Hey, who you calling seedy? That’s what the imaginary Davy of Davy’s Locker would say if he were a real human capable of reading blogs instead of a mythical pirate. In Las Vegas (as opposed to under the sea), Davy’s Locker refers to a spirited little dive bar. As an example of this spirit, note the halloween tree in the corner.
Read all about it in the latest edition of my bar column for the Las Vegas Weekly.
Posted in Food & Drink, Las Vegas
Tagged bar exam, bars, davy's locker, Las Vegas, las vegas weekly
Bobby Flay's Top Secret Vegetables
Right now I’m working on my next bar exam. But I’m having difficulties, so it’s time to procrastinate!
I bring you, Random Vegas Food Photo stolen from somebody’s plate whose dinner I crashed. The restaurant was Mesa Grill. The person was a vegan. I am not. Nonetheless, I was so jealous of his dish that I just had to take a picture.
Now back to my regularly scheduled writing assignment.
Posted in Food & Drink
Tagged bobby flay, Las Vegas, mesa grill, random vegas food photo
Dam, Hoover!
Since so many people seem to be interested in photos of the Hoover Dam and the progression of the bypass bridge, I decided to post another photo. I took this one while fly from El Paso to Las Vegas in Southwest about a month ago. Notice that the Bypass bridge looks impressive even from the air. You may also see the low water level. Ahh, the good and ill of technology. This is why I always ask for a window seat.
Tagged aerial view, airplane, bypass bridge, hoover dam, Las Vegas, photo, recent
My friend and journalist Richard Abowitz suggested I read this book. Since he has been writing about Vegas forever, I took his advice. The book was so good that I now want you to take his advice.
Despite the fact that Winner is non-fiction I couldn’t put it down. Christina Binkley, a columnist for the Wall Street Journal, achieved what every high school history teacher dreams of: She made history exciting. Sure she may have misspelled Danny Gans’ name once and there are rumors that she mixed up a few dates, but the book is indelible.
Basically, it explains what happened in the last 10-odd years to make Vegas what it is today. But mainly it’s a psychological portrait of the title’s three moguls. I’ve lived in Vegas for a year now and I’ve always felt like I arrived in the middle of a conversation. This book gave me an understanding of what I’ve been missing.
The only complaint I had was that this book didn’t have a satisfying conclusion. It seemed to stop instead of end. Certainly, the fortunes of Vegas has shifted since the book was published in 2008. If you’d like an update, check out this fascinating article in the Las Vegas Sun, which interviews three retired casino execs about the Big Crash.
I’d recommend this book to people who like: Las Vegas | business and development | a fast-paced non-fiction book | wheeling & dealing | an understanding of modern American pop culture
But don’t take my word for it, read these reviews:
- Liz Benston in the Las Vegas Sun
Posted in Books
Tagged Book Review, christina binkley, Las Vegas, winner takes all
*A gazillion happy calories*
As you may have noticed, Vegas is a culinary treasure trove and/or feeding trough depending on your budget and tackiness tolerance. This is very good for me because I love the pleasure of eating. I don’t gamble, so food is the sin I claim in Sin City. Nonetheless, there are a few things money CAN”T buy in Vegas, and one of them is Chick-Fil-A. Perhaps it’s because the company is Christian and the whole being closed on Sunday thing didn’t vibe well with a modern-day Sodom & Gomorra. Or perhaps they refused to anchor a casino food court on moral grounds. Whatever it is, Las Vegas is missing out. So one of the many things I did in Texas was indulge in a little pseudo-healthy fried chicken goodness. And crispy, happy waffle fries. And Polynesian Sauce. The best.
Read all about the joys of playing the booze guitar in the latest installation of my bar column for the Las Vegas Weekly. Also, could somebody in Vegas please pick up an extra copy of the Weekly for me as I am still in Texas. Thanks!
Posted in Food & Drink, Las Vegas
Tagged 100 ounce guitar, bar exam, guitar hero, Las Vegas, photos, rockhouse, Strip
Like yoga and like my writing? Hate yoga and like my writing? Either way, check out the new blog I’m writing for Yoga Sanctuary.
Here’s how the yoga studio describes my new masterpiece in motion:
Our Yoga Rants and Raves blog pushes the envelope even more. We like to think of it as a nice mix of the irreverent and relevant. The topics and content will be far-reaching: offbeat videos, yoga news, things we love and things we don’t, the yoga lifestyle and beyond. If our blog proves to be provocative, entertaining or sometimes controversial, we couldn’t be happier. So if you are looking for a conventional commentary on how to start a yoga practice, this is probably not the right blog for you.
Posted in Blogosphere, My Latest Publication
Tagged blog, Las Vegas, yoga rants and raves, yoga sanctuary
I just raced to the end of author Charles Bock’s “wide-ranging portrait of an almost mythically depraved Las Vegas” (Publisher’s Weekly). It’s not often that I have the pleasure of living in the same universe as a book. This convergence between fiction and non creates the odd sensation of putting a book down only to continue “reading.”
I was going to complain that Bock created a darker Vegas than the one I live in, until I happened to drop by a CVS on Flamingo Road, about an hour east of the Strip. When I stopped in, I couldn’t tell if I had walked into the store or if I had walked into Bock’s head. Just like the many tattered runaways that populate his book, a sad homeless girl loitered at the entrance. She unfurled a cardboard and marker SOS just for me as I passed. Spurred by Bock’s insiduous moralism, I tried to smile at the girl, recognize her humanity, just as he said she would have wanted. But she looked away. And when I exited the store, she was gone. It was an ending as unsatisfying as the book’s.
This is what powers my column
Yes, folks, it’s that time again. I can’t really give you any top secret, behind-the-scenes stories from the making of this Bar Exam, because I put all the juice in the article. Nothing to see here, move along. Go directly to my story and read it.
Wait a second, there is one interesting tidbit for ya. I took the photo for the background of my Twitter page in the lobby of the Downtown LV Howard Johnson hotel on my first trip to the Florida Cafe.
my Twitter background/Downtown LV HoJo
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged bar exam, downtown, florida cafe, hojo, howard johnson, Las Vegas, las vegas weekly
The Famous Emily & I at the Horse Around Bar
People have been telling me that I have the best job on earth with my Bar Exam column for the Las Vegas Weekly. Generally, it goes like this: “What? You have to go to bars and write about them? That must be the best job on earth!”
If the job paid a million dollars a year, perhaps it would be. But since it doesn’t, I settle for the priceless joy of creative expression and tax write-offs. Sometimes, I even get to indulge myself with well-placed (if I do say so myself) Hunter S. Thompson quotes. As I did in last week’s edition of Bar Exam, which focused on Fear and Lothing in Las Vegas‘ famous Merry-Go-Round Bar.
The above photo captures my first trip to the famed bar. The famous Emily, who appears in 90% of my LV Weekly articles, is radiant in red. She is holding an empty container of pink cotton candy (popcorn not pictured).
Read it here: Horse-Around Bar at Circus Circus
Posted in Las Vegas, My Latest Publication
Tagged bar exam, carousel, circus circus, horse around bar, hunter s thompson, Las Vegas, merry-go-round
