What is the importance of Las Vegas, Nevada in the short story collection, We Live in Water?

“The New Frontier” takes place in Las Vegas, Nevada. The protagonist of the story is only visiting Las Vegas at the request of his friend Bobby. The protagonist, Nick, views Las Vegas as very unseemly, with its abundance of casinos, sex workers, and tacky tourist developments. These aspects are not inherently unseemly, but Nick appears to dislike them.