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The AAA Companion
July | August 2005
Volume 79 Issue 4
Volume 79 Issue 4
Let's face it: Most people visit Vegas for the casinos and the shows. But this 24-hour town that's celebrating its 100th birthday has plenty of other good bets when you're tired of the tables. Join us as we look around.Food with a view
Can a flash of vertigo 833 feet above the pavement bode well for dinner?
At 7 o'clock, four of us started our evening at Top of the World, the Stratosphere Hotel's revolving restaurant three-quarters of the way up the tallest building west of the Mississippi, a 1,149-foot tower next to the hotel. Finding a decent meal in Las Vegas is easy these days, but we chose a place that delivers something none of the others do, a spectacle that's no illusion: the city itself, in evening dress.
As we walked to our table, our view of the sunset behind the Spring Mountains to the west was swinging subtly northward. Diners at Top of the World ride a sort of lazy Susan that turns full circle every 80 minutes past windows canted so you can see down as well as out.
The scene, dizzying at first, turned astonishing as night swooped onto the desert. A glowing carpet ran 10 miles in every direction: the relief-map textures and nocturnal colors of metropolitan Las Vegas, home to nearly 1.7 million people and zillions of lightbulbs.
"Do you still look out there?" we asked Kevin Merrick, our waiter.
"Every night for nine years," Kevin said. "Since we opened."
He went to fetch dinner — pecan tuna, rack of lamb for two, lobster ravioli, with a pinot he'd suggested — and we turned back to the window. "Coming up on the Eiffel Tower," Alan said. There it was below, weirdly familiar although half size and neighbor to a Statue of Liberty, a black pyramid and other fantasies along the Strip — that boulevard where even fine food is just part of the show.
Ours cost us $75 apiece. Was it worth that? As we folded our napkins, Camille said, "View and meal: well matched."
—John Poppy
Top of the World, 2000 Las Vegas Blvd. S., 800-380-7711, www.topoftheworldlv.com.
Electric avenue
After years of bleeding business to the Strip, the casinos of Glitter Gulch (as downtown Las Vegas is nicknamed) responded in the early 1990s with the Fremont Street Experience, a pedestrian mall that runs east from Main Street for five blocks. Small stages, vending carts and kiosks pepper the street, and barkers dressed as mermaids and cowboys entice passersby to stop at their casinos. But the most riveting come-on here is a 90-foot-high canopy that boasts an electrifying display of lights.
At dusk the canopy, dotted with 12.5 million bulbs, becomes the world's largest screen. On the hour, the lights of the mall go dark and a Peter Max-inspired animation lasting between six and nine minutes races up and down the 1,400-foot vaulted ceiling.
When the lights come back up, wander the street where one-cent slots, $7.95 prime rib dinners, and low-ceilinged casinos are clustered close together (rather than a $12 cab ride apart). Don't miss Neonopolis at 450 Fremont Street, where you'll find both the Lost Vegas Historic Gambling Museum & Store and the Neon Museum, whose collection of vintage signs hangs from the walls of an interior courtyard.
—Bruce Anderson
Fremont Street Experience, 702-678-5600, www.vegasexperience.com.
Shopper's delight
Shopping in Las Vegas can be a much better bet than cozying up to a roulette table. A number of the Strip's biggest resorts house their own elaborate indoor malls, with hundreds of stores — one-of-a-kind boutiques as well as old standbys like Ann Taylor, the Gap, and Victoria's Secret — that stay open until the midnight hour.
At the Venetian's Grand Canal Shoppes, you can spend $78 for chinos in Banana Republic or splurge on a 3rd-century cameo of Medusa from Ancient Creations for just under $2,000.
If you prefer more modern jewelry, head to the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace, home to one of only three Harry Winston ("Jeweler to the Stars") retail locations in the nation.
One-carat diamond earrings starting at $18,000 aren't your style? You can still pamper your ears with a new CD from the nearby Virgin Megastore.
To top off your tour, move on to Bellagio and stroll through a little enclave of high-end shops with names like Prada, Giorgio Armani, Hermès, and Tiffany & Co. Even if you keep your credit card in your pocket, you can bask in the extravagance.
