Fabulous Downtown Las Vegas

By: Kellie Archuletta

I love downtown Las Vegas the food and drinks are great and everything is cheaper than on the strip. Don’t park in the public parking garage; park in one of the casino garages they are free, just validate your casino parking pass at the cage. Validating your parking ticket is easy; the machine in Binions is sitting on the shelf right outside the cashier’s cage.

I usually start out the downtown experience in Binions at the front bar. Last night was no exception. The front bar is easy to find; it is located to the left of the poker tables in the front of the casino. I love this bar. The $2.00 margaritas are really good and I love looking at the lighting fixture above the bar, it belongs in a ship, it is carved wood with Neptune and his tridents sticking out all over. I have many interesting conversations in this bar and last night was no exception. We were lucky enough to meet the poker manager, Paul Halverson who is a charismatic and dynamic individual. He informed us that the bartender Bert is the oldest tenured bartender on the west coast (43 years). Murry the other bartender has been working at Binions for 23 years. Murry was the funny man of the group. When Renee, my friend, was asked what she wanted she said “How much will a naked man dancing on the bar cost” Murry didn’t skip a beat and responded that he does it for free.

We headed to my all time favorite restaurant Lillie Langtry’s which is located in the Golden Nugget across the mall from Binions. Lillie Langtry’s is upstairs, don’t let the décor fool you; this is a really nice place but you can dine in jeans, you do need reservations, however, as the place is sold out much of the time. The number to call is (702) 385-7111. This is a five star restaurant at two star prices. Lillie’s serves delicious Chinese food and great plum wine.

We finished our meal in time to see the light show running on the canopy. This show takes place every hour on the hour from 6-11 p.m. don’t worry about getting a good place to see the show it is projected in the sky so every location is a good location.

If you want to play the nickel slots and love Mardi gras beads go to Bayou or Mermaids. If you want an even larger selection of beads go to the back of either one of these casinos and you can pick some really interesting choice beads at 3 for $10. Mermaids had an interesting snack bar hosting a variety of fried junk foods; including Oreos and Twinkies. I wanted a fried Twinkie but I was still too full from dinner. The best .99 cent shrimp cocktails are rumored to be at the Fremont Casino in the Lanai Express snack shop. This casino is to the east of Binions.

Our last stop before heading home was to Glitter Gulch, the topless cabaret. The cover charge is a two drink minimum ($20); the drinks are really strong. The girls are friendly, pretty and sweet. All of the girls talked to us and we got table dances throughout our stay. One tip from a dancer; if you want to see everyone in the bar sit by the bathroom, they will eventually walk by. Also, the space is very tight so you always need to be aware of getting hit in the face with a large heel during some of the more acrobatic moves.

If you are Hawaiian or love Hawaiian food head to the California Hotel. This is the hotel that hosts the Hawaiians and Las Vegas has a huge Hawaiian population.

The Plaza is a great place to host a reunion. My husband had a squadron reunion there a few years ago and he got the most reasonable group deal at this casino. The upside to hosting a reunion downtown opposed to on the strip is that downtown is small enough that when everyone is gambling they will run into each other.

The Neon Museum is downtown at Neonopolis. The city has put many of the old neon signs up on the elevator and they are fun to look at. Neonopolis also has a movie theater, restaurants and an arcade.

All in all we had a great time downtown, and once again I was happy that I am lucky enough to live in Las Vegas and enjoy the adult playground anytime my heart desires. Tourists love it here for a reason folks.

Article Source: http://www.travelarticlelibrary.com

Kellie Archuletta is a senior at UNLV majoring in Marketing, the president of the PTSA at Knudson Middle School the magnet for the performing arts and a former 5 time Olympic Marathon Trials Qualifier who still enjoys running and coaching. Her husband Jaime is a United Airlines Pilot. Her son Charlie is a 13 year old aspiring actor and musician. You can contact her by e-mail kellie.archuletta@cox.net

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