Desert Companion - January 2016

The Dawson Difference At The Alexander Dawson School, we can’t predict the future, but we can teach children how to shape it.

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“Engineering & Design students use the West Point Bridge Designer software program to kick off the Structural and Civil Engineering unit. This program allows students to plan, design and test virtual bridges before building the actual model. This unit challenges students to think critically about designing structures at minimum cost, while maintaining maximum safety.”

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EDiTOR’S Note

Welcome to fabulous

I

’m kind of spoiled, having grown up here. Not because I have “connections” (?!) or even an especially deep bench of friends (they all absconded to Portland years ago to live Instagram lives of quaint, curated grit), but because the truth and impact of Southern Nevada doesn’t present itself to me in a bewildering single dimension like I imagine it does for most newcomers.

My stream of impressions, rather, and rather luckily, is inflected with experience, narrative, memory, perspective. I mean, heck, I still get shivers of nostalgia when I cross the skuzzy, trash-strewn Albertsons parking lot on Charleston and Bruce (really, to anyone else, an agoraphobic heath of methy asphalt despair), because I still see the ghostly outline of the old Fox Theatre, still hear the chock and grind of our skateboards slapping against the red curbs when, many years later, we east-siders would commandeer the parking lot as our personal skatepark, still smell the veil of tropical mist from fruitball, an illicit juvenile sport that, uh, involved a baseball bat and rotten apples, oranges, plums and bananas culled from the dumpster behind the store (to whoever had to clean that up: Sorry, yeah, that was us.). You say boring strip mall, I say plangent locus of personal history.

Of course, we can’t — or at least can’t yet — jack you into a neural net and download a petabyte of this kind of ectoplasm that turns a strange place familiar. So we did the next best thing: Created this issue, our Newcomers Guide (p. 57). Whether you’ve come to Vegas to launch a business or start a family, save the world or dance until dawn, we’ve got you covered, with background intel, expert pointers, tips on who to know and where to go.

But just as important as resources are our crib notes on the basic dynamics of the different facets of Las Vegas, from where to get the best networking done to 101ers on navigating our nightlife to the best hikes to squeeze in on a busy Next weekend. To do that, we tapped MOnth those-in-the-know from all facIt doesn’t get any ets of Southern Nevada, from our better than our sixth own outdoor enthusiast Heidi annual Best of the City issue Kyser to Desert Companion din-

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ing critic Debbie Lee to nightclub expert Xania Woodman of Vegas Seven. Rounding it out are short essays and sidebars on the quirks of living in Las Vegas, warts, wrinkles and all.

Getting the lay of the land is one thing; making a home in Las Vegas is a project of another magnitude entirely.

Also in this issue, we launch the first installment of Making It Home, (p. 31) a six-part, bimonthly series that aims to give you a sort of panoramic snapshot of life in different parts of the valley — part real estate guide, part lifestyle primer highlighting the diverse home styles, communities and personalities of Las Vegas. In this first installment, we feature the best of South Las Vegas, an area where old-school ranch vibe meets modern masterplanned suburbia. In future issues, we’ll cover central and downtown Las Vegas, Summerlin and Centennial Hills, North and East Las Vegas, and Henderson and Boulder City. Whether you’re looking to relocate or hoping to discover something new about your own neighborhood — or just want to see how green the grass is over the fence — Making It Home should prove a valuable resource.

When people move to Las Vegas, they can be a little flummoxed, not just by the whole Jekyll/Hyde Strip/suburb thing, but by the distances — physical, psychic and spiritual — and yeah, being able to buy milk and gamble at the grocery store, at 3 a.m. no less. Living here can be a lifelong project. Let the Newcomers Guide be your immediate cheat sheet, and let Desert Companion be your trusted source Andrew Kiraly every month. editor

Follow Desert Companion www.facebook.com/DesertCompanion www.twitter.com/DesertCompanion

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January 2016

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letters@desertcompanion.vegas

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Heidi Kyser’s Open mas cards) that we have reTopic piece from ceived so far and that are November, about addressed to both of us,” he the bureaucratic horrors writes, “two are addressed of trying to recover her to us as a couple with my maiden name after getold last name, eight are adting married, continues to dressed to us as a couple resonate. Particularly with with different last names a reader named Michael and only seven are adFarrell Ellsworth, formerly dressed to us as a couple just Michael Farrell — he with our correct name.” took his wife’s surname When we think of the when they were recently American Dream, it’s married. Why? “It is Bryan McCormick the one candidates pretty simple,” he writes. in a house he allude to in their speeches as they audi“My wife did not want to change her last name, and I Airbnb’d near tion for office: a stable home, family, career, wanted us to have the same last name as a couple. So California’s Salton Sea — the first leg stuff — roots. But there’s a flip-side American I did what I did.” of his leaving-Las Dream, one emerging from the restless forward Well, there’s pretty simple and there’s pretty simple: Vegas adventure. motion of Manifest Destiny and a fantasy of weight“As for the mechanics of the name change, what a lessness: total freedom. Nothing to tie you down, royal pain in the butt!” (Welcome to the process nothing to restrict your motion. Lighting out. so many women have to go through.) Business contacts, social Over on the Desert Companion blog (desertcompanion.vegas), media and other types of accounts, credit cards, all had to be changed. “I was very surprised at the variation among com- we’re featuring weekly dispatches from a well-known local panies as to what they require to change your name on the ac- photographer, Bryan McCormick, who’s decided to live in that second way. You might remember him as co-proprietor of the count. For example, on my Visa cards, I was able to do it over Las Vegas Camera Club, or from the many local arts events he the phone. But for my AT&T wireless account, I had to go to a store, with a copy of the marriage certificate, my Social Secu- showed up to. Last month, he finished getting rid of nearly everything he owned, and, carrying just one bag of clothing and rity card and my driver’s license.”

How did people react to this unusual situation? Pretty well, another of gear, he’s going to spend a TBD amount of time … out there. He has two creative agendas: to (a) explore the “sharing he says. “In doing the change, I’ve talked to many people over the phone. Most have been very friendly and have congrat- economy” — Airbnb, Uber and similar companies — as he uses it to (b) immerse himself in out-of-the-way corners of the country. ulated me. A few seemed confused, but most were not. My At press time, after a stint beside the Salton Sea, he was trying to guess is that more men are doing this, and also more men are infiltrate San Diego’s locals-only surf culture. Will he succeed, doing it in the context of same-sex marriage. So it’s not a total or be fed to the sharks by notoriously clannish water folk? off-the-wall thing, like it might’ve been a generation ago.”

Nonetheless, it takes time for change to set in. “Of the (Christ- Dial up desertcompanion.vegas to find out.

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www.desertcompanion.vegas

Features 57 howdy, Just moved here, did you?

First: greetings! Now, here’s our welcome wagon of information and advice to help you feel at home whether you’re a foodie, an entrepreneur, an outdoors person or more. See you at the house-warming party!

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W e t l a n d s Pa r k : c h r i sto p h e r s m i t h

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31

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49

departments All Things

31 making it home

49 Dining

73 The Guide

17 ecology Birdy

A wide-ranging look at homes, neighborhoods and life in the southwest valley

By Elisabeth Daniels

50 The Dish When

Quality culture for your enjoyment

politics 20 society Domestic abuse and entertainment 22 zeit bites Why not

use The Force in Vegas?

36 Q + A

24 Profile Sculptor of

Talking education and challenges with schools superintendent Pat Skorkowsky

By Andrew Kiraly & Heidi Kyser

the Strip 26 STYLE Game day

greatness 28 open topic The

big-money link between betting and the Super Bowl

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42 COMMUNITY When teenagers are the family breadwinners

By Kimberley McGee

Desertcompanion.vegas

chefs get creative 52 eat this now

Emeri’s lobster tail 52 cocktail of the month PB & J — in

booze form!

80 End note So you moved here to be a professional poker player ...

By Debbie Lee

54 table for two

A different wave of sushi at Yui

on the cover Illustration Nate Padavick

I l l u s t r a t i o n : G r e g W i l s o n ; STORE : C h r i s t o p h e r S m i t h ; T e e n : A a r o n M a y e s ; C h e f : S a b i n O r r

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p u b l i s h e D B y n e va d a p u b l i c r a d i o

Mission Statement Desert Companion is the premier city magazine that celebrates the pursuits, passions and aspirations of Southern Nevadans. With awardwinning lifestyle journalism and design, Desert Companion does more than inform and entertain.

We spark dialogue, engage people and define the spirit of the Las Vegas Valley.

