Frommer's Las Vegas 2004

174
CHAPTER 7 . WHAT TO SEE & DO IN LAS VEGAS
Sin City Inverted
If you want to get away from the glitz and kitsch or just go where most
of the tourists don’t go, here are several “un-Vegasy” things to do,
kindly supplied by James P. Reza, Geoff Carter, and the editors of the
Las Vegas Weekly.
• Double Down Saloon (p. 264). Sin City’s coolest bar, hands down.
Enjoy cocktails, plug songs into the world’s wildest jukebox, admire
the bizarre mural work by Vegas artists, or just mingle with local
characters and the occasional celebrity.
• Utopia (p. 271). This two-story discotheque is not only the best
nightclub in town, but may also have a lock on the entire Southwest.
Dance to techno, rave, acid jazz, and rare groove while watching
people feel each other up.
• West Sahara Library Fine Arts Museum, 9600 W. Sahara Ave.
(& 702/507-3630). Don’t laugh. Las Vegas has its very own gala art
museum, ensconced in the most impressive building built in the valley
since Wayne Newton set up residence. Built to Smithsonian
specs, the museum is one of the few urban buildings in Vegas that
lends a sense of space and quality to the surrounding stucco. Hours
are Monday through Thursday from 9am to 9pm, Saturday from
9am to 5pm, and Sunday from 1 to 5pm.
• The Arts Factory (see below). Las Vegas’s premier artist collective
maintains a gallery inside the “Arts Factory” art compound. The
CAC’s unique vision of this town is too good to miss. Open Monday,
Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from noon to 5pm.
• Jazzed Cafe & Vinoteca (p. 260). Run by professional dancers Kirk
Offerle and Connie Chambers, this tiny, elegant bistro stays open
until the wee hours, lit by candles and the brilliance of the clientele.
Great java, terrific wine list.
• Floyd Lamb State Park, I-95 North; exit at Durango. This huge former
working ranch once served as a forerunner of those trendy
“desert spas” so popular in Scottsdale. Today you’ll find acres and
acres of grassy picnic areas; walking, hiking, biking, and horse trails;
huge shade trees; and two lakes. Wanna be a true native? Always
call it “Tule Springs.”
• Chinatown Mall, 4255 Spring Mountain Rd. The Occident meets the
Orient in a big way. A prodigious meeting of great restaurants,
interesting shops, and unique amenities, all with roots buried deep
in the Far East.
(consider watching it from the Battle
Bar), and the volcano explosion
next door at The Mirage. Eat at a
buffet (details in chapter 6) and
have a drink at the top of the
Stratosphere, goggling at the view
from the tallest building west of the
Mississippi. Oh, and maybe you
should gamble a little too.
If You Have 2 Days
Do more of the above since you
may not have covered it all. Then
do something really Vegasy and visit