As a longtime New Yorker and eyewitness to the horrific events of September 11, I knew I wanted to devote a special issue of VEGAS INC to the tenth anniversary of that fateful, terrible day in American history. The idea was simple: Ask prominent Las Vegas business leaders two direct questions:
I was fascinated by the notion of a city so fully
reliant on happy tourists coming to gamble with their discretionary income suddenly thrust into the harsh reality that no one's coming—at least not by airplane, for a while. Did Las Vegas' business elite fully see the events that unfolded in Manhattan as relevant, important and connected to Las Vegas, or not? Was the ensuing fear palpable, or was the only fear Las Vegans had that of lost revenue? Did September 11, 2001, matter to the Strip like it mattered to Wall Street? With quiet skies and empty hotel rooms, the immediate aftermath of the terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, DC, on Las Vegas was nothing short of fascinating. Don't take my word for it. Take a gander for yourself.
| 12 SEPTEMBER 2011 |
—Richard Pérez-Feria, Editor in chiEf 19
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