Publisher Melanie Cannon Associate Publisher Christine Kiely Editor Andrew Kiraly Art Director Christopher Smith deputy editor Scott Dickensheets senior designer Scott Lien staff writer Heidi Kyser Graphic Designer Brent Holmes

After 50 years, no one holds a candle to the care we provide.

As Desert Radiology celebrates its 50th anniversary we realize that the community is our greatest gift.

Thank you for trusting us to provide the highest quality of care to those that matter most - you, your family and friends. We are proud to be among the top radiology practices in the nation, and truly honored you’ve made us the number one imaging provider in Southern Nevada.

As we mark this milestone and look toward tomorrow, here’s to the health of our community and another 50 years of serving you! th

Account executives Sharon Clifton, Parker McCoy, Favian Perez, Leigh Stinger, Noelle Tokar, Markus Van’t Hul NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE Couture Marketing 145 E 17th Street, Suite B4 New York, NY 10003 (917) 821-4429 advertising@couturemarketing Marketing manager Lisa Kelly Subscription manager Hannah Howard Web administrator Danielle Branton print traffic manager Karen Wong ADVERTISING COPY EDITOR Carla J. Zvosec Contributing writers Vanessa-Franchesca Castro, Chantal Corcoran, Cybele, Elisabeth Daniels, Mélanie Hope, Tony Illia, Matt Jacob, Tovin Lapan, Debbie Lee, Kimberley McGee, Molly Michelman, Christie Moeller, Jason Scavone, Greg Thilmont, Sarah Vernetti, Mitchell Wilburn, Stacy J. Willis, Xania Woodman (senior editor, Vegas Seven) Contributing artists Bill Hughes, Aaron Mayes, Sabin Orr, Nate Padavick, Greg Wilson Editorial: Andrew Kiraly, (702) 259-7856; andrew@desertcompanion.vegas Fax: (702) 258-5646 Advertising: Christine Kiely, (702) 259-7813; christine@desertcompanion.vegas Subscriptions: (702) 258-9895; subscriptions@desertcompanion.vegas Website: www.desertcompanion.vegas Desert Companion is published 12 times a year by Nevada Public Radio, 1289 S. Torrey Pines Dr., Las Vegas, NV 89146. It is available by subscription at desertcompanion.vegas, or as part of Nevada Public Radio membership. It is also distributed free at select locations in the Las Vegas Valley. All photos, artwork and ad designs printed are the sole property of Desert Companion and may not be duplicated or reproduced without the written permission of the publisher. The views of Desert Companion contributing writers are not necessarily the views of Desert Companion or Nevada Public Radio. Contact Hannah Howard for back issues, which are available for purchase for $7.95.

ISSN 2157-8389 (print) ISSN 2157-8397 (online)

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Design | Installation | Renovation | Consultation | Maintenance Tree Care | Hardscapes | Small Jobs | Irrigation | Lighting

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A mixed message for women page 20

Tripping the bird T environment

The diminutive sage grouse finds itself in the middle of a controversy that pits conservatives against conservatives — and threatens the future of environmental compromise B y H e i d i K ys e r

i l lu s t r at i o n by B r e n t H o l m e s

he greater sage grouse male sports a spiky brown tail, puffy white chest and leafy yellow eyebrows — like a pint-sized extra from The Neverending Story.

To estimate the North American population, scientists count males hanging out at their breeding grounds during mating season. It’s led them to a tally of 425,000, some 40 percent fewer than in the 1950s, when counts started.

More disconcerting, the birds’ 173 million-acre range across the West has shrunk by 46 percent, according to wildlife biologist Pat Deibert, who coordinates the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s greater sage grouse initiative. This is a problem because the vast sagebrush ecosystem sustains hundreds of other plant and animal species as well.

Seeing the figurative canary slowly croaking in the coal

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ALL Things

environment

mine, Fish and Wildlife determined in 2010 that the sage grouse warranted federal protection under the Endangered Species Act — and that it would get around to it after dealing with more urgent listings. A subsequent lawsuit gave the agency a deadline of September 30, 2015 to decide on the bird’s official listing.

Starting in 2011, the impending threat of federal regulations hampering development across the 11 states where the sage grouse lives prompted stakeholders both public and private to get on board with a federal conservation plan designed to prevent endangered species listing. But no sooner was the listing averted last year than some Nevadans began protesting the final version of the federal plan, arguing it would hamper projects already underway, as well as future development. While Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval negotiated a compromise between federal expectations and state needs with U.S. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, two counties filed a lawsuit seeking to curtail the new federal regulations. Several other counties, along with some private interests, piled on.

In October, Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt joined the suit on the state’s behalf.

“Nobody wants the bird listed,” Nevada Solicitor General Lawrence VanDyke says. “Our argument is that Nevada has a better (conservation) plan, the federal plan has certain problems and we have to convince the federal court of that.”

Yet this is one of several instances in which Laxalt has pitted himself against his Republican boss, causing pundits to speculate that it’s not really about the bird at all — it’s about politics. “(Laxalt) is adopting the ‘conservative leader of Nevada’ mantle that Brian Sandoval has never had and, by the way, does not want,” journalist Jon Ralston said during a December episode of KNPR’s “State of Nevada.” “Sandoval is a lameduck. … (He’s) not going to be on a ballot again, in my opinion. I think Laxalt will be on a ballot again, either for reelection or perhaps for governor or U.S. Senate or something in the near or far future. So he is

‘Our argument is that Nevada has a better (conservation) plan, the federal plan has certain problems and we have to convince the federal court of that.’

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impervious to criticism. ... He is doing what he said he was going to do in his campaign, which is go after the federal government.”

Grouse party The parties that have been working on comprehensive sage grouse conservation for around 15 years certainly hope Laxalt’s legal action is more than a career move. From environmentalists to mining companies, BLM to the Forest Service, those involved lauded the federal plan as a landmark deal, one that brought opposing interests together for the greater good.

“It should be a partnership,” Deibert says. “I don’t believe litigation is always the best way to go on these things.”

The federal plan that is the subject of the recent controversy culminated from factors such as decreased federal funding and lack of sufficient regulatory mechanisms in previous plans, and from sage grouse management trends such as programs targeting high-risk habitats that offer private land owners funding or other incentives in exchange for voluntary conservation. After Fish and Wildlife was given the September 2015 deadline for a listing determination, federal agencies began coordinating on a range-wide sage grouse initiative designed to enlist as many stakeholders as possible.

Some states, including Nevada, came up with their own plans. The Sagebrush Ecosystem Council, created by Sandoval in 2012, published the Nevada Greater Sagegrouse Conservation Plan in 2014. One of critics’ complaints about the federal plan was that it didn’t sufficiently take into account the state plan. For instance, it didn’t include conservation credits that would allow developers to mitigate damage to sage grouse habitats by doing conservation projects elsewhere. The federal plan also withdraws nearly 3 million acres of land from future mineral development and other uses that endanger critical sage grouse habitat. Sandoval asked the BLM to review discrepancies between the state and federal plans, and the back-and-forth between him and Jewell ensued.

Eco-schism In their lawsuit, nine Nevada counties, three small mining companies and a

rancher argued the federal plan would stanch millions of dollars worth of development and preclude previously approved projects, such as a new school in Washoe County and a water tower in White Pine.

“You may remember that when Laxalt ran, one of his main messages to rural counties was about the sage grouse being listed and ruining our way of life,” VanDyke says. “He deferred action as long as he could.” Meanwhile, the governor says his office has resolved several issues already, and that Jewell’s agents are open to addressing others that arise. “The secretary is committed to continuing to work with me and the stakeholders of Nevada to get us to where we need to be,” he says.

Still, “where we need to be” depends on one’s interests. Both Deibert and BLM officials have pointed out that the sage grouse’s removal from listing consideration depends on implementation of the federal plan — and it is federal land, after all. Laxalt, meanwhile, shows no sign of backing down.

Chris Rose, spokesman for the BLM office overseeing the plan’s implementation in Nevada, says it isn’t as ominous as people think, and the adaptability is built in. “Basically, what the federal plan did is make recommendations of how we should deal with these issues at the local level,” he says. “So, we’d look at existing resource-management plans for each district ... where sage grouse habitat wasn’t addressed, and we’d incorporate the recommendations.” That process will include public hearings, where parties with grazing rights or mineral leases on affected lands can present their concerns to their local BLMs, Rose adds. … Unless, of course, the plaintiffs in the lawsuit win, and the federal plan is stymied. In December, the federal judge hearing the case denied the plaintiffs’ request for an injunction to stop implementation of the federal regulations. She said the parties would have a chance to argue the merits of the case at trial this month.

“If we lose those plans, either in part or across the range, we’d be put in the position of having to reconsider our listing decision,” Deibert says. “I don’t know that we’d get to ‘warranted’ (status), but it wouldn’t be helpful.”

