Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Owned by one of Mayor Oscar Goodman's favorite Elvis impersonators,
Art
Bar
5
(1511 S. Main St.;
%
702/437
-
2787; www.lvartbar.com; 24 hr.; cash only)
is low on frills (aside from the Velvet Elvis room) and cheap on booze. This lurid-
green bar is located in the heart of the burgeoning Arts District and displays the
works of local artists. Though it could be said that some of the unique drinks here
are works of art themselves—try a shot of Burnin' Love, which is an actual plas-
tic shot filled with Jell-O and vodka injected into your mouth ($5, or two for $8),
or sample Agwa de Bolivia, which involves an elaborate production of chopping
up lime salt in lines ala Robert Downey Jr., that are then sucked through a straw
into your mouth and are said to activate the coca leaf within the herbal drink. Art
Bar has great happy hour specials ($1 domestic beer and two-for-one well drinks),
free Wi-Fi, and draws in the angst-ridden artists.
BARS IN EAST FREMONT
At
Beauty Bar
5
(17 Fremont St.;
%
702/598
-
1965; www.beautybar.com; Sun
and Tues-Thurs 9:30pm-2am, Fri-Sat 9:30pm-4am)
the spirit of a salon meets a
salon of spirits. It's part of a chain of six bars that originated in New York and were
made popular by
Sex and the City.
Old hairdryers and beauty chairs, which were
salvaged by owner Paul Devitt from the Capri Salon of Beauty in Trenton, New
Jersey, line the pink sparkly walls, providing the few available seats.
Don't anticipate a manicure. Though martinis and manicures may be a special
in other states, the Nevada State Board of Cosmetology has rules against such
pairings here, so any kind of nail hanky panky stops with “nail demonstrations,”
also known as painting. Beauty Bar is part of what's called the “Entertainment
District” on East Fremont Street, and the bars here are banned from offering any
gambling. It's a magnet for the cool and young, the dyed and pierced.
As of this writing there are two other bars slated to open in the next year: The
Griffin, which is supposed to feel like an ancient bar that was renovated in the
'50s, and Downtown Cocktail Room, which claims it will be upscale and urban
funky. New York's now defunct CBGB is rumored to be looking at a spot in
Downtown for 2008.
Teetotalers Beware
One of the reasons Las Vegas is called Sin City is that its residents and
leaders don't hide their vices behind closed doors. Take Mayor Oscar
Goodman, a former mob lawyer. If you couldn't tell by his red nose, you'll
catch on quickly by that martini in his hand: He loves to drink, and gin is
his hooch of choice. In 2002, the mayor became a spokesperson for
Bombay Sapphire Gin. The $100,000 he received for the project was split
between a local private school founded by his wife and the other half went
to pay for services for the homeless. Goodman is a regular at Triple George,
where they strive to have his Sapphire martini with a bleu-cheese stuffed
olive ready when he walks through the door.
