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GOVERNOR URGES NEVADANS TO STAY HOME FOR TWO WEEKS Gov. Steve Sisolak is telling Nevadans to stay at home as much as possible over the next two weeks in response to rising COVID-19 cases in all corners of the state. If the “deeply concerning” trends aren’t slowed, Sisolak said during a November 10 press conference, he will consider re-shuttering the economy. It was closed for about 80 days beginning in midMarch, bringing historic unemployment rates and crippling the state with a $1 billion deficit. “I’m not bluffing, I’m not playing a game,” Sisolak said. “We are in a very crucial point right now.” Sisolak said visitors are still welcome in Las Vegas, but only if they wear masks and follow safety protocols like social distancing and frequent handwashing. Sisolak stressed that Nevada can “safely reduce” the spread of the disease without requiring any business shutdowns— if people comply. That effort starts with residents rededicating themselves to staying at home. “If you don’t have to go out, don’t go out,” Sisolak said. “Reduce your time in public to what is necessary and limit any and all exposure to those outside your household.” Health officials reported 1,322 new COVID-19 cases and seven deaths November 10, increasing the statewide totals to 112,304 confirmed cases and 1,859 deaths since the start of the pandemic. The state positivity rate was 13.7% over the previous 14 days. Health officials on November 9 flagged 10 of the state’s 17 counties as “high risk,” including Clark County. –John Sadler
WEEK IN REVIEW WEEK AHEAD EV E N TS T O F O L L OW A N D N EWS YO U M I SS E D
People celebrate on the streets of San Francisco while listening to President-elect Joe Biden speak November 7 after he was declared the winner of the 2020 presidential election. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group via AP)
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IN THIS ISSUE
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Cover story: The state of Vegas entertainment Home: Bring spa relaxation to your living space Noise: New Vegas albums you oughta know about Food & Drink: The legendary Lotus of Siam Sports: This poker rivalry extends beyond the table
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STORIES FROM LAST WEEK HIGH COURT LIKELY TO LEAVE HEALTH CARE LAW IN PLACE Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh on November 10 appeared unwilling to strike down the Affordable Care Act even if they were to find the law’s now-toothless mandate for obtaining health insurance to be unconstitutional. “Would Congress want the rest of the law to survive if the unconstitutional provision were severed? Here, Congress left the rest of the law intact,” Roberts said. “That seems to be a compelling answer to the question.” Kavanaugh said recent decisions by the court suggest “that the proper remedy would be to sever the mandate and leave the rest of the act in place.”
Ethel M Chocolates Factory in Henderson staged its 27th annual holiday cactus garden lighting ceremony on November 6. Santa Claus was on hand to meet children through a plexiglass barrier. (Wade Vandervort/Staff)
‘JEOPARDY!’ HOST DIES Alex Trebek, adored by generations of trivia buffs throughout the country, died November 8 after battling cancer. He was 80. The show will continue to air episodes hosted by Trebek, who was last in studio October 29, through Christmas Day.
PENTAGON ADVISER RESIGNS AFTER ESPER FIRING U.S. defense officials said November 10 that James Anderson, the top policy adviser at the Pentagon, submitted his resignation a day after President Donald Trump fired Defense Secretary Mark Esper. Anderson has been the acting undersecretary for policy since June.
HE SAID IT
“There will be a smooth transition to a second Trump administration.” –Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, when asked November 10 whether the State Department was prepared to engage with President-elect Joe Biden’s transition team
NV ENERGY CREDIT NV Energy is crediting customers in Southern Nevada $120 million— an average of $107 per home—because of a reduction in the utility’s revenue requirement. The credit was applied to balances due for the October billing cycle, with any of the remaining rebate reflected as a credit in the current amount due.
CCSD TO CONSIDER PARTIAL RETURN TO CLASSROOMS A proposal to return Clark County School District students to classroom learning in January after months of closures because of the pandemic calls for two days of weekly in-person learning and three days of remote learning. Families will also have the option for their children to continue exclusively online. The CCSD Board of Trustees will be presented the hybrid proposal November 12. The 200-page plan was released November 9, detailing such aspects of operations as cleaning strategies and safety standards. There’s even a form letter to be sent to families if someone at school tests positive for coronavirus. Under the new plan, students would be divided into three groups. Cohort A would attend school Mondays and Tuesdays in-person, and learn online the rest of the week. Cohort B would attend in-person Thursdays and Fridays. Deep cleaning would be done on Wednesdays.
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Vegan
FOOD FOR THOUGHT There are many ways to eat healthfully. Find the right one for you
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Like vegetarians, people may opt to go vegan for health reasons, for animal rights or both, but a vegan diet is often thought of as a lifestyle by many animal rights activists. Regardless, all dairy, eggs and meat products are off-limits in this diet. What’s the main difference between a vegetarian diet and a vegan diet? Dairy. If the thought of a life without cheese sounds devastating, rest assured there are a number of substitutes on the market that make a dairy-free life more palatable. While getting enough protein can be a challenge with a vegan diet, a healthy and balanced vegan diet is completely possible.
Vegetarian
Vegetarians might follow a meat-free diet for health reasons, over animal rights concerns or both. Like pescatarians, vegetarians still eat dairy and eggs, but stop short at fish and seafood. Protein can come from a variety of sources, including eggs, cheese, milk, beans, tofu and soy products like tempeh, leafy green vegetables and meat substitutes. While the vegetarian diet at one time felt limiting, there are now many meatless options available at restaurants and grocery stores. Studies have shown that vegetarian and pescatarian diets can lower one’s risk of heart disease, cancer and high blood pressure.
BY LESLIE VENTURA
ith so many diets purported as “the one” for optimal health and weight loss, it can be difficult to decide which method to try next. Here, we’ve rounded up a number of popular diets and lifestyle practices, breaking down the benefits and risks of each. Find which process best fits your lifestyle, so that—in conjunction with moderate exercise—you can feel and look your very best.
(Shutterstock/Photo Illustration)
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Mediterranean
The Mediterranean diet is very similar to a pescatarian diet, in that it emphasizes eating seafood, fish, eggs and dairy, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, healthy fats and nuts. It differs in that it allows for minimal red meat and poultry consumption. The Mediterranean diet is one of balance, and mirrors how people eat in seaside countries like Greece and Italy, where seafood is abundant and most food is fresh and unprocessed.
Paleo
Adherents of the paleo (short for paleolithic) diet believe that it’s essentially the nutritional blueprint of our ancestors from before agriculture was invented. Based on that hypothesis by keto diet founder Dr. Loren Cordain, the paleo diet excludes processed foods, grains and dairy, so say goodbye to both cheese and bread. Sometimes referred to as the caveman diet, the paleo diet claims to “feed” human DNA—or provide humans with nutrition the way their bodies were designed—and improve nutrient density, which reduces cravings for sweets and refined foods. Cereal, grains and breads, dairy, potatoes, processed foods, refined sugar and vegetable oils are not permitted on the paleo diet, but copious amounts of grass-fed meats, fish and seafood, eggs, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and heart-healthy oils are allowed.
Pescatarian
A pescatarian diet allows for the consumption of fish and seafood but not red meat or poultry. Dairy and eggs are also permitted, but the emphasis of the diet is on eating well-balanced meals that combine protein, vegetables, fruits, carbohydrates and healthy fats. People choose a pescatarian diet for health reasons or to reduce their consumption of animal protein without eliminating all meat sources. Salmon and mackerel provide healthy fats and omega-3 fatty acids, while other seafood options like shrimp and tilapia are good sources of lean protein.
Keto
Intuitive Eating Whether you’re an omnivore, a vegetarian or a vegan, nearly everyone can follow the ethos of intuitive eating. Intuitive eating isn’t a diet; rather, it’s an anti-diet coined by dieticians Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch, and it emphasizes integrating mental and physical health. Intuitive eating is commonly used by people recovering from eating disorders, since it stresses the importance of being healthy at every size, eschews weight loss and promotes dignity and respect toward one’s body.
This diet has recently become one of the most popular ways to lose weight and is considered a low-carb diet similar to the once-touted Atkins diet. A keto diet focuses on putting your body in a reduced metabolic state, otherwise known as ketosis. By severely reducing carbs and replacing them with foods high in fat, the body enters ketosis and uses fat as an energy source, ultimately burning more fat in the process. While the keto diet can lead to weight loss and also increase insulin sensitivity—aiding those with prediabetes and type 2 diabetes—the side effects of eating a high-fat diet can include low protein in the blood, extra fat in the liver and developing kidney stones, according to Healthline.com. On the keto diet, all fruits, root vegetables like potatoes, alcohol, sugar and grains are not permitted.
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Slowly but surely, the foundation for a Vegas comeback is being laid
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he election has understandably been the center of all attention in Las Vegas, especially with Nevada playing a crucial role as a battleground state. While we all became obsessed with tracking vote totals from different counties in different states, however, we missed a less complicated equation transpiring on the Strip. The number of reopened Vegas shows doubled on November 6. MGM Grand, Luxor and Excalibur brought back seven different productions that haven’t been staged for in-person audiences since mid-March. David Copperfield returned to his eponymous theater, as did the cast of Thunder From Down Under to theirs, but most of the other shows moved to different venues in order to meet state safety protocols. The dancers of Jabbawockeez relocated from their intimate showroom to the cavernous MGM Grand Garden Arena to accommodate socially distanced audiences of 250. Shows like these, plus earlier reopenings like Absinthe at Caesars Palace, Piff the Magic Dragon at Flamingo and a few Strip comedy clubs, have been able to return to business due to a loosening of certain restrictions announced by Gov. Steve Sisolak on September 29. But the celebrated comeback of this brand of Vegas entertainment also seems to be a necessity in this increasingly uncertain period of the pandemic. Las Vegas visitation rose to more than 1.7 million in September, up 10.9 percent from an approximate 1.5 million visitors in August. That number is expected to hold steady or possibly inch upward for October into early November before a deeper-than-usual dip for the holidays. Casino resorts needed to expand current amenities and offerings during the transition from summer pool season into fall and winter. “Entertainment has always been that amenity that gets people to come to Las Vegas, and I think that still holds true,” says Chris Baldizan, senior vice president of entertainment at MGM Resorts. “For our company, putting up seven shows at [limited] capacity is about 5 percent of what our normal available ticket count would be pre-pandemic. So … it’s minute, but it’s a step in the right direction.” Live entertainment is a visible, vital part of Southern Nevada’s tourism-based economic engine. Without large-scale conventions and business meetings or entertainment events at bigger venues on the docket until late spring 2021—at the earliest—it’s likely monthly visitation will stay below 2 million. The Strip might be in a holding pattern until the summer arrives, and that means these smaller shows and other current entertainment offerings will be tasked with keeping the Vegas spirit alive until the city can fully reemerge from COVID-19 conditions—as long as they can remain open. Sisolak’s November 10 press-conference plea for Nevadans to stay home as much as possible and avoid gatherings for two weeks, in order to combat spiking infection rates, is a strong indicator that tighter restrictions and closures could return at any time.