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ALL Things

society

priorities

Mixed message Resorts with admirably progressive policies still offer safe haven and big money to celebrities convicted of domestic abuse B y T o v i n L a pa n

T

his year got off to an inauspicious start for Chris Brown, the often-embattled R&B singer who pleaded guilty to assaulting Rihanna in 2009. After spending half of 2014 in and out of prison and treatment facilities because of probation violations stemming from a 2013 assault, in February Brown was denied entry into Canada because of his criminal history, forcing him to cancel several shows.

The images of Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice cold-cocking his then-fiancée were still fresh in the public consciousness, casting a heightened spotlight on the issue of domestic violence and sparking calls for tougher consequences for athletes and celebrities. Yet, in that atmosphere, one of the hottest clubs on the Strip was preparing to make Brown their featured performer of 2015.

The fight boxing fans had waited years for, Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao, was coming to MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 2. Despite public protests, Mayweather was welcomed back into the ring after serving two months of a 90-day sentence for battery in 2012.

Drai’s Nightclub at The Cromwell picked the occasion to launch Chris Brown’s residency. The press release trumpeted a “knockout lineup” for the weekend, including 50 Cent, who, in a 2013 deal, pled guilty to vandalism in order to avoid a domestic violence charge.

Drai’s was not alone in booking abusers.

Tone Loc, who has a 2012 domestic vio-

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lence conviction, performed Halloween weekend at Paris’ Chateau.

Caesars Entertainment and MGM Resorts routinely celebrate their progressive corporate policies, including a diversity program at MGM that has won national corporate awards, and Caesars’ pioneering programs for LGBT-friendly workplaces and resorts. But, with public attention aimed at domestic violence, the Strip properties continue booking entertainers with violent pasts, and the public still supports them.

“Mayweather is the poster child for domestic violence in Nevada, and here he is with a banner draped down the MGM declaring ‘Home of the Champion,’” said Melissa Clary, president of the Southern Nevada chapter of National Organization for Women, which helped organize a picket line outside the Mayweather fight. “It contributes to a pattern of objectification and devaluation of women on the Strip.”

Mayweather has been accused multiple times of domestic abuse, has multiple convictions for battery and also pleaded guilty to harassment for threatening his own children.

“Seeing abusers welcomed back as celebrities does impact victims of domestic violence,” said Sue Meuschke, executive

director of Nevada Network Against Domestic Violence. “Hotline calls go up whenever there is a big case in the media.

What’s even more insidious, I think, is the affirmation that this isn’t a real crime.

‘Nobody’s going to believe what I’ve gone through. No one is going to hold him accountable.’ Those messages come through.”

Nevada ranks fifth nationally for the rate of homicides committed by men against women, according to the Violence Policy Center, and local domestic violence victim advocates were galled by the celebration of not one, but several former abusers.

“If we’re truly serious about doing something about this, we have to not buy tickets,” said Meuschke. “I’d love for casinos to take a stand on their own; that would be great. I don’t see them doing it if it’s not financially advantageous to them.”

Mayweather has never been suspended by the Nevada Athletic Commission, which has historically treated drug infractions harsher than violent crimes. It is left to the justice system, which delayed Mayweather’s prison term so he could squeeze in one more fight, to mete out penalties.

The resorts and venues mirror that position. Desert Companion requested interviews with management at Caesars

ILLUSTRATION G r e g W i l s o n

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SKYE CANYON Hualap

Entertainment, Drai’s Nightclub and MGM Resorts; all declined, issuing email statements instead.

“If a person charged with a crime complies with obligations to the legal system, passes licensure review by state regulators where required, and clears the vetting of a licensed and established event promoter, we will give him or her consideration to perform or compete at our facilities,” an MGM Resorts spokesman said.

Mayweather retired this year, but MGM also routinely hosts bouts for the Las Vegas-based Ultimate Fighting Championship, which is reportedly bidding for naming rights of the new MGM arena.

At least two current UFC fighters have histories of domestic violence. Anthony Johnson, who fought at MGM Grand on September 5, has been accused by three women of abuse and has one conviction.

Abel Trujillo, who fought in a UFC event in Brazil on November 7, has two convictions for domestic violence.

The UFC also declined an interview request, but in a statement the company said: “The (UFC) will not tolerate domestic violence, sexual assault or any other violation of the (Fighter Conduct) Policy.

Every athlete is deserving of due process, and all official allegations will be duly reviewed and thoroughly investigated by an independent party.”

Chris Brown, who is still on probation, went on to perform more than a half-dozen times at Drai’s this year, including the busiest party weekends. “We are fully satisfied Chris has paid his debt for any past transgressions and appreciate the professionalism he has displayed,” a spokeswoman for Drai’s said in a statement.

For Memorial Day, in addition to 50 Cent and Brown, Drai’s booked The Weeknd, who, while never tied to violence against women, punched a police officer during a fight at The Cromwell in January.

In September, Brown once again found solace on the Strip when confronted elsewhere with the consequences of his actions. Just a few days after Australia denied Brown’s visa application because of concerns about his character, the singer announced a new residency deal with Drai’s for 2016.

Sky Canyon Park Dr.

Grand Teton Elkhorn Rd

Ann Rd

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ALL Things

zeit bites OUT OF CONTEXT

shel shocked Following Sheldon Adelson’s surprise $140 million purchase of the Review-Journal, the paper’s editorial staff weighed in on social media; national pundits also had their say. But what about that other set of stakeholders — the angry, libtard-hating, syntax-mauling denizens of the paper’s comment threads? A sampling …

ON THE NEW BOSS

planet vegas

It’s Naboo, baby!

Why not film Star Wars sequels in a city not so far, far away?

B y Ja s o n S c av o n e

J

.J. Abrams, you may have heard, recently took another stab at revving up the Star Wars cash engine with The Force Awakens.

Wired took an extensive look at the saga’s transformation from George Lucas’ baby to a self-replicating shared-universe film bonanza. “If everything works out for Disney,” Adam Rogers wrote, “and if you are (like me) old enough to have been conscious for the first Star Wars film, you will probably not live to see the last one.”

Well, hell, it sounds like there’s plenty to go around. Why shouldn’t Las Vegas get in on the action with some of our locales that would be perfect for double duty as Star Wars sets?

Valley of Fire. It’s almost self-parody at this point that Star Wars planets only have one climate. Hoth is all tundra. Coruscant is all city. Endor is all forest. In that tradition, desert planets are the dry-aged porterhouse of single-climate planets. Tattooine appears in five of the six movies so far, and Awakens is heavy on another dustball, Jakku. Why go all the way to Tunisia when you could set up a few Jawas on the valley’s ridges and boulders?

Fontainebleau. Empire? Lightsaber fight in an industrial, minimalist area near a bottomless

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pit. Jedi? Lightsaber fight in an industrial, minimalist area near a bottomless pit. Menace?

Lightsaber fight in an industrial, minimalist area near a bottomless pit. It’s actually contractually mandated by the Jedi Union. Judging from footage shot inside Fontainebleau in 2012, it’s like the place was left unfinished specifically to appeal to the Sith Tourism Board.

XS. Remember the clone facilities of Kamino, the water planet? They were chock full of identical people in identical uniforms who had only one purpose in life. Well …

Hemenway Park. Who are the Tusken Raiders, the mysterious Sandpeople, really? We only see them beating up Luke in the first movie, and taking pot shots at podracers in The Phantom Menace. What do they do when they’re on vacation? How about bringing their little bandage-wrapped tykes to a family-friendly tourist spot, where they can ride desert bighorn sheep?

Which are basically bantha ponies.

Electric Daisy Carnival. The Mos Eisley Spaceport Cantina. Jabba’s palace. Whatever that one place was at the start of Attack of the Clones that clearly wanted to be the Mos Eisley Spaceport Cantina but with one one-hundredth the sense of wonder or joy. The Star Wars universe is full of social spots for colorful weirdos. Well …

Bellagio. The copper patina roof and Italianate look of MGM’s crown jewel isn’t that far off what we saw of the Naboo capital. Which means the Bellagio would be the perfect stand-in for the Theed Courthouse, where Jar Jar Binks is tried, convicted and executed for crimes against the galaxy. His charred bones would be an excellent addition to the conservatory, don’t you think?

Better to have Mr. Adelson than George Soros.

Dear RJ, Please cancel my subscription.

140m to Sheldon, especially at his age equals like 11000 to everyone here. A bargain in his mind I’m sure.

(Adelson) is right up there with Reid and the best day for Nevada is when they both pass away.

