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Goldenvoice Presents in Las Vegas, NV
DAY N VEGAS NOVEMBER 12 - 14, 2021
✦
LAS VEGAS FESTIVAL GROUNDS
Friday
Kendrick Lamar One Night in Vegas. From Section.80 to DAMN.
DaBaby ✦ YG ✦ Ari Lennox ✦ Polo G
Isaiah Rashad • Jazmine Sullivan • Thundercat • Flatbush Zombies Kenny Beats • Bas • Lucky Daye • Madlib • Young M.A • UMI • Tyla Yaweh D Smoke • DDG • Fousheé • IDK • Larry June • Joyce Wrice • Kenny Mason Yung Baby Tate • TiaCorine • Baby Rose • Tkay Maidza • Cico P • LOONY • TeaMarrr daydream Masi • Pote Baby • Nana • Your Grandparents • Premo Rice Big Sad 1900 • Beanz • Another Party Fam • DJ Hell Rell
Saturday
Travis Scott
Lil Baby ✦ Doja Cat ✦ Saweetie ✦ Baby Keem $uicideboy$ • Cordae • Joey Bada$$ • Majid Jordan • Freddie Gibbs Tinashe • BIA • Blxst • Latto • Saba • Toosii • Sleepy Hallow • Sheff G Duckwrth • Sheck Wes • SoFaygo • Yves Tumor • Night Lovell BRS Kash • AUDREY NUNA • Tay Keith • Flipp Dinero • SSGKobe • redveil Khamari • Mereba • Strick • midwxst • Fana Hues • Phabo • ilham GOON DES GARCONS* • Lou Val • Ronski & Show Banga DJ William Stokes • PJ Say Cheese
Sunday
Tyler, The Creator
SZA ✦ Lil Uzi Vert ✦ Snoh Aalegra ✦ Don Toliver Griselda • 24kGoldn • SiR • Denzel Curry • Earl Sweatshirt • Queen Naija $NOT • Kota the Friend • Kalan.FrFr • Bino Rideaux • Rico Nasty Flo Milli • CHIKA • Raveena • AG CLUB • Victoria Monét • Babyface Ray Kaash Paige • Peach Tree Rascals • J.I. • P-Lo • Q • Jenevieve • Bankrol Hayden Tiana Major9 • María Isabel • Shaun Sloan • ICECOLDBISHOP • Breland Seddy Hendrinx • Unusual Demont • Tré Amani • Na-Kel Smith Almondmilkhunni • KITTY CA$H • Aux Cord
DAYNVEGAS2021.COM
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SHUTTERED BUNKHOUSE SALOON AFFECTED BY FIRE The Bunkhouse Saloon’s uncertain future might have become even murkier June 13, when a fire outside the Downtown music venue affected the building itself. Furthermore, according to an eyewitness, firefighters responding to the call discovered a homeless encampment inside the building, which has been shuttered since the pandemic hit in March 2020. “I was in the studio recording [Vegas band] Peachole, when my wife, who was working the shop, busted in and said fire trucks were screaming down the alley toward the Bunkhouse,” said Ronald Corso, owner of 11th Street Records and the adjacent National Southwestern Recording studio. What Corso saw next surprised him even more. “I went into the building after the firefighters and there were five people squatting in there, who came out coughing. They’d been living there for a while,” he said. “They had laundry hung up, and a guy had a bed made in the DJ booth. The captain said, ‘Do you believe this? The gas is on, the pilot lights are on.’ The homeless people had access to the [Bunkhouse] kitchen and were using it.” Corso also said much of the Bunkhouse’s audio equipment appeared to be missing. “It’s all gone. The PA [public address] console—a $5,000 piece of gear—and any of the backline that might have been there, like the drum set and guitar amps— were all gone.” Corso said he connected the firefighters with a representative for DTP Companies, which operates the Bunkhouse. The venue was owned by Tony Hsieh, who died in November. –Spencer Patterson
WEEK IN REVIEW WEEK AHEAD N EWS YO U S H O U L D K N OW A B O U T
The Golden Belles perform in the castle during the Golden Knights’ Game 6 playoff win, June 10, against Colorado at T-Mobile Arena (see Pages 40-41). They opened the semifinals with two home games against Montreal and play on the road June 18 and 20. (Steve Marcus/Staff)
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IN THIS ISSUE
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Cover story: Getting you ready to fine dine again Neighborhoods: Downtown art galleries The Strip: What will a Raiders' game day feel like? Food & Drink: Tacos and tiki drinks Vegas Inc: Real estate prices continue to soar
STORIES FROM LAST WEEK VIRGIN HOTELS CONCERTS Gary Clark Jr., Lady A, Porter Robinson, Russ, Dropkick Murphys & Rancid, Machine Gun Kelly, Primus, Karol G and Little Big Town have been booked to play the Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas—the space formerly known as the Joint during the property’s Hard Rock Hotel days. Tickets for the shows go on sale Friday, June 18, at 10 a.m. PST through virginhotelslv.com and AXS.com.
UNLV’s “Mojave Bloom” home— the award-winning entry into the Department of Energy’s annual Solar Decathlon competition for energy-efficient home designs— is on display near the Las Vegas Community Healing Garden. The 628-square-foot home took the No. 3 prize in the contest, an impressive finish in a field that drew 72 teams representing 12 countries.
HIP-HOP FEST RETURNS Day N Vegas, the hip-hop festival that debuted in 2019, will return November 12-14 at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds, promoter Goldenvoice announced June 14. Headlining will be Kendrick Lamar on Friday, Travis Scott on Saturday and Tyler, the Creator on Sunday. Also on the bill: SZA, Doja Cat, Saweetie, Snoh Aalegra, Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Baby, YG, DaBaby and Don Toliver, among others. Tickets go on sale Friday, June 18 at noon PST through daynvegas2021.com.
“America’s back in the business of leading the world alongside nations who share our most deeply held values. I think we’ve made progress in re-establishing American credibility among our closest friends.” –President Joe Biden, June 13, after wrapping up three days of meetings at the Group of Seven summit of wealthy democracies
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SOLAR MASTERPIECE ON DISPLAY
HE SAID IT
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AUTOMATIC BALLOTS Gov. Steve Sisolak signed into law June 11 a measure requiring mail-in ballots to be automatically sent to active voters in future elections. The new law indefinitely extends policies that the Democratic governor approved last year amid the pandemic. The measure also aims to improve Nevada’s voter roll maintenance and signature verification procedures. It requires vote counters complete a forensic signature verification course.
Wasabi, a Pekingese, rests on the winner’s podium with the trophy and ribbons June 13 after winning Best in Show at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show in Tarrytown, N.Y. (Kathy Willens/Associated Press)
CANNABIS INDUSTRY GEARS UP FOR ADDITION OF CONSUMPTION LOUNGES Legislation approved by lawmakers at the recently concluded Nevada legislative session and signed into law by Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak paves the way for marijuana consumption lounges to open in Nevada next year. It’s now the responsibility of the state’s Cannabis Compliance Board, which regulates the industry, to approve licenses for lounges at existing dispensaries, and for freestanding independent lounge businesses. Since federal law still recognizes marijuana as an illegal drug, however, it’s doubtful that the major resort companies, and other gaming license-holders in the Las Vegas Valley, will have on-property consumption lounges anytime soon. The compliance board is expected to issue 20 independent lounge licenses, half of which will be reserved for “social equity applicants,” which is defined as any applicant who has been “adversely affected by provisions of previous laws which criminalize activity relating to cannabis.” –Bryan Horwath
AMERICA’S GOT TALENT BRINGS
LIVE SHOW TO LUXOR IN NOVEMBER America’s Got Talent Las Vegas Live at the Luxor was finally announced June 8, a new production show based on the famous TV talent competition that had been long rumored for the 1,500-seat Luxor Theater left empty after the closure of Cirque du Soleil’s R.U.N show just before the pandemic struck. The new resident production will debut November 4 and run for 75 minutes two times nightly, five days a week, featuring many of the most popular performers from the TV version—not just magicians, acrobats and stunt acts that would obviously work well at this room on the Strip, but vocalists, dancers and other types of artistry, too. MGM Resorts International, Simon Cowell’s Syco Entertainment and producers Fremantle are teaming up on the project. It’s quite possibly the most natural fit for a Vegas show in a long time, considering Strip headliners Terry Fator, Mat Franco and Shin Lim all landed their own residencies after winning the top prize on AGT, and countless other Vegas performers took a turn on the TV show before or after landing their own local gigs. Tickets are on sale now at agtvegaslive.com. By the way, the Luxor Theater isn’t actually empty. Female revue Fantasy and the familiar comedy stylings of Carrot Top have been performing in that room for months, because health and safety restrictions wouldn’t allow for the reopening of the two shows’ regular home, the Atrium Theater at Luxor. Fantasy moves back to the Atrium on July 5 and the Carrot does so July 12. –Brock Radke
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HEALTH IS DELICIOUS
Real Results founder Paul Rosenberg debuts his lifetime-in-the-making Real Nutrition book BY C. MOON REED
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Paul Rosenberg (Kristen Clark Photography/Courtesy)
e didn’t know it at the time, but Paul Rosenberg hit a milestone on the road to writing his Real Nutrition book nearly 20 years ago. The Las Vegas-based certified personal trainer had an epiphany when he failed to help a client lose weight in 2002. In those days, the certified personal trainer would simply ask clients to record their food intake for two weeks, and then he’d advise them individually on how to improve their diets. “But one client didn’t lose any weight, and she got very upset at me,” Rosenberg says. “I realized that I actually needed a program for people to follow; I couldn’t randomly go about this process anymore.” Fast-forward to 2021, and Rosenberg is celebrating the 9-year-anniversary of his fitness company Real Results with the relaunch of his popular 12-week Real Nutrition challenge and the publishing of a book of the same name. Real Nutrition is a cumulation of Rosenberg’s life’s work—at least thus far. The book presents the most updated iteration of his meal plan, which has been refined over the years as he has trained literally thousands of clients. The book is written with input from Real Results lead coach Michael Hayden, who has a Precision Nutrition certification. “The meal plan in the book has been in development for my entire career,” Rosenberg says. “The principles in the book are largely based on philosophies that I’ve developed and that have evolved over the last 30 years with all the different books and programs that I’ve tried.”
