Viva Las Vegas
So you’re off to Sin City! Vegas is ready to give you the razzle dazzle, woo you with A-List entertainment and take all your money. Viva Las Vegas, Baby!
Where you stay in Vegas is a big dealio. Think about whatcha wanna do and work backwards. Things may appear close, but those airport-size casinos pack a punch. If you’re not much of a gambler, opt for a hotel without a casino (they’re usually cheaper).
For inexpensive & updated opulence, try SAHARA Las Vegas (home of “Magic Mike Live”—I’m looking at you, Bachelorette Parties!). Or if you wanna do it up in Old Vegas (my fave!) try Circa Resort & Casino with “Stadium Swim”, an open-air pool deck beneath a Dallas Cowboys’ size Jumbotron screen.
If you’re going OG Vegas, start your day at PublicUs. I can’t say enough good things about this place. The bread! The coffee! The avocado toast with microgreens and a perfectly cooked egg! It’s magic. The only downside was when a woman in front of me ordered the last chocolate croissant (how could yoooou?!)…but I’ll be back!
Next, stroll up Fremont Street. You’ll see cool murals, wackadoodle sculptures and old school neon signs everywhere. Pop into Sin City’s first bar, “Atomic Liquors” (est. 1952). This epic dive bar was a fave watering hole of Vegas royalty (celebs avoiding unwanted attention on the Strip): Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., “Babs” (Barbra Streisand), even Clint Eastwood!
Then head to Container Park for a little offbeat shopping in shipping containers. Does the giant praying mantis shoot fire out of his antennas at night? You bet your Rat Pack he does!
The Fremont Street Experience is off-the-charts ridiculous. A nun with her tatas out, a giganto dancing gorilla, show girls and a levitating tin man. The ceiling features jaw-dropping visuals while folks fly overhead—it’s Slotzilla and its infamous zipline (as Vegas Vic, the neon cowboy, points n’ winks).
Fave experiences on Fremont: “Sigma Derby” at the D! It’s the only pony racin’ game left in the city (est. 1990) and only costs a quarter a game! The sports wall at Circa Resort & Casino is UNREAL, Bingo at the the Plaza (games are at 11am, 1pm, 3pm, 5pm, 7pm & 9pm), “Whiskey Licker Up”, the rotating bar at Binion’s, plus the Neon Museum, with its retired casino signs, is an Instagrammer’s happy place!
If it’s cold & rainy (or both) hit the Mob Museum and “shoot” a Tommy Gun like a true mafioso! There’s also a speakeasy in the basement, “The Underground Speakeasy and Distillery” with cocktails and live music n’ cool 1920’s memorabilia.
If you’re staying on the Strip, go to at least one schmancy show & bougie dinner. Jimmy Kimmel’s Comedy Club is cool (its interior is inspired by his LA home—FUN FACT: Jimmy is a Vegas native), the Sphere is immersive amazingness (PS: they have a 60-minute film, “Postcard from Earth” if you don’t wanna pony up for a concert), or check out Big Elvis at Harrah’s Las Vegas Piano Bar for some Vegas kitschiness.
