Across the street from the El Cortez casino, this boho-chic coffee joint feels like it belongs in San Francisco or Seattle rather than downtown Las Vegas‘s Fremont East Entertainment District. Downstairs at the alternative Emergency Arts complex, the Beat is more than just a place for java. Here you can browse through boxes of vinyl records and give ‘em a spin, or leaf...
Step inside the revitalized innards of this 1950s New Jersey beauty salon, transplanted to little ol’ downtown Las Vegas. A lynchpin of the Fremont East Entertainment District, this fave locals’ watering hole is where tattooed bartenders mix mean martinis for locals and anyone else too cool for downtown’s casino scene. Live bands and DJs set up shop in the back almost...
Down the colorful LINQ pedestrian promenade, which is smack bang in the center of the Strip (well, almost), Brooklyn Bowl is an antidote to so much of the Vegas scene. For starters, ticket prices for live shows are not prohibitively overpriced. Better still, the indie bands and big-name acts are quality musical talent, not just some has-been singer who is lip syncing...
Part of the revitalization of downtown Las Vegas, this funky outdoor complex pulls together boutique shops by local artists and fashion designers, chill bars, and some unique food vendors all in an arty permanent installation. As if that weren’t enough, some nights there’s live entertainment on the open-air main stage, maybe music or movies. Nearby is a treehouse for kids to...
Inside the swanky Cromwell casino and boutique hotel mid-Strip, Drai’s packs a powerful, three-in-one punch. By day, you can hang out poolside in the beach club, which is open seasonally for sunbathing, splashing, and getting down to DJs. Late at night after dinner and a cat nap, return for one of the Strip’s coolest club scenes, with more room to move here than...
In downtown‘s Fremont East Entertainment District, this lounge is a chilled-out, video poker–free zone away from the casinos. Leather fireplace nooks are ideal for making out with new friends you’ve only just met and the jukebox is an irony-loving hipster’s dream. Just ignore the fact that it’s dark as a goth dungeon in here. Local bands sometimes perform in the back...
On weekends, you’d be forgiven for thinking every twenty- and thirty-something from Southern California had decamped here. Walk dazedly around the expanded casino, where go-go dancers shimmy above the blackjack tables, and take in the museum-worthy collection of rock-star memorabilia, from black leather jackets worn by everyone from Elvis to the Ramones. Feed yourself at star-studded Nobu sushi bar. Mr. Lucky’s...
Moving over to the Flamingo casino, the Strip’s most phenomenally successful tribute artist show hasn’t lost its pizzazz. A live band and orchestra, plus giant-screen video displays and rows of high-energy back-up dancers, make these imitation stars shine. Unlike most of the other celebrity impersonator shows in town, no lip synching is allowed, so these performers have to both look and sound...
The hottest Cirque du Soleil ticket in town, this 90-minute musical tribute to the Fab Four takes you on a psychedelic journey through time. Using the band’s original rock ‘n’ roll recordings, this acrobatic dance show heralded a new direction for the French-Canadian circus troupe when it opened. Come to the Mirage for a joyful romp through the Beatles’ history, with only...