—Leslie Endicott
Bellagio, Store hours: daily 10 a.m.-midnight. 3600 Las Vegas Blvd. S., www.bellagio.com. Forum Shops, Store hours: Sun.-Thurs. 10 a.m.-11 p.m.; Fri. and Sat. 10 a.m.-midnight. Caesars Palace, 3500 Las Vegas Blvd. S., www.caesars.com/caesars/lasvegas. Grand Canal Shoppes, Store hours: Sun.-Thurs. 10 a.m.-11 p.m.; Fri. and Sat. 10 a.m.-midnight. The Venetian, 3355 Las Vegas Blvd. S., www.venetian.com/shoppe.
Night out with locals
If you closed your eyes, you'd swear it was Dion himself belting out his '60s hit "Runaround Sue" in a large cabaret.
But this is the town where nothing is as it appears.
The small, raucous crowd sounds like hundreds in the smoky lounge. The stage is all of eight feet square, and 20-something David Mitro, with knitted cap hugging his eyebrows and baggy sweater hanging to his knees, looks like a rapper from a street corner in South Philly. But the sound is pure, sweet '60s.
Welcome to the karaoke bar at Ellis Island Casino and Brewery, where would-be singers gather seven days a week, 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. An old-style Vegas joint lying a few blocks east off the Strip, it's the perfect spot for adventuresome tourists looking for interactive fun that doesn't involve big-show ticket prices, cover charges or expensive drinks.
While online magazine, Karaoke Star, lists more than 120 places in Vegas that offer karaoke, it's Ellis Island that's been voted best karaoke bar two years in a row by readers of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. With such an endorsement, it's no wonder Ellis Island, like the famous East Coast immigrant station, draws a fascinating mix — everyone from local wannabes and big-show background singers and dancers, to out-of-towners and occasional celebrities such as Nicholas Cage and David Copperfield.
Mitro, the guy who does Dion better than Dion, comes to keep his performance edge. He recently moved to Vegas from New York City in hopes of hitting it big as a singer. So far, life hasn't gone as planned; with a wistful look he says, "There's a lotta talent out here."
That might not be great news for the David Mitros of the world, but it's certainly music to the ears of Vegas visitors looking for quality entertainment at locals' prices.
—Jeff Miller
Ellis Island Casino and Brewery, 4178 Koval Lane, 702-733-8901.
Night flight
If you've been to Las Vegas before, seen the shows, and lost track of both time and money, you may want a new perspective. From the snug fit inside a helicopter, you and five other passengers can see the Strip — and downtown Las Vegas — in all its glory, from end to end, in about 15 minutes. Not even the best cabdriver in the city can promise that. And from roughly 1,500 feet in the air, Las Vegas is spellbinding. You'll be so enraptured by the light show at the Bellagio fountains and the beacon shining from atop the Luxor pyramid, you'll easily forgive the out-of-date audio tour for encouraging you to "Check out the fabulous Siegfried and Roy at the Mirage!" Vegas earned its reputation as Sin City for good reason, but when you need a break from self-indulgence and excess, this is a way to rise above it all.
— Rebecca Antioco
AAA's Show Your Card & Save program gives members a 25 percent discount on Vegas Neon Nights tours with Papillon Grand Canyon Helicopters. Information: (888) 635-7272, www.papillon.com.
Magic touch
From Liberace to Celine Dion, entertainers of all stripes have stepped into Las Vegas's spotlight. Today, the visages of current heavy hitters — from celebrity impersonator and comedian Danny Gans to the nameless members of the avant-garde Blue Man Group — can be seen emblazoned across towering casino marquees. But in a city whose mystique is predicated on illusion, it's magician Lance Burton who best conveys the reigning sense of wonder.
With his jet-black hair and Jack-Nicholson-meets-Clint- Eastwood voice, Burton has been a permanent fixture on the Strip since 1991 and currently holds court at the Monte Carlo Resort & Casino.