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(Circa by Wade Vandervort/Staff; Piff the Magic Dragon by Christopher DeVargas/Staff; Raiders/AP Photo; X Country by Stardust Fallout/Courtesy; David Copperfield/Courtesy)
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Jabbawockeez (Christopher DeVargas/Staff)
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* * * * * At this point, many of you already know the new rules for going to a Vegas show: socially distanced seating plans, audience members and most performers wearing masks, an extra 25-foot separation between the stage and the audience and a maximum capacity of 250 people or 50% of the venue’s normal allotment, whichever is less. When Absinthe reopened on October 28, there was one mild surprise during its first performance. While most of the action took place on a newly expanded stage 25 feet away from the closest cabaret table, a couple of acts performed on the Spiegeltent’s small central stage. A show spokesperson said Clark County officials gave Absinthe the approval for that, confirming what we’ve learned about the reopening process: It’s an ongoing dialogue between safety officials, casino venue managers and show producers, with everyone working together to find
the best ways to provide a fun and safe experience. “I’m really proud of our team’s efforts and the collaboration with governing authorities and show partners that really made it work,” says Jason Gastwirth, president of entertainment at Caesars Entertainment, which reopened the first handful of casino shows on the Strip. “Las Vegas is going to be a leader in bringing these things back, and we’re excited about further developments to come … because it’s an important milestone for our recovery.” For more than seven months, entertainment execs like Gastwirth and Baldizan spent their days rescheduling, postponing and renegotiating canceled shows while planning and replanning around various scenarios that might allow entertainment events to return to their venues. Maintaining flexibility is a must, including the use of larger venues for smaller shows. “It really comes down to our close relationships with our show
Hopefully we can show our governor that it can be done safely—or as safely as any other thing out there.” –Show producer Angela Stabile
X Country (Courtesy)
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partners. We’re constantly trying to think through [possibilities] like, if this were to happen, here’s how we might move forward,” Gastwirth says. “We’re hoping there will continue to be a natural progression and we’ll get back to full capacity and migrate back to our regular programming formats. … But it really is about planning around whatever we are allowed to do and doing it the best way possible, and there are a lot of hypotheticals there.” Burlesque-style revue X Country became the first Strip casino show to return, October 22 at Harrah’s, with its cast of dancers wearing clear masks and keeping their distance onstage during a show that usually features closer interaction with audiences. Producer Angela Stabile says she’s hoping more restrictions will be relaxed soon, so she can reopen sister shows X Burlesque at the Flamingo and X Rocks at Bally’s, all under the Caesars banner. “Someone had to do it, so we took the first steps, and now everything is going in the right direction. And I do feel that eventually everything will be back better than ever, there’s no question about that. It may [just] take some time,” she says. “Hopefully we can help show our governor it can be done safely, or as safely as any other thing out there.” X Country was able to remain in its 340-seat Harrah’s Cabaret venue, while another long-running female revue, Fantasy at Luxor, reopened last week after relocating from the 350-seat Atrium Showroom to the 1,500-plus capacity Luxor Theater. Carrot Top made the same move with his comedy show at Luxor, and said before last week’s reopening that while he was comfortable with the established safety protocols for artists and audience members, he was anxious and uncertain about how his performance would carry in a much larger theater space. “It’s a different beast altogether—a big room with people spread out throughout the thing—and that’s something I’ve never had to
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Absinthe (Christopher DeVargas/Staff)
experience,” he said. “Comedy is so intimate. That’s the reason we have comedy clubs and rooms like mine. So this is going to be one of those things where I’ll get onstage that first night and experience what I’m going to experience and try to grow from it and each night, make it better.” Tropicana has reopened perennial stand-up spot the Laugh Factory, and MGM Grand brought back Brad Garrett’s Comedy Club at a ballroom space near the arena. The Strat’s L.A. Comedy Club was one of the first casino entertainment rooms in general to reopen,
on October 9, emblematic of the northern Strip resort’s philosophy to get back to normal Vegas fun as quickly as possible. “The word is experience. That’s what we’ve been focused on since reopening,” Strat General Manager Stephen Thayer says. “There are so many things we have to do to make sure our employees and guests are safe, and anything we can do to bring that experience back is critical to the idea of people wanting to get back to Las Vegas. They want to experience what they remember.” The Strat also reopened Michael Jackson tribute show MJ Live and
recently added an extra Saturday-night show to its schedule, noteworthy since the other resorts on that end of the Strip—Sahara, Westgate, Circus Circus, Wynn, Treasure Island and Venetian— have reactivated minimal entertainment offerings thus far. Back on the southern Strip, the Jabbawockeez show is one of the best examples of what’s happening in Vegas entertainment today, a truly unique production fighting through stress and anxiety and seizing an unexpected opportunity. Phi Nguyen, one of the dance troupe’s original members dating
back to before the show’s debut on the Strip 10 years ago, says his initial reaction to the move to MGM Grand Garden Arena was utter disbelief. “It was like, what? The MGM what?” he says. “But we’re so thankful to be working with MGM for the last decade, and every opportunity they’ve presented to us has always just worked out. Ultimately, it’s humbling. … “It’s been a rough year for the whole world,” Nguyen continues, “and now entertainment is slowly coming back and people are using it to escape their everyday trials and tribulations. If we can be one of the
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few [reopening shows] to set a new precedent during a time like this, we have to take the opportunity and run with it.” The Jabbas are performing a modified version of their new Timeless show, using big-screen projection and the arena’s vast sound and technical capabilities to amp up their celebration of music and b-boy and hip-hop cultures. Their stage stands on the floor of the sectioned-off arena, with seating available in the stands. “It gives us the space to have everybody socially distanced properly, and the stage is raised up. We decided to break it up into different pieces, so as the show goes on, you have different focal points,” says Kevin Brewer, another founding Jabbawockeez member. “We just have to finesse how we do crowd participation and create a new way to engage them. We’re used to breaking that fourth wall and bringing them into our world, and now we have to open it all up a
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little more and find a way to maintain that feeling.” * * * * * If these mostly traditional Vegas production shows can maintain their quality of presentation and continue to keep cast, crew and audience members safe and comfortable, their efforts could serve as a bridge to the other side of the pandemic. But they’re not the only kind of entertainment finding ways forward during these uncertain times and under the pressure of restrictive circumstances. Vegas nightlife is back. The venues have shifted operational methods (and in many cases, changed their names) to portray a lounge, rather than a club, experience. But at popular spots like Marquee at the Cosmopolitan, Tao at Venetian, Drai’s at the Cromwell and XS and Encore Beach Club at Wynn, DJs are spinning records, and guests are buying bottles and celebrating the night. They might not be dancing or
mingling with strangers—essential club activities not permitted under the new rules—but this more relaxed experience has been consistently popular since some club venues began reopening over the summer. “We’ve all realized that you can hang out with your six best friends in your living room and have a great time, so it’s not a stretch to get to the concept of sitting on a different couch or going to a great venue where you can drink and hear good music with that same group,” says Dustin Drai, vice president of entertainment at Drai’s Beachclub, Nightclub and After Hours. He points out that without superstar headlining DJs and artists in the clubs, guests are more focused on enjoying the company of their
Thunder From Down Under (Courtesy)
own small groups and the brilliance of the venues themselves. “Vegas nightlife has come to be mostly about who’s playing and not where they are playing,” Drai says. “I hope when things go back to normal, it will be a combination of both.” Some club venues, including Tao and the resurrected Intrigue at Wynn, have shifted weekend daytime programming to become a sort of fabulously upscale sports bar, offering big-screen watch parties with refined food and drink options. That’s another aspect of Vegas entertainment that continues to thrive despite the pandemic: sports. The newly opened Circa casino resort in Downtown Las Vegas might just be the first Vegas resort built around watching and betting on sports contests. Its oversized sportsbook, rooftop Stadium Swim facility and 165-foot casino Mega Bar have been packed with masked attendees during football days, and so have most of the sports bars and screen-laden casual restaurants along the Strip. And it’s understandable: The majority of Vegas visitors are from drive-in markets, and they’re not looking to spend a lot on luxury experiences like fine dining restaurants or shopping at upscale stores. Even if you can’t yet attend a boxing or UFC event, a Raiders game at Allegiant Stadium or a Golden Knights game at T-Mobile Arena, Vegas remains a sports-oriented destination. “We continue to work with different partners to constantly create those types of experiences and that atmosphere,” Baldizan says. “You can’t replicate being at a game, but you also can’t replicate watching a game in an atmosphere that can only be created in Las Vegas. We have really big plans to program Mandalay Bay and Luxor around the Raiders, since they’re playing right across the way, and we do have more time to
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It can be demoralizing, but we try to focus on being positive and looking for bright spots.” –MGM Resorts’ Chris Baldizan
Mayfair Supper Club (Courtesy)
get that right. But every weekend in Vegas is a good sports weekend.” Add all of these offerings to a broad assortment of live music taking place in natural lounge venues, bars and restaurants—including innovative hybrid venues like the Cosmopolitan’s Rose.Rabbit.Lie. and Bellagio’s Mayfair Supper Club—and the Strip right now is unquestionably vibrant. It’s not what it was or what it wants to be again, but it should get there provided hospitality industry leaders stay locked on their thoughtful and strategic path, and that staff and guests continue to embrace a safety-first mentality. “That’s the mindset we all have to have right now,” Baldizan says. “All we can do is put our best foot
forward, follow all the protocols and do the best we can to make sure our venues are safety first, which they always were, even pre-pandemic. We keep saying this is the new normal, and it is, but the biggest part of that is having the ability to be flexible.” Unfortunately, complete flexibility also means planning for another entertainment shutdown. It’s not expected, but with infection rates spiking in Las Vegas and so many other cities across the country, it’s a possibility that can’t be ignored. And it isn’t. “It is tough. Every day is such an ebb and flow, a piece of good news or a step forward and then maybe three steps back,” Baldizan says. “That can be demoralizing, but we just try to
focus on being positive and looking for bright spots [while] keeping our eye on the ball and communicating about all those things, so we can be ready to face those circumstances.” Prior to Sisolak’s November 10 press conference, during which the governor illustrated that Nevada is at a “very crucial point right now” in its fight against the virus, he had said the state was aiming to increase capacities for conventions in January, shooting for a 50% occupancy in the many event spaces in Las Vegas. If the community can get the virus in line and accomplish that goal, it stands to reason that entertainment events can continue to grow, too. That 2,000 fans were able to attend UNLV’s first football game at Alle-
giant Stadium on Nevada Day was another key step in that direction. “We remain very bullish on how successful entertainment will continue to be in Las Vegas, because people have expressed to us from all over the world how much they’ve missed it,” Gastwirth says. “We’ve seen that in how we’ve relaunched shows and in putting tickets for the new Usher residency [next year at the Colosseum] on sale, and those things give us confidence. “Entertainment is still the No. 1 reason people visit Las Vegas,” Gastwirth continues, “and as we’ve been able to reintroduce these shows, that should spearhead more visitation. Meetings and conventions are an important part of that, and the real hope is that larger gatherings overall will continue to grow the economy and put more people back to work. It’s all of these different things that worked together when times were easier, and these elements are crucial to getting things accelerated now.”