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HEALTH & WELLNESS WHAT TO EAT
COVID AS A CATALYST By closing all gyms for three months, the pandemic knocked Rosenberg out of his busy routine and gave him time to reassess. “It just challenged me to get into a real creative mode to keep my business alive,” he says. “I just started hustling again.” Last year’s restrictions also led Real Results to expand into virtual training. It introduced the Las Vegas-based company to a global audience. Clients can do fitness and nutrition training from anywhere. With extra time on their hands, Hayden suggested relaunching the 12-week nutrition program. “That one little spark of an idea [sent me] into a real creative frenzy,” says Rosenberg, who rewrote the nutrition plan, making it sleeker and more organized. He hired Las Vegas-based graphic designer Cierra Pedro, who gave it a clean, energetic look. “This is, I feel, the best version of the program ever,” Rosenberg says.
ABOUT REAL RESULTS
What began as a scrappy gym in a converted Downtown garage today encompasses a variety of fitness services, both in person and virtual. The Real Nutrition book and 12-week program help people lose weight through healthy eating. Small group and individual fitness training is offered virtually or at the main gym on 1201 S. Commerce Street. There’s a Real Results gym in the Plaza Hotel, which Rosenberg hopes will reopen soon. The fitness company also serves corporate wellness clients such as Zappos. The fit-curious can also schedule fitness and movement assessments.
(Photos courtesy Real Results)
REAL RESULTS GYM
1201 S Commerce St., 702-331-3172, realresultsfitness.com.
REAL RESULTS 12-WEEK PROGRAM
$480 for 12 weeks, which includes Real Nutrition book and seminar, a digital food log with real-time feedback, weekly coaching meetings on Zoom, recipe database, private social media group and more.
The diet is meant to be straightforward and simple. “Unlike other meal plans, this is not a diet where you’re depriving yourself of calories or depriving yourself of certain macronutrients,” Rosenberg says. “It’s about finding the right food combination that works for your particular body.” Real Nutrition breaks down food choices into a simple numerical formula that can be tweaked to best match individual needs. A typical daily meal program might be listed as “5/3/5/2,” which represents five servings of protein, three servings of carbohydrates, five servings of vegetables and two servings of fat. The book details REAL servings sizes NUTRITION BOOK and types of food $35 for a digital to eat within download, $40 for a each category. hard copy. Those suggested foods are generally high in fiber and low in sugar, to prevent unhealthy blood sugar spikes. The plan eschews dairy and discourages alcohol, and it can be easily modified for vegans and vegetarians. “I know that the program is legitimate, and it’s proven to work time and time again with thousands of clients,” Rosenberg says. “I’ve just got so much proof that the program is easy and sustainable, and it works if people follow it and commit to it.” This is the first time consumers can purchase the book without going in for the full 12-week program. It allows people to try Real Nutrition at an entry-level price point. “Obviously, someone could do the book on their own and do extremely well,” Rosenberg says. “But if someone finds they need more help, they could do the 12-week program. Or they could just [schedule] a one-time nutrition consultation.”
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You can take professional-grade photos with a smartphone PORTR AIT VS. L ANDSCAPE
BY GEOFF CARTER “The best camera is the one that’s with you.” Photographer Chase Jarvis popularized that aphorism in 2009, using it as the title for his book of photographs taken with mobile phones. Consumers seem to agree with him: According to the Camera and Imaging Products Association, sales of digital cameras have been dropping 14% year-over-year. (They took a 54% dive last year, no thanks to COVID-19.) By comparison, the Pew Research Center reports that 97% of American adults now own a cellphone, and that 85% of them own a smartphone. In short, it’s very likely that your smartphone isn’t just the camera that’s with you, but the only camera you own. Unsurprisingly, this shifting paradigm coincides with our increasing effort to document every single, solitary person, place or thing within our sight. Instagram has roughly 1 billion monthly users, many of whom maintain multiple accounts. (Google up “Finsta.”) Taking photographs used to be a considered act—you had to think of how many shots you had remaining on a roll of film, how much space you had left on a memory card—but it’s now a reflex. What we once saved for sunsets we now use to remember where we parked. Given that, it’s too easy to forget that photography can be art. (Or perhaps your first and only camera is a smartphone, and it has informed all your creative choices—shooting everything as you would an Instagram Live or TikTok video, in portrait orientation, with scarcely a nod to the rule of thirds.) While it would take more than a few minutes to outline the fundamentals of good photography, here are a few tips for improving your smartphone photography.
PO R TR A I T
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Put simply, portrait shots are taller than they are wide, and landscape shots are the opposite. Most people shoot everything in portrait, and have a convincing reason to do so: Instagram doesn’t accommodate landscape shots all that well. (To be fair, Instagram barely accommodates portrait shots. One of the app’s biggest drawbacks is its insistence in squeezing everything into a 1:1 ratio, which is as square as can be.) But portrait orientation is a poor choice for capturing buildings and natural scenes, and a really poor choice for action shots; a moving object, contained in a portrait-shaped box, has nowhere to go. Turn the phone sideways and shoot those sweeping vistas and sprinting athletes in landscape orientation, using a 3:4 ratio. Use portrait orientation just for, y’know, portraits.
L ANDS
(Shutterstock/Photo Illustration)
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5-MINUTE EXPERT (@mostlyelectric)
USE YOUR TIMER Taking a group shot? Don’t selfie-arm it; prop the phone up on something, set the timer and rush into position. The same goes for nighttime shots; even if your phone has a “night” setting, the timer gives you a few seconds to steady the phone on something, like a miniature tripod. (Joby’s GripTight One GorillaPod, which adapts to standing/clinging to nearly any surface and is compatible with virtually every smartphone model, is $25 very well spent.)
AVOID USING DIGITAL ZOOM
Where optical zoom uses the full capability of your smartphone’s lenses (most of the newer models, both Android and Apple, have more than one), digital zoom is a cheat; it’s really more of an in-phone cropping. Digital zoom photos are often grainy and unfocused, even in newer smartphone models that use AI and higher-resolution sensors to increase quality. Generally speaking, you’re better off standing closer to whatever you’re shooting—or, if that’s not possible, shooting at your highest optical zoom setting, then cropping the image later using a post-processing app like Photoshop or Snapseed. I like to photograph neon signs for my Instagram feed (@mostlyelectric), and shooting them from a moderate distance with optical zoom better preserves not only their sharpness, but their color.
(@ourlasvegas)
TIPS FROM A PRO
Ginger Bruner has mastered pretty much everything with a lens and a shutter, but nine times out of 10, the Las Vegas native prefers to shoot with her iPhone. “You can make just as good of art with a phone as you can with a huge camera,” she told the Weekly’s Leslie Ventura in 2017, and she continues to prove just that through the Our Las Vegas art project (Instagram: @ourlasvegas). Her “Daily Frame” shots of Valley life are sharp, perfectly balanced and vivid—and every one of them was taken with the camera Bruner had in her pocket. Here are her tips for using yours well. ■ Clean your lens. “Phone cameras spend a lot of time being handled, so [the lenses] tend to collect a lot of goop.”
CAPE
■ Don’t be afraid to edit photos. “The native editors on phone cameras are a good start, and Instagram has some very powerful tools aside from its filters. The simplest one is Lux, which brightens darks and darkens brights, and it’s scalable so you can dial in some goodness.”
(@ourlasvegas)
■ Get the apps. “There are many fine photo-editing apps, and my current favorite for more involved things is Snapseed, which is one of the few that one can use to dodge and burn, the Brush feature in the toolbox. The apps I use most often are Instagram, Hipstamatic and Snapseed, and there’s another called Darkroom that does some nice cinematic looks.”
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NEVADA’S DARK SKY
STARG STATE PARK DESTINATIONS TO THE EAST CATHEDRAL GORGE: Located between Caliente and Pioche, Cathedral Gorge boasts some of the most beautiful scenery, including slot canyons, hoodoos, spires and an infinitely unfolding sky. The geological hotspot offers a dramatic, almost other-worldly setting to enjoy the starscape.
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Nevada is home to the darkest skies in the Lower 48, and a treasure trove of remote, dark wilderness within the state allows you to marvel at the cosmos above, even with the bright lights of Las Vegas. The stargazing in Nevada is so unmatched, the state holds two rare designations from the International Dark Sky Association—Great Basin National Park is an International Dark Sky Park and Massacre Rim is an International Dark Sky Sanctuary, one of only seven in the world. Here are some of the best places in Nevada to see thousands of stars, complete constellations, the Milky Way and entire galaxies with your naked eye.
CLOSE TO LAS VEGAS RHYOLITE GHOST TOWN: Home to the Goldwell Open Air Museum, this should be a priority for night-sky photographers. The area offers some of the most unique landscapes and unusual outdoor art installations. Spend the night at the Atomic Inn, a retro, boutique hotel in Beatty.
ASH MEADOWS NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE: Just outside of Death Valley Junction, this area’s unique landscape of wetlands and desert offer a peaceful place to observe the night sky.
KERSHAW-RYAN: Just outside of Caliente, Kershaw-Ryan is located in a lush canyon where wild roses grow freely. This green escape boasts of short, easy trails, ridgeline views and is an ideal location for stargazing.
TONOPAH: More than 7,000 stars and the Milky Way are visible from Tonopah. Check out one of the Star Parties at Tonopah Stargazing Park — upcoming events will take place July 17, August 7 and September 18. Spend the night at the beautifully restored Mizpah Hotel for a chance to encounter one of the property’s resident ghosts.
EXTRATERRESTRIAL SPOTTING
It’s difficult to talk about the state’s skies without acknowledging an adjacent, Nevada-centric topic: UFOs. For extraterrestrial enthusiasts, we recommend a visit to Rachel. The closest town to Area 51, it’s home to the Little A’Le’Inn and is also a great spot for a photo op or lunch that includes Saucer Burgers and Alien Beers. If you decide to stay the night in one of the A’Le’Inn’s rentable units, be sure to take advantage of the free access VHS library filled with an extensive catalog of alien movies.
6 .1 7. 2 1 BEAVER DAM: One of our favorite parks for a truly remote experience, Beaver Dam is located just above Caliente and Pioche on the eastern edge of the state. Thickly forested and rich with flowing streams and waterfalls, this is the place to get deep into the Nevada wilderness and enjoy the celestial show.