ON COLUMNIST JOHN L. SMITH, once TARGET OF An ADELSON LAWSUIT Wouldn’t that be something if he bought this newspaper JUST to fire him?!?!?

Its ok when a libtard acts the way you folks do, but OMG don’t let a conservative buy a newspaper … its evil. I think its funny, and I hope he tosses this turd out on his ear.

John Smith at least has the guts to speak his mind.

Lets see if all the other pansy-a$$ reporters at the RJ have nerve enough to follow suit.

ON our new feelings about the paper Readers ALSO expect the Review-Journal to do a THOROUGH analysis of just exactly what is discussed between dear old Shel and the GOP presidential candidates who take the elevator up to the Venetian penthouse to kiss his ring.

Nice to see the RJ ratting on the owner so soon. Hope it lasts. With such a huge, rotten cheese, there have to be rats big enough to nibble.

When it walks, talks and looks like a duck, it ain’t a cow.

P h oto g r a p h y B RENT H OLMES

TICKETS STARTING FROM $59*

To purchase tickets, call 866.439.9272 or visit cirquedusoleil.com/las-vegas

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Price varies depending on show and date. Does not include tax and fees. Subject to availability. Management reserves all rights. The trademarks Cirque du Soleil, Sun logo, “O”, KÀ, Mystère, Zumanity, Zarkana are trademarks owned by Cirque du Soleil and used under license. The trademarks CRISS ANGEL BeLIEve and BeLIEve are owned by CRISS ANGEL and used under license. The trademark LOVE is owned by The Cirque Apple Creation Partnership and used under license. Michael Jackson ONE is a trademark owned by Cirque Jackson I.P., LLC

ALL Things

people

profile

Evgeni Vodenitcharov Sculptor

H

e generally avoids the Strip, but every couple of years, sculptor Evgeni Vodenitcharov and his teenage daughter will walk it, the whole freaky thing, tip to tail. “She’s still on the verge of being fascinated by the fact that she’s living in Las Vegas, and being embarrassed at the same time,” he says.

But a definite highlight is his daughter seeing her dad’s work. It’s practically everywhere. The 14-foot she-devil towering in front of El Diablo? His. The 23-foot bull bursting out of Planet Hollywood? His. The massive Buddha inside Tao? His. It’s hard to keep track of it all. “Is the siren still out in front of TI, the big girl on the ship?” he asks. If so, that’s his, too. She gets a kick out of it, his daughter, but that’s to be expected: One of her first words as a baby was “statue.”

“Inside and outside?” he answers, a bit of a Bulgarian lilt still in his voice. (He grew up there.) “Hundreds, hundreds.”

He’s just been asked how many of his sculptures might adorn the Strip at this moment. Sitting in the warm office of his December-chilled studio on Arville Street — he has another, heated studio he leases at YESCO, with whom he works a lot — you can see him running the mental tally: his years creating pieces for the Venetian + the many commissions through his company Icon Sculpting … alas, an exact number is impossible. For every giant raging bull, he’s created dozens of smaller pieces — sconces, figurines for slot banks, niche sculptures, friezes. However cool and ambience-enhancing they are, each is only a theme-adjustment away from the Dumpster, and no one ever tells the sculptor when that happens. (He’s been pleasantly surprised to find sculptures he made for one casino repurposed in another.) Disposability — it’s the fate of the commercial artist.

“Probably no one else in town has as many sculptures as I do,” he offers. He’s not bragging, just laying it out there. When he arrived in 1994 (with $35, no English, nowhere to stay, he says), the city was deep in the gullet of casino theming, with ornate resorts like Venetian and the Paris keeping platoons of commercial sculptors

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busy — some 200, he estimates. And now?

“Probably five.”

There’s an old joke about sculpture: It’s the thing you bump into when you’re looking at paintings. But it’s what 13-year-old Evgeni wanted to study when, because the Bulgarian education system made you choose, he decided to learn art instead of sports. Five years of art school followed, and later college. Now 50, he still prefers the immediacy of working with both hands, shaping clay, creating symmetries. “It’s a lot better brain-hand connection to me,” he says. “If you’re a painter, you have that stick between your hand and the canvas.” Sculpture's expensive, though; he jokes that it's like a cocaine addiction. Fortunately, his big-ticket commercial work bankrolls his fine art, giving him ample free time and the chance to work with materials he couldn’t otherwise afford. “I completely juggle between fine art and commercial art.” Though it often happens that commercial clients want to put his personal work — enigmatic figurative pieces, mostly (see photo) — into projects as well. He's ... ambivalent about that.

He likes to make a sale, sure. “But I feel a lot more protective over my personal artwork.” Scott Dickensheets

P h oto g r a p h y aa r o n m ay e s

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ALL Things

style

trend alert

Get your head in the game

Whether you’re spilling your beer out of grief or glory, these are handy: Turf football coasters by Tattooed Butterfly, $25, etsy.com

Who’s playing the Super Bowl? Who cares?! It’s all about the party – especially with these gridiron-ready accessories

Super Bowl 101

Or, how to party like a pro (even if you have no clue what’s going on) Each Super Bowl season, I explore ways to get

friends who aren’t rabid football fans (like me) to enjoy the festivities without feeling they have to

B y Ch r i s t i e M o e ll e r

become walking football encyclopedias. Here are some common questions I get: What should I wear on game day?

Toast your victory! – or drown your defeat – with these Cathy’s Concepts glass football tumblers, set of four, $58, Nordstrom in the Fashion Show Mall

I usually suggest coordinating colors for a team you’re rooting for. For last year’s Super Blankets are cozy, but also good for chewing on anxiously. “Relax It’s Game Day” throw by Tommy Bahama in Town Square, the Fashion Show Mall, the Forum Shops at Caesars and the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood

Bowl, I suggested pairing blue skinny jeans with white shoes and a white top, with a red scarf to represent the New England Patriots. Or blue skinny jeans and a lime-green top to represent the Seattle Seahawks. (Just) make sure it’s going to be a solid addition to your wardrobe beyond football season.

I’m hosting a party. What should I serve?

A nacho bar is a great place to start. Lay out the chips, then bowls containing salsas, guacamole, beans, jalapeños, sour cream, rice, then have a few crock pots going with shredded chicken, beef and a mild queso dip. This will also

For men and women who approach the Super Bowl like some strange annual religious ritual, read this: The Modern Girls’ Guide to the Gridiron by V.F. Castro, $17.99, Barnes and Noble

Relive the game’s glory, the drama and passion in buzzing plastic and metal miniature with the Tudor deluxe NFL electric football game, $89.95, Nordstrom in the Fashion Show Mall

give options to those with dietary restrictions.

Sure, you can spend months planning a majestic lunch meat stadium complete with celery goal posts. But the most satisfying sustenance is usually the simplest, so spend less time in the kitchen and more time watching the game!

How do I talk to these strange, football-obsessed people?

Go to Super Bowl parties equipped with some historical knowledge on the game. Here are five quick-fire bits of trivia. 1. The $50,000, 22-inch, seven-pound Lombardi Trophy is designed by

If you have to eat your feelings, might as well stick to the theme with these football cookie cutters, $1.25 each, Sur la Table in the Fashion Show Mall

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Keeps your hands dry, your drink cold, and also cozy and cute.

Hope that’s okay! Red Zone knitted beverage covers by Freaker, $12, Tommy Bahama in Town Square, the Fashion Show Mall, the Forum Shops at Caesars and the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood

Tiffany & Co. 2. No NFL team has ever played in a Super Bowl in the team’s home stadium. 3.

Of the 32 NFL teams, only the Houston Texans, Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions and Jacksonville Jaguars have never appeared in a Super Bowl.

4. The first Super Bowl was on January 15, 1967.

Tickets were $6, $8, and $12. 5. There will be 72 Wilson footballs on hand during the Super Bowl.

Vanessa-Franchesca “VF” Castro is the author of The Modern Girls’ Guide to the Gridiron.

Kristin Chenoweth – Coming Home Tour

Yanni

The Beach Boys

Chick Corea & Béla Fleck

The Tenors

Photo by Matthew Murphy

Riverdance – The 20th Anniversary World Tour

Photo by Rob McDogall

Photo by Paul Labelle

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra with Pinchas Zukerman

T I C K E T S S TA R T I N G AT $ 2 4 VISIT THESMITHCENTER.COM TO SEE THE FULL LINEUP TODAY. 702.749.2000 | TTY: 800.326.6868 or dial 711 | For group inquiries call 702.749.2348 361 Symphony Park Avenue, Las Vegas, NV 89106

The Bridges of Madison County The Broadway Musical

Liza Minnelli Great Day

ALL Things

open topic

sports

Score one for Vegas You can’t deny sports betting’s role in the growth of the Super Bowl. Well, you can if you run the NFL B y M at t Ja c o b

I

f you want to make NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell instantly squeamish, don’t bother bringing up concussions or deflated footballs or his players treating women like tackling dummies. Just mention these two magic words: Las Vegas. See, the boss of one of America’s most powerful (and clearly bulletproof ) corporations views our fine city the same way you and I view ISIS. Publicly, at least.

