must note that if people do it voluntarily, it's positive expected value by definition. The value just isn't money.
Posted by: Noah Yetter at Jul 10, 2009 9:47:32 AM
Fear and Loathing takes the Vegas film crown, I think. Diamonds are Forever was awful.
Posted by: MikeF at Jul 10, 2009 10:00:54 AM
Second vimspot on Lotus of Siam. I live in LA's Thai Town and that little piece of strip mall magic is still the best Thai food I've ever had. It's about the only reason to ever voluntarily go to Vegas.
Being able to walk down the street carrying a three-foot-tall frozen margarita is kinda cool, too.
Posted by: nomnomnom at Jul 10, 2009 10:25:02 AM
Wow, Tyler Cowen claims gambling is negative EV?
Posted by: Yancey Ward at Jul 10, 2009 10:28:01 AM