All three locations are great for camping, especially during the summer, fall and spring, but if you prefer a comfy bed, here are some nearby lodging options.
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OVERLAND HOTEL & SALOON Located in Pioche and near the parks in the area, the Overland is one of Nevada’s best-known haunted hotels. PINE TREE INN & BAKERY Just off Cathedral Gorge State Park, this inn in Panaca is charming, cozy and one of the nicest stays in the area.
AZING
Pro Tip: Check a moon phase calendar to see when new moons, late moonrises and early moonsets occur to optimize stargazing potential. The darker the sky, the better.
WORTH THE TRIP
GREAT BASIN NATIONAL PARK: One of the most famous places in the world to stargaze, Great Basin is well worth a weekend trip. Not only can you see thousands of stars, planets, satellites, the Milky Way and Andromeda Galaxy, this Gold Tier International DarkSky Park has a newly opened Astronomy Amphitheater and hosts an annual Astronomy Festival in September where amateurs and professional astronomers visit from all over to observe the night sky. THE STARGAZER INN in Baker is one of our favorite places to stay in the area. This comfortable inn is also home to Kerouac’s Café, where you’ll find great food and cocktails.
A cosmic cruise awaits along U.S. 6, which traces a constellation of stargazing hubs from Death Valley NP to Great Basin NP, with overnight options in Beatty, Tonopah and Ely. Thanks to recently passed state legislation, a new Dark Sky Designation Program will help recognize and protect such celestially rich regions for good. DO I NEED SPECIAL EQUIPMENT? No. All locations on this list offer stellar stargazing with or without a telescope, but feel free to bring a portable telescope if you prefer. Binoculars will also work for the average stargazer! Pro Tip: Bring a flashlight or headlamp for most trips but avoid white light—red light will help your eyes adjust to the dark more quickly.
MASSACRE RIM DARK SKY SANCTUARY: One of the darkest skies on Earth, Massacre Rim is in the northwest corner of Nevada and unlike any other stargazing spot. The once-in-a-lifetime trip draws visitors from around the world and is home to rare nocturnal creatures that thrive in true darkness. CAMP AT MASSACRE RIM for free or vie for first-come, first-serve public cabins. Guest ranches are also available, including Old Yella Dog Ranch in Vya.
BLACK ROCK DESERT: The beloved location of Burning Man, this vast desert playa sits atop the remains of prehistoric Lake Lahontan and has wide open sky as far as the eye can see. Don’t miss the natural hot springs at Soldier Meadows. Other great lodging options in nearby Gerlach include Bruno’s Country Club, Iveson Ranch or Black Rock Bungalow.
A NEW TIKI BAR ONLY AT
THE FRONT YARD NOW OPEN Open daily at 4pm weekdays and 10am on weekends Tiki Drinks and Tiki Bar Food
MORE DETAILS AT ELLISISLANDCASINO.COM @ELLISCASINOLV
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These shiny new Vegas restaurants are calling your name Paccheri pasta at Amalfi (Courtesy)
LV W C OV E R S T O R Y
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BY BROCK RADKE With all due respect to those who made it happen for us week after week, month after month, meal after meal, we don’t want to think about curbside takeout for a while. We don’t want to order food on our phones to be delivered to our homes. And we damn sure don’t want to cook. Eating became all about eating for a year plus. It’s time to get back to dining. Many of us rediscovered an indisputable human truth: Restaurants aren’t just about food. We want to join together with loved ones again in a space actually designed for that purpose, and be immersed in hospitality, smiling service and the great care given to each cocktail and plate. We want someone else to open the bottle of wine. Now’s a great time to return to these cherished, if indulgent, experiences. And though Las Vegas understandably has seen fewer big restaurant openings during the past year, there are still many new deserving new destinations waiting for you. So use that phone for a more noble cause, and make a reservation right away.
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Beef kabob at Barry’s (Wade Vandervort/Staff)
AMALFI Only a passion project could take the place of Mesa Grill, still one of the most successful restaurants on the Strip after 16 years. When his Caesars partners asked what he wanted to do next, celebrity chef Bobby Flay jumped at the chance to create his first-ever Italian concept, inspired by his obsession with the Amalfi Coast. “Americans think of Italian cuisine, and the first thought is red sauces and more American-style dishes that have taken influence from Italy. This is a very focused cuisine based on fish and pasta, and it’s a very gutsy cuisine,” Flay says. “There are actually lots of chilies used from Calabria, and that really plays into my experience with chili peppers.” A natural palette with touches of stone and wood has transformed the former Mesa space into a Mediterranean hideaway complete with a fresh seafood display inspired by the fish markets Flay loves to visit in Italy. And the influence from those travels is not subtle; some dishes are direct interpretations. “The fish market in general is the centerpiece of the cuisine there. On the Amalfi Coast, the fruits of the sea get paired with local vegetables and handcrafted pastas, and that’s what the restaurant is really about,” Flay says. “Specifically, I would say the bufala mozzarella grilled in the lemon leaves is a direct influence, and also the scialatielli pasta with scampi sauce—that noodle is a classic Amalfi Coast technique. The zucchini pasta with shishito pesto is a play off of something called spaghetti Nerano. I was taught the basis of that dish by a chef at a restaurant called Lo Scoglio in Nerano.” Caesars Palace, 702-650-5965. Monday-Thursday, 5-10 p.m.; Friday & Saturday, 5-10:30 p.m.
BARRY’S DOWNTOWN PRIME Casino owner Derek Stevens already created a well-rounded Downtown dining hot spot by importing Joe Vicari’s Andiamo Steakhouse from Detroit for a hideaway location inside the D. So when Stevens started to build Circa at the other end of Fremont Street, he had to go next-level. That’s where veteran chef Barry Dakake and his team came in, leading to October’s arrival of a new classic steakhouse dripping with Vegasness. You’d have to splurge every other week to fully explore all the design details and colorful corners of this sprawling destination hiding out under the restored Vegas Vickie neon sign just off the hotel lobby. And the menu is the definition of a big night out, loaded with the best cuts, seafood, salads and sides. Stevens and Dakake have each done it again, but this dramatic restaurant’s Downtown location is the real game changer. Circa, 702-726-5504. Daily, 5-11 p.m.
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Din Tai Fung’s Chinese delicacies (Courtesy)
DIN TAI FUNG The history of Chinese food on the Strip has mostly been written by casinos creating fine-dining options for Asian visitors, relying on local resources and importing experienced chefs. That has changed in recent years, when it started to make more sense for globally successful restaurants brands like Hakkasan, Mott 32, China Tang and Tim Ho Wan to join the Vegas party. As the trend developed, savvy local diners started to wonder: When will we get Din Tai Fung? Finally, after first debuting in the States 20 years ago, the Taiwan-based dumpling house hit the Strip in October, opening in the spacious former Aria Cafe site. Here, it’s all about the cult favorite Shanghai-style soup dumplings known as xiao long bao, filled with pork, crab and pork, or truffle and pork. But the spicy wontons—especially the vegan variety—are just as delicious and carefully crafted by hand, and the kimchi and Kurobuta pork dumplings (no soup in these) are another standout. Really, everything’s good at Din Tai Fung, from puffy steamed bao buns to delightfully simple vegetables and all the soups and noodles in between. This is a different style of Chinese dining for the Strip, and we’re not going to tire of it. Aria, 702-590-8650. Monday, 11 a.m.10 p.m.; Tuesday-Thursday, 4-10 p.m.; Friday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m.
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Oysters and clams at Estiatorio Milos (Tim Atkins/Courtesy)
The front bar (Courtesy)
Soulbelly BBQ (Wade Vandervort/Staff)
A LITTLE MORE CASUAL Add these exciting new eateries to your list AL SOLITO POSTO James Trees and company can do no wrong, even when taking over a chain Italian restaurant space at a fancy outdoor mall and serving up everybody’s favorite dishes. Order the beef carpaccio with a glass of wine. Tivoli Village, 702-463-6781. Tuesday-Thursday, 4-10 p.m.; Friday & Saturday, 4-11 p.m.; Sunday, 4-10 p.m.
ESTIATORIO MILOS No knock on its original location at the Cosmopolitan, but there’s something about the three-month-old version of Estiatorio Milos at the Venetian’s Restaurant Row that just feels grand … maybe even spectacular. Milos arrived in Las Vegas in 2010 as an intriguing exploration into Greek cuisine—built not on recipes but impeccable ingredients—and quickly evolved into one of the most talked-about restaurants in the city. Locals loved it, too, and now that its famous fresh Mediterranean fish, $38 prix fixe lunch, fried zucchini and eggplant appetizer, and wondrous wine selection have moved to this easyaccess location (with free parking!), we’re finding ourselves even more enamored with an all-time favorite. Venetian, 702-414-1270. Sunday-Thursday, noon-3 p.m. & 5-10 p.m.; Friday & Saturday, noon-3 p.m. & 5-11 p.m.
BRERA OSTERIA The short-lived Sixth & Mill pizzeria at the Grand Canal Shoppes is now casual pasta palace Brera Osteria, and the menu is approachable, diverse and delectable. Order the saffron-infused risotto Milanese, a favorite of the late Jonathan Gold at the LA location. Venetian, 702-414-1227. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m.; Friday & Saturday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. CHINGLISH CANTONESE WINE BAR There’s a Kosher version of this stellar Chinese eatery next door in Boca Park, a cozy patio for sampling all that wine and a menu full of Hong Kong classics prepared with care and precision. Order the in-house, dry-aged Peking duck, and marvel at that crispy skin. 8704 W. Charleston Blvd. #101, 702-935-2088. Daily, 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. & 5-11 p.m.
