WEEKEND

Vegas for Vegas Veterans

By Deanna Rilling

Hidden hot spots prove Sin City can still surprise, even if you think you’ve seen it all.

You’ve seen the fountains at Bellagio. You’ve been to every Cirque du Soleil show on the Strip and worked your way up and down the big buffets. Maybe it’s time to venture further afield and discover some of Vegas’ lesser-known offerings. Sure, you want to get your dose of sequins and slot machines on a Sin City weekend, so go ahead, book into Steve Wynn’s new Encore, but once you’ve got your fix, why not break loose of the Boulevard?

Literally across the street from the famed Fremont Street Experience but with scarcely a tourist in sight, the Fremont East District is the wacky kitsch-and-quirk yin to the Strip’s glitz-and-glam yang. First, there’s Beauty Bar, a retro beauty parlor-themed bevvy parlor – with old-fashioned hair dryers in lieu of chairs – that features local musicians and a highly competent bartender in drag. Bonus: Friday night Martinis and Manicures can save you a trip to the salon. The bubble gum décor can be a little much, though, so it’s a good thing The Griffin is just down the street to balance it out. With its gas fireplaces and brick façade arches, this local scenester hangout is the aesthetic opposite of its neighbor – it looks like the kind of place the professors from Harry Potter might be spotted.

Now joining the Fremont fray is Don’t Tell Mama, a classic New York piano bar that’s recently made the trip west from midtown Manhattan and brought some of its top musical and comedy acts along. Duelling pianos this ain’t, but singing bartenders? Of course! For a nightcap, pop around the corner to Downtown Cocktail Room, a speakeasy-style cocktail bar with the most skilled staff in town. Low lighting and rich red hues provide the perfect ambience for sipping a signature DCR Bloody Mary, provided you can figure out how to get into the building. Hint: Push the metal wall/door inside the front-entrance alcove, not the panes of glass.

For daytime off-Strip action, check out the downtown arts district. First Fridays, on the first Friday of every month, sees this burgeoning scene open its doors for street vendors, artists, performances and fantastic people-watching. Since its launch in 2002, the event has grown rapidly, keeping pace with the city’s ballooning number of artists and galleries. It’s big enough now that you’ll work up an appetite if you try to take in the whole thing, so recharge afterwards at the new downtown outpost of Paymon’s with the best Mediterranean food in the city.

If you’re a true Vegas veteran, you’re probably bored with cheesy Strip headliners, so consider cabbing a few miles east to the infamous Onyx Theatre. Located behind an adult fetish shop, this tiny stage is earning a reputation as the site of the city’s most innovative and progressive performances. In addition to reworking Shakespearian classics with a modern twist, many of Vegas’ most gifted performers use the space to showcase their side projects, original works and experimental performance art. See? No matter how jaded you’ve become after years of the same old Strip, you don’t have to marry a stranger at a drive-thru chapel to get a thrill out of Vegas again.

(Deanna Rilling is a Vegas-based reporter covering nightlife and music who isn't afraid to rock comfortable shoes or the same outfit twice at Sin City hot spots.)

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