Five Suggestions a Las Vegas Cabby Probably Won’t Ever Make

(…but you should do anyway!)

Cabbies in Las Vegas are usually only interested in suggesting entertainment that they have a vested interest in. They get kickbacks from clubs, et cetera, when they drop off a fare at the establishment, in addition to the cab fee and tip. This is not a slight to the cabby – it’s simply the business they are in. If you press them for suggestions for dining or atypical entertainment I’m sure they’ll come up with something for you, but I decided to make a quick list of a couple of things I enjoy here in Las Vegas that a cabby would probably never think to suggest to you…

1) The Double Down Saloon
For some people, myself included, it’s amusing to find the biggest dive bar you can and go experience the place, people watch, et cetera. If you search on the Internet for top American dive bars, the Double Down Saloon will almost always be near the top of that list. The drinks are cheap and the combination of different types of people there is endlessly entertaining. It’s an alt-rock dive bar with that type of crowd during the normal club and bar hours, but it’s situated in Las Vegas’ “gay district,” which is right near a lot of mainstream places and two blocks from The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.. so the eclectic crowd is rare, indeed. Their website reminds us that it’s the home of the fabled “ass juice” and the birthplace of the bacon martini. Have the ass juice. Do not drive. That’s all I’m saying about the place – you really couldn’t be prepared for the joint anyhow…

2)Nora’s Italian Restaurant
Las Vegas – historically speaking – has enjoyed a long reputation of being a place to go and enjoy adult entertainment and get a break on food and drink prices since you were there to gamble. It was regarded as “cheap,” in a word. It’s no longer that way and most people have been catching on to that in recent years. There are still wonderful deals to be found, but “cheap” isn’t something that I personally look for in a place. I want quality. I don’t mind paying for it, either. Occasionally, however, you will find one of those spots that is both of great quality and priced excellently. Nora’s Italian Restaurant is one of those places. Their food is awesome and the prices are perfect. It’s also the place to find the second best caipirinha in Las Vegas. Order a round of those for your table before moving on to the meal. [In case you're wondering where the best caipirinha in Las Vegas is, that would be my house ]

3) Golden Gate Casino
I haven’t been downtown in quite awhile but I have to say, I’ve always had a soft spot for Downtown Las Vegas in all of it’s old school kitschiness glory. The Golden Gate Casino is where hotels in Las Vegas actually began, being the oldest still-in-use hotel in town and the home of the original $.99 shrimp cocktail! Some places imitate their shrimp cocktail but use a lot of lettuce filler and too much cocktail sauce. This one, though – yes, they are small shrimp – are all shrimp and you can have as many as you care to order. They also have good hot dogs that are beer steamed. The Golden Gate is a great jumping off point to spend part of your day or evening wandering around downtown, which has casinos literally right next door to one another. It’s Las Vegas for those with short attention spans and I definitely benefit from that sort of diversion myself.

4) The Conservatory at Bellagio
The Conservatory near the parking garage entrance of the Bellagio, just off of the registration desk area, is a wonderful flourish of beauty and peacefulness and it is absolutely free. They have a full staff of people who work with fresh plants and tons of flowers that they use to make into all sorts of unique sculpture, using lots of water features, trees, and even bridges. Occasionally the sculptures move, sometimes they are static, but they are always just awesome and they change the them throughout the year. Right next to the Conservatory near the Spa Tower entrance is a fountain made of flowing chocolate. They sell unbelievable gelatos in there. I suggest getting a gelato first and just walking around the Conservatory for an hour or so. After that you can continue your stroll through the Bellagio to the front, catch the fountains if you like, and then make your way over to the next block in front of Caesar’s for my final suggestion…

5) Viale Lemonade
Viale is a restaurant right at the corner of the Strip and Flamingo. I’m not sure about the quality of the food because I’ve never eaten there. Outside of the restaurant, right near the over-walk to the Bellagio there, Viale has an outdoor lemonade stand. The Viale Lemonades are not for kids. In fact, I’ve split them a number of times, because they’re pretty strong. They are made essentially the way a Long Island Iced Tea is – with all the clear well liquors – but they add their own lemonade to it. I usually sip mine down about one third of the way and then go back to the person working the booth and have them top it off with more lemonade. They last quite awhile. When you go there, don’t walk off. Sit under the shades outside in a chair at a table there. It’s a really relaxing spot and plenty of simple, fun entertainment watching the people go by in the middle of whatever it is that they are doing while in Las Vegas. The spot actually holds a lot of very fond memories for me and I’m sure you’ll remember it well yourself.

So there you have it. Five suggestions that a cabby would probably never think to make for you to do for entertainment in Las Vegas. They’re all inexpensive and you get the most entertainment for your money, that’s for sure. Cheers!

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