new frontiers. your own backyard. And by “backyard,” of course, we mean the entire rest of this wild, beautiful state of ours. One packed with pristine parks, intriguing towns, and oddball attractions-a vast playground where endless stories abound. And the more you explore, the more Silver State surprises there always are to uncover. So what are you waiting for? Your home-state adventure-and your new Nevada memories-are calling.
Because it's always time to Discover Your Nevada. DiscoverYourNevada.com/LVWeekly
MOUNT CHARLESTON, SPRING MOUNTAINS NATIONAL RECREATION AREA
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HOME IS WHERE YOU PARK IT #Vanlife attracts modern-day nomads BY GENEVIE DURANO
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mobile way of life has always captured the American imagination, with the first RVs appearing on the road more than a century ago. And after more than eight months of restricted travel due to the pandemic, the call of the open road feels stronger than ever. Some people are heeding it—and making it a full-time lifestyle, for both work and play. Van life (or #vanlife, as the kids on social media say) is attracting a type of workforce known as digital nomads—millennials and Gen Xers able to work from anywhere and seemingly unattached to the idea of homeownership. Van life is the Tiny House movement on wheels. Van lifers manage to pack their entire lives into 60 square feet or less, always prepared to move at a moment’s notice. Devotees claim the lifestyle provides the ultimate form of freedom, unshackled by the twin commitments of a brick-and-mortar job and a mortgage. It attracts people from all walks of life, even young families who raise their kids with an eye for adventure. While the van life movement is several years old, having been propelled to niche appeal by Instagram and YouTube, it’s now attracting more people, who see the pandemic and various natural disasters limiting their choice of domicile. Plus, most office jobs can now be done remotely, so why not use Anytown USA (and seemingly endless BLM lands and national parks) as a home and an office? Before you dive into this lifestyle, here’s a primer in what it takes to live it.
Is van life for you? There are two types of van lifers: fulltime and part-time. Full-time means your van is your only place of residence, with everything you own inside. You park in any city or out in nature. Fulltime van lifers also work in their vans. Drawing electricity from solar panels installed on the roof, and installing a signal booster means there’s always WiFi and power. Part-time van lifers, meanwhile, use their van for weekend trips and boondocking (going off the grid). The majority of van lifers are outdoor enthusiasts who embrace camping, climbing, hiking, surfing and traveling. Some even drive as far south as they can
in the Americas. Van life is also very popular in Europe, where open borders allow for endless travel options. While nature plays a major part in van life’s appeal, many van lifers prefer urban stealth camping, choosing to park in cities rather than in the great outdoors. They try to blend their vans in with city streets, making them look like ordinary cargo vans—no windows, blackout shades in front, high roofs to obscure solar panels up top. (Cargo vans are classified as regular vehicles, similar to an SUV, and require no special parking permits). Urban stealth van lifers who opt not to install showers or toilets in their van might make use of gym facilities in each city.
Where to start The three most popular cargo vans used in conversions are the Mercedes Sprinter, the Ram ProMaster and the Ford Transit Connect. You see them everywhere: Amazon Prime and FedEx use them, as do utility companies. These vans are ideal for conversion, because they’re essentially empty boxes in which you can construct any floor plan. Seasoned van lifers advise buying a used van for your first build because the learning curve can be steep, especially for those going the DIY conversion route. Mercedes Sprinters hold their value well in the used market, but the maintenance is typically more expensive than for the American-made Ram ProMaster or Ford Transit. They all come in different lengths and roof heights, so be sure to pick one that suits your specific needs.
(Shutterstock/Photo Illustration)
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To DIY or not Once you’ve chosen a van, there’s a critical choice to be made: DIY build or hire a conversion company, which can charge from $30,000 to upward of six figures (not including the cost of the van). That’s great, of course, if money is no object: You get top-notch craftsmanship built to your specifications. For those who choose the DIY route, there’s a passionate community on YouTube sharing how-to conversion videos, so you need not feel intimidated even if you don’t have construction experience. DIY conversions can cost as little as a couple thousand dollars . Options include buying premade conversion kits for cabinets or kitchen galleys, or outsourcing part of the build— such as the electrical or plumbing—and doing the rest yourself.
Inspiration Want to learn more about this lifestyle? There are plenty of pioneers showing off their creation on social media. Here are a few to check out: YouTube Humble Road bit.ly/2I5DGET Ladi & Margaret bit.ly/2TUHvj1 Snow & Curt bit.ly/2JFbBVQ Trent & Allie bit.ly/32dbeYU Van Life Sagas bit.ly/3evKXKh Instagram @christianshaeffer @divineontheroad @louisthevan @saraandalexjames @thefites
Primary components The main components of a converted van are electricity, plumbing (including a shower, toilet and water supply), a kitchen setup, a sleeping area and cabinetry for storage. The electrical system is probably the most daunting for DIYers to tackle, but YouTube is filled with step-by-step
tutorials. RV dwellers get their electricity via shore power, either at campgrounds and RV parks or through generators. Van lifers do something similar, drawing solar panel-generated juice and running it through an inverter and batteries, allowing them to run small appliances, a heater and AC, and to charge laptops 24 hours a day.
A basic kitchen setup includes a stovetop run either by electricity or propane; a small, energy-efficient fridge; and a sink. Water supply is a key consideration for van lifers, since they can only carry so much water at a time. The sleeping area is often a convertible space, doubling as a dining area, office or lounge. A high-roof vehicle allows for cabinetry to be built for storage.
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■ Splurge: Meso Infusion Micro Mask Plump your skin while you sleep with this mask from 111 Skin. These masks comprise 150 microcones of hyaluronic acid and vitamin C, which penetrate the skin barrier at .3 mm, better than most topical serums can. They’re perfect for combating crow’s feet and frown lines. $160 for 4 masks, 111skin.com. ■ Save: Golde Clean Greens Superfood Mask Marketed as a “green smoothie for your face,” this mask from Golde is made from edible superfoods like chlorella, spirulina and mango juice to promote clear and healthy skin. $34, golde.co.
LIP CARE
■ Splurge: Laneige lip sleeping mask This lip mask’s basically a glorified lip balm that comes in a handful of juicy flavors, but the best thing about it is how incredibly soft and healthy it makes your lips feel. Whether you put it on at night or use it as your everyday lip care, it’s a must for your arsenal. $22, us.laneige.com. ■ Save: Jack Black Intense Therapy Lip Balm With ingredients like shea butter, cocoa butter, beeswax and avocado oil, this go-to lip balm fights dry lips in a snap. It even provides SPF 25 protection. $8, getjackblack.com.
SPA AT HOME These self-care products can help you relax BY LESLIE VENTURA The pandemic has been raging for more than nine months. If you’re at your wits’ end, you’re not alone. But there’s one way to briefly forget your troubles—by relaxing at home the way you would at a professional spa. So pour a glass of wine (or two, no one’s judging), put on some soft music and get ready to treat yourself to a spa day without leaving the house.
SPA TOOLS
■ Splurge: Facialift by Sarah Chapman Eight massage heads and 48 nodes tone facial muscles, reduce jaw tension and help eliminate puffiness with regular use, according to the device’s creator, skin care expert Sarah Chapman. $50, sarahchapman.com. ■ Save: Esarora Ice Roller Roll away puffiness, tension and bags under the eyes with this cooling facial ice roller. Keep it in the fridge and use it in the morning to wake up or throughout the day as a soothing pick-me-up. $23, amazon.com.
