Tagged: new york-new york

Liberty

Dear Planet Earth,

I had to get away from the house — every house, really. They’re nothing but constant reminders of normal, domestic lives filled with schools, jobs, and families. They’re a stark realization that I may never again have what I never really wanted.

I walked down to the Strip again to see if there was anything new. It’s strange to think a place that once  symbolized every sinful, unrestrained impulse of America has now become my source for world news. I met a guy who said he was coming from Missouri with his family to escape the earthquakes they were having there. The last words he heard from his radio said that similar quakes were occurring all along the East Coast and that FEMA was starting evacuation measures. I don’t know if I really believe his story — or if I want to believe his story.

I heard other people too, with less reliable information. One girl swore she saw a swarm of UFOs in the sky the night before the tremors started. Another man claimed he saw a news report about the Russians starting a controversial military exercise before every TV channel went off the air.

Before I left, I stopped by the New York-New York again, which undoubtedly got hit the hardest during the shakes. It was still insanely dusty, but I was relieved to see that a little bit of order had been restored. Two weeks ago, I would have been suspicious seeing a cop walking around and asking if everyone was all right, but today it really brought me a sense of peace. For a second, I started to think that everything just might be okay as long as we stick together and help our fellow man. I snapped this:

And it just took a second.

Escape from “Escape from New York-New York”

Dear Planet Earth,

The more I look at the picture I took yesterday, the less real it seems. I’ve seen plenty of crazy invasion movies, and each time I see the Statue of Liberty (the original Statue of Liberty) discarded on the ground like nothing more than the one hundred fifty-one foot monument that it actually is, the image loses a little bit more of its symbolism.

I keep telling myself, “This isn’t a movie, this isn’t a game,” and then I take another shot or drag of Jack or Mary to convince myself again that none of this is really real. The laxatives entered the picture a few hours ago.

It’s safe to say that I’m literally scared shitless.

Escape from New York-New York

Dear Planet Earth,

You are looking at the one of the first images of the New York-New York Hotel & Casino as it now appears on the Las Vegas Strip. At 2:20 PM, we felt one of the strongest tremors yet, and as you can see, the results were devastating.

I headed out into the city once I heard what happened at New York-New York to see if I could help out, or at the very least, get a better idea of what the hell is going on. I’ve never seen myself as a heroic or selfless person, but I’ve never really been in a situation to test that. This afternoon, I failed that test.

There was dust everywhere. It caked my skin and clothes with each new step I took. I felt like I just walked into the middle of Baghdad or Tripoli or some other place I’d never be able to point out on a map. I could hear screaming and car alarms and the ever-rumbling sound of these constant tremors, but I had no way of knowing whether these sounds were two feet or two miles away. As more and more dust filled my lungs, I began to understand the very real concept of my own mortality. And I ran. I took a quick picture on my crummy camera phone and I ran.

And I don’t know if I can stop.