EL LUCHADOR Andy Hooper’s burgeoning hospitality company had hits with The Black Sheep (with chef Jamie Tran) and Locale (with chef Nicole Brisson and then chef Marc Marrone), and it clearly isn’t done. El Luchador is the Mexican cantina every local neighborhood deserves, complete with happy hour and weekend brunch. Order the pollo asado with nopales and chimichurri. 7825 Blue Diamond Road #101, 702260-8709. Sunday-Thursday, 4:30-9 p.m.; Friday & Saturday, 4:30-10 p.m. NIGHT + MARKET This LA transplant is Las Vegas’ hottest new Thai eatery, serving a new dimension of street-style cuisine waiting to be discovered across from One Steakhouse at Virgin Las Vegas. Order the whole fried catfish with sizzling ginger, chili and scallions. Virgin, 702693-5000. Sunday-Thursday, 5-10 p.m.; Friday & Saturday, 5-11 p.m. SOULBELLY BBQ Could a Jerseyborn James Beard Award nominee be the savior of Vegas barbecue? That’s the buzz from Bruce Kalman’s Downtown stronghold at the HUDL/ Nevada Brew Works complex. Opt for the Belly of Soul brisket sandwich with pickled onions and a fried egg. 1327 S. Main St., 702-483-4404. Tuesday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. VEGAS TEST KITCHEN Jolene Mannina’s Downtown kitchen lets you and your favorite up-and-coming local chefs test out restaurant concepts and savor innovative flavors. Order one of Sonia El-Nawal’s bagels while you peruse the ever-changing menu. 1020 Fremont St. #120, 702-251-2090. Thursday-Monday, hours vary, vegastestkitchen.com.
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ONE STEAKHOUSE Venison tataki at One Steakhouse (Christopher DeVargas/Staff)
Las Vegas and Chicago hospitality veterans Michael and David Morton didn’t need to refresh their stylish steakhouse for the Hard Rock Hotel’s transition into Virgin Hotels Las Vegas. Opened in 2017, MB Steak was a modern, luxurious restaurant with its own vibe. You could say that the resort adjusted around it, as the more serene and refined Virgin atmosphere feels like a better fit for what the brothers created. But they went ahead and improved it anyway, most notably with the addition of a gorgeous, welcoming lounge that brings all the old-school swank you want from a night at a cool Vegas steakhouse. Chef Patrick Munster channels the storied Morton culinary history with classics like Maine lobster bisque and iceberg salad with smoked bacon and buttermilk blue cheese dressing, and tableside presentations of prime porterhouses and tomahawk ribeyes. Our favorite thing is the way sides become mains, like baked short rib rigatoni or ricotta gnocchi with creamy peppercorn sauce. Good luck saving room for the raspberry lemon baked Alaska. Virgin, 702-522-8111. Daily, 5-11 p.m.
Double porterhouse at One Steakhouse (Christopher Devargas/Staff)
MAIN ST. PROVISIONS Before the pandemic, the Strip was all about creating ultracool, chef-driven culinary experiences that felt personal and authentic. It can be done in a casino resort, but it means more to the broadening Vegas scene when it happens organically. Created by chef Justin Kingsley Hall and hospitality veteran Kim Owens, Main St. Provisions is a thoughtful, gorgeous space that feels like it could only exist at the heart of the Arts District’s exciting new growth. It’s fancy enough to become the next great local restaurant tourists need to try, and cozy enough for weekly visits to the bar for sublime cocktails and a bite of whatever’s new from the kitchen. Every dish is enticing: New Zealand venison tataki, with whiskey-shoyu dressing and roasted salsify; fry bread with wood-roasted artichoke dip and hominy hummus; or striped bass with uni barbecue sauce and seafood broth-baked rice. Every rustic bite will revise your attitude about Downtown dining. 1214 S. Main St., 702-457-0111. Wednesday-Friday, 5-10 p.m.; Saturday, 4-10 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m.
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Osteria Fiorella’s bone-in pork chop (Wade Vandervort/Staff)
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No one seems to know what will happen to the amazing restaurants that came to Las Vegas during the renovation of the Palms. When asked if his Shark concept could reopen under the offStrip resort’s impending new ownership, Bobby Flay said: “I know as much as you know.” His pal Marc Vetri, who brought the regal Vetri Cucina to the top of the Palms’ original tower, must have taken a real liking to Las Vegas. While the pandemic kept his spot closed, the Philadelphia chef and restaurateur collaborated again with Station Casinos to open Osteria Fiorella in Summerlin at a Red Rock restaurant space that has housed several different Italian concepts. This one should stick, thanks to a menu of ridiculously satisfying pasta, pizza, meat and fish dishes that are familiar enough but elevated to Strip status or beyond. The meatballs, served with whipped ricotta and garlic focaccia, deserve to be in the debate about the city’s best, and the sausage is another must, a recipe resurrected from the 125-yearold Philly butcher shop on which Vetri built the original Fiorella restaurant. The sausage ragu over rigatoni is simple savory bliss, and other perfect pasta dishes include pappardelle with beef short ribs, littleneck clams and linguine, tonnarelli cacio e pepe and tortellini with peas and spring onions kissed with mint and pecorino cheese. Red Rock Resort, 702-797-7777. Daily, 4:309:30 p.m.
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Delicious glamour at Delilah
Roaring ’20s-inspired supper club Delilah was supposed to be the anchor of a restaurant revolution at Wynn and Encore in 2020, with other new dining venues set to arrive and some existing concepts slated for renovation and rebranding. Then the pandemic paused the plan—temporarily. Created by acclaimed hospitality entity the h.wood Group, Delilah Las Vegas is getting set for a July opening at the seductively secluded Wynn location that once housed fine-dining classic Alex. Delilah will aim to guide the Strip’s own Roaring ’20s as a next-gen hybrid of dinner and nightlife. There will be dancing, live entertainment and bottle service as each evening progresses into various stages of revelry. Las Vegas native Joshua Smith will serve as executive chef after his incredible tenure at Bardot Brasserie at Aria, ensuring the food will be on par with the party.
MILLION DOLLAR VIEWS 4T H
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J U LY 2 - 4 | 7 P M - 1 1 P M PA N O R A M I C F I R E W O R K V I E W S • M I L L I O N D O L L A R G O L D B A R S • F I R E P I T S E AT I N G • O P E N B A R
For more info and to make a reservations visit CircaLasVegas.com 702-247-2258 | 8 Fremont Street, Las Vegas, NV 89101 | @LegacyClub | @CircaLasVegas
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GREAT HANGS
Resident artist Cheryl Magellen during Sunday Open Portrait Painting at Main Street Studios (Courtesy)
These galleries are keeping local art alive and vital in our Arts District BY GEOFF CARTER
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he stretch of Main Street formerly known as “Antique Alley” and, more recently, part of the 18b Arts District, has been officially dubbed “Brewery Row” by the City of Las Vegas. With good reason: That area is now home to six craft breweries and several beer bars/ bottle shops, more than enough to float a partial rebranding. But make no mistake, art still owns this neighborhood. It’s painted in the alleys, sold on the streets every First Friday … and hanging on the walls of the Arts District’s galleries year-round. Here are five worth checking out.
The Arts Factory Yes, the Arts Factory is technically a gallery hive. But exploring this place—especially on a Preview Thursday, when the artists are present, but the huge First Friday crowds aren’t— can be a crash course in local art, with nearly two dozen galleries and studios bursting with the raw invention of artists both emerging and established. Don’t forget the studios on the upper floor. 107 E. Charleston Blvd., 702-383-3133.
Main Street Studios This recently opened gallery has a wonderfully lived-in vibe; with its comfy couches, live acoustic music and super-friendly staff, you could swear it’s been part of the streetscape for 20 years. Here you’ll find a wide-reaching assortment of styles and artists, from drawings to oils, classical to experimental—and if you’re inspired by what you see, they offer art classes. 1056 S. Main St., mainstreetstudioslv.com.
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Recycled Propaganda (Jesse Hudson/Courtesy)
NEIGHBORHOODS
Nevada Humanities The smallest space on this list shoulders immense weight. The cozy Art Square home of the 501(c)(3) nonprofit Nevada Humanities organization presents works intended to educate— and perhaps even unite—our state’s many disparate communities. Perhaps that’s why one never know quite what they’ll see here. Could be poetry, could be three-dimensional photography. No matter what, it’s always worth the visit. 1017 S. 1st St. #190, 702-800-4670.
Priscilla Fowler Fine Art This contemporary art gallery has become the neighborhood’s lodestone. In the past couple of years, it has earned an unassailable reputation for showing provocative, thoughtful and even beautiful work, expertly displayed. It’s a big one—big enough to accommodate multiple hanging shows at once, plus sculpture, giant multimedia works and a selection of jewelry and crafts. 1300 S. Main St. #110, 719-371-5640.
Recycled Propaganda The home gallery of sharply topical street artist Recycled Propaganda (nee Isaac Zevalking) is in itself a piece of art; a goodly amount of the space is graffitied, wheat-pasted and slap-tagged. The culture-jamming artists who show here bring smart, colorful and strongly opinionated pieces, much like the work of their host, which is available to purchase as prints, pins and stickers. 1114 S. Main St. #120, recycledpropaganda.com.
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BECK’S ODELAY TURNS 25 Before Odelay, Beck was beloved largely by record store clerks (mostly for One Foot in the Grave) and people who didn’t get sick of hearing “Loser” on the radio. This smart, genre-hopping 1996 album made him a household name—and it really holds up.
