 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FEATURES
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
COLUMNS |
|
|
|
 | Hot Bets
Tips from our SportsBook expert
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
A Velvet-Rope Guide to Sin City
Times have changed on the Strip--can you say "long lines and big celebs"? Here's where to party the night away!
By Leslie Gornstein
Ten years ago, only one thing was more rare in Vegas than a Mormon, and that was a velvet rope. Nineteen-year-old posers could breeze into most clubs and order up a di Saronno on ice without getting the stink-eye. Acid-washed jeans and rubber flip-flops were the uniform up and down the Strip.
But that was then--a fresh trend has snuck up on Las Vegas clubbers: Long lines. Dress codes. Guest lists. The snob factor has taken over Sin City. Not only has 40 Deuce--the celebrity-ridden burlesque venue that has Hollywood in its red-laquered clutches--set its eyes on Vegas, but Brent Bolthouse, the undisputed Pied Piper of L.A. nightlife, plans to open his first local spot, at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, by Memorial Day. Fat people--you might as well head for Laughlin.
Just how elite is the new Vegas? Here's our guide to the five hottest clubs in Vegas--including painful details on just how easy it is to not get in on even the most ordinary of weekends.
Ghostbar. The infamous stop that Britney made before her quickie marriage and the favorite of the Real World Las Vegas team. And, oh, yes, Fred Durst and Leo DiCaprio.
Most clubbers consider this bar the first stop to make before heading to later-night venues like Rain or Light. Sitting on the 55th floor of the Palms Casino Resort, it's got the best view ever of Las Vegas, often causing patrons to claim they get a floating sensation just being up there. (The live DJs probably bring them back down to Earth.). And no agrophobics, please: The clear acrylic floor on the "Ghostdeck" looks straight down to the Palms' pool area.
The good news is that it sometimes--sometimes--has a shorter line than the more frenetic Rain, but it has grown harder to crack since Real World brought it megafame. Best tip for getting in: Go on a Thursday. And its Website even offers a spot on the guest list; just click on the "Drenched Thursdays" link.
Rain. Easily the Big Mamou of the Vegas weekend scene. This concert venue at the Palms is where Britney (her again!) has surprised revelers with impromptu performances; it is home to spectacle after spectacle, from concerts by top-tier talent like Kid Rock and Pink to a ceiling-high wall of fire in the middle of the floor.
This 28,000-square-foot nightclub actually has two identities: concert venue or high-class watering hole, depending on the night. But it's always, always, oozing exclusivity, with its $750-a-night private cabanas, $1,000 skyboxes, and cozy "water booths."
The trick with Rain isn't so much getting in the door--you can just buy a ticket to a show. The real challenge? Cast your eyes skyward. "You need to be up in the VIP skyboxes," says Julie Goldman, an L.A. publicist who hits the Vegas clubs regularly for business. "Otherwise you're down in the mosh pit. And we don't mesh with mosh."
No concert ticket? Best of luck. "A lot of people just wait and wait outside," Goldman says. "I don't know how people get in there, to be honest. You need one wristband to get to one section and another to get to another section. "Unless you know someone, I wouldn't waste my time."
| |
|
|
|