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■ Splurge: Vitruvi stone diffuser Diffusing essential oils has never been more popular, and Vitruvi makes the process feel even more luxurious and spalike with its beautiful stone diffuser that doubles as an accent piece for your home. $119, vitruvi.com. ■ Save: Nag Champa incense One of the most affordable ways to make your home feel more relaxing is with the gorgeous and calming scent of Nag Champa, a blend of frangipani and sandalwood handrolled into incense sticks in India. $6, amazon.com.
MICRODERMABRASION
■ Splurge: Personal microderm pro An exfoliation tool combined with gentle vacuum technology mimics microdermabrasion results typically delivered in a spa setting. Regular use can reduce the appearance of fine lines, acne and pores. $200, sephora.com. ■ Save: Dermapore ultrasonic pore extractor This two-in-one device extracts and cleans pores, removing blackheads and dirt, while the infusion setting can be used with your favorite serums to help ingredients penetrate deeper into the skin’s surface. $100, sephora.com.
BATH SOAK
■ Splurge: Lord Jones High CBD Formula Bath Salts This bath soak is infused with 240 mg of CBD to help with muscle soreness, Epsom salts to detoxify and essential oils to calm. $65, lordjones.com. ■ Save: Mike’s Recovery Rest Mineral Soak This local wellness company combines essential oils, Atlantic sea salt and medium-chain triglycerides to help the body recover after an intense workout. $6, mikesrecovery.com.
PEDICURE
■ Splurge: The Pedi System With six nail polish colors of your choice and all the tools you need to give yourself the perfect pedicure, Olive and June’s system is perfect for toenail bliss right at home. Or, opt for the complete system if you want to give your hands some love, too, with a much-deserved manicure. $100-$130, oliveandjune.com. ■ Save: Misiki Foot Spa and Bath Give your feet the pampering they need with this foot spa complete with removable foot massager, foot stone and temperature settings for added heat therapy. $50, amazon.com.
(Shutterstock)
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BINGE THIS WEEK TV
ATYPICAL Created by Robia Rashid (How I Met Your Mother) in 2017, Atypical tells the story of the Gardner family, specifically 18-year-old Sam Gardner (Keir Gilchrist), a teenage boy with autism. While Gilchrist’s portrayal of an autistic teenager is both heartfelt and endearing, Atypical is as much about Sam’s family dynamic, from his separating parents to his protective sister with relationship woes. Bolstered by a standout supporting cast (Brigette Lundy-Paine, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Michael Rapaport) Atypical provides a glimpse into the world of a young man on the spectrum, and the integral role family plays in all of our not-so-typical lives. Netflix. –Leslie Ventura
The Mandalorian Picture these words receding into space: Season 2 of this Star Wars-based action-adventure series is off to as strong a start as its first, with its namesake armored mercenary and his adorable wizard baby facing new challenges and old foes. And it looks fantastic. Disney+
BOOK
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THE 99% INVISIBLE CITY
THE UNDOING
Ostensibly, 99% Invisible is a podcast about design. But in practice, it’s really about the strange magic that animates our everyday world, with host Roman Mars offering detailed explanations of mannequins, city flags, the smell of concrete after a rainstorm and more. In The 99% Invisible City: A Field Guide to the Hidden World of Everyday Design, Mars and co-author Kurt Kohlstedt dive deeply into all things urban, from skyscrapers to sidewalk markings. It’s an addictive read that will change your perception of Las Vegas, or wherever you live, for the better. 99percentinvisible.org. –Geoff Carter
One of the pleasures of watching TV is being transported vicariously into the fictional lives of others, especially when they involve homes overlooking the ocean or fabulous townhouses in Manhattan. Throw in a murder mystery that threatens to shatter that rarefied existence, and you’ve got something truly binge-worthy. In The Undoing, Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant star as a wealthy, successful couple whose enviable marriage crumbles in an instant. And, as in Big Little Lies, another HBO mini-series starring Kidman, sifting through the detritus provides the escapist drama we expect from prestige television. HBO. –Genevie Durano
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You’re Wrong About Journalists Michael Hobbes (HuffPost) and Sarah Marshall (The Week) use this weekly podcast to set the record straight on people and events “miscast in the public imagination,” from the Y2K bug to Janet Jackson’s “wardrobe malfunction.” apple.co/2JLdArJ
ALBUM
OUR PICKS FOR THE WEEK AHEAD
PODCAST
THE DOLLOP Ready for a break from current events? Join comedians Dave Anthony and Gareth Reynolds for storytime as they riff on the insanity of past happenings. Each episode delves into a person or place from (mostly American) history. Topics have included LSD pioneer Timothy Leary; the hearings for Supreme Court judge Clarence Thomas; activist Abbie Hoffman; aviator Charles Lindbergh and even the history of syphilis in America. You’ll laugh, you’ll learn, and you’ll realize that, sadly, these times aren’t as unprecedented as they might seem. –C. Moon Reed
SUN RA ARKESTRA: SWIRLING Experimental-jazz icon Sun Ra died in 1993, but his band—known as the Arkestra—never stopped performing. Directed for the past 25 years by woodwind wiz Marshall Allen (now aged 96), the group has continued bringing Sun Ra’s otherworldly music to stages around the world. But where Sun Ra was famous for his massive catalog of recorded music, his posthumous Arkestra has given fans just one (1999) studio album … until now. New LP Swirling finds Allen and 14 bandmates injecting fresh life into Sun Ra classics like “Angels and Demons at Play” and “Space Loneliness,” digging into deeper cuts and adding one of Allen’s own compositions— the swinging title cut—to the Arkestra’s vibrant and enduring repertoire. Sunrastrut.bandcamp. com/album/swirling. –Spencer Patterson
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Smart Vac 5:30PM – 7:30PM EARN 2,500 POINTS TO RECEIVE GIFTS. Visit the Silver Sevens 2nd Floor Event Room. Gifts may vary from images shown.
Must be 21 or older. See A-Play® Club for complete details. 4100 Paradise Rd., Las Vegas, NV 89169
silversevenscasino.com
THANK YOU FOR CHOOSING
GREENSPUN MEDIA GROUP A S YO U R T R U S T E D S O U R C E O F I N F O R M AT I O N .
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L A S V E G A S M A G A Z I N E j
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S h o w b I Z w E E k L y
Julian Serra no Elevated Sp anish
Tapas
Fare at Aria
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ATTRACTIONS ENTERTAINMENT DINING NIGHTLIFE
VOL. 15 NO. 6
GAMING SHOPPING VALUABLE OFFERS THE IN-THE-KNOW GUIDE FOR VISITORS ON THE GO
WE ARE PROUD TO SERVE THIS A M A Z I N G C O M M U N I T Y. B E C A U S E O F YO U , W E CO N T I N U E TO B E
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LOCAL SPIN A new batch of Las Vegas records you oughta know about MERCY MUSIC Nothing in the Dark Homegrown pop-punk trio Mercy Music released its latest full-length album in September, now available on Wiretap Records. Comprising singer/guitarist Brendan Scholz, bassist Jarred Cooper and drummer Rye Martin, the band finds itself doing what it does best: anthemic, foot-stomping, antagonistic punk rock enmeshed with tried-and-true pop touchstones. For its third LP, Mercy Music enlisted producer Cameron Webb (Motörhead, Alkaline Trio), sharpening the band’s rougher edges and honing in on its strongest assets—Scholz’s feverish vocals and ferocious guitar work, Cooper’s distinct bass lines and Martin’s fastidious percussion. Stand-
out songs “Tell Me I’m Wrong” and “Time Well Spent” feel like mature, grown-up tracks for the band, which reflect Scholz’s lyrical direction. The record, according to Scholz, is simply about adulthood—whatever that means for each listener. “Here’s to the future and the goodness it’ll bring/Buy a perfect house/Hang a tire swing/ Here’s to the future/And all your little plans/We can paint the kitchen/Buy a few more plants,” Scholz sings with biting apathy on “Alright.” Sure, it takes the piss out of white picket fences and fuzzy Pinterest dreams, but that’s exactly what makes Mercy Music so honest and refreshing. Mercymusic.bandcamp.com. –Leslie Ventura
JACOB SMIGEL
(Courtesy)
If I Were Me Jacob Smigel has a callous on the bridge of his nose. The just-turned-40-year-old serves as an emergency room doctor at a rural hospital outside Austin, Texas— and that means wearing an N95 mask during his shifts, which can be unpredictable to say the least. “You bit your tongue, you rolled your car off the highway, you have a bowel obstruction or you have coronavirus, you’ll see me in the ER.” Born and raised in Las Vegas, the singer-songwriter left town in 2007 to pursue his medical dreams, but he says music never strayed far from his thoughts. “A lot of interest-
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SAME SEX MARY Public Comment In 2019, James Howard Adams, lead singer of local rock band Same Sex Mary, was elected as a Boulder City councilman. Now, Adams serves not just as a guitar-playing government official, but as his town’s mayor pro tem. It’s no surprise, then, that the band’s latest release, an EP titled Public Comment, released on Election Day and on Adams’ birthday, is 20 minutes of no-holds-barred, politically charged rock ’n’ roll. “Most of the songs had been written prior to me actually being elected, except for ‘New Normal,’ which was written in response to the pandemic,” Adams says. “As an artist, it’s been a hard balance, because I never really wanted to let the two [roles] bleed together, and then we decided to drop this. As an artist, my job is to speak out, but as a politician, my job is to listen. So I’m conscious of that, and I try to keep the two as separate as possible—to keep the rock ’n’ roll antics out of the public discourse.” Despite that notion, keyboardist Tsvetelina Stefanova says the album is a reflection of both the current political climate and the band itself. The project’s title refers to the five-minute segment in which a person can speak publicly on political matters before a governing body. Not coincidentally, each track clocks in just under five minutes. “All four of these songs are still relatively recent and represent the direction we’ve been going as artists,” Stefanova says. “Our art is reflecting what we think about and our reality, and we’ve become a lot more political and have become more aware as we’ve grown as individuals. We have a lot to say.” Samesexmary.bandcamp.com. –LV
ing ideas had come,” Smigel says. “But instead of grabbing those nuggets of inspiration and working them into something, I’d let them float by.” That is, until last December, when he took his longtime pals in Rhode Island folk-rock band Deer Tick up on an offer to head into their new Nashville studio and record Smigel’s latest batch of tunes—with Deer Tick’s quartet of seasoned instrumentalists backing him. “I’d always wanted to make a ‘real’ record in a studio with a band, instead of me playing simple parts,” he says. “The stars aligned, and I owe [Deer Tick] so much thanks.” The result of that three-day session, album If I Were Me, sounds like the Smigel locals remember—the clear-voiced singer spinning stories both personal and invented; there’s even a smidge of his trademark “found sound” worked in. But with Deer Tick behind him, it sounds fuller, more muscular, whether he’s singing about cadavers (“The Library”), former Vegas bandmates (“Waste Your Life, Be an Artist”) or his own medicine/music duality (“The Shadow”). Tune in to YouTube Live November 20 at 7 p.m. to hear live versions of the new material (follow @smigelmusic on Instagram for further details). Jacobsmigel.bandcamp.com, jacobsmigel.com. –Spencer Patterson
(Jacob Smigel photos courtesy)
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Tape Face reopens with an up-close and personal conversation
TAPE FACE Tuesday-Sunday, 7:30 p.m., $69. Harrah’s Showroom, 855-234-7469.