COMEDY
SEBASTIAN MANISCALCO AT ENCORE THEATER The return of live entertainment at Wynn starts with comedy. Demetri Martin, Nate Bargatze, Tom Papa, Jim Gaffigan and Jo Koy all have summer dates at Encore Theater, but it begins with a guy who performed a few private shows at Wynn in October. Sebastian Maniscalco kept the laughs coming during the pandemic with outdoor performances at the new Event Pavilion and at XS Nightclub, so getting back onstage with a capacity crowd of 1,500 should be a breeze. June 18-19, 7:30 & 10 p.m., $95-$225, wynnlasvegas.com. –Brock Radke
CONCERT SHOW
DTLV FIELD TRIP AT FERGUSONS DOWNTOWN Even in a year where live music wasn’t effectively hobbled, this outdoor concert series would be golden. The second installment of DTLV Field Trip features singer/rappers Derek Dominique Montgomery, Baltimore Robinson and Cuddleth0t, R&B singer Tanna Marie and DJ J. Rich, playing under the stars. A limited number of free guest list spots are available at dtlvfieldtrip.com; after it fills up, tickets cost $10. June 19, 8 p.m. Fergusons Downtown, 1028 E. Fremont St. –Geoff Carter
RAE SREMMURD AT DRAI’S The hip-hop duo of Swae Lee and Slim Jxmmi is getting busy, prepping a fourth album for a summer release, gearing up for festival appearances and appearing on the second season of Lil Dicky’s cult TV smash Dave. But making time for a pair of weekend gigs at Drai’s is also a priority. The rooftop club helped bring live concerts back to the Strip in a big way this month with shows from Wiz Khalifa, Future, Gucci Mane and 2 Chainz, and the party is only getting started. June 18, 10 p.m., $75-$100; June 19, 11 a.m., $50-$100; draisgroup.com. –Brock Radke
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DENNIS THE MAILMAN Sometime Las Vegan Amos Glick appeared in Marvel’s WandaVision as a mailman. Online theories swirled around his true identity: Could he be Willie Lumpkin? Mephisto? Glick answers with this slick, funny rap video. Spoiler: He’s a mailman. bit.ly/3xkVYpX
CULTURE
JUNETEENTH EVENTS AT LOCAL LIBRARIES
DTLV Field Trip returns to Fergusons Downtown on June 19. (Jesse Hudson/Courtesy)
OUR PICKS FOR THE WEEK AHEAD
FILM
It’s a day for joy and reflection. Juneteenth celebrates the date—June 19, 1865—when federal troops liberated enslaved people in Texas, a state that had ignored the Emancipation Proclamation for more than two years. A decade ago, Nevada officially recognized Juneteenth. Las Vegas honors both events with a two-day “jazz, arts and spoken word celebration” at West Las Vegas Library (June 18-19, 11:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.). And over at the Summerlin Library, Vegas City Opera honors abolitionist Harriet Tubman with a concert featuring music and storytelling (June 19, 3-4:45 p.m.). Both events are free. 702-5073989, juneteenthnevada.org.–C. Moon Reed
FILM
‘THEY LIVE’ AT NEW ORLEANS SQUARE
NEVADA WOMEN’S FILM FESTIVAL
If all you know of John Carpenter’s 1988 sci-fi thriller They Live is “I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass,” then this Sci Fi Center screening—held outdoors in the courtyard of New Orleans Square—is a must. So much good stuff here: The creepy faces, the endless Roddy Piper/Keith David fight scene, the blocky alien agitprop that inspired Shepard Fairey’s entire aesthetic and more. Throw on your shades and go. June 19, 8 p.m., 900 Karen Ave. #B209, 702-900-4335. –Geoff Carter
In keeping with current CDC suggestions, the seventh-annual installment of the Nevada Women’s Film Festival will be a “hybrid” experience: Its 58 films, drawn from 20 countries, will stream online, but its panels, awards ceremony and other events will take place in person. The selected films include dramas, animation, horror, comedies, documentaries and more, and a number of Nevada filmmakers will be recognized, including producer Jemma Jones and UNLV Film grads Constanza and Domenica Castro. June 21-27; festival passes $30. nwffest.com. –Geoff Carter
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MGM has big plans for the Boulevard during football season
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THE STRIP BY BROCK RADKE
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(Rendering courtesy MGM Resorts Stadium Walk Experience)
he first 100% capacity event at Allegiant Stadium is just a few weeks out: Illenium’s Trilogy concert on July 3. It won’t reach the stadium’s actual capacity of 65,000—an official from promoter AEG Presents estimated it’ll sell 35,000 tickets max—but the rescheduled Garth Brooks concert on July 10 originally sold out and is expected to pack the venue. That’s when Las Vegas will finally get to see how an event of that magnitude will affect the Strip and its traffic and visitation patterns. The Las Vegas Raiders recently announced details of the stadium’s transportation and parking program for the upcoming NFL season, and, as expected, the plan leans heavily on the 22,000 parking spaces at resort properties and other businesses within a one-mile radius. Another key component is the Hacienda Bridge, an Interstate 15 overpass that will be closed to vehicular traffic on game days, enabling a safe 15-minute walk from the Strip to the east stadium gate. MGM Resorts, which operates the six casino resorts closest to the stadium, is looking to make the most of the Raiders home game experience and all that pedestrian traffic with its Stadium Walk experience, situated on the southeast tip of the Luxor property on the corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Hacienda Avenue. “This is something that was in the works as soon as the schedule was announced last season, but without fans at games, it didn’t make sense to have a tailgating experience,” says Lance Evans, MGM’s senior vice president of sports and sponsorships. “That gave us some time to refine what the fan experience looks like and how both Raiders fans and away-team fans can engage with it.” At the heart of Stadium Walk will be the Bud Light Beer Garden, an outdoor party with no admission fee, offering DJs and other live entertainment; games like cornhole, life-size chess and different football
skill challenges—plus plenty of food and drink options, including MGM restaurant brands Beerhaus, Diablo’s Cantina, International Smoke and Public House. “We look at the pregame experience as more than the beer garden [because] we think it won’t be limited to that space. People will tailgate inside the bars and restaurants at Mandalay Bay and Luxor,” Evans says. “But with no cost to get in, we are creating this immersive experience for fans where it’s all about getting together and enjoying each other’s company in a fun atmosphere.” Though food and drinks will have their own price, there will be an all-you-can-eat-and-drink option at the beer garden for $99, one of many elements that could potentially attract locals to the experience. For out-of-towners, Mandalay Bay and Luxor are offering Strip to Stadium hotel packages that include a two-night stay and a $150 food and beverage credit that can be used at the Bud Light Beer Garden. Stadium Walk is also planning to host pregame “chalk talks”— live onstage discussions featuring former players from both teams breaking down the game. It’s part of a larger strategy to appeal to what’s expected to be a unique-to-Vegas football crowd. “If you know Raider fans, you know this is a global team, and fans will travel from all over. And while there will be a lot of Raider fans from outside [Las Vegas], we think there will be a large quantity of away-team fans coming to town as well,” Evans says. “The programming we have at the beer garden will support that.” Considering the success MGM has experienced with programming at its venues surrounding T-Mobile Arena during Vegas Golden Knights games, it’s a safe bet this new sports and entertainment experience will come up big.
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Area15’s new DJ series and Emporium Arcade Bar add up to new Vegas nightlife
4B
MORGAN PAGE
DISCO FRIES
A-TRAK
4B & DISCO FRIES June 19, 10 p.m., $20-$25. A-Lot at Area15, area15.com.
BORGEOUS
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ATIVE PAUL OAKENFOLD
ELEPHANTE
(Emporium Arcade Bar/MIchael Kirschbaum, DJ Photos Courtesy Area15)
BY BROCK RADKE
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s Las Vegas visitors and locals continue to discover the diverse offerings at Area15, the “experiential entertainment district” just off the Strip keeps adding new experiences. Memorial Day Weekend brought its first proper entertainment event, Neon Dream, a sort of mini festival with DJs and live performers. This weekend brings the launch of a DJ-centric outdoor party series at the 32,000-square-foot A-Lot, and the artists hitting the decks are boldfaced names. Onetime Drai’s resident 4B and electronic duo Disco Fries team up for the kickoff with future Saturdays scheduling Morgan Page, Borgeous, A-Trak, Elephante and Paul Oakenfold. “Area15 was always meant to be a venue for different types of entertainment, and when we started to talk through what this series at the A-Lot would be, we wanted to bring different sounds from across the globe,” says Howard Weiss, director of sales and entertainment strategy. “Some of the artists we’ve announced are pretty mainstream, but we will continue to diversify and go a little underground with some things you won’t be able to find on the Strip. We think there’s a gap in the market for that.” Area15 is an alternative experience for Las Vegas in general, and suddenly it’s a creative alternative to Vegas nightlife, too, something apart from big clubs on the Strip and the bubbling local scene. “Our intent was never to compete with the Strip,” Weiss continues. “We’re going to partner with different groups and bring in different festival events, and we do have the festival grounds on the old Scandia lot. But everything we do is going to be approachable and really fits the Area15 brand, because that’s the most important thing when we make a decision. It’s brand first and everything else follows, because we are so different.” That former amusement park land—four acres referred to as the
Grounds—could hold somewhere in the vicinity of 15,000 people. The A-Lot does about 4,000, and the adjacent Portal, a 6,500-square-foot indoor event space with projection map screens, squeezes in another 700. But there are more intimate nightlife options at Area15, including the Chicago transplant Emporium Arcade Bar, a two-story, 600-capacity bar and lounge energized by classic arcade games, pool tables, foosball and other games. It debuted in February and has its own art component—a vibrant mural collection from local artists—and a steady schedule of local and regional DJs. “Area15 billed itself as an alternative to the casinos for entertainment in Las Vegas, and we fit that as well,” says Steve Funkhouser, Emporium’s regional general manager. “All the different Emporiums [across the country] are an alternative to the typical nightclub you’re going to see.” Emporium is particularly friendly to locals with its chill vibes and lack of a cover charge. There’s no dress code, and it’s already attracting a diverse clientele, Funkhouser says. “You hear ‘arcade bar’ and people think of it as a thing for dudes, but more than half of our clientele is female. We’re trying to keep the concept of being a lot of things to a lot of people.” Bay Area fave DJ Weapon spins on June 19, and he’s emblematic of the type of artist at Emporium, open from noon until midnight daily and until 2 a.m. on weekends. National Red Bull Champion DJ Lazyboy played recently and scratch battles are in the works. In the coming weeks, the bar will also launch a Monday industry night, featuring specials for locals, aligning with the new Industry Mondays at multiple Area15 venues including Oddwood, Wink World and the Beast. “There’s so much industry here, and we’re still figuring out how to best cater to that crowd and how they want to hang out, hear some music and see some cool stuff,” Funkhouser says.
