Off-Strip show
Downtown Sin City is putting on the glitz with its mix of old and sparkling new
Trying to do the time warp in downtown Sin City is increasingly challenging. Many of the old, familiar — and, yes, decaying — landmarks are gone or barely recognizable after expensive face-lifts. The aged Lady Luck has morphed into the Downtown Grand. Two zip-lines now soar over Fremont Street. Visitors discover a wealth of new restaurants as well as the Downtown Container Park, a square block of boutique shops, restaurants and a play area for kids and grown-ups. The tab for two: $79 for a room at the Golden Gate, and about $70 for a small-plates dinner at Carson Kitchen.
The bed
The Golden Gate (1 Fremont St.; [702] 385-1906, www.golden gatecasino.com) opened in 1906 as the Hotel Nevada, with electric lights and steam-heat radiators among the conveniences. (Air conditioning came later.) Artifacts on display in the lobby include Prohibition-era bottles of whiskey hidden in the walls. It’s now a midrange hotel; major renovations have taken place since the days when the Rat Pack hung out here. Weekend rates start at $79 a night. For those seeking glitz on par with the Strip, consider the four-star Golden Nugget (129 E. Fremont St.; [800] 634-3454, www.golden nugget.com/LasVegas), the first resort to get the Midas touch from casino mogul Steve Wynn. Rooms on Fridays and Saturdays can be snagged for as little as $79.
The meal
The exciting, relatively young Carson Kitchen (124 S. 6th St., Las Vegas; [702] 473-9523, www .carsonkitchen.com) was opened 18 months ago by celebrity chef Kerry Simon, who died in September. The small plates are ideal for sharing, but choosing may be difficult. Tasty options include bacon jam ($12) with baked Brie and toasted baguette, devil’s eggs ($8) with caviar and crispy pancetta, and FGT sliders ($12), which are fried green tomatoes with lump crab ravigote. For breakfast, locals flock to Eat (707 Carson Ave.; [702] 534-1515, www.eatdtlv.com). Don’t miss the cinnamon biscuits topped with fresh strawberry compote ($8) and the unique fried deviled eggs ($8).
The f ind
Head three blocks east from the Fremont Street Experience to the decidedly funky Downtown Container Park (707 Fremont St., Las Vegas; [702] 3599982, www.downtowncontainer park.com), an assortment of boutique shops and restaurants inside repurposed shipping containers. For a wide selection of vintage toys, games and even lunchboxes, check out Kappa Toys ([702] 302-9363, www .kappatoys.com). At BluMarble ([702] 885-8520; www.blumarble .com), booze bottles have been purposefully recycled into home décor. The play area is crowned with a multistory treehouse, and after dark, a massive metal mantis breathes balls of fire at the entrance.
The lesson learned
Visitors just might overlook Atomic Liquors (917 Fremont St., Las Vegas; [702] 982-3000, www .atomicvegas.com), but it’s a mistake to miss this bar. During the 1950s, people would grab a beer and head to the roof to watch atomic bomb tests in the Nevada desert 65 miles away. Memorabilia includes two ’60sera Geiger counters wedged between bottles of Old Crow bourbon.