Tape Face (Courtesy/Jesse Lambert of Arch Angel Studios)
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omedy. Dance. Magic. Music. The shows that have reopened after Las Vegas’ long entertainment shutdown are easy to categorize, and perhaps that makes it easier to imagine how they’re operating in the current, restricted environment. Tape Face is hard to describe. It’s a person and it’s a show. Both are very funny, but the person never speaks a word while he’s onstage. Tape Face relies heavily on audience interaction to spark surprise, and builds on that comedic connection throughout the show. The uniquely generous creativity of the person made the show a somewhat unlikely but significant success at the House of Tape, a makeshift 200-seat theater at Harrah’s Las Vegas. It reopened this week in a bigger space—the 500-seat Harrah’s Showroom—with a larger audience of 250 socially distanced people. Like all returning shows, the onstage activity also had to be reconfigured, but Tape
Face the person decided to go in an entirely new direction, installing an interactive conversation with alter ego/show creator Sam Wills to open the production. “It came about because I realized I really wanted to have that chance to talk to the audience beforehand. I wanted to reassure them that I know it’s pretty weird right now; it’s weird for everyone,” Wills says. “For me, it came back to connecting to the audience as a person, not an act, and being able to say, ‘These are the conditions and rules for what we’re going to do together, and it’s going to be great,’ and to have a chance to talk and let them ask questions.” After humble beginnings as a clown and street performer, the New Zealand-born Wills originally created this character as The Boy With Tape on His Face on something of a whim, to prove that a silent performance—inspired in part by Tim Burton and Buster Keaton—could be great. The character evolved into a show Wills has toured around the world, with a boost from an appearance on America’s Got Talent.
Wills’ emphasis on connecting to the audience as human first and then as performer isn’t surprising to fans and followers. He has intentionally avoided virtual shows during the pandemic months, and his occasional social media posts have been focused on self-care and gentle activism. “For me, the real transition was turning off and shutting down and realizing me doing shows is not what’s important right now, but what can I do is to sort of sit back for a bit and really reevaluate what I’m doing,” he says. “Obviously, there were a number of people immediately banging out Zoom shows, but I didn’t want to get involved that way. I have international friends living in other countries, and watching shows like that was like watching a newborn horse walk. I didn’t want to start knocking out content I knew I wouldn’t want to keep doing.” Tape Face is one of the weirdest shows on the Strip, and for Wills, keeping it weird means boiling it down to its essence. “At this point it’s very much a theatrical piece, and we’ve got a lot of ideas [on] how to evolve the show slowly once it’s breathing and living again. But at this point with no audience interaction, it’s kind of nice to enjoy the surrealism of this weird clown character,” he says. “Coming from that street performer background, you learn to be fluid in any situation. If it starts to rain, you can either bail or carry on. So we can adjust to whatever rule is thrown at us, adapt and find a way.”
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WHAT’S IN THE BOX? Hey Maker Co brings together local artisans in cool, curated packages BY C. MOON REED
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or two years, artist friends Mary Felker and Ashley Zabarte tossed around the idea of creating a subscription box featuring the work of local makers. But the respective painter and jeweler were too busy with their own projects to seriously consider building something new. Then COVID-19 knocked out the many pop-up events where they sold their wares. With their regular lives on indefinite hold, it was time to make
the artist-entrepreneurs’ idle dream a profitable reality. Hey Maker Co debuted in June 2020 with a gender-neutral Father’s Day gift box featuring Chakana coffee, a ceramic dish that looks like a cheese pizza, taco art and hand sanitizer from CraftHaus Brewing. DIY was the theme for the July box, with kits for painting watercolors by Felker (Instagram: @maryonadventures); a jewelry kit by Zabarte (@ linenandlacestyle); a succulent display
(@PlantedLV); fabric dying (@This. is.brennan); and embroidery (@ro.marianne_artisan). Subsequent boxes have included Las Vegas and Nevada themes, the latter featuring talent from Reno. The duo’s goal is to eventually curate three to five artisans for each box, with a blend of local, regional and national makers. The idea is that the mix of localities will help give local creatives national exposure. For now, Felker and Zabarte are filling out the offerings with their own very cool creations. “Our No. 1 goal is to support our local makers,” Felker says. The stated mission of Hey Maker Co is to “empower and elevate makers and their brands.” They hope to build community, supporting the local economy and small businesses. For now the prices are different for every box. But the duo say they hope
“Our No. 1 goal is to support our local makers.” –Mary Felker
Hey Maker Co founders Mary Felker, left, and Ashley Zabarte (Wade Vandervort/Staff)
to create a set price subscription for 2021. Now, prices range from about $25 to $75, with the most recent box being $47. “It’s a very big discount and a great deal for consumers to support local,” Felker says. “Our purpose really at Hey Maker is to not only just create a box, but also to facilitate an opportunity for people who are just starting out with their businesses,” Felker continues. “Part of what we want to do is create connections with makers in the com-
munity and with people who are just starting out, [to] give them a platform to stand on, so that they get a little traction and a little momentum,” Zabarte adds. “Right now, it’s really hard to build momentum.” To help get the word out and build audiences for all involved, Hey Maker hosts “Instagram takeovers,” in which a different maker takes over the @heymakerco Instagram account. The partners also host the Hey Maker Podcast (bit.ly/3866tnC). In each episode, Felker and Zabarte take turns interviewing a different maker. “It’s really neat, because we can get to know them more and provide them with a platform to share with their followers, too,” Zabarte says. Additionally, Hey Maker hosts small monthly “Meet the Maker” events. The partners plan to make the events larger in a post-COVID world, with more interaction between the makers and the buyers. The most recent event was socially distanced and costumed in honor of Halloween. In the meantime, the partners continue to make their own work. Zabarte just released an art deco collection. For her part, Felker has been painting murals around town, in a style that incorporates the iconography of both Las Vegas and the surrounding desert. Looking ahead, the creators want to add an educational and coaching component to their business via a planned Hey Maker Academy. Zabarte says: “We want them to come out of being in a [Hey Maker Co] box with knowledge on how to grow their business and keep going.”
HEY MAKER CO heymakerco.com instagram.com/heymakerco
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A “Self Care”-themed Hey Maker Co box (Wade Vandervort/Staff)
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Introducing
Select Elite Live Oil Available at
Curaleaf Blvd. 1736 S. Las Vegas Blvd. Las Vegas, NV 89104 (702) 727-3187 Store Hours: 9am – 3am daily
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Curaleaf Nevada
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LOTUS OF SIAM 953 E. Sahara Ave. #A5, 702-735-3033. Lunch: Monday-Friday, 11 a.m.-2:30 pm. Dinner: Daily, 5-10 p.m.
HOME AGAIN Lotus of Siam’s menu encourages exploration. (Wade Vandervort/Staff)
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Lotus of Siam’s northern Thai comfort food is back where it all began BY GENEVIE DURANO
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hen you look at the Valley’s dining scene today with its abundance of restaurants, it’s hard to imagine that there was once a time when you couldn’t just get good Thai food, or Korean barbecue, or a host of other global cuisines that now dot our culinary landscape. That was the feel here when Saipin Chutima took over Lotus of Siam, located in a modest strip mall on Sahara and Commercial Center, in 1999. Sure, there were places then where you could get Americanized versions of Asian cuisine (our palates had been weaned on sweet, saucy pad Thai for a while), but what Chutima brought to the table was something new and unfamiliar: authentic northern Thai specialties that you’d otherwise have to travel to Chiang Mai to try. And diners noticed, along with national food writers and people who give out culinary awards. Long lines followed, for those who neglected to make a Lotus reservation. In 2017, a rain-related roof collapse closed the Sahara location, but it also paved the way for a new Lotus on Flamingo Road a few months later. (That spot is currently undergoing repairs and is expected to reopen later this month.) Meanwhile, repair on the Sahara location continued—the space holds sentimental and historic meaning for Chutima—and was completed just as restaurants shut down due to COVID-19. The original Lotus of Siam finally reopened in May, and even with a 50 percent reduction in capacity, dining there for longtime patrons has been a bright spot in these tough times. The framed photographs on the walls and the chandeliers are familiar touches that have been part of the Lotus story for more than 20 years. Not that there haven’t been changes, or that it has been easy for the Chutima family to navigate this new world of running a restaurant during a pandemic.