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New York City’s SoHo Playhouse aims to widen the Las Vegas theater scene BY C. MOON REED
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as Vegas is famous for its elaborate Strip productions and the high-end shows at the Smith Center. Our Valley also fosters a thriving grassroots theater scene. But what about all the stuff in the middle? “Where is the theater that exists everywhere else?” asks Darren Lee Cole, the producing artistic director for New York City’s 200-seat SoHo Playhouse. “Ninety percent of theater is in between the Smith Center and those small, emerging companies.” The celebrated industry veteran plans to solve that puzzle by bringing off-Broadway theater to Downtown Las Vegas. His organization intends to build an 85,000-square-foot performing arts center in or near the Arts District. In the meantime, SoHo is working on securing a two-year Downtown pop-up venue, with the goal of going live by the end of 2021. The nonprofit theater is already priming the pump by providing $10,000 in grants to local theater makers and by offering acting workshops. Cole sees those classes as a first step in “spreading our style of theater here.” If talk of big-city outsiders raises your hackles, Cole says SoHo PlayFor more house will aim to integrate itself into our culture, rather than annexinformation or to ing us into its world. “It’s really important to let people know that this sign up for acting workshops, visit will be a Las Vegas-based organization,” he says. “We’re going to sohoplayhouselv. hire locally. … Our aim is to give as many Las Vegas citizens as com. possible working theater jobs.” Cole also sees SoHo Playhouse as a pipeline for Las Vegans to take their talent to a national stage, becoming “a conduit for those artists and their shows to go to New York.” Why Vegas? It’s the largest U.S. metro area without an off-Broadway theater scene, according to sohoplayhouselv.com. Plus, Cole has personal connections, having tracked the city’s cultural growth since he road-tripped here during the 1970s. He also has a sister and parents living in Southern Nevada. In a bit of kismet, he’s subletting a place in SoHo Lofts, with a bird’s-eye view of Downtown. Cole lauds the local theater, dance and opera companies, and calls Myron Martin’s work at the Smith Center “heroic.” “Not only are we not afraid of competition, we need it and welcome it,” Cole says. “New York is a hot off-Broadway scene, not because there’s SoHo Playhouse, but because there’s SoHo Playhouse and 200 other awesome theater experiences. Vegas is capable of that … [and] we can fill in a couple of the missing tiles on the mosaic.”
UNDERSTANDING OFF-BROADWAY
Darren Lee Cole (Courtesy)
If Broadway is considered commercial, off-Broadway has a reputation as “authentic.” Or, as SoHo Playhouse’s Darren Lee Cole explains, “It’s a great way to experience real human interaction—one of the last.” Off-Broadway is often the breeding grounds for future megahits, such as Hamilton, Rent and Little Shop of Horrors. In New York, SoHo Playhouse
has become known for embodying the fertile, creative essence of off-Broadway. “We do a very specific style that has become worldfamous: hard-hitting, realistic off-Broadway plays … no fluff, no frills,” Cole says. Cole says SoHo Playhouse will debut in Vegas with a four-show season, comprising the organization’s past greatest hits.
THE DAY’S
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FOOD & DRINK Durango Taco Shop keeps opening new restaurants with massive menus BY BROCK RADKE
T
he family-run Durango Taco Shop might be taking over the Las Vegas Valley. Having arrived on the local food scene in 2017, it recently expanded to four locations with a November opening in the west Valley at Fort Apache and Flamingo. And there are plans for three more in the next 12 months: in the southwest at Sunset and Decatur, in Henderson at Stephanie and the 215, and an eatery at Pecos and Tropicana. If that sounds like saturation, you haven’t seen the menu. Durango not only does all the tacos, it somehow specializes in every possible Mexican food favorite—for breakfast, lunch or dinner. At the spacious new restaurant, the digital menu boards practically wrap around the entire dining room interior. On my first visit, I didn’t notice the lunch specials until I’d already ordered and sat down underneath that screen, which also detailed hearty breakfast offerings like a Cali bean-and-egg burrito ($5), a machaca plate ($8) and another burrito stuffed with bacon, eggs, beans, cheese and fries ($7). These are the kinds of good problems you’ll be faced with here. The current bestseller is the trendy queso-birria tacos, available in orders of three ($10) or five ($12.50), with consommé for dipping; three tacos plus rice and beans ($12.50); or with the gooey cheese and rich stewed beef over crispy fries ($13.50). Like plenty of other local taco shops, Durango started out serving traditional goat birria before quickly learning more people prefer beef. This version is perfectly crisp, not overly drenched in that spicy chile liquid, and there’s no skimping on the meat. All of Durango’s meats are done well, a great trait in your favorite taco shop. Anything with al pastor—tacos ($2.65 soft or $2.75 crunchy), tortas ($8), sopes ($4), nachos ($10.50), loaded fries ($11.50) and more—is a great decision, as the spicy-sweet marinated pork is tender and full of flavor. Carne asada is best highlighted in the Ultimate Cali Burrito ($11.50), a monster with beans, cheese, guac, pico de gallo, sour cream and fries. Until you discover your favorite dish, experiment with combination plates ($11-$14), served with rice, beans, chips, pico de gallo and tortillas if you choose a grilled meat like carne asada or al pastor or a flavorful stew-type dish like birria or pork chile verde. There’s also mix-and-match enchiladas, fish tacos, taquitos and chile rellenos. Just when you think you’ve finally made a decision, you’ll notice the burgers. It seems unorthodox—and possibly blasphemous— to chomp a double bacon cheeseburger with fries ($10) at your friendly neighborhood taco shop. I won’t tell if you don’t. If you feel guilty, you can always do a burger for lunch and take home some tamales ($12 for a half-dozen) for dinner. There’s mildly spicy chicken, pork or beef in rich, red chile Colorado sauce, or cheese and jalapeño. A few of these plus a couple of lengua tacos for the car ride home, and you’ve got yourself a day.
TACOS Load up at Durango Taco Shop (Wade Vandervort/Staff)
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L A S V E G A S W E E K LY
DURANGO TACO SHOP 9360 W. Flamingo Road #1, 702-463-8890, durangotacoslv.com. Daily, 9 a.m.-10 p.m.
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Town Square’s Baobab Cafe boasts tasty new dishes BY BROCK RADKE
F
ormer Cirque du Soleil dancer Wassa Coulibaly’s Baobab Stage was a rarity during the pandemic, a place where different forms of live performance continued to exist despite restrictive circumstances. Because of the versatility of Coulibaly’s unique Town Square complex, which includes a lounge, bar, restaurant, performance space and adjacent boutique, you could find a jazz trio or a stand-up comedian or a DJ on various nights, when social distancing and masks were omnipresent. Now that things are getting back to normal, Baobab offers all kinds of shows and events, like the acrobatic, cabaret-style Apéro Show, Miss Habaka’s Comedy Burlesque on July 3, drama, music and more. And the charming, bohemian café has created something new to complement all this entertainment in the form of new menu items perfect for sharing and snacking before, during or after you see a show. Leading off the Baobab bites is the light and perfect veggie fataya ($12), an empanada-like pastry filled with savory goodies with a simple green salad on the side. Fataya is a deep-fried street-food favorite in Coulibaly’s native Senegal, and it’s most often filled with fish or chicken yassa, a spicy mix with onions and lemon. The veggie version is great as is, but Baobab also serves it with garlicky shredded beef or grilled chicken for meat eaters, who can also enjoy chicken wings with smoked blue cheese ($12) or a charcuterie board ($18) stocked with salami and prosciutto, along with cheeses, smoked almonds and lavash. There are also flatbreads with jumbo lump crab ($22) or with vegan Parmesan cheese, sundried tomatoes and spinach ($14), and a lovely mezze platter with crisp vegetables and warm pita in which to dip hummus or dab with feta. If you’re feeling sweet, there’s chocolate lava cake ($8.50), and café cocktails like the Honey Badger ($14)—with Hennessey, Grand Marnier and honey ginger syrup—could also fill the dessert role. But if you just need a quick and simple snack, it has to be the spice-dusted baked sweet potato fries ($8), which seemed to be on every other table on our last visit.
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FOOD & DRINK
(Courtesy Ellis Island Hotel)
BAOBAB CAFE Town Square, 702-202-8010. Daily, 2-10 p.m.
TIKI TWIST
Tai, Scorpion Punch and a pineapple-basil mojito (all ere’s the great paradox of desert living: Now that $14). And Ellis Island’s own brews are on draft for just it’s triple-digit temps season, it’s too hot to sit $3-$5. poolside. But you can enjoy a tropical-yet-airThe Island cuisine sticks to a beachy theme, with conditioned paradise at Ellis Island’s new coconut shrimp ($11), pork belly bites ($11), wings pop-up experience, the Island at Ellis. Just ($12), quesadillas ($12) and burgers THE ISLAND AT ELLIS ($15-$17). Make sure to get some of the in time for summer, the beloved off-Strip Through July 4. casino has transformed the second floor outstanding the Volcano flatbread ($15) : Ellis Island, 4178 Koval of its newish venue, the Front Yard, into a Grilled pineapple, jalapeño and chicken Lane, 702-733-8901. Saturday-Sunday, festive Tiki extravaganza. are accompanied by a chili glaze and garlic 10 a.m.-3 p.m. & A 15-foot swordfish greets guests as ranch dressing all served atop a show stop4 p.m.-midnight; they ascend into a playful re-creation of ping bread. The only thing missing from Monday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. the South Pacific. The large balcony feels the Island menu? Dessert! & 4-10 p.m.; Tuesday-Thursday, like a cozy, secret treehouse, complete The Island’s look was achieved over just 4-10 p.m. with fun decorations, reggae music a few days, quite impressive considering and servers in tropical uniforms. Slot the amount of bamboo, Tiki carvings, hula machines and blackjack tables in the bar girls, skeletons and fishing gear on display. area add to the fun. Some aspects take on a homespun quality, which just The Island at Ellis also offers an exclusive food happen to be perfectly on theme for a Tiki bar. and drink menu. The Mermaid’s Hangover ($14) is a Beyond this summer pop-up, we see so much opstandout—a creamy blue-hued concoction in a bamportunity for this upstairs space. Christmas kitsch? boo-shaped cup with Bacardi spiced tum and coconut. Haunted Halloween bar? Heck, you could even reuse The Island has all your Tiki favorites: Painkiller, Mai those Tiki skeletons.
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Baobab Cafe’s mezze platter, beef fataya, shrimp cocktail, strawberry martini and mango mojito (Wade Vandervort/Staff)
The Island at Ellis offers pop-up tropical fun
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L A S V E G A S W E E K LY
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SPORTS
GAME 2
OVERTIME HEARTACHE
COLORADO 3, VEGAS 2 (OT) The Golden Knights fell behind 0-2 in the series when Mikko Rantanen found the net 2:07 into overtime, but Vegas began laying out the blueprint for victory. The Knights outshot the Avalanche 41-25—getting goals from Alex Martinez and Reilly Smith—while holding Colorado’s dangerous top line mostly in check. Though Rantanen’s game-winner against Marc-André Fleury felt like a dagger in the moment, Vegas returned home with confidence nonetheless.
