Frommer's Las Vegas 2004

270
CHAPTER 10 . LAS VEGAS AFTER DARK
we also have to be honest; if you can brave the wait, the crowds, and the attitude,
you will be inside a club that has done everything right, from the multilevel layout
that allows them to pack the crowds in and allows those crowds to peer up
and down at their brethren, to DJs who play the right house and techno cuts (at
a pulse-thumping tempo, so don’t expect for your good pickup lines to be overheard),
to the scaffolding that holds pyrotechnic and other mood-revvers, to the
ubiquitous-of-late go-go girls dressed like strippers. You will have more fun here
than at, say, Bikinis (see above), because this is bigger and more crowded, but
then again, you can get in there more readily, so you decide what’s more important
to you. If this is your choice, then note that they start lining up way before
the 11pm opening time. Open Thursday to Saturday from 11pm until dawn.
4321 W. Flamingo Rd. & 702/940-7246. Cover $20.
rumjungle Now, normally our delicate sensibilities wince at such overkill,
and we tend to write off such efforts as just trying a bit too hard. But surprisingly,
rumjungle really delivers the great fun it promises. The fire-wall entrance
gives way to a wall of water; the two-story bar is full of the largest collection of
rum varieties anywhere, each bottle illuminated with a laser beam of light; gogo
girls dance and prance between bottles of wine to dueling congas; and the
food all comes skewered on swords. It’s all a bit much, but it works, it really
does. A great deal of thought went into the various clever designs and schemes,
and it’s paid off. Almost instantly, rumjungle became the hottest club in Vegas,
with lines of partiers out the door every night, ready to dance to live world-beat
music. Get there early (before 10pm) to avoid lines/guest lists/the cover charge,
and consider having dinner (served till 11pm); it’s costly, but it’s a multicourse,
all-you-can-eat feast of flame-pit-cooked Brazilian food. For the amount of food
and the waiving of the cover charge, dinner is a good deal. Then dance it all off
all night long (the club is open ’til 2am on weeknights, ’til 4am Thurs–Sat
night). In Mandalay Bay, 3950 Las Vegas Blvd. S. & 702/632-7408. Cover $10–$20.
Seven This is a former restaurant converted to a club by the addition of a
whole lot of marble, and the effect is cold and cavernous. No cover charge,
which is nice (though a long line, which is not), but that means that just about
anyone can get in; while we aren’t trying to be snobs, we can do without homophobic
pretend cowboys and other beer-guzzling jerks. We just wanna dance,
you know? Open Monday through Wednesday from 11pm until 2am, Thursday
through Saturday until 4am. 3724 Las Vegas Blvd. S. (at Harmon). & 702/739-7744.
Studio 54 The legendary Studio 54 has been resurrected here in Las Vegas,
but with all the bad elements and none of the good ones. Forget Truman, Halston,
and Liza doing illegal (or at least immoral) things in the bathroom stalls;
that part of Studio 54 remains but a fond memory. The snooty, exclusive door
attitude has been retained, however. Hooray. Red-rope policies are all well and
good if you’re trying to build mystique in a regular club, but for a tourist attraction,
where guests are likely to be one-time-only (or at best, once a year), it’s
obnoxious. Oddly, this doesn’t lead to a high-class clientele; of all the new clubs,
this is the trashiest (though apparently the hot night for locals is Tues, so if you
do go, go then). The large dance floor has a balcony overlooking it, the decor is
industrial (exposed piping and the like), the music is hip-hop and electronic,
and there is nothing to do other than dance. If the real Studio 54 were this boring,
no one would remember it today. Open Tuesday through Saturday from
10pm until 3am or later. In the MGM Grand, 3799 Las Vegas Blvd. S. & 702/891-1111.
Cover $10 for men Tues–Thurs, $20 Fri–Sat; free for women.