“It’s definitely taken a toll on us a little bit, but it’s not as bad [as it was],” says restaurant manager Penny Chutima. “I mean, we’re just hanging in, breaking even basically. But, you know, we did a lot of measures, [and] we changed a lot of things, [like] we put in a thermal camera. We also put in the disinfectant floor mats for the restaurant [employees]. So for example, if you’re walking in from the kitchen, or you’re coming in from the outside, you have to step on this pad before you do a facial scan. And then after that—[there’s] disinfectant on the floor mats—you have to stand on it for at least 20 seconds. It’s enough
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time for the camera to grab your temperature and then scan you in, clock you in, and then on to work you go.” The menu, too, changed to reflect disruptions in the supply chain, foreign and domestic, especially in the early months of the pandemic. Not wanting to sacrifice the quality of dishes by substituting inferior ingredients, Lotus pared down the number of items on its menu, from around 250 to just under 100, though Penny Chutima notes the kitchen will try to make anything a diner requests. Importantly, the signature dishes that have made their way down the Chutima family for 100 years are alive and well, including Crispy Duck Khao Soi, a plate of egg noodles in a curry base with a dash of coconut cream, red onions, lime and pickled mustard greens. But don’t get ahead
Papaya salad with Chilean sea bass (Wade Vandervort/Staff)
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of yourself. Make sure your table starts with Nam Prik Noom—a dip of roasted green chili, garlic, onions and tomatoes served with fresh vegetables and fried pork skins—along with an order of Garlic Prawns, deepfried with shells and sautéed with house-special garlic sauce. Sure, there’s pad Thai and a variety of curries, too, but what has always made Lotus of Siam so unique is the sense of adventure you feel when you find something you’ve never tried before, like Kha Nom Jean Nam Ngyow, a pork stew with tomatoes, ground pork, pork blood chunks and spare ribs atop a bed of rice vermicelli. It’s comfort food in a bowl, rich and complex and unfamiliar at first, but by the end, it tastes like something you’ve eaten all your life. Like Lotus of Siam itself, it feels like home.
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BARBECUE A LA BUFFALO
QUEEN CITY BBQ At Naked City Pizza Shop, 4608 Paradise Road, 702-476-4248. Friday & Saturday, 11:30 a.m.-8 p.m.
Naked City Pizza unleashes a full menu of smoked meats BY BROCK RADKE
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aked City Pizza chef and proprietor Chris Palmeri recently closed his original kitchen inside Moon Doggies Bar on Arville Street, but his flagship store on Paradise Road and his Naked City Express at Blue Diamond Saloon are still going strong through the pandemic. And in late September, the Paradise eatery began serving something new. Queen City BBQ is the result of Palmeri’s obsession with smoked meat. Fans and followers of Naked City know the chef loves to play with different specials and menu items beyond pizza, wings and sandwiches; after all, this is the guy that once gave Las Vegas the terrific Mexican food of Desnudo Tacos. “There are a lot of barbecue places [in Las Vegas], but it’s not widely available in every neighborhood, and it’s always interested me,” he says. After dabbling a bit, he started researching barbecue and experimenting with different methods and flavors before reading Aaron Franklin’s Franklin Barbecue: A Meat-Smoking Manifesto, which Palmeri considers an encyclopedia of deliciousness. Queen City BBQ’s offerings are only available Fridays and Saturdays, but that could expand soon. Squad up
Short ribs, brisket and smoked sausage with cheddar grits and dirty rice (Christopher DeVargas/Staff)
and order the complete combo ($36) to sample all the in-house smoked meats with three side dishes. Smaller combos ($16-$21) and sandwiches ($11) are also available, but go big to try Palmeri twists like smoked turkey breast instead of chicken, beef ribs cut Korean-style and house-made cheddar-jalapeño or Polish sausages.
Pulled pork and brisket round out the meaty mains with three types of sauces to choose from, and savory sides include Cajun fries, cheddar grits, pickled onions and mac and cheese. “I always want to incorporate stuff the restaurants can use in different ways, and we were going through
a lot of turkey for sandwiches,” he says. “So now we’re not buying deli turkeys, and that smoked turkey breast is not something you find in most places. I’m buying a bigger smoker, and I want to try some more cool stuff, maybe smoked porchetta, things you don’t necessarily associate with barbecue.”
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CAKE YOUR WAY
Red Rock Resort’s Bake Shop creates Pinterest-worthy custom cakes BY GENEVIE DURANO
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f you’ve seen those “This is cake” videos online, there is literally no limit to the creativity a skilled baker can put into visions in sugar. “People like to get making the beloved dessert. Evideas from Pinterest or Instaeryday objects, like shoes and nongram,” assistant executive pastry cake food items like vegetables chef Gerard Fabriani says. “They and hamburgers, are re-created in send a picture, and they’re like, painstaking, hyperreal detail using ‘Could you duplicate that?’ We fondant; when cut in the middle, it are very much into trendy cakes.” reveals … cake. Some of the more popular requests Closer to home, the Bake Shop at include unicorn and princess Red Rock Resort has been confectcakes for kids’ birthdays and occaing beautiful, delectable sion-themed cakes like THE BAKE SHOP desserts—from cupcakes Halloween. Fabriani Red Rock Resort, to macarons and petit says his team can take 702-797-7500. fours—since it opened. on any request, includDaily, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. All are made by a team of ing this recent creation: talented bakers who make a lifesize golf bag cake everything from scratch some 3 feet tall. “It’s in-house, from the fillings to the great, because we can display the mousse to the ganache and every talent of [the bakers],” he says. layer in between. Fabriani says it takes about 48 The Bake Shop recently hours to make a custom cake; more launched an online ordering if it’s a complex design. And with system for custom-made cakes, the holidays coming up, the baking allowing customers to work closely team is looking forward to flexing with the bakers to realize their its creativity. “We welcome the walk-in order, of course, but if people are planning a party, we would love to have them give us notice. But we can arrange a last-minute order. We understand the rush when it comes to organizing a party, so we are not turning down anybody,” Fabriani says. Start looking on Pinterest now for ideas, then place an order online at redrockresort.com/eatand-drink/the-bakery. Prices start at $50 for custom cakes. Check out the Bake Shop’s creations on Instagram @redrockbakeshop.
(Station Casinos/Courtesy)
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MILLION DOLLAR RIVALS Pokers players Daniel Negreanu and Doug Polk on their ongoing, heated duel BY CASE KEEFER
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he long-simmering tension between live poker professionals and their online counterparts has exploded into one of the biggest one-on-one card showdowns in the history of the game. Daniel Negreanu and Doug Polk are in the middle of playing 25,000 hands of heads-up no-limit hold’em at $200/$400 blind levels after depositing $1 million apiece on WSOP.com. The first 200 hands were played in person at Aria—and are available to watch for free on streaming service PokerGo’s YouTube channel—but the rest of the challenge will take place exclusively online in sporadic sessions over the next several weeks. It’s a grudge match years in the making between two highly decorated local players. The 46-year-old Negreanu is considered one of the best live tournament players ever and ranks third all-time with $42 million in career earnings. The 31-year-old Polk is an online savant regarded as one of a few players to come close to mastering optimal strategy in heads-up competition. Polk came out of a two-year poker retirement for the opportunity to face Negreanu and settle one of the biggest rivalries the game has ever seen. We spoke to both men about the way the hostility has grown, and how High Stakes Feud, as PokerGo is calling the match, came to be. The rivalry started in 2014, when Negreanu answered a question on Twitter and said he could beat $25/$50 blind cash games online—which carry around a $5,000 buy-in—after two weeks of practice. The online community mocked the claim, with Polk characterizing it as “naive.” Polk: “If you want to make it to the top of online poker, you have to be unbelievably good. [In] the live poker world, you still need to have skills, but it’s a different skill set. It’s more networking. It’s more making friends with rich people who will lose money to you and playing in tournaments with a lot of bad players. The online community tends to be significantly better at actually playing poker. So to say you could beat the games was just so off-base. It’s
like someone who plays golf on the weekends saying in two weeks they could join the PGA Tour. It’s not possible.” Negreanu: “This is how he tried to make a name for himself, attacking people with big followings without any concern for honesty or framing things in a fair picture. It was just attack, attack, attack. It was clickbait for people to see what he was doing and get views for his poker-training videos, his company that he could profit from. Right around then, I became his biggest target, because I had the biggest following in poker on social media.” Things escalated in early 2016, when PokerStars raised its rake—the amount of money it takes from players to operate. Negreanu, who was a PokerStars-sponsored pro for 12 years, partially defended the highly controversial decision. Negreanu: “I did a 30-minute interview where I said four words within the context of a paragraph, a sentence, and he just discarded all the rest and used four words—‘more rake is better.’ He labeled me as an evil corporate monster who wants to raise prices on everyone. That’s the picture he painted, and it’s just dishonest.” Polk: “He was saying it’s good for most players, because now the good players can’t win, and obviously, it wasn’t good for any players. I felt like over time he changed from the guy who stuck up for players to a guy who made money by being sponsored. I can understand that. It’s a good career and people want to make money, but you can’t do things that aren’t in the interest of players and then pretend it’s in their interest. I think he lost touch with the base of players he used to stand up for and became a corporate shill.”