GAME 1
(Jack Dempsy/AP)
BEATEN UP
COLORADO 7, VEGAS 1 Playing just 48 hours after besting Minnesota in a grueling best-of-seven series, the Golden Knights got off to a tough start against the well-rested Avalanche. In its only matchup against Vegas goaltender Robin Lehner, Colorado cruised to a 5-0 lead before the Knights got on the scoreboard, and the home team’s stars—Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, Gabriel Landeskog and Cale Makar—combined for six goals and 12 points.
GAME 4
HATS OFF!
VEGAS 5, COLORADO 1
VEGAS 4
The Golden Knights’ massive shot advantage (35-18) finally resulted in a lopsided victory, as Vegas scored five straight goals to wipe out an early Avalanche lead. Jonathan Marchessault led the way, posting the first playoff hat trick of his career to tie the series at two and give the Knights momentum heading back to Denver.
(Steve Marcus/Staff)
6 .1 7. 2 1
GAME 3
L A S V E G A S W E E K LY
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ENTER THE FORTRESS
VEGAS 3, COLORADO 2
(Jack Dempsy/AP)
The season’s first capacity crowd filled T-Mobile Arena at just the right time, helping the Golden Knights avoid a 3-0 series hole. Still, despite outshooting Colorado 43-20, Vegas would need late-game heroics from Jonathan Marchessault and Max Pacioretty to notch its first playoff win over the Avs.
COLORADO 2
(Wade Vandervort/Staff)
Reliving the Golden Knights’ stunning series win over the Avalanche GAME 6
FINISHING AT HOME
VEGAS 6, COLORADO 3
(David Zalubowski/AP)
GAME 5
Back at T-Mobile, the Golden Knights and Avalanche played an entertaining, back-and-forth contest, with Colorado scoring first and then battling back from 2-1 and 3-2 deficits. But Vegas defenseman Alex Pietrangelo scored with 18 seconds left in the second period, and the Knights found the net twice more in the third to avoid Game 7, eliminate the top-seeded Avs and advance to the Stanley Cup semifinals against Montreal.
WINNING UP THERE
VEGAS 3, COLORADO 2 (OT) The Golden Knights got the road win they needed when Mark Stone took a pass from Max Pacioretty, stayed ahead of two opposing players and snapped a high shot past Avalanche goalie Philipp Grubauer just 50 seconds into overtime. Getting there required a late comeback by Vegas, with Alex Tuch and Jonathan Marchessault tallying third-period goals, and Marc-André Fleury turning away two good chances by Colorado just moments into the extra session. (John Locher/AP)
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VEGAS INC BUSINESS
6 .1 7. 2 1
Cash further squeezes an already tight Southern Nevada housing market
A
BY BRYAN HORWATH s Southern Nevada’s frenzied seller’s market continues, a new concern about the area’s housing market has emerged. More buyers, according to the latest statistics from the Las Vegas Realtors trade group, are closing deals with cash. In May, 31% of all existing homes sold in the Las Vegas area were purchased with cash, an increase of 15% from May 2020. With existing home inventory at an all-time low, according to the trade group and real estate experts, any rise in cash purchases is likely to put more of a strain on already tight inventory for first-time homebuyers and others in the middle class hoping to enter the market. They are preapproved for a home loan and ready to start living the dream of being a homeowner, but their offer simply can’t measure up to that of a cash buyer. “Most of the time, if there’s a cash offer on the table, the seller will go with cash instead of a buyer with a loan,” said Sandy Zanella, a local Realtor with Realty ONE Group. “It’s very competitive. It’s not uncommon to see well over 30 offers on homes that are priced at or close to market value.” Aldo Martinez, president of Las Vegas Realtors and a longtime area real estate agent, said several different entities that have purchased hundreds of homes in the Las Vegas Valley have done so with clauses in their purchase agreements that the properties must be “rentable.” “This all leads me to believe that people are thinking that home prices are going to become so out of whack, the average person won’t be able to own,” Martinez said. “People are betting that would-be homeowners will have to rent.” For many, the housing market in Las Vegas might have already hit that point. The median price for an existing home in the area rocketed to $385,000 in May, according to the trade group, a $30,000 increase in value since February. In May 2019, the median price was $300,000.
While there are multiple culprits to blame for the inflated cost of homes in the Valley—pandemic-induced mortgage forbearance programs, low mortgage interest rates and a general need for more housing among them—there’s also the steady stream of new Nevada residents from places like California. In the Golden State, for example, the median price for a home reached nearly $759,000 in March, according to the California Department of Finance. That means someone who owns a home there can easily cash out, purchase in Southern Nevada and, in doing so, get more home for their money. “Some of it is speculation, but there’s also a lot of California money coming here,” said Vivek Sah, director of UNLV’s Lied Center for Real Estate.
Last year, according to the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles, nearly 70,000 out-of-state driver’s licenses and identification cards were handed over to the state by people applying for a Nevada card. Nearly 30,000 of the cards were from California. Sah said the flood of new residents from California also likely has to do with businesses that have moved here, attracted by Nevada tax policies that are generally more business-friendly. While some millennials and other younger buyers are in danger of being priced out of the market, Sah said many simply choose to rent. That might be helping to drive decisions by large entities to buy swaths of homes to eventually rent out. “The single-family rental market is becoming very popular,” Sah said. This month, The Wall Street Journal reported that Fundrise, a startup that aims to open the rental home investment market to those wishing to invest as little as $500, secured a $300 million credit line from Goldman Sachs. Martinez said the faith shown by the investment banking giant proves that a rush of cash purchases could continue this year. The peak of the cash-buying craze on the heels of the Great Recession settled at about 60% of homes sold in Southern Nevada in March 2013. The market isn’t expected to hit those levels anytime soon, but Martinez said the cash-buying trend is likely to continue. “These companies that are buying, they’re buying homes between $250,000 and $400,000,” Martinez said. “That’s the entry-level market today for homebuyers. It’s getting tough for the average homebuyer to compete in this marketplace.”
Vivek Sah, Director of UNLV’s Lied Center for Real Estate (Yasmina Chavez/Staff)
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VEGAS INC BUSINESS
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GUEST COLUMN
Financing tool can help developers keep PACE with environmental trend
R
BY JAMIE THALGOTT
elatively new to the market in Nevada, Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing offers a novel mechanism to fund energy-efficiency improvements and renewable energy projects together with certain associated administrative expenses. Such projects must be located on qualifying commercial or industrial real property, which may include a residential project comprising five or more dwelling units. A qualified, private capital provider issues the financing, which is then secured by an assessment lien created by a local government and recorded against the participating land. Ultimately, PACE financing benefits property owners by facilitating access to long-term, fixed-rate and low-cost capital, and benefits the community by encouraging clean and renewable energy improvements. Some background: In 2017, the Legislature followed a burgeoning national trend to set baseline PACE requirements and grant local governments authority to enact PACE programs. Henderson, Las Vegas and Reno have created such programs and have generally delegated their administration to an outside compa-
ny, referred to as a “program administrator.” The local government may establish the boundaries of an area to be assessed for a qualifying project, and certain lienholders and the property owner must execute forms of consent. The lienholder consent should Jamie Thalgott acknowledge the assessment’s creation, its status as an assessment lien and its unique enforcement structure. The owner’s consent must indicate the estimated maximum benefit to the property from the installation. Interested participants should take note of the requirement to sign the construction contract early in the game before moving forward with a plan to include PACE financing in their capital stack. Once qualified and approved by the program administrator, the local government will create an assessment lien for the amount of the financing and then assign its servicing obligations and enforcement rights and remedies to the capital provider. The government’s primary goal is to ensure it has minimum
responsibility and little to no liability associated with the PACE financing. Accordingly, the capital provider will set its own parameters for the loan, in terms of disbursements, interest rate, etc., through a financing agreement to which the local government is a party. Once created, capital providers may find this security enticing, as it is not extinguished in the event of bankruptcy, continues to encumber the property upon a sale or foreclosure, and a delinquent PACE assessment may obtain priority similar to a tax lien upon default. Owners might also find PACE financing attractive. For new builds, it can complement a traditional construction loan by filling a gap in the capital stack previously filled by a mezzanine loan or preferred equity. Where mezzanine debt is often short-term (three to five years to maturation), relatively high interest (8%-12%) and usually comes with a balloon payment, PACE financing can provide up to 25 years of amortization, generally offers a lower interest rate, and runs with the land upon a sale of the property. For retrofits, PACE financing offers a low-cost option to borrow funds rather than going out-of-pocket to upgrade the property to lower historical energy costs. And for any project, PACE financing offers the added benefits of: n being non-recourse (though a completion guaranty is often required) n typically having an interest-only period n being capable of pass-through to tenants n lacking acceleration as a lender remedy in the event of default. The above benefits notwithstanding, the Nevada statutory framework for PACE financing contains various procedural nuances that make its implementation somewhat cumbersome. Thankfully, Senate Bill 283, which passed on a 14-7 vote in the state Senate and 34-7 in the Assembly, will cure some of these issues and broaden the scope of PACE’s applicability to include “water efficiency projects” and “resiliency projects” (i.e., a broad category of improvements with a useful life of at least 10 years, ranging from enhancing the project’s surrounding environment to increasing a building’s structural resiliency for seismic events). The new law will become effective October 1 (but may be used by a local government beforehand, though not retroactively), and thereafter necessitate changes in the local government’s PACE-enabling resolutions and program guides. Interested parties should keep an eye out for such changes, which will likely be processed through a public hearing on council or commission agenda, with the legislative session having ended. Jamie Thalgott is a shareholder with the law firm Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck.
Ultimately, PACE financing benefits property owners by facilitating access to long-term, fixed-rate and low-cost capital, and benefits the community by encouraging clean and renewable energy improvements.
