Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
has officially (and successfully) brought “alternative” to the Strip. It's about time.
Playing the roles of theater, lounge, and nightclub, and catering to both tourists
and locals, Krave has found multiple niches and is filling them all quite well. It's
home to comedy club Funny Business, as well as lesbian hot spot girlbar on
Saturday nights, Latin night on Tuesdays, hip-hop night on Thursday, and some-
thing else every day of the week.
Krave sells “memberships,” which may well be a ploy for them to make money,
but if you're planning on visiting the club often it will, indeed, help you to save.
General memberships cost $25 for 6 months and net you about $5 off the cover
charge and allow you to take advantage of cheap drink specials; premium mem-
berships are $50 for 6 months and get you free admission, guest admission dis-
counts, and cheap drink specials.
GAY BARS IN THE “FRUIT LOOP”
As I said before, the best gay club hopping is on Paradise Road; here are my picks
for the best of the best here:
8
1
⁄
2
Ultra Lounge and Piranha Nightclub
555
(4633 Paradise Rd.;
%
702/
791
-
0100; www.gipsylv.net; nightly 9pm-close),
are the newest hot spots in the
Fruit Loop, and have become two of my favorite places in Las Vegas—gay, straight
or otherwise. Though located in the same building, they offer two distinct atmos-
pheres. 8
1
⁄
2
Ultra Lounge (named for the Fellini film, or . . . something else?) man-
ages somehow to feel like a swanky house party, between its decor and regular beer
busts (all-you-can-drink beer for cheap), its different rooms, done in lush reds,
filled with comfortable seating in discreet nooks. The bar is enormous and main-
tained by shirtless male bartenders who are all impressively ripped. In addition to
different theme nights, such as BVD night, eye candy night, and karaoke, they
offer happy hour with $2 drink specials until midnight.
Where 8
1
⁄
2
is warm yet sophisticated, there's a stark minimalism to Piranha
nightclub—and a coolness that matches the aquariums full of actual piranha that
line the entry. Both Piranha and 8
1
⁄
2
bring in different DJs that play different
music each night, and they target different genders, depending on the date.
Wednesday is Orchid Night, for women, and Thursday is Boy's Night. All are
welcome, but I've found that the men tend to outnumber the women. 8
1
⁄
2
and
Piranha are the most upscale of the gay bars in this area, which tend to be exceed-
ingly casual. Enter Piranha Nightclub from 8
1
⁄
2
Ultra Lounge, or use the separate
patio entrance.
Next door is
Gipsy
55
(4605 Paradise Rd.;
%
702/731
-
1919; www.
gipsylv.net; Wed-Mon 9pm-close; cash only),
which is practically an icon on the
Nevada gay scene, having been around more than 2 decades. It's easy to strike up
a conversation here, the staff is friendly and they're welcoming to all sexual pref-
erences. The club is centered around a stage and dance floor, and like Piranha and
8
1
⁄
2
, there are different nightly themes and entertainment, from female imperson-
ators to DJs to go-go dancers and beer busts (these all-you-can-drink fests are
popular in the Fruit Loop). Males dominate, but there's a decent number of
women in here, too. Gipsy is under the same ownership as Piranha.
Aside from the once-a-week girlbar at Krave, Las Vegas doesn't have any les-
bian bars. They're all either directed towards men or mixed. When it comes to the
ratio of women to men,
Freezone
5
(610 E. Naples Dr.;
%
702/794
-
2310; www.
