I’m a Booster (Totally Unrelated to Spanking)

 

I think Las Vegas is pretty nifty – especially if you’re a visitor here. (Being a resident rocks because we have NO reason whatsoever to go anywhere near the strip, so our lives are just as normal as yours most days of the year.)

I do not, however, really know much about the city. Case in point: I recently put up a post titled “Oh.my.god.video”, about a place called Heart Attack Grill, and asked readers to tell me something about the place.

Ahem..it’s in Las Vegas. Who knew? Apparently everyone but me. (Also, to each his or her own, but this looks absolutely disgusting. In so many ways.)

Just about anyone who visits my fair chosen-home city will know more about it than I do, by the time their friends bail them out of the county jail. However, most visitors also rarely wander far from the strip; you guys and gals see the fountains at the Bellagio, lots of burlesque shows, and some of the world’s largest all-you-can-eat buffets. You get to gaze lovingly at the hundreds of boutique shops, $500 and up haircut joints, and more gambling machines than non-visitors could ever possibly imagine; adventurous souls (who don’t feel as though they’ve risked life and limb enough already by just being in Las Vegas – or possibly by eating at the Heart Attack Grill) can even make a controlled free fall from the top of the Stratosphere tower.

But there’s a whole bunch of really cool, interesting, and, most importantly, non-gambling-related things to do here, too…you just gotta get your ass off the Strip. In an effort to bring attention to a few of the hidden gems you’ve probably missed in your visits here, I’m giving you my short list of favorite places in Las Vegas:

 

The Pinball Hall of Fame

What’s not to love about a huge building full of hundreds of pinball machines, all working, and all ready to play for 25cents? These guys are truly passionate about restoring and maintaining these classic games – the oldest pinball games in the building date back to the 1940’s! My personal favorite: the Kiss pinball machine, which plays awful, out of tune midi files of Detroit Rock City and other hits. This will be the most fun you have in Vegas for less than 20bucks. (Tropicana Blvd. east)

 

Taco y Taco

Go ahead and eat at the fancy restaurants up and down the hotel zone – they’re really fantastic, and will only cost you an arm and possibly your dinner companions leg. They’ll also let you get rascally drunk and behave inappropriately at the dinner table – this is, after all, Sin City. My vote’s going to something cheaper, more peaceful, and much, much, MUCH more tantalizing.

Tacos.

The kind of tacos that I used to get from street vendors in East Los Angeles; the kind of tacos they’ll serve you in Tijuana; the kind of tacos where you say, “I’m really not all that hungry… I’ll take six.” Taco y Taco is a little place in an unassuming shopping complex. There’s no fancy sign and no fancy decor. Your tacos (or burritos, or nachos – the menu’s very small) will be served on thin paper plates. There ARE tons of friendly cooks, employees, and managers – all of whom are proud to tell you about their history, recipes, and the fact that they’ve already been voted best tacos in the city, even though they’ve been open just over a year. Go there. Get in a taxi if you have to, just go there. (Tropicana east)

 

Springs Preserve

180 acres of Las Vegas valley real estate, flora, fauna, geology, and QUIET. Springs Preserve walking trails showcase the area’s natural history with flower gardens, interactive exhibits, and knowledgeable guides throughout the preserve. It’s a nice respite from the sound of slot machines and all that sequins.

 

The High Roller

Okay, this one’s definitely not off the beaten path, and probably not cheap, either. But it’s so very cool that I had to mention it, anyway. The High Roller is a brand new, ginormous (the world’s largest, I think) ferris wheel/observation thingy just built in The Linq. Although I’m not a fan of heights, this looks like something I may be willing to do, maybe, just for what have to be absolutely breathtaking views of the valley and surrounding mountains. (Also, I find the idea of getting getting a pod to oneself and giving a spanking while overlooking the entire Las Vegas valley wildly amusing. Remember, you read the idea here first, as someone will certainly eventually pull this stunt off, and hopefully there’ll be substantiating video.)

 

Tonight I found a great way for me (and you, too) to see what’s going on in the city – not just who’s playing at Ceasar’s and what Britney’s wearing, but lots of other cool information on Las Vegas, the ‘culture’ of the city, and it’s denizens. Vegas Chatter calls themselves ‘a daily users guide to the ins and outs of the potlatch and pomp that is Sin City.’

That appears to be pretty accurate.

So if you’re thinking of visiting our fair(ly sandy) city, and if you have a little free time between spankings (don’t act like you’re going to come all the way here and not get a spanking. You’d have to be crazy.) to fill with educated wandering around, peruse VegasChatter.com.

 

–  Dana