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VEGAS INC BUSINESS
6 .1 7. 2 1
VegasInc Notes Southwest Medical, part of OptumCare, welcomed Ping Yang, APRN to OptumCare Primary’s Del Webb location. Yang specializes in neighborhood care. Karim Kaissi joined Intermountain Healthcare as Nevada Medical Group president. Kaissi comes to Intermountain after serving as president of the eastern U.S. region for CareMore and Aspire Health, an Kaissi Anthem Inc. subsidiary. CLS Holdings USA Inc., a diversified cannabis company operating as Cannabis Life Sciences, announced a collaborative venture with New Mexico-based cannabis company Herbal Edibles Inc. The parties will produce each other’s branded products and distribute them in Nevada and New Mexico. This venture is Cannabis Life’s first rollout of its branded products outside of Nevada. The announcement comes after the brand achieved its highest revenue month to date in March. GoMeyra, a cloud software company
that helps medical laboratories process samples, launched a free mobile app for sharing COVID-19 vaccination verification or PCR and rapid antigen test results called GoMeyra Pass. The app is available in the Apple and Android app stores. Brittany Walker was appointed city attorney for Boulder City. She was named acting city attorney in October 2020. Her previous experience includes working for Holland & Hart as an associate and in the Walker Nevada Court of Appeals for Chief Judge Abbi Silver. Nathan Adelson Hospice was recognized nationally as one of the “Best Places to Work in Healthcare” for 2021. Chosen by Modern Healthcare, a national health care business news publication, the hospice will be recognized at an awards gala later this year. This is the 10th time in the past decade the hospice has received this honor. Additionally, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Nursing Officer
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Credit One Bank announced the promotions of five employees as it continues to expand its corporate leadership team, including Alyson Ashbock to vice president of brand and advertising; Mike Brown to senior vice president of digital marketing; Raymond Harper to vice president of digital delivery; Vijay Pandara to vice president of delivery management; and Sarah Peacock as vice president of partnerships. Angela Collins was appointed to CEO/executive director of MyNHPCO (National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization) Steering Committee. In her position, Collins will take her leadership role to a national level by facilitating sessions with hospice organizations across the country, creating and updating resources for hospice and palliative care, and fostering professional networks with other NHPCO committees and the communities they serve. The Nevada Dispensary Association, the state’s largest cannabis industry association, welcomed several new members, including Cannavative, Evergreen Organix, Fleur Cannabis, FloraVega, Blackbird, Ziel and Thrive
to the organization. Many of its newest members are cultivators, producers and distributors who joined the association after membership was expanded to incorporate the cannabis industry as a whole. The City of Henderson appointed Jose Luis Valdez as the new city clerk. Valdez was sworn in by the City Council during the May 18 meeting, and in his new role he will oversee critical functions performed by the city clerk’s office, including managing council and commission services; city archives, records and elections; and administrative services. Prior to joining the city, Valdez served as administrative manager and clerk of the board of supervisors in Napa County, California.
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“WORKING IN 2-D” BY FRANK LONGO
HOROSCOPES
WEEK OF JUNE 17 BY ROB BREZSNY
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Playwright Tennessee Williams was honest about the trickery he engaged in as he composed his masterpieces. “I don’t want realism,” he exclaimed. “I want magic! Yes, yes, magic! I try to give that to people.” Make that your goal. You and the people in your life have more than a mild need for magic. Your ability to thrive depends on getting big doses of it. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): “Avoid the Tragic Magic Triad: taking things too personally, taking things too seriously and taking things too literally.” This advice doesn’t refer to important matters. Rather, it refers to trivial and transitory issues. You would benefit from meditating on things that you take too seriously, personally and literally. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Purify yourself by doing this: 1. Spend 15 minutes alone. With your eyes closed, sitting in a comfortable chair, forgive everyone who has hurt you. 2. Spend another 15 minutes alone. Forgive yourself of everything you’ve done that you think of as errors. 3. Spend 15 minutes imagining what it would be like to unconditionally love yourself. 4. Spend 15 minutes remembering 10 amazing moments that you enjoyed between ages 5 and 13. CANCER (June 21-July 22): Wilma Rudolph was born prematurely to a family that already had 19 children. She suffered from pneumonia, scarlet fever, polio and infant paralysis. She wore a brace until she was 12. Nevertheless, she won four Olympic gold medals and earned the title “the fastest woman in history.” May she inspire you to overcome and transcend your own personal adversity. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): P. L. Travers wrote the children’s books about Mary Poppins, a nanny with magical powers. In her writing process, she drew inspiration mainly from what she thought of as the vast dark nothingness. To generate her tales, she listened to silence and emptiness. Emulate her approach as you create the next chapter of your life story. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Poet Melissa Broder writes, “Romantic obsession is my first language. I live in a world of fantasies, infatuations and love poems.” You have something important to learn from being more enamored and adoring than usual. If you say yes to the deluge of yearning, you’ll gain access to a type of power that will prove very useful to you in the coming months.
2020 KING FEATURES SYNDICATE ACROSS 1 PC program shortcut 6 Flog 10 Pelting precipitation 14 — Hopkins University 19 Alternative 20 Parka feature 21 Quattro or TT carmaker 22 Consume entirely 23 King penguin’s son? 26 Dazzling light 27 A, in Berlin 28 Italian island 29 Give a steed a spanking? 31 Handheld firework 33 Ad- — 34 Direction from Ariz. to Ky. 35 Actor Danson 36 Hwy. violation 37 Back in time 39 Western treaty gp. 42 Answer to “Are you?” 44 Driving coast to coast on icy roads? 52 — Purina (old pet food company) 53 Consumed 54 Negative point 55 Platform for speakers 57 Folkie Guthrie 58 “It makes sleeping comfortable,” e.g.? 63 A Nightmare on Elm Street director Craven 64 Like Dubliners 65 Inning third 66 Berate loudly 67 Holy images 68 Device like a TiVo, in brief 69 Jigsaw unit 71 Repeated
74 U.S. org. with operatives 75 One — (a handful) 76 Writing tablet 79 Nylon tights for people who are losing a lot of weight? 83 — la Douce 84 Hauling rig 85 Gut-punch reaction 86 Tree of Illinois 87 Alternative to grits 89 Violins donated to people who’ve gone broke? 94 Prior to 95 Cool, 1940s-style 96 “See ya!” 97 With 115-Across, “Quit dreaming!” 98 Ovine whine 101 Water, to Yvette 103 K-12 gp. 105 Rebuke 110 Presently riding as a jockey? 114 Mix 115 See 97-Across 116 Growing older 117 Villain from a Virginia city? 120 Roofing tile 121 Writer Wiesel 122 Frightful giant 123 Sewing cases 124 Skin qualities 125 Split apart 126 Go beyond 127 Plains shelter DOWN 1 Is sulky 2 Take — (go somewhere) 3 Porcelain babies, maybe 4 The Intern actress 5 Tolkien menace
6 Entire 7 Informal German tavern 8 The Hawkeye State 9 High-tech “appt. book” 10 Gave birth to Tom, Dick or Harry? 11 — Lang Syne 12 Screened at a bar door 13 Twisted cotton thread 14 Archie’s pal, in comics 15 World capital on a fjord 16 Valentine’s Day symbol 17 Surgery aide 18 Quickness 24 Twisting fish 25 Print quality meas. 30 City in Oklahoma 32 Commercial suffix with Star or Sun 33 State-run game 38 Grind, as the teeth 40 Natty scarf 41 Hershey candy bar 43 Halfway point 44 Bird’s gullet 45 Unusual 46 Become rusty, say 47 — a million 48 Maker of major repairs 49 Like musical works with five sharps 50 Hardware bit 51 Gershon of Killer Joe 56 USMC NCO 59 Sure-footed equine 60 Parka feature 61 Glasses and goggles 62 1920s-’30s art style 64 Frosted
67 Potassium — (table salt additive) 68 Major racket 69 Counterpart of 54-Across 70 “No problem” 71 Slalom curve 72 Dish designer 73 Half: Prefix 74 — latte (espresso) 75 “Someone to Watch Over Me” musical 76 Made attractive 77 “I’m —” (greeting in Apple ads) 78 Cagney & Lacey actress Tyne 80 Sushi eggs 81 Ritzy 82 “— dabba doo!” 83 Obtain by entreaty 88 Pulls hard 90 Earth-scooping machines 91 Preside over 92 Sided against 93 Bee fluids 98 Be a braggart 99 — -Saxon 100 Thai or Iraqi 102 Gut problem 104 Old Pan Am competitor 106 Trail activities 107 Billy Joel’s “Just the Way You —” 108 Hawkins of “Li’l Abner” 109 Mom on Family Ties 111 Poker stake 112 Wilde actress Jennifer 113 No, in Bonn 114 Onetime Nintendo rival 118 Daddy 119 Poker stake
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Oscar Wilde disproved the misconception that Libras are wishy-washy, overly eager to compromise and inclined to overthink everything. He wrote, “There are moments when one has to choose between living one’s own life, fully, entirely, completely—or dragging out some false, shallow, degrading existence that the world in its hypocrisy demands.” One of those pivotal moments will soon be coming up for you. Be Wilde-like! SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Philosopher Simone Weil wrote, “Only the light that falls continually from the sky gives a tree the energy to push powerful roots into the earth. The tree is actually rooted in the sky.” The nourishment that will help you grow the stamina and strength you need will come as you turn to the brightest, warmest, highest sources of inspiration. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): To be in groovy alignment with cosmic rhythms, you won’t merely walk. You will saunter and ramble and promenade. Likewise, you won’t just talk. You will banter, rhapsodize, improvise, beguile and lyricize. You won’t simply laugh, but will chortle, cackle and guffaw. Imbue everything you do with style, panache and imagination. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Congratulations on being such a duty-bound, no-nonsense adult. May you continue to ply your dogged persistence and beastof-burden attitude as long as it gets important tasks done, helps you feel useful and doesn’t make you sick. But you do have cosmic clearance to dabble with lightheartedness for a while. Feel free to experiment with fun and games. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): “I can barely conceive of a type of beauty in which there is no melancholy,” wrote poet Charles Baudelaire. But millions of beautiful things aren’t tinctured with melancholy. Life will bring you a flood of non-melancholic beauty in the coming days. Take advantage of this grace to replenish your trust in life. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Author César Aira praises the value of escaping one’s memories. He writes, “Forgetting is like a great alchemy free of secrets, transforming everything to the present.” Enjoy alchemy like that in the coming weeks. It’s a favorable time to lose at least some of the inhibitions and limitations you think you have to accept because of what happened in the past. As Aira says, forgetting “makes our lives into a visible and tangible thing we hold in our hands, with no folds left hidden in the past.”
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