In the privacy of his corner office on Park Avenue, there’s little doubt that Goodell pores over his profit statements under neon light provided by his “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” desk lamp while rocking his “I Heart Las Vegas”

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T-shirt.

That’s because Goodell is keenly aware that broadcast networks and beer companies wouldn’t be so eager to hand him 10-figure checks if not for the point spreads that Nevada sportsbooks provide … point spreads that serve as the basis for billions of dollars in annual wagers (placed legally in Nevada, illegally everywhere else) … wagers that go a long way toward maintaining the NFL’s status as one of America’s most powerful (and bulletproof ) organizations.

So as the league prepares to celebrate the silver anniversary of its Super Bowl on February 7 — which, once again, will be the single biggest betting day on the American sports calendar — we thought it a good time to look back at some of the more memorable Nevada-specific moments from Super Bowls past. Might want to keep that antacid within reach, Commish …

Super Bowl I: To say the American public didn’t exactly embrace the Super Bowl in January 1967 is an understatement. Despite being broadcast on both NBC and CBS, the game between the NFL champion Green Bay Packers and the AFL champion Kansas City Chiefs wasn’t a ratings bonanza, and there were more than 30,000 empty seats in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. But you’d better believe there was a betting line on the game: The Packers were a 14-point favorite, easily covering the spread in a 35-10 victory. In the first 21 Super Bowls, from 1967 to 1987, the favorite went 16-5 against the spread. The first underdog winner, though, was a doozy.

Super Bowl III: First, quarterback Joe Namath famously made an outlandish prediction. Then, the soon-to-be Mr. Pantyhose made good on it, leading the New York Jets to a stunning 16-7 victory over the Baltimore Colts — as an 18-point underdog.

To this day, it was the biggest upset in

ILLUSTRATION b r e n t h o l m e s

Broadcast networks and beer companies wouldn’t be so eager to hand Goodell 10figure checks if not for the point spreads that Nevada sportsbooks provide …

Super Bowl history.

Super Bowl X: As important as the point spread is in terms of driving bettors to the window, it rarely matters come game day. In fact, only six times has the big-game winner failed to cover the number. The first such instance occurred in this contest when the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Dallas Cowboys 21-17 as a seven-point favorite. It would prove to be the least significant four-point Steelers win over the Cowboys in a Super Bowl …

Super Bowl XIII: Next time you think you’ve had a bad day at the office, just picture being behind the sportsbook counter on January 21, 1979. On that day, the Steelers beat the Cowboys again, this time 35-31 — a result that sent oddsmakers to the poorhouse. That’s because the Steelers opened as a 4½-point favorite, but when money poured in on the Cowboys, the line slid down to 3½ — meaning everyone who bet on Dallas at plus-4½ and Pittsburgh minus-3½ got paid. Nearly four decades later, January 21, 1979, is still known in these parts as Black Sunday.

Super Bowl XX: From Nevada’s perspective, this one isn’t remembered so much for the Chicago Bears’ 46-10 rout of the New England Patriots as for who scored the Bears’ final touchdown: When 300-pound defensive lineman William “The Refrigerator” Perry plunged over the goal from the 1-yard-line, Las Vegas paid out millions on what is regarded as the first Super Bowl proposition wager. Reportedly, odds on the prop of “Yes, Perry will score a TD” opened as high as 75-to-1.

Super Bowl XXIX: Where Joe Namath and the Jets succeeded in shocking the world in Super Bowl III, Stan Humphries (who?) and the San Diego Chargers failed miserably 28 years later, losing 49-26 to the San Francisco 49ers as an 18½-point underdog — still the biggest point spread in Super Bowl history. But that was

only part of the story. Anticipating the game would be a blowout, sportsbook operators tried to lure betting action by greatly expanding their prop-bet menu. That decision proved to be a huge game-changer, as today there are several hundred ways in which to bet the Super Bowl, including — take a deep breath, Mr. Goodell — the opening coin toss.

Super Bowls XXXI and XXXIV: It’s been said that a tie is like kissing your sister. Well, bettors and oddsmakers planted a wet one on each other in these Super Bowls, the only two instances in which the final score landed right on the point spread: The Packers beat the Patriots 35-21 as a 14-point favorite in 1997, and four years later, the Rams held off the Titans 23-16 as a seven-point chalk.

Super Bowl XXXIX: The U.S. economy was humming in January 2005, and it showed come Super Bowl time, when the game between the Patriots and Eagles generated a then-record $90.8 million in wagers in Nevada.

It was the first of four straight years in which the $90 million mark was surpassed. Shockingly, the NFL did not report this fact.

Super Bowl XLVIII: One year after bettors knocked on the $100 million door, they kicked it in with authority, wagering $119,400,822 statewide on the Broncos-Seahawks contest. Nevada casinos held onto 16.5 percent of that money, the state’s second biggest win ever.

Super Bowl XLIX: For the first time in history, a Super Bowl kicked off without a point spread — well, technically speaking, anyway. Last year’s Seahawks-Patriots classic went off as a pick-'em, and once again, the big game was a big hit with bettors, pulling in nearly $116 million in wagers in Nevada — not to mention billions more worldwide.

All to the delight — er, we mean disdain — of Roger Goodell.

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Photo by Virginia Trudeau.

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On December 14, LAGO by Julian Serrano, 2015 New Restaurant of the Year, hosted the 19th Annual Desert Companion Restaurant Awards Luncheon. More than 75 foodies joined the Desert Companion team as we celebrated Las Vegas’ brightest culinary talents and enjoyed a delicious meal at LAGO by Julian Serrano.

desertcompanion.vegas | More photos on

#RestaurantAward

01

16

Spre ading ou t in S ou th west L a s Vega s

spacious suburbia

living on the edge Comprising bedroom communities and old-school rural estates, Southwest Las Vegas is a place for those who like to spread out and live large (literally) b y e l i s a b e t h d a n i e l s

Editor’s note: In this issue, we kick off “Making It Home,” a six-part, bimonthly series that spotlights the diverse home styles, lifestyles and communities of Las Vegas. Whether you’re looking to relocate or just hoping to discover something new about your own neighborhood, “Making It Home” should prove a valuable resource. In this installment, we highlight the best of South Las Vegas. In future issues, we’ll cover central and downtown Las Vegas, Summerlin and Centennial Hills, North and East Las Vegas, and Henderson and Boulder City.

P h oto g r a p h y C h r i s to p h e r S m i t h

W

ith a building boom expanding the Strip in the early ’90s — the Mirage opened in ’89, the Excalibur in ’90 — the undeveloped southern part of the valley appealed to those looking to get away from the hustle and bustle. Land was cheap, houses were big, and the views were amazing.

“There were no amenities out there forever, and people liked it that way,” explains Geoff Schumacher, author of Sun, Sin & Suburbia: The History of Modern Las Vegas. Amenities now abound, but families are still drawn to the ranch-style estates with big lots, quiet cul-de-sacs, garages to tinker in, and room to ride ATVs. They like having their neighbors a quarter-mile away.

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Making it home Variety Pack

But as development has increased along the I-15 beltway, old now mixes with new.

Instead of spreading out, communities like Rhodes Ranch and Mountain’s Edge have built Mediterranean-style homes with more stories on smaller lots. Imported trees and vegetation create vibrant outdoor spaces for kids to play in. Many communities feature golf courses and other recreational facilities. The part of town that was once a remote getaway is now one of the valley’s most bustling bedroom communities. Southwest Las Vegas has become the place to go for people seeking, in some ways, the anti-Vegas: a safe, comfortable, family-friendly way of life in the valley — a spacious slice of suburbia for active families who want lots of room.

It’s also popular with newcomers.

“If you’re moving to Las Vegas from Iowa,” says Schumacher, “you don’t want your family back home to think you’re living in a hotel on the Strip — so you move to Southwest Las Vegas.”

Young professionals will find something here, too, in mid-rise and high-rise condos like Loft 5, Manhattan Condos, Park Avenue, One Vegas and Boca Raton. That means less maintenance and great views, plus easy access to upscale shopping and nightlife are a big draw to busy urbanites.

ranch, med and condo Bucolic rural spreads, classic ‘burbs and all-in-one condo communities Saddl e u p

Considering our proximity to California, where the Ranch Style home originated in the 1930s, it’s no surprise that homes here were typically Ranch Style from 1930 to 1980.

