This article is part of my Las Vegas Without a Car project. Essentially, I explore all the ways to commute, work, and recreate in Las Vegas without using a car. #LVWaC
As a Las Vegan for over a decade now, I’ve endeavored to include the local public transportation system in my modes of transit. It’s admittedly a rare occasion. There’s simply nothing convenient about using it and, honestly, very little to enjoy about it. To get from east to west within the city, you’re nearly always looking at more than an hour, often more than two. The bus stops are often unshaded during the day and unlit during the night, ensuring you arrive at your destination either in a pool of sweat or in distress. I work 18 miles from my home and I choose to ride my bicycle because it’s faster than taking the bus or even combining bicycle and bus. But nonetheless, I choose to take the bus periodically, to imagine what Las Vegas might be like with a decent public transportation system and to explore what it must be like to have no other choice than what Las Vegas offers now.
I begin my journey along Boulder Highway near Flamingo Blvd. One of the saddest intersections in Las Vegas, I’m initially aware of little more than the smell of spoiled food and gasoline. The weekly stay apartment complex seems to be thriving but the corner Walgreens has been shut down. Chainlink fence has been installed along the center island to dissuade jaywalking and the resulting pedestrian fatalities that are so common in this area (shot on original Fuji X100 ©2026).
I board the bus and take my seat. Other than me, nobody appears to be there by choice, all by necessity. We make our way along Boulder Highway, one of our city’s oldest arteries. Once a conduit for people and supplies for the Hoover Dam project, the road is now a bleak lonely stretch of asphalt occupied by slumlords, used car lots, and prostitutes. This particular route is quick and efficient, but only because it goes directly into the city center. If I stay on it, the bus will take me to the Bonneville Transit Center where I can easily catch other buses to other parts of the city. But I get off as we near the Fremont East District, just outside of downtown.
Most who live in or who have visited Las Vegas are familiar with the Fremont Street Experience, the original downtown of Las Vegas and an over-the-top nightlife destination built for tourists. Fremont East is the neighborhood stretching east for several blocks from the Fremont Street Experience along Boulder Highway. City government officials have long had big plans for this neighborhood which have largely fallen flat. The biggest push for revitalization came during the glory days of Tony Hsieh and Zappos. The city essentially handed Tony the keys to Fremont East with the hope that he would create a hip modern shangri-la for young adults. The plan seemed to pay dividends at first. Tony’s team built Container Park, erected a bunch of art exhibits transported in from Burning Man, and brought in 180K music lovers each year during their Life is Beautiful music festival. But Tony’s once bold initiatives started looking more and more like the drug-addled whims of a bunch of aging ravers. One of the developments was nothing more than a by-invite-only trailer park full of Airstream campers where Tony’s entourage could hang out and party while their pet llamas pranced around. Putting all bets on Tony was ultimately a failure for the city, locking out for decades anyone else who had interest in developing the area. Today, despite the highest of hopes, the neighborhood is still defined by large open parking lots, dilapidated motel structures, crime, and drug addiction.
Despite the dashed dreams in Fremont East, there are hopeful exceptions. Fergusons Downtown is a charming enclave of tiny shops and home to a Mothership Coffee shop. When looking for a spot to get some work done over a cup of coffee, I never pass up Mothership, a local, women-owned company that partners with female owned coffee farms.
After a cup of coffee and a vegan breakfast sandwich, I make my way to the RTC Bike Share stand to pick out my ride for the next part of the journey. While they have an electric bike option, I opt for the human engine version.
The first thing I notice after getting on the RTC bike is that these bikes are built for all sizes and, at 6’3″, the cockpit is a bit cramped. But, they get the job done and I didn’t have to haul my bicycle all the way down here. It only takes 10 or 15 minutes to ride to my next destination, the Arts District.
When I moved to Las Vegas in 2014, the Arts District and Fremont East were very similar. Both were run down and generally avoided after 8pm. Only a few businesses and a couple of bars anchored the neighborhoods. But the Arts District now stands as a great example of what can happen when you let average folk build a neighborhood instead of an eccentric venture capitalist. The Arts District is now a bustling entertainment district built by and for locals, notably void of slot machines and poker tables. I bebop around on foot and take in in the local art, particularly the bicycle-themed art (shot on original Fuji X100 ©2026).
Feeling hungry after a morning exploring by bus, bike, and foot, I meet my spouse at Tacotarian for some fabulous vegan tacos and a horchata. I really can’t get enough of their tacos.
More Las Vegas street art shot on original Fuji X100 ©2026
