Boulder City - A Fine Dam Town

Established in 1931, Boulder City was a town expressly created by the US government to house the thousands of workers responsible for building the Hoover Dam. During the Great Depression, workers and their families found security living and working on this federal reservation. It's only hop, skip and a jump (or ~20 miles/18 mins) from Las Vegas, so we thought we'd head there for lunch and little exploring. It turns out, it's a cute little town with lots to offer.

The Boulder Dam Hotel seemed like a fine place to have lunch. Built in 1933 to accommodate dignitaries and tourists during the construction of the Boulder Dam (aka Hoover Dam), the hotel, designed in a Colonial Revival style, is now listed on the National Historic Register. Though the hotel changed hands several times throughout the years and fell into disrepair, it has now been restored as a B&B and restaurant and operates under the auspices of the Boulder City Museum and Historical Association.

We enjoyed lunch, then headed to the second floor which houses the Boulder City/Hoover Dam Museum. The museum showcases “the story of the construction of Hoover Dam as told by the workers and their families.” It's small, but provides lots of interesting displays and information, not only about the building of the dam, but a look at the issues confronting the families that lived here.

The best part of our visit, however, was checking out the street art. It's everywhere! A collection of 33 pieces of eclectic artwork graces the main streets of Boulder City's historic old town. There's a street map locating all the artwork with titles and artists. Unfortunately, it was cold and windy and a pleasant stroll was not an option. Instead, I snapped some quick pics as we did drive-bys with the intent of returning on a warmer day to view them more closely at our leisure.

The town is charming. There were several appealing cafes and boutiques and some interesting antique shops, too. Another reason to return on another day and wander around.

By the way, we were only ~8 miles from the Hoover Dam which might also make a good day trip and I just read about the nearby Bootleg Canyon Park Nature Discover Trail. There always seems to be something to do if you go just a little further.

A little trivia about Boulder City …

• Boulder City is one of only two cities in Nevada that prohibits gambling.
• Boulder City was the first federally planned city in the West.
• Named after Boulder Canyon, the US Bureau of Reclamation never relinquished control of Boulder City until 1958. On January 4th, 1960, the city was officially incorporated.

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Pupusas, Lunch and El Salvador

No, we're not in El Salvador; we're still in Las Vegas. Last time we were here, however, we noticed several restaurants offering “pupusas”. We thought octopus … no, that's pulpo. Pupa is Spanish for blister … nah, they weren't serving blisters. It's not a papoose nor a life stage of a butterfly nor a doll (Latin). So, exactly what the heck's a pupusa? We decided we'd try Las Pupusas for lunch and find out.

Pupusas, we soon discovered, are a Salvadoran specialty and I can only describe them as stuffed soft tacos. I ordered a pollo con queso pupusa (chicken and cheese) and a calabaza con queso (zucchini and cheese). David and Mary ordered pupusas revueltas (a mix of pork, beans and cheese). They were served with a side of churtido (cabbage slaw with a hot pepper kick) and a tangy tomato sauce. Delicious!

Salvadorans in Las Vegas? Evidently, there's a fairly large population of Salvadorans here … considered to be the second largest Hispanic group in Las Vegas. The restaurant was busy, even at 2pm on a mid-week day, with mostly Latino customers. A Spanish soap opera played on the TV. Spanish conversations, soft and melodic, could be heard all around us. The décor included pictures of El Salvador … lots of them. We looked and ate and then thought … we've never visited El Salvador. We've never really spent any time in Central America at all except for Panama.

Now this is a dangerous thing for us … seeing beautiful beaches and vibrant cities and cultures we've never seen before. It got us thinking. Hmmm … El Salvador …. but it's on the Pacific side of the Panama Canal! It also has the dubious honor of being the world's new murder capital.

Okay, okay … next time lunch at Mickey D's.

Goodbye, Boston - Hello, Las Vegas

Traveling from east to west in the USA is usually pretty easy. The time zones are in our favor and there are lots of flights. If you're interested in a cheap ticket, however, the route becomes a bit more circuitous and the flight schedules are a bit more sparse. There are direct flights to Las Vegas from Boston, but in the interest of the budget, we chose a Southwest Airline flight with a 4-hour layover in Austin, Texas. There were cheaper flights, but they charge for baggage and some (Spirit Airlines, for instance) even charge extra for carry-ons which ends up costing more than the SW flight we booked. There's one thing when you have to pay for your pillow and blanket or be denied a cup of coffee on a 6-hour flight if you've already indulged in a free OJ, but charging for carry-ons? Yikes!

Lin dropped us at Boston's Logan Airport around 10:30 for our 12:30 flight. We had emptied our luggage of all the souvenirs we'd brought from our travels and then refilled it with all the presents we received plus some of the thrift shop goodies we'd purchased. The luggage was definitely crammed full and as heavy as it had been when we arrived. Miraculously, there were NO boat parts packed (although David's project, supplies and equipment took up a bit of space). This is a bad omen for our eventual trip back to Trinidad.

We sipped Dunkin Donuts coffee (Boston runs on Dunkin!) while waiting. No hassles; no stress. The all-seats-full Boeing 737-800 left on time and we arrived in foggy, rainy Austin, Texas about four hours later after an uneventful (best kind) flight. We spent our layover time listening to “Austin sound” live C&W music, checking out the airport artwork and eating BBQ for dinner. I was hoping to chat with Willie Nelson or Michael Dell (CEO, Dell Computer), but neither showed up.

We were delayed a few minutes by the weather, but arrived pretty much on time in Las Vegas. David's sisters, Mary and Karen, were waiting for us at baggage claim. Lots of hugs and kisses ensued and all of our luggage arrived promptly. The weather outside was cold and windy … are we really in Las Vegas?

Lots to do here. David's already got his list of boat parts to order and projects to complete, not to mention house projects for Mary. I have several articles due and a long list of non-boat chores to accomplish. A busy time ahead … what's new? Certainly beats being bored.