Ranch or “Rambler” house plans are based on large lots with open floor plans and few interior walls. The majority of these homes are single-family and single-story with a one-car detached garage.

Most moveup or larger

homes offer a two- and three-car garage. Lowpitched gable roofs with deep-set eaves complement simple exteriors made of wood, brick and vinyl.

The large picture windows take full advantage of the area’s sweeping mountain vistas, and sliding glass doors leading to back patios are common.

A 5,044-square-foot equestrian ranch estate with five bedrooms and six baths on 3.85 acres was recently listed on Zillow for $1,950,000.

sub urban luxe

The newer, master-planned communities tend to have two-story Mediterranean Style homes. Placed on smaller lots, with the garage at

hello, neighbor! He may be the quiet one at work, but Teller’s hilltop home east of Mountain’s Edge has a lot to say. Teller, of course, is the famously silent half of the magic duo Penn & Teller that’s been headlining at The Rio for the past 14 years. His 4,500-square-foot, cubist mansion sits on a 10-acre rocky outcropping with views of the Strip and the mountains.

Outside, it’s all blocky windows and corrugated steel. Inside, the fun begins. It’s not open to the public, but it adds a certain undeniable, let’s say, magic to the area. ¶ In 2007, Teller told USA Today, “Like much of my life, this house is a reflection of everything I wanted back when I was 12.” You know: mirrors, hidden doors, a talking bear sculpture and, of course, a bookcase that opens onto a secret passage to his office.

(The office features a “Houdini corner” with hand restraints and a black cross owned by the legendary magician, along with a brick from the hospital where Houdini died.) A portrait of Teller done by artist Georgia Maher, his own “Dorian Gray,” makes him look old and run-down. He has the artist come out every year to update it and make him look worse. Inside and out, his house adds offbeat charm to the area’s suburban vibe.

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the front of the house, these homes are particularly known for their lowpitched tile roofs, which are often red. The inside is characterized by dramatic open spaces with high ceilings, columns,

arched windows, curved wall corners and filigreed light fixtures. Mosaic tile designs accent floors and interior walls. Outside, walls are detailed with stucco, and there may be wrought-iron balconies

off of the bedrooms in the upper stories.

A 3,004-square foot single-family home with four bedrooms and three and a half bathrooms was recently listed on Zillow for $363,000.

small is beautiful

The condominium offerings south of the Strip offer upscale living

without the hassle. Both mid-rise and high-rise options are available, and all of them deliver a low-maintenance lifestyle with an array of attractions like restaurants, outlet malls, parks, casinos, and nightlife in close proximity. Condo prices range from $124,500 to $1,100,00 to own and $895 to $2,900 a month to lease.

In the Neighborhood

Y

ou may think you live in Las Vegas, but if you live in Enterprise Township, you really don’t — but that’s not a bad thing.

Enterprise is part of a trend that emerged in the late ’90s: densely populated urban areas that aren’t cities. Enterprise is one of six townships in the Vegas Valley. Following Paradise (fun fact: that’s where the Strip is located, not, actually, the city of Las Vegas), Spring Valley, Sunrise Manor, Whitney and Winchester, Enterprise became a township in December 1996, as a means for residents to prevent losing their semirural lifestyle to Henderson. The residents are committed to staying independent from city zoning and retaining the area’s rural flavor — and the spread-out, exurban setting, where you’re as

likely to see a horse on the road as you are an SUV, has proven to be a major lifestyle attraction for people moving to the area.

And a lot of people have moved to the area in the last 15 years, notwithstanding the recession that turned many subdivisions into stucco-spackled ghost towns seemingly overnight. Consider this: The 2000 census counted about 15,000 living in Enterprise; by the time the 2010 census took another tally, the township was home to more than 108,000 people. And, make no mistake, that’s made for some town-vs.-country

tensions fueled by the immense growth of Southern Nevada. In that sense, the story of Enterprise is the story of the Las Vegas Valley itself — balancing the building of a modern metropolis with preserving the Western virtues — space, privacy, individualism — that made it appealing in the first place. At any rate, it’s fitting that Enterprise is located in Southwest Las Vegas, because like the rest of the area, townships are a mix of old and new. They’re a legacy of the Wild West days and yet serve a purpose in a modern urban environment.

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Making it home

C r o w n J e w e ls

smell the roses!

Tiffany Jones of Peridot Sweets

Street smarts: Rainbow Cuisine, culture and commerce mingle on south Rainbow Boulevard Deceptively housed in an office/retail center at Windmill and Rainbow, The Sparklings (8310 S. Rainbow Blvd.) is an upscale casual restaurant with an open, airy floorplan that’s quickly garnered citywide buzz for its upscale gastropubby fare — think grilled octopus, crispy gnocchi, spaghetti with mushroom and bacon cream sauce, and jambalaya.

Specializing in vintage and used toys, Rogue Toys (2115 S. Rainbow Boulevard, roguetoys. com) also aims to build a sense of community with frequent special events, such as its recent Christmas promotion, a 12-day valleywide scavenger hunt in partnership with other stores around

town. A toy-swapping event takes place at Rogue Toys the third Saturday of each month at 5 p.m.

Patty’s Closet (7920 S. Rainbow Blvd. #115, ilovepattyscloset.com)carries boutique-but-affordable dresses, tops, pants, shoes and accessories. Each style is limited to only a few offerings in small, medium and large to keep the selection fresh. With lots of feminine touches in the décor, the location is welcoming and there’s a strong emphasis on customer service to help them find exactly the right outfit for any occasion.

BEHIND THE BIZ

Custom cakes, French macarons, fairtrade, organic coffee, and homemade vanilla extract. Hungry yet?

Everything is made from scratch at Peridot Sweets (6475 S. Rainbow Blvd. #100). Owner Tiffany Jones is a former baker for multiple Four Seasons Hotels and the former assistant pastry chef of The Mirage, and her background shows in everything she creates. The shop is almost as sweet as the goodies it sells: pale green chairs, white wood display cases and a small crystal chandelier hanging above the register. And hungry customers can beat the rush by ordering online at peridotsweets.com.

Peridot Sweets’ Tiffany Jones isn’t just passionate about sweets. As a mother herself, she’s a strong supporter of other entrepreneurial moms. She’s an active member of a Facebook group for small-business owners who are also moms, and she hires ambitious, business-minded moms whenever she can. One designed her website, and another assisted with shop décor.

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• A hidden gem near Southern Highlands is the Doctor Harry B. Johnson Rose Garden (5330 Somerset Hills Ave.). This small park has only six parking spaces, but it’s worth nabbing a spot if you can. Fragrant rose bushes are interspersed with beautifully tended hedges and a charming gazebo. With an enclosed playground and a splash pad, let the kids romp while you relax in one of the picnic areas.

• Town Square Las Vegas embodies the maxim, “If you build it, they will come.”

One of southwest Las Vegas’ top destinations for shopping, dining, movie-watching, toddler-playdating and after-hours cocktailing, the pedestrian-friendly retail complex pretty much as it all. Not far, either, are the Southern Highlands Golf Club and the Rhodes Ranch Golf Club.

• Opening this summer, Ikea (I-215 at Durango Drive near Sunset Road) will have two floors packed with the chain’s signature blend of stylish yet affordable items with names that sound like an elf talking dirty, 50 inspirational room settings, and even three model home interiors for generating ideas. (Just don’t have a Fight Club-style mental meltdown.) A 450seat dining room will offer the chain’s famous meatballs with lingonberries as well as convenience goods — think frozen meat and seafood along with Nordic desserts, candy and condiments — to take to your new flatpacked home.

Making the Grade Area schools of special note Doral Academy Cactus Campus (9025 W. Cactus Ave., doralacademynv.org) is a charter school, serving kindergartners through eighth-graders. Opened in August 2014, the school was developed through a partnership with the Turner-Agassi Charter School Facilities Fund. The school emphasizes math and literacy, highlights community involvement, and was named a Five Star Elementary School.

