Frommer's Las Vegas 2004

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CHAPTER 10 . LAS VEGAS AFTER DARK
Tips Bathroom Break
When you gotta go, you gotta go, particularly if you’ve tried drinking at
every bar listed here, and so when you do, do try to do so in the unisex,
freestanding, Space Age pods at Mandalay Bay’s China Grill.
to build a theme hotel based on it. Open 24 hours. 3355 Spring Mountain Rd. (at
Polaris Ave.). & 702/871-6651. Cover varies but is usually no more than a few bucks.
Sky Lounge It may not be the view offered by the Stratosphere’s bar, but it’s
pretty darn good and a lot easier to get to. You don’t see quite enough of the
MGM Grand to the left, but otherwise there are no complaints. The decor is too
modern (heavy on ’80s black and purple), but overall the place is quiet (especially
during the day) and civil. A jazz vocal/piano act performs at night, when
the views are, naturally, the best. The atmosphere produced by all this is classic
Vegas in the best sense (with only a slight touch of necessary kitsch). Worth a
trip for an escape from the mob, though you won’t be the only tourist fighting
for window seats. Open 8am until whenever they feel like closing. At the Polo Towers,
3745 Las Vegas Blvd. S. & 702/261-1000.
Tommy Rocker’s Tommy Rocker is the owner—surely he wasn’t born with
that name—and he plays his club every Friday and Saturday night, mixing barband
standards with ’80s and ’90s hits. It’s a one-man show, with Strip musicians
dropping by after their own shifts are done. (Occasionally, local bands are permitted
to play as well.) Sort of like the inside of a Quonset hut painted black, his
vaguely beach-frat-party-themed club has become the home for local and outof-town
Parrot Heads (Jimmy Buffet fans, for those not in the know), with the
result that the crowd is 5 to 10 years past their heavy college-drinking days. A large
bar dominates the middle of the room; there are two pool tables and a grill for
ordering food, plus an espresso machine. 4275 Industrial Blvd. (at Flamingo Rd.). & 702/
261-6688.
Triple 7 Brew Pub Finds Yet another of the many things the new(ish) Main
Street Station hotel has done right. Stepping into its microbrew pub feels like
stepping out of Vegas. Well, except for the dueling-piano entertainment. The
place has a partial modern warehouse look (exposed pipes, microbrew fixtures
visible through exposed glass at the back, and a very high ceiling), but a hammered-tin
ceiling continues the hotel’s Victorian decor; the overall effect seems
straight out of San Francisco’s North Beach. It’s a bit on the yuppified side but
escapes being pretentious. And frankly, it’s a much-needed modern space for the
Downtown area. This place has its own brew master, a number of microbrews
ready to try, and if you want a quick bite, there’s also an oyster-and-sushi bar,
plus fancy burgers and pizzas. It can get noisy during the aforementioned pianoduel
act, but otherwise casino noise stays out. Since all of Downtown is too
heavy on the old Las Vegas side (which is fine, but not all the time), this is good
for a suitable breather. In Main St. Station, 200 Main St. & 702/387-1896.
Whiskey Sky Probably your best bet for a trendy place that might actually have
either beautiful locals or out-of-town celebs looking for a cool time but wanting a
lower profile. This cool, low-key vibe is due to the bar’s off-the-Strip location, and
also its creator, hip-bar-master Rande Gerber (Cindy Crawford’s hubby). Think
beds instead of couches, and you’ve got a sense of the gestalt. In the Green Valley Ranch
Resort, 2300 Paseo Verde Pkwy., Henderson. & 702/221-6560. Cover varies, usually $10 and up.