Throughout Burton's 90-minute whirlwind of illusions, spectators are left marveling as the entertainer — with help from a requisite number of leggy assistants — escapes from a hangman's noose and makes a white Corvette vanish from the stage. But it's during the show's sleight-of-hand segments that this magic man truly shines. Whether he's pulling a seemingly endless supply of wine bottles out of an empty tube, or transforming a little boy into a human slot machine by coaxing a bucketful of coins from his mouth, Burton engages his onlookers with a nonchalant commentary that underscores his expertise by making light of it.
Even as you remind yourself that it's all smoke and mirrors, there's still something both funny and a tad mind-blowing about watching a guy make a duck appear out of nowhere — not just once, but five times in a row — simply by flicking a handkerchief. Clearly, Burton knows how to keep his audience from disappearing.
— Ron Evans
Lance Burton Monte Carlo Resort & Casino, (702) 730-7160, (877) 386-8224, www.montecarlo.com.
Great spirits
Las Vegas is one of the few cities in the world where you can get a watered-down rum and Coke served to you slotside at 6 a.m. by a woman wearing fishnets.
But if you're looking for a more sophisticated drinking experience, venture beyond the freebies. When it comes to pouring the good stuff, Vegas has it all — quality, variety, expert service, and enough taxis on the streets to ensure a night of safe tippling.
Vodkaphiles should head to Red Square, the Russian-themed lounge at Mandalay Bay, where they mix martinis using vodka from Poland, Canada, Jamaica, Idaho, and just about anyplace else that produces the transparent spirit. Decide for yourself which is more imposing, the decapitated 20-foot-tall statue of Lenin that looms at the bar's entrance or the eight-page vodka selection. Don't get hot if the service feels a bit chilly — a 25-foot-long sheet of ice covers the entire bar.
A wheelbarrow of rubles (or about 250 bucks) will put you in a $40,000 sable coat for a private tasting in the vodka locker.
If your cocktail compass points south of the border, pay a visit to the Tequila Goddess at Treasure Island's Isla Mexican Kitchen & Tequila Bar. Mariena Mercer, a sparkly 6-foot-1 blonde, presides over one of the largest selections of 100 percent blue agave tequila in Las Vegas. Let her walk you through the three grades of tequila- blanco, reposado, and añejo — each served with jicama slices and sangrita (a spicy tomato juice-based concoction), which help bring out the toasty flavors of the agave. No-no: Licking salt off your hand.
Top shelf: The $99 Goddess Elixir, a margarita made from the five-year-aged Herradura Selección Suprema and mixed by the goddess herself.
The only known sake sommelier in Sin City works at Shibuya, the MGM Grand's ultrachic Japanese restaurant. Don't worry if the 60-bottle sake list reads like a Zen koan; grab a seat at the 50-foot marble sushi bar and wait for Eric Swanson to enlighten you on the finer points of rice wine. After a few cups, you'll be able to distinguish a crisp ginjo-shu from a fruity daiginjo-shu.
No-no: Warm sake. A premium brand of sake is best served slightly chilled.
Top shelf: A heaping plate of sashimi paired with a $400 bottle of Dassai.
—Nino Padova
Red Square (702) 632-7407, (877) 632-7800, www.mandalaybay.com. Isla Mexican Kitchen & Tequila Bar (702) 894-7349, (866) 286-3809, www.treasureisland.com. Shibuya (702) 891-7777, (877) 793-7111, www.mgmgrand.com.
Chapel-bound
Cultural myth depicts a Las Vegas wedding as a ceremony born of lonely desperation, bookended by late-night drinking and a morning of startling revelation.
Some people, real and otherwise, seem to follow such a script-say, Britney Spears, and TV friends Ross and Rachel. The chapels themselves play a stellar supporting role by offering 24/7 availability and drive-through windows. But true love actually abounds.