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Polk and Negreanu continued clashing for the next couple of years. “More rake is better” became Polk’s punchline—he purchased a billboard outside the Rio with the phrase on it going into the 2018 World Series of Poker and wore a shirt printed with the words when the two sat next to each other in a $300,000 buy-in tournament at Aria. Polk: “I’ve thrown a lot of jabs, but I don’t feel any hostility towards Negreanu. I don’t hate him, but I think he’s fake and doesn’t know who he is. The real-
Doug Polk (Poker Central/PokerGO/Courtesy) Daniel Negreanu (Steve Marcus/Staff); (Photo Illustration)
ity of the situation is, he wants to be the good guy and he’s not the good guy anymore.” Negreanu: “I realize how insecure he is and how much pain he must be in to live a life as a troll. People who do that aren’t doing that because their lives are happy or working. They’re doing that because they’ve got some deep-seated insecurities and pain. So I look at him more with empathy than disdain, because nothing he says is going to have any real effect on me.” Negreanu drew the ire of the online community again this past summer when he went on a tirade against a viewer on one of his Twitch streams and got banned by the platform. In the fallout, the seemingly dormant rivalry returned to life, with Polk tweeting that he would come out of retirement to face Negreanu. Polk: “I thought there would be no chance he would accept, because he knew he would lose a lot of money. He insulted me, so I just called him out to make him look bad. Poker is funny in that people challenge each other just so when the other guy says, ‘No I don’t want to play,’ they kind of look like a wimp.” Negreanu: “I [figured], ‘What the hell? It’s a COVID year.’ The world is upside down. I’ve got a lot of free time here at home. I definitely thought this was something the poker world wanted to see. They’ve been clamoring for it for a long time.” The two didn’t speak in person, so the negotiation process regarding the format and rules of the competition lasted months before beginning November 4 at Aria. Negreanu: “We did it all transparently, out in the open on Twitter. That was the method I chose, and frankly, it worked out pretty well. He didn’t like that, because he looked really bad in all this. Public opinion saw how he was dealing with it and how he was acting like a petulant child.” Polk: “It was a bit strange, because when you have a challenge, people should talk to each other. I would say it was a very public and inefficient way of doing things.” Negreanu: “Essentially, in four weeks before we started, I tried to cram four years’ worth of information into my brain. Luckily, I have a good sponge of a brain, and my hope is that throughout the match, I’ll continue to learn and get better as we get deeper.” Polk: “The betting market has me somewhere between a 4- to 5-to-1 favorite, and I think that’s underselling me. I think the true price should be 10- or 20-to-1. The reality is, I’m playing super high stakes against a player who’s a lot worse than me.” At press time, Polk was up $268,000 through the first 1,006 hands.
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Las Vegas cornerback Isaiah Johnson (31) breaks up an attempted catch by Los Angeles receiver Mike Williams. (AP Photo)
■ LAST WEEK: RAIDERS 31, CHARGERS 26 Las Vegas now sits in a playoff spot after surviving a shootout to piece together its second two-game winning streak of the year. The road victory over the Chargers quite literally came down to the final second. Sparsely used backup cornerback Isaiah Johnson broke up a pass initially ruled a game-winning touchdown as time expired, before replay overturned the call.
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■ THIS WEEK: BRONCOS (3-5) AT RAIDERS (5-3) When: Sunday, November 8, 1 p.m. Where: Allegiant Stadium TV: CBS (channel 8) Radio: 920-AM & 92.3-FM Betting line: Raiders -5, over/under 51.5
Opponent: It’s no coincidence that the Raiders opened as a betting favorite for the first time this season. The Broncos are struggling, perhaps even more than their record indicates, considering their three wins have come by a total of 16 points. A rash of injuries—starting with losing edge rusher Von Miller in the preseason—hasn’t helped. Quarterback Drew Lock has missed two games and been up and down when he has been in the lineup. Injuries: The Raiders are dealing with cluster of injuries at the two worst spots to have them—on the offensive line and in the defensive backfield. Three of the team’s top five cornerbacks—Trayvon Mullen (hamstring), Damon Arnette (thumb) and Keisean Nixon (groin)—were out by the end of the game against the Chargers. Arnette will almost surely return for the first time in six weeks against the Broncos. Las Vegas also missed three starting linemen—right tackle Trent Brown (COVID), right guard Richie Incognito (Achilles) and left tackle Kolton Miller (ankle)—in LA. –Case Keefer
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Murren optimistic about Las Vegas’ recovery—from virus and economically
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BY BRYAN HORWATH im Murren is convinced Las Vegas will come back bigger and better in the aftermath of the economic crisis brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. Murren, who in February left his post as CEO of MGM Resorts International, doesn’t say that because of his current position—chairman of the state’s COVID-19 Response, Relief and Recovery Task Force. Rather, it’s from his long run as a leader on the Strip, where MGM has more than 10 properties and was at the forefront when the resort corridor started to rebound in the late-2000s from the downturn of the Great Recession. “In 2022, I think we’re going to see a very rapid snapback in consumer activity nationwide, particularly in Las Vegas,” Murren said. We caught up with Murren to get an update on his work with the task force, his thoughts on the Las Vegas recovery and his plans for the future. COVID-19 numbers have been rising in Nevada recently. What’s the latest you can tell us about the task force’s work and the battle to tame the virus here? We’re more prepared now than we were in March, which is not to say that we aren’t seeing increased cases. We are in a position now where we have more resources to treat, to trace and to protect those who are treating those with COVID. We’re in a much better space in terms of [personal protective equipment], and we’ve vastly expanded testing capacity relative to March. We also have better education, which has led to a better understanding of the disease. Where we’re still behind is having a robust contact tracing infrastruc-
ture in place to track the disease better and treat people more quickly with a tracing mechanism. The heavily tourism-based economy in Las Vegas has suffered greatly because of the pandemic. Where are we in terms of a recovery? We certainly can’t wait for a vaccine to jump-start economic activity here in the Valley. I think health safety protocols here are superior to most hospitality companies around the country, but they are limited in their nature to fight the disease. There needs to be added protocols put in place to allow
us to occupy theaters more fully, stadiums, arenas and convention centers. Until we can do that, we’re going to have the level of revenue activity that we have right now, which is far below what a healthy Las Vegas economy needs. We need to find out what kinds of additional health safety measures need to be put into place so we can be comfortable with occupying venues more than we’re currently able to do. I’ve seen reports that say a recovery in Las Vegas wouldn’t happen until maybe 2024. I think that’s wrong. I think we’re going to see slow but steady improvement throughout 2021—not rapid, but demonstrable. Would you entertain the possibility of getting back into the industry? I don’t think so, no. One of the really important lessons I’ve learned—and tried to instill during my 22 years—is to reduce barriers of upward mobility. People have a tendency sometimes to stay too long, whether that’s in sports or business. I loved every bit of my role. I can’t say it was always a fun job, because we went through some incredibly stressful times as an industry and as a company, but I wouldn’t trade a moment of it. For now, I think I’m in the right place, helping the state more holistically. I’m an investor now, too. I love to invest and do so in a variety of sectors. I spent 14 years on Wall Street before I came to Las Vegas. I’m incredibly proud to have worked for Mr. [Kirk] Kerkorian for the last 17 years of his life. I learned a lot from him. I idolized him. He was the ultimate value investor. I think my path will continue to be as an investor.
Jim Murren speaks at the inaugural symposium of the MGM Resorts Public Policy Institute at UNLV in April 2019. (Steve Marcus/Staff)
VegasInc Notes W. West Allen, a partner in the Las Vegas office of Howard & Howard, was installed as Allen the Federal Bar Association’s 93rd national president. Allen is an intellectual property litigator and counselor who represents a wide variety of international clients in federal courts. He previously served as chair of the FBA’s Government Relations Committee for seven years. In addition, Allen has been a member of the FBA board of directors for much of the past decade. He also received the FBA’s President’s Award for longstanding service to the association. The Nevada Realtors announced its newly elected officers for 2021, led by incoming President Brad Spires, McIntyre a longtime local Realtor based in Gardnerville. Officers were elected during the statewide association’s October Blanchard 2 board meeting. In addition to Spires, officers for 2021 include: President-elect Doug McIntyre, of Reno, who will become NVR president in 2022; Vice President Tom Blanchard, of Las Vegas, who will become NVR president in 2023; Treasurer Trevor Smith, of Incline Village; and Immediate Past President Chris Bishop, of Las Vegas. Three Clark County schools have been named National Blue Ribbon Schools by the U.S. Department of Education, including Veterans Tribute Career and Technical Academy, West Career and Technical Academy and Judith D. Steele Elementary School.
