Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Sing Us a Song, You're the Piano Man
Piano bars are music to tourists' ears in Las Vegas. They're upbeat, engag-
ing, and those Billy Joel songs are just contagious. But not all piano bars
are created equally. Here are three different shots at 88 keys to happiness.
The most popular spot for dueling ivory strokers is
The Bar at Times
Square
5
(in New York-New York;
%
866/815-4365 or 702/740-6969;
www.nynyhotelcasino.com; cover
$
10 after 8pm; 24 hr., with entertainment
Sun-Thurs 8:15pm-2:15am, Fri-Sat 8:15pm-3:15am).
Whatever mood you
enter with, you're going to leave smiling, and maybe even a little bit hoarse.
Because everyone sings at this piano bar—even the most brooding, tone
deaf misanthrope. It's contagious. And, fortunately, will help you forget the
ridiculous $10 cover charge.
Just as lively (and cheaper) is the free
Piano Bar
55
(in Harrah's;
%
800/392-3002 or 702/369-5000; www.harrahs.com; dueling pianos
9pm-2am nightly).
Here, two blonde keyboard-playing identical twins are
the irresistible draw and manage to draw a crowd inside and outside of the
bar, even spilling into the casino's table games area. The smiling crowds
sing along as the dueling sisters let loose their slightly raunchy senses of
humor. (“He puts the FU back in fun!”) There's a bit of a hoedown feel as
the primarily Bud-drinking, blue-collar crowd gets all riled up in this
brightly lit bar.
If you're going to
Napoleon's
(in Paris Las Vegas;
%
877/796-2096 or
702/946-7000; www.parislasvegas.com; Tues-Sun 9pm-1am; a single
pianist plays Mon 9pm-1am)
,
you're better off arriving late. Early in the
evening the ambience here is conflicted, compared to the others. With its
deep red and gold hues, marble floors, and plush chairs, Napoleon's feels
like the kind of place you'd go to enjoy a nice cigar and quiet conversa-
tion—if it weren't for those darn upbeat dueling pianists. But as the Black
Velvets (an odd and not entirely pleasant marriage of Guinness and cham-
pagne) flow and the night wears on the crowd becomes louder and more
fitting of a piano bar.
Mist
(in TI at the Mirage;
%
800/288
-
7206 or 702/894
-
7330; www.mistbar.
com; daily 5pm-4am)
and
Caramel
(in Bellagio;
%
888/987
-
3456 or 702/693
-
7111; www.caramelbar.com; Mon-Sun 5pm-4am)
have managed to find a way to
bridge the gap between bar and “ultra lounge” (does that make them “ultra
bars?”), extending the bottle service gimmick further into the nightlife scene, con-
sidering that aside from these spots, bars typically don't require that you purchase
a bottle in order to sit down. I'm including both in the same entry because they're
owned by The Light Group and are clearly near-identical siblings. Both appeal to
a classy clientele who don't mind paying club-style prices for their drinks. Cocktail
waitresses wear elegant black dresses as they circulate the leather couches, and