Outside the famous Little White Chapel, a mature couple-sporting smiles, with sullen teenagers in tow-pulls up to renew their vows. Inside, a young bride-to-be and her covey of cooing friends wait in the tiny lobby; she is nervous but thrilled in a white sleeveless gown and color-coordinated flip-flops. Suddenly, a party of 20, complete with tuxedos, gowns, and beaming flower girls, spills from the Chapel of Promises. Who cares that the tiny courtyard of concrete, artificial turf, and knee-high faux picket fence is just five feet from four lanes of traffic? Despite the fact that the average wedding here takes a scant 20 minutes, the happiness is palpable.
More than 120,000 couples obtain marriage licenses in Vegas each year, and over 50 wedding businesses stand ready to help with limos, rental gowns and tuxes, and singing Elvis impersonators.
Spontaneous marriages are the exception, however, because no chapel can perform the ceremony without the proper paperwork. That said, late night proposals can be accommodated: Clark County's marriage license bureau is, like Vegas itself, open around the clock on weekends and holidays.
—Jeff Miller
A Little White Chapel 1301 Las Vegas Blvd. S., (702) 382-5943, (800) 545-8111, www.alittlewhitechapel.com. Las Vegas Marriage Bureau Clark County Courthouse, 200 S. Third St., (702) 455-4415, www.co.clark.nv.us/clerk/marriage_information.htm.
Eggs-quisite
Nothing satisfies a late night appetite quite like a hearty breakfast. The Big Kitchen Buffet at Bally's, one of the city's largest buffets, serves up 4,480 eggs and more than a ton of potatoes each week. From Belgian waffles to prime rib, it's breakfast on a grand scale.
Bally's Big Kitchen was one of the first to push the buffet envelope, offering made-to-order omelets and departures such as shrimp and smoked salmon. But as similar eateries began experimenting with their menus (think breakfast pizza), the Big Kitchen stuck to more traditional fare.
In Las Vegas, of course, tradition includes crowd favorites like cheese blintzes and apple crepes. And best of all, the Big Kitchen Buffet serves breakfast every day until 2 p.m.
—Dean Blaine
Big Kitchen Buffet Bally's Las Vegas, 3645 Las Vegas Blvd. S., (702) 967-4930, www.caesars.com/ballys/lasvegas.
Quick Picks
1. See Hoover Dam and Lake Mead — one of the true engineering wonders of the modern world. Several different companies provide pick ups from your hotel for tours ranging from a four-hour round trip to a full-day experience with stops at other attractions.
2. Explore Red Rock Canyon, only a few minutes' drive from the Strip but a whole world away. Wild horses and burros, ancient pictographs, and spectacular rock formations greet the hiker, biker or offroader. Or simply drive the scenic loop for an unhurried escape from crowds and neon.
3. Visit the Lied Discovery Children's Museum. This is among the largest hands-on children's museums in the country, with innovative exhibits that appeal to all ages.
4. Indulge yourself with a free tour of the Ethel M Chocolate Factory, then stroll through the adjacent botanical gardens containing more than 150 species of cacti and succulents.
5. Put the pedal to the metal — or maybe plastic — at the Las Vegas Mini Gran Prix go-kart center. They have four tracks and four different types of kart, including one track just for kids.
6. Fly like a bird at Flyaway Indoor Skydiving, where a vertical wind tunnel allows you to float and fly in a column of air 12 feet across and up to 22 feet high, simulating freefall without the need to jump out of a plane.
7. View some of the world's great artistic masterpieces at the Guggenheim Hermitage Museum. Exhibits change twice a year, and are shared from the Guggenheim Museum in New York and the State Hermitage in Russia.
8. Fire a real Uzi, Kalashnikov, Magnum .44 or almost any other gun you've ever heard of, in a safe and controlled environment at The Gun Store, just off the Strip on East Tropicana.
9. Less than an hour from the city, you can picnic under ancient pines on Mt. Charleston in the Toiyabe National Forest. The higher altitude means it's 20 to 30 degrees cooler than the city. Visit a waterfall, try a horseback ride or bring camping gear for a longer stay.
10. Take the National Nuclear Security Administration's free monthly tour of the Nevada Test Site to see locations and relics of the 1950s nuclear program. You will need to apply for the tour well in advance, and provide personal information to obtain security clearance.
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