Average Class Size: 28 Student/Teacher Ratio: 26:1 Highly qualified teachers in all subjects: 100% Southern Highlands Preparatory School (11500 Southern Highlands Parkway, southernhighlandsprep.com), a private school located between Valley View Boulevard and Dean Martin Drive, serves kindergarten through 8th grade. They’ve been educating the children of Southern Highlands since 2003. Part of the Nobel Learning Communities, they strive to deliver an outstanding education in a technology-rich environment. Every student in 4th through 8th grade receives an iPad. Average Class Size: 16 Student/Teacher Ratio: 12:1 Unique After School Programs Offered: 11

Get Out (and active)

A peak park experience (for real!) and more

E

xploration Peak Park (9700 S. Buffalo Drive, just south of the entrance to Mountain’s Edge) is an 80-acre oasis in the desert. It’s best known for the 2,846-foot-high Exploration Peak. Walk or bike the trails that lead to the top for stunning views of the Las Vegas Valley. The park’s Old West theme includes a mock Western town with replicas of frontier buildings, a covered wagon play structure, an Indian village, and an archaeological dig site. Other park amenities include a playground, a water area, a horseshoe pit, an outdoor amphitheater and more walking trails. Dogs are more than welcome as long as they’re leashed.

For those seeking a high-intensity workout indoors, CrossFit is popular in the south valley, too. There are several “box” training gyms to choose from, including CrossFit Double Down (8755 Lindell Road), Decibel Crossfit (7060 W. Warm Springs Road) and Straight Flush CrossFit (8544 Blue Diamond Road).

Amenities & Attractions Mermaid Lounge is an under-thesea themed eatery in the Silverton Casino, 3333 Blue Diamond Road.

The restaurant offers classic

American fare and a 17,000-gallon saltwater aquarium, which is home to 4,000 tropical fish The Windmill Library, 7060 W. Windmill Lane, is the headquarters of the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District

and one of four Library District branches designated as a Family Place Library™.

With Wi-Fi, separate computer labs for adults and kids, and a special collection for teens, it’s truly a family destination.

Southwest Career and Technical Academy (7050 W. Shelbourne Ave., swcta.net) is a public magnet school for grades 9-12. Along with the requisite English and math classes, students here acquire in-depth skills in sought-after fields like web design, fashion design, culinary arts, nursing and mechanical engineering. Because a quality workforce is a draw for high-value companies, SWCTA has grown in popularity and receives thousands of applications for the 400 openings it has each year.

Average Class Size: 30 Average Graduation Rate: 99%

Steak ‘n Shake is a popular Midwest fast food chain, and the only one in the valley is at the South Point Hotel Casino and Spa, 9777 Las Vegas Blvd. South. It’s at the base of the escalators leading to the Cinemark

Century 16 theater complex.

South Point Arena and Equestrian Center is an indoor horse facility hosts a equestrian events such as horse jumping competitions and the World Series of Cutting.

With picnic

pavilions, a disc golf course, a large splash pad, two swing sets, a lighted outdoor basketball court and a one-mile walking path, Red Ridge Park (7027 S. El Capitan Way) is a great place for play dates and family gatherings.

March: Cen tral AND D own town L A S VEGA S

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Education

Class acts Clark County School District Superintendent Pat Skorkowsky talks about teachers, school funding, accountability — and dealing with that mercurial beast, the state Legislature B y H e i d i K ys e r a n d A n d r e w K i r a ly

T

here are a lot of toys in Pat Skorkowsky’s office — an Etch-aSketch on the coffee table, a Hoberman sphere on the conference desk. Balls, puzzles, educational knick-knacks. Even his colorfully patterned pen looks like something to play with. Do kids visit him a lot? “Oh no, they’re for him,” a PR rep explains. “He’s a kid at heart.”

For the first 40 minutes of Desert Companion’s interview, Skorkowsky hid this lightheartedness well. His guarded demeanor may be explained by the answer he gave when we asked how he would sway public opinion in favor of taxes to fund education, should a repeal of Governor Sandoval’s funding system go to a vote. “That’s one of the challenges,” he says. “Positive media does not sell.”

Skorkowsky has reason to be wary: Concrete successes, such as raising the district’s graduation rate from 59 to 72 percent in four years, are continually eclipsed by fiascoes, such as a November

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cyber-attack that caused administrators to lose a semester’s worth of evaluations.

The district can’t seem to catch a break.

Nevertheless, Skorkowsky seems upbeat about what’s ahead: a revamped governing structure with more local control, greater funding for students who need it most, and, hopefully, testing scores that bear the fruit of hard-won reforms. Then, maybe, he’d be more inclined to let loose and play.

We spoke to the CCSD superintendent on Dec. 8, a day after the Summit on Nevada Education at UNLV, which brought out everyone from Gov. Sandoval to Google executives to, of course, Skorkowsky.

Two and half years into your tenure as superintendent, how are you doing?

I love my job. I think that we’re at an exciting time in education in the state of Nevada, and particularly Southern Nevada, where we’ve seen some great increases in some of our data points. We’ve seen unprecedented commitment by the legislature to education, and so it’s a nice time

to be in this mix, to be able to see what’s going to happen.

If the controversial school choice/ education savings account law (in which parents are eligible for $5,000 to send their child to private school) survives its legal challenges and becomes a reality, are you anticipating an immediate impact on the district?

There’s a first-year no-harm clause, so that if a student was enrolled in the district and we were receiving funds, that will stay with us the first year. That’s because of the 100-day requirement piece.

In the future, there are potential financial impacts to it. The biggest challenge that we face is making sure it is equitable for every student to have that choice. And right now, I don’t know that it is.

We just received numbers from the Treasurer’s office, and there have been approximately 3,800 applications. We believe that, from indications from them, about 3,000 of them are students who reside in Clark County. So, there will be some impact. If they’re spread out across the valley, it won’t be as significant, but we don’t know where these students are coming from at this point in time. But if they’re entirely from one attendance zone, that has created a problem for that school.

We would then potentially be required to change the attendance zone to increase it so that more students have the opportuni-

P h oto g r a p h y C h r i sto p h e r S m i t h

When these things are happening in the Legislature, what is your relationship to that? Are you kind of like, “What are they doing and how do I deal with it?”

I spend a lot of time up there. I make frequent day-trips up there to have those conversations and understand what the intent of the law is and to let them know the positives to it and any unintended consequences that will happen. This session, we all know, was a unique session — we’ve never seen anything like it in the state of Nevada, so that meant the typical methods of communication were changed.

It was a challenge, because there were so many moving parts, and things moved so quickly through committees that there were times when input was not fully given, I don’t believe, on the unintended consequences, or what should have passed and didn’t in that same aspect. So, it really was a challenge for everyone. People were spending literally days and days and days of 18-, 19-hour days, trying to figure out what was going on and prepare for the next day.

I have three lobbyists, and it was still intense. And whenever they call, I drop whatever I’m doing and take their call, and it may be a call that says, “You need

n

E Ja nro nu llm ar e y nt 19 B ! eg in s

We’d love to hear a story about one of those calls you got and trips you had to make.

I remember one day where we gath-

pe

Three thousand students qualifying for $5,000 means $15 million out of your budget. How does that make you feel?

It concerns me, and it would mean that we have to look at our budget even more closely as we go forward. That’s why it’s so essential to find out where these students are, so we can plan accordingly.

It impacts my zoning decisions that we usually make by the end of February for the next school year. It impacts how we do budgeting, because if that school is on a flexible budget and we’re going to have that many fewer students, that’s that much less funding going to that school.

So, there are so many factors that we can’t plan for, because we don’t have the data to support it. But we have to plan.

ered up four superintendents from the state of Nevada, and we went and, literally, had to go in and meet with every leadership position in both the Assembly and the Senate to make sure they understood that the focus of education needed to remain where it was at, but that there were challenges that they were going to

to get up here tomorrow,” and I would go, because it was important to make sure our voice was heard.

O

ty to go that school, yet, we can’t guarantee that if all those students were to leave that school and then come back, then we would now have created an overcrowding situation. So, this is … tricky.

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Education face if they didn’t get things going. So, you go up and have those tough conversations and sit down — the phone calls on the weekend from legislators who said, “OK, we may have to give them this to get this.” And you have to sit there and weigh those situations and think about the greater good of the Clark County School District and remember that those decisions that are being made up there by 63 impact 320,000 students, and how do you balance those difficult choices, saying, “OK, you know, I can do this, but this has got to be put in place.” It’s a game, a political game that teaching first and fifth grade didn’t prepare me for.

Some of your predecessors — Superintendents Carlos Garcia and Dwight Jones, for instance — were out-of-state hires. You’ve spent 27 years in the school district, starting as a first-grade elementary school teacher. How has that influenced how you approach this job?

I think it’s definitely given me an advantage to be able to navigate the system.

I know all of the players that have been involved and have worked with most of them throughout my entire career. I know when a situation arises I can pick up and call that person, so I can get things done more quickly in some aspects.

It’s very hard for me to go anywhere in a community and not run into somebody who works in the school district and to take the time to say hello, especially if it’s somebody I recognize from a different role I was in. It’s an amazing opportunity for me to remain connected to the classroom. And there’s not a day that doesn’t go by when I don’t miss being a classroom teacher.

