LAS VEGAS
Vegas Keeps Its Cool
Sin City may have been shaken, but visitors will still be stirred. By Neal Broverman
2 Las Vegas Strip
If there’s any place ready to put troubles in the rearview mirror, it’s Las Vegas. Adept at forgetting the past, the tourism mecca is all about moving forward, not looking back. It was one of the first destinations to reopen with safety protocols, and later reluctantly imposed new indoor mask mandates. But even amid all the whiplash of the last year and a half, Vegas has seen numerous openings that make slipping on that face-covering well worth it. Downtown Las Vegas’s first new ground-up hotel-casino in over 40 years cut its ribbon in late 2020. Adding to an already resurgent downtown, Circa Resort & Casino opens right onto the quirky and entertaining Fremont Street Experience, a five-block pedestrian promenade. Circa touts huge sports betting facilities and an expansive pool
stadium, but we found its restaurants the biggest draw. Don’t miss 8 East, a fantastic Asian fusion from the guys behind the city’s iconic Le Thai restaurant. Meanwhile, Saginaw’s Delicatessen, open 24 hours, has some of the best latkes, lox, and pastrami outside of New York City. Circa owner Derek Stevens has a deep love for old-school Vegas, apparent in the resort’s retro steakhouse, Barry’s Downtown Prime, and the salvaged iconic Vegas Vickie (1) neon sign, which now hangs over an eponymously named cocktail lounge. Circa’s rooftop Legacy Club, boasts 360-degree views of the city. Circa, being more modern than other DTLV resorts, feels more welcoming to queer travelers than some dingier downtown casinos, but your Grindr or Tinder may not be popping off like
JEAN PHILIPPE DELBERGHE/UNSPLASH (NEON MUSEUM); COURTESY CIRCA (VEGAS VICKIE BAR); COURTESY LVCVA (AERIAL)
Neon Boneyard
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