Luck Be a Wahine Tonight
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| Photo by Flickr Creative Commons daniel_feldt | Photo by Flickr Creative Commons Andrew Turner |
Who knows what draws more Hawaiians to Las Vegas than any other mainland destination? Maybe it was Elvis, who connected the two unlikely places by starring in Viva Las Vegas and Blue Hawaii. Maybe it’s part of the human equation to occasionally crave the polar opposite of our everyday surroundings. Whatever the connection, it’s a strong one; the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority says that although Hawai’i is small in size–the 42nd most populous state in the union–it usually ranks in or near the top 10 in air traffic to Las Vegas each year. Hawaiian Airlines runs daily non-stop flights to McCarran Airport that are usually full; 300,000 trips are made from Hawai’i to Las Vegas each year.
Where the Hawaiians Are
It’s not unlikely for Hawaiian high schools to hold their reunions in Vegas. Neither is it odd to find restaurants and stores that cater to Hawaiian tastes, such as serving Spam at breakfast and selling beef jerky by the bushel. The California Hotel and Casino north of the strip (called “The Cal”) is the place to stay when trading your tropical paradise for the city of lights, and Hawaiians make up a staggering number of expatriates who pull up their rainbow roots and transplant them into the desert sands, explaining why you can find a copy of Ohana Magazine at just about any Las Vegas newsstand.
You can learn more about Las Vegas in general, and it’s undeniable Hawaiian leanings, at b5 media’s own Las Vegas Adventurer.
3 Comments
[...] In fact, beef jerky’s siren song is so strong, that islanders will go all the way to Las Vegas for it. Go [...]
Thank you for the link love!
Vegas and Hawaii have become surreally linked together for me over the last two months – pretty cool to find one more thing to add to it!
[...] may have heard about Spam Jam on Oahu, and the Hawaiian obsession with beef jerky. And now there’s an entire cookbook dedicated to Hawaiian recipes involving everyone’s [...]