There’s still quite a bit of soreness about No Child Left Behind. With that having come to an end now, have you had to work to heal that rift?

I think with the changes in the way that accountability is going to happen, and then with the uncertainty of our current teacher evaluation system and that student accountability piece that’s in there — that has really made it diffi-

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cult, because there’s uncertainty in the teaching profession right now as to what it’s going to look like and how it’s going to play out. So, we’re constantly trying to reassure teachers. But my challenge is, I’m reassuring them based on the same information that they have. So, I don’t know that I’m being that comforting at this point in the process.

You mentioned that at the UNLV Summit on Education, that uncertainty around evaluation and accountability. What’s your level of input into that process?

Until the new bill gets authorized — I believe the Senate is voting on it today and it’s a 1,078-page bill, so there will be lots of interpretations that have to be done — both at the federal and state level, we’ll have our own group start interpreting what it means and where local control can be. The biggest challenge is, how do we effectively measure? In the past, all our assessment systems were based on multiple choice, and it was easy to get an answer fairly soon on how a student had progressed. That doesn’t measure the skills that were talked about yesterday by (keynote speaker and “chief education evangelist” for Google) Jaime Casap. It doesn’t mesh with where the world is going. So, you have to balance those pieces of accountability with the skills we need to be measuring for our students to be successful in the world of the future.

And outcomes, the new target, are hard to measure, right?

What was exciting yesterday, though, was that we have classrooms that are doing what he talked about: project-based learning, collaboration. I’ve seen amazing classroom lessons where kids get together and solve problems in a collaborative way and are able to have discourse about the answers in groups to get to the rationale for what’s the best solution to

a problem. So, it’s using technology. It’s been exciting to see that, but we have to replicate it on a larger scale. But then comes the measurement piece. If they’re not able to transfer that into an assessment that’s standardized so that we can be measured against other students and other districts, then it’s a major challenge.

Over the last 20 years, there’ve been a number of district reorganization plans, from a 10-district plan to five subregions to 15 performance zones. Your plan is to create seven instructional precincts. What sets your idea part?

I’ve worked under all those, so I understand where all the challenges and successes were, and how they could have been more successful. The difference in my mind and what we put down on paper is that we have created a system for stakeholder groups to have input at a more local level, meaning that parents have a system where one is elected from each school group to serve on a larger committee that is an advisory committee to the instructional precinct, and that committee selects one person to sit on the overall advisory board. So, there’s almost like a structure set up so that people are guaranteed a say in what is going on through different groups. We never had that in the past iterations. It gives support staff, it gives our administrators and teachers all a say. It gives business and community a chance to sit at the table and have input on what we’re trying to accomplish within the instructional precinct.

But there are some important things we still have to look at: One, it has to increase student achievement. Two, it has to make sure the voice of the community at the local level, down at the school level, is heard, and that they have a voice in decisions made at a higher level. Three, it has to make sure we don’t create any barriers. When you look at all the iterations

of the 1995 report (proposing a 10-district plan), it created barriers to student access, choice, opportunity. The minute we do that, we’ve created bigger problems for our students. Four, the reason that I went for was, I needed to ensure that we protected the $4.1-billion (construction) bond we were given at the beginning of the session. I needed to make sure we kept the overall district intact so that we did not cost taxpayers more, or force them to pay more in interest, with less money going into rehab, modernization and building of new schools.

So, what’s the relationship between your reorganization of the district and the bill mandating the study to break up the district?

Mine was a response to that, to get them at least an idea of how it could work. And, the only reason I chose trustee districts is that has gone through a formal vetting process, when we redistricted. But I will go back to the 1995 study and then to the Guinn report that came out that said there is no equitable way to divide this district into sub-districts without creating minority districts or barriers for kids. So, it may be changing the way we do business. Instead of necessarily restructuring, completely, everything, maybe just changing the way we do business and providing that decision-making at the local level with accountability measures to support the money that’s going to those schools.

What would happen if the referendum to repeal the tax package were successful?

It would devastate all the major programs that we have. Zoom Schools — we now have 33 Zoom Schools; 50 percent of those would go away. The Victory Schools, all but 22 would go away. We would lose the momentum for the Read

by Grade 3 initiative, which we’re already working on. We got the first round of grants to plan for the second year.

We’d lose the one-to-one technology program that was talked about yesterday. All of that would be gone. So, we would then have to come up with the money on our own to continue all these programs, which would severely hurt student achievement across the board.

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Education What else can you do as the person who’s in charge of 74 percent of the students in the state, to help change the conversation and change voters’ minds?

When I talk to people, I talk about the positives in Clark County School District, they all look at me and say, “Why didn’t we know this?” That’s one of the challenges: Positive media does not sell. It does not get priority booking on any media outlet whatsoever. And we work hard, we generate positive media stories out of our office on an almost-daily basis to get the word out. We have to now take it to the people ourselves, as opposed to trying to rely on the media. So, we’re beginning to start with a media advisory group from business and community members who have the same passion and the same commitment to giving the information out to all of our constituents. When you look at our perception outside of the state of Nevada, Clark County School District is seen as a leader. When you look at taking a graduation rate that was 59 percent to 72 percent in a four-year period, with a major large urban district — and the hundreds thousands of students of that we’re dealing with — it’s unheard of. When you talk about our advance placement numbers, and the number of students at the high school level who are not only taking AP courses, but who are also passing those so that they’re ready for the rigor of college — and whether or not the credit is accepted, they’re ready for that rigor when they walk in the door. When you look at our rates, no other district is able to come even close to those numbers. Yet, I don’t get the chance to make sure that we give credit.

And our teachers and our administrators and our schools are the ones that really deserve it, because they’re making these things happen.

The “Pledge of Achievement” on the district’s website has a list of goals and benchmarks. Which goals are seeing progress, and which need improvement?

The easiest one to point to is the graduation rate. The career tech education and advance placement numbers are phenomenal. We’re well on track to meet those goals, both in graduation and in career and tech ed. The most difficult

to measure is family and community engagement, but we have seen a significant increase in parent participation. We have created the family and community engagement services department, which now is working to get parents engaged and to become advocates for their children and teach their neighbors how to become advocates for their children. We had 80 participants in our parent university last year. They went through an extensive training program, where they learn to not only help their child, but also help them navigate the system and teach other parents how to do it too. We have eight centers across the valley where we’re doing these parent engagement advocate activities, creating parent ambassadors, so that every school has an ambassador who can come to the central office. Then, these parent ambassadors go back and share information and can create that groundswell of information to share and make sure their neighbors and community know what’s going on.

Is there something you wish you could do but can’t with the tools and funding you have?

What I wish is that we could — I don’t want to say glamorize, but that’s what we need to do: make teachers, and the profession of teaching, become the new… the new “It” thing to do. The challenge is that teachers are struggling, and they work so hard to do what they do on a daily basis, and they do it for the right reasons, and that frustration when there are substitutes and not enough substitutes to cover the classes, and they have to pick up extra kids or classes— it’s exhausting. And teaching has become one of those fields where we have to build back up the respect and ensure that our teachers are seen as shining stars. It’s one amazing thing about our partnership with The Smith Center and their Heart of Education awards, which will recognize up to 800 teachers with an event. Of those, 20 finalists will receive $5,000, which is an amazing thing.

It actually, then, helps to recognize the teachers who go above and beyond every day, and to send that message to the community that we value our teachers and teaching is a noble profession, a viable profession for people to go into.

January 2016

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community

Teens on the swing shift Lots of students work during high school. But what happens when they support an entire family?

Some teens burn out — but many catch fire B y K i m b e r l e y M c G e e

A

ldo Ayala rises at 5 every morning. The Desert Oasis High School senior washes his face and brushes his teeth before rousing his little brother Alex to get ready for school.

If his parents are working, Ayala makes scrambled eggs for himself and his brother, and then he packs their lunches. Afof sleep. There’s not enough time with ter cramming in some extra homework work and school. But it’s not bad for me. to keep up his 3.75 grade point average, I’m working for the payoff later.” he stuffs his books into his backpack, as Ayala is nothing like the stereotypical well as the uniform for his full-time job teen snoozing his life away or killing endless at Albertsons. Then it’s off to Desert Oahours in front of the XBox. Ayala, the son sis High School for another whirlwind of Cuban immigrants, attends school, works full-time, helps take care of his brothday of classes, some cramming here and there, and strategically er, and is one of the emotional and Hear financial pillars of his family. He’s a scheduled naps. more “I try to see how I can orient my teen breadwinner.

Why does day to get more homework done The high school or college job Nevada rank during other classes and catch is practically an institution, a rite low in child of passage, in America — the sