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| Las Vegas |
When visiting Vegas it's a
given you'll do the shows, the clubs and the casinos, and by the end of your
trip you'll probably feel like you've walked the Strip more than Temptest
Storm, the town's famed 80-year-old stripper. But over planning the obvious makes
it too easy to accidentally miss out on all the Sin City gems that don't throw
themselves at you: bacon martinis, showgirl diners, real-life Mario Kart,
855-foot free falls and a post-apocalyptic Pee-Wee's Playhouse.
Neon graveyard. A
refuge for decommissioned exhibits of a quintessential Las Vegas art: the ever
bright, the ever shiny neon sign. The Neon Museum's collection currently tops
150 specimens from long-gone Las Vegas motels, businesses, casinos and resorts
that date from the 1930s to the '90s, piled and propped up around the grounds
in what may very well be the world's most kaleidoscopic bone-yard. Drop-in
visits are a no-go; call in advance to arrange a tour. neonmuseum.org.
The ultra-lounge that Old Vegas built. At the Peppermill Restaurant and Fireside Lounge, faux foliage
falls from the mirrored ceiling, fire pits serve as floor plan centerpieces, and
pink and purple neon soak the air. If this "ultra-lounge" looks like
the Vegas you came to know and love via "Showgirls," the 1995 campy
cult classic about a stripper's rise to become the town's star dancer, that's
because it is. Scorsese's "Casino," too. The place serves its
old-school diner fare in hungry-man portions and a pours its roster of classic
cocktails with the professional drinker in mind. peppermilllasvegas.com
Pinned in time. Row
after row of some 400 predecessors to Atari fill the 10,000 square foot Pinball
Hall of Fame, an homage to the Jurassic period of arcade games that randomly
sits right across the street from the Liberace Museum. Among owner and pinball
devotee Tim Arnold's collection spans the latter half of the 20th century. All
are in working order, not even the rarities are off limits and most cost a
quarter to play. pinballmuseum.org.
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| Check out the Pinball Hall of Fame |
The golden grill.
Another iconic nugget of vintage Vegas dating back to 1958, Golden Steer Steak
House claims to be the oldest steak house in town. Marilyn Monroe, Elvis
Presley and the Rat Pack tore through T-bones, shrimp scampi and Caesar salads
prepared table side between these wood paneled walls in their own private
semi-circle booths. And surely many of their impersonators continue doing the
same. goldensteersteakhouselasvegas.com.
Sounds extreme. More
than 20 bands on four stages, 65 pro BMX dirt jumpers and 200 amateurs are set
to raid Desert Breeze Park for the 11th annual Extreme Thing Fest, happening
Saturday, March 31. Billed as Nevada's largest action sports and music festival
and cosponsored by Alternative Press, the one-day event includes the Vegas Am
Jam, an amateur competition of 200 BMXers and skateboarders, a stage dedicated
to specifically to local bands and, if that weren't enough to swallow, a side
of pro wrestling. The 2012 lineup is still in the works, but last year's
headliners included Hollywood Undead, Sum 41 and P.O.D. extremefest.com.
Surviving the Stratosphere.
Leave it to Vegas to stock its vacant roofs with million-dollar fixes for
adrenaline junkies, like the top of the 108-story Stratosphere Casino. It's
home to a compact daredevil amusement park, with rides like Skyjump -- an
855-foot free fall, the highest on the planet -- that will make many macho-macho
men break a cold sweat. X-Scream tips upward and downward 27 feet over the
building's edge in a monster one sided teeter-totter. Insanity, a giant claw that
sits two per each of its four prongs, pivots out over the edge and opens to a
70-degree angle before spinning at three Gs. The view alone -- aimed downward
at downtown Vegas -- is worth losing your lunch.
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| Go for a thrill ride on the Stratosphere Tower |
The punk saloon. It's
just a block away from the Hard Rock, but this place looks, sounds and smells
like the real house of hardcore punk, garage, ska, surf, psycho-billy and cow-punk. Home of bacon martinis and famed concoction dubbed "ass
juice" that's served in a shot glass shaped like a toilet, the Double Down
Saloon never charges cover for its shows and never closes. Which is probably
why they offer $20 "lightweight insurance." You yack, you mop. House
rules. doubledownsaloon.com.
Pool parties. It's a fact of Vegas life.
The party starts at the pool, the party ends at the pool. Your waterlogged
itinerary: Ditch Fridays at the Palms, Wet Republic Saturdays at MGM and Rehab
Sundays at Hard Rock. Bag tickets online in advance. ditchfridays.com,
wetrepublic.com, rehablv.com.
The big mini chase.
Rolling Stone called the Mini Baja Chase Sin City's best near-death experience:
a 30-minute version of the notorious SCORE Baja 1000 desert race in which
you're strapped behind the wheel of a dune buggy, speeding over a 15,000-acre
open desert course of dunes, valleys, washed-out creek beds, doing all you can
to outrun the expert Dune driver in front of you. sunbuggy.net.
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| A car competes at the Mini Baja Chase |