The awards affirm the work of educators, families and communities in creating safe and welcoming schools where students master challenging and engaging content. The schools were the only Nevada schools selected for this national honor this year. For the fifth consecutive year, VA Southern Nevada Healthcare System was chosen as one of Practice Greenhealth’s top hospitals in the nation for Environmental Excellence. This year, VASNHS received a Partner for Change Award and was recognized for leading the health care industry with innovation in sustainability, maintaining superior environmental programs and illustrating how green initiatives are entrenched in the facility’s culture. NAIOP Southern Nevada, an organization representing commercial real estate developers, owners and related professionals in office, industrial, retail and mixeduse real estate, announced its class of 2020 Developing Leaders Institute graduates. The class included: Christy Bojda, GRN Vision; Gitana Cafasso, Burke Construction Group; Emily Dobbins, Nigro Construction; Thoma Godbout, First Savings Bank; Tom Hanrahan, MCA Realty; Dylan Heroy, Sun Commercial Real Estate; Kerrie Kramer, Argentum Partners; Brendan Leake, MDL Group; Jordan Leavitt, Levitt Insurance Agency; Nora Murphy, Newmark Knight Frank; Matthew Patros, MDL Group; Alexandrea Rivera, Grand Canyon Development Partners; Armand Rodrigues, Geotechnical & Environmental Services; Elizabeth Sant, Brand Real Estate; Anna Saravia, Harsch Investment Properties; Gabriel Skerlich, Colliers International; Christina Stanfill, WORTHGROUP Architects & Designers; Travis Tartamella, Wells Fargo Bank; and Michael Willmore, Colliers International. The Nevada Public Health Association named its 2020
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Public Health Heroes, including Gov. Steve Sisolak; Dr. Mark Pandori, director of the Nevada Public Health Laboratory; Julia Peek, deputy administrator, Department of Public and Behavioral Health; Dr. Fermin Leguen, acting chief health officer, and Merylyn Yegon, community health nurse supervisor, both of the Southern Nevada Health District in its new Nevada COVID-19 Response special recognition. In addition, NPHA awarded the 2020 Public Health Program of the Year to Nevada’s four epidemiology programs which includes Southern Nevada Health District Office of Epidemiology and Disease Surveillance for its efforts to combat COVID-19. Brian Labus, assistant professor at the UNLV School of Public Health, was awarded the 2020 Public Health Leadership Award for his work on Sisolak’s Nevada COVID-19 Response Task Force and his efforts to educate the community about the disease and its impact. The 2020 Public Health Advocate of the Year was awarded to John Packham, associate dean, Office of Statewide Initiatives at the UNR School of Medicine, and commissioner of the Nevada Governor’s Patient Protection Commission. CBRE announced that Linda Gonzales joined its Las Vegas office as a senior associate with Advisory & Transaction Gonzales Services. She will specialize in the sale and leasing of office and flex properties. Most recently, she was a vice president at Sun Commercial Real Estate. Her experience includes representing owners, buyers and tenants of office, industrial and retail properties. UnCommons hired Amalie Zinsser as community engagement lead. Zinsser will be responsible for developing a culture that instills a sense of belonging and fosters genuine human connection for the mixeduse community, which is scheduled for opening in early 2022. Bringing the skills she honed while serving as people and portfolio operations director at We-
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Work for five years, Zinsser will foster the UnCommons ethos of community and connection through innovative tenant and resident programs, collaborative events, thought-provoking panels and more. CVT, a rooftop tent manufacturer, announced the opening of its third retail showroom and adventure center in Las Vegas. This location was established to accommodate customers across the Southwestern region with sales, installation, maintenance, warranty replacements, product demos and all customer service needs, and is designed to look and feel like an outdoor campground. All In Aviation announced the expansion of its previously Cirrus-exclusive fleet with the addition of two Cessna 172 Skyhawks, to be hangared at the company’s Henderson Executive Airport location. These planes will allow the company to expand its flight school services and meet increased demand for flight training, while providing student pilots with an economical entry-level training option. The American Institute of Architects Western Mountain Region chapter honored the Clark County Government Center, designed by Fentress Architects, with its 2020 Twenty-five Year Award. This award recognizes a built structure that has significantly influenced design and lifestyle in the Western Mountain Region. The project’s Southern Nevada-inspired design was recognized during the AIA Western Mountain Region Design and Honor Awards virtual Gala in October. The Las Vegas City Council unanimously ratified Vince Zamora to serve as the city’s new human resources director. Zamora has been serving as acting director of human resources and was previously the department’s deputy director. In addition, the City Council unanimously approved the contract of Chief Operations and Development Officer Jorge Cervantes to become Las Vegas’ next city manager. Cervantes has been with the city for 22 years.
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“GOOD THINGS” BY FRANK LONGO
HOROSCOPES
WEEK OF NOVEMBER 12 BY ROB BREZSNY
ARIES (March 21-April 19): You have been the beneficiary of the blessings that come through the contemplation of mysteries and enigmas. You’ve been recalibrating your capacity to feel love and tenderness in the midst of uncertainty. It will soon be time to shift course, however. You’re almost ready to engage in the intimate work that has been made possible by your time looking into the darkness. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Author Barbara Kingsolver says, “Don’t try to figure out what other people want to hear from you; figure out what you have to say.” You’re probably going to feel pressure to tell others what they wish you would tell them, but you can be true to yourself without seeming like a jerk to anyone or damaging your long-term interests. So say and do what’s real and genuine. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): “The violets in the mountains have broken the rocks,” wrote playwright Tennessee Williams. That’s a poetic but accurate description of the feat you’ve been working on, calling on irrepressible will to enjoy life as you have outsmarted rugged difficulties. You’re relying on beauty and love to power your efforts. CANCER (June 21-July 22): Ideally we’re always outgrowing who we have become; we’re moving beyond the successes we have already achieved. There is no final, whole, ideal “self” to inhabit and express—only more and more of our selfness to create. This is an empowering meditation for you right now. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): “I am my own sanctuary and I can be reborn as many times as I choose throughout my life,” Lady Gaga said. Make this your motto. It’s a fabulous time to be your own sanctuary. Rebirth yourself at least twice between now and the end of November. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Distribute your blessings and attention and favors as evenly as possible, showing no favoritism toward a particular child or friend or pet or loved one or influence. Be an impartial observer, as well. Try to restrain biases and preferential treatment as you act with even-handed fair-mindedness.
2020 KING FEATURES SYNDICATE ACROSS 1 “I don’t know yet” 8 Order 15 “Amo, amas, I love —” 20 Plane pilot 21 Result of iron deficiency, to a Brit 22 I Love Lucy actress Vivian 23 Staying loyal despite adversity 25 Poet Lorde 26 The sun, in Spanish 27 Slimy slow movers 28 Actor Rex or singer James 29 Swing wildly, as one’s arms 32 What the Union was for earth, in a Lincoln message 35 “I think,” to texters 38 Really bother 40 TV studio alert 41 Gave the Red Cross some funds, e.g. 47 Something to scratch 51 Old politico Stevenson 52 Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. —” 53 Coral reef eel 54 Courage 61 Beach grit 63 The Simpsons store clerk 64 Bitter-ender 65 Pol with a six-yr. term 66 A Death in the Family author James 67 With 9-Down, Paper Moon child actress 70 Utah’s — Canyon 71 “— girl!” 72 Pro-firearm org.
73 Rules established by legal precedent 75 Long Russian river 76 Fewer 77 The attorney general heads it 82 Glossy proof, for short 83 110-Across’ high home 84 Ear-splitting 87 Helper: Abbr. 88 19th-century anti-alcohol fraternal society 94 Result in 96 Really bother 97 U.S. Army soldiers 98 Beatles song on the White Album 105 Dog restraint 107 Strike caller 108 Coyote Ugly actress Piper 110 “Bald” bird 114 Very, in music scores 115 Christian set featured in this puzzle 119 Cerebrum’s place 120 Helped criminally 121 Creates 122 Matches up, as sets of files 123 Have 124 Really should DOWN 1 Stop sleeping 2 Stuntman Knievel 3 Whoppers 4 In the — luxury 5 Working overtime, e.g. 6 Centuries on end 7 Bit of work 8 Lyricist Sammy 9 See 67-Across
10 Mob group 11 Restaurant offerings 12 Love-in- — (plant with feathery foliage) 13 Louse-to-be 14 Lah-di- — 15 1972 Jack Lemmon film 16 Sidesplitter 17 Drug banned for Olympians, for short 18 Minor fight 19 Words on an F paper, maybe 24 Opening for a letter-shaped bolt 28 “My, my, old chap!” 30 Suffix with prop31 Ky. neighbor 33 Young guy, in hiphop 34 Doc studying laryngitis 35 Wyo. neighbor 36 Hip ’60s teen 37 Programs running in web browsers 39 Hanna-Barbera bear 42 Live PD network 43 Inmate 44 Two-time Wimbledon winner Lew 45 Improvise 46 Allude (to) 48 Committing to a fiduciary 49 Officers in training 50 Doglike scavengers 53 Prefix with afternoon 55 Really bother 56 Muscle jerk 57 One-on-one student 58 “Stop that, silly goose!” 59 Pool triangles 60 Yummy tidbit
61 Actress Bullock 62 Doesn’t differ 68 Wrist-to-elbow bones 69 San —, California 71 Tinfoil giant 73 — -Magnon 74 Klingon officer of TV 78 Reviewer of paintings 79 Be suitable 80 Army wheels 81 For later use 85 — -fi film 86 “Of course” 88 “Of course” 89 Coll. in Columbus 90 Neighbor of TV’s Homer 91 Brunch fruit 92 — -wee Herman 93 A Gabor 95 Chefs’ tie-ons 98 Makes easier, with “down” 99 University in Atlanta 100 “Sounds like —!” 101 Sword types 102 Birds’ refuges 103 Isle of Minos 104 Roof edges 106 Detested 109 Cots, e.g. 111 Holster fillers 112 Riga native, oldstyle 113 Rival of Petro-Canada 115 Spying tool 116 Westworld network 117 Actor Diesel 118 Suffix with serpent
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): “Who is to decide between ‘Let it be’ and ‘Force it’?” asked author Katherine Mansfield. You’re now hanging out in the limbo zone between the two. But very soon you’ll figure out how to make a decisive move that synthesizes the two. You will find a way to include elements of both. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): “I hold a beast, an angel and a madman in me,” wrote poet Dylan Thomas in a letter to a friend. That sounds like a lot of energy to manage! And he didn’t always do a good job at it. In the coming weeks, you can be a subtle, refined and mature blend of a beast, angel and madperson. Be your wisest wild self. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): The future is more wide open than you might think. The apparent limitations of the past are at least temporarily suspended and irrelevant. Your fate is purged of some of your old conditioning and the inertia of tradition. Make a break for freedom. Head in the direction of the Beautiful Unknown. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): The soil on which the Leaning Tower of Pisa was built is soft on one side, so it began to tip even before it was finished. Yet it has remained standing for more than eight centuries, even through four major earthquakes. The soft soil prevents the tower from resonating violently with the temblors. There is a comparable phenomenon in your life. Acknowledge this blessing—and enhance your use of it. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Even if you believe that cynicism is an intelligent perspective and a positive attitude is a wasteful indulgence suspend those beliefs in the coming weeks. Adopt the words of Helen Keller as your keynote: “Every optimist moves along with progress and hastens it, while every pessimist would keep the world at a standstill.” PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Researchers in the UK found that 62% of the adult population brags that they’ve read classic books that they have not in fact read. Why? Mostly to impress others. Don’t engage in anything like that type of behavior during the weeks ahead. It’s even more crucial than usual for you to be honest and authentic about who you are and what you do. Lying about it might seem to be to your advantage in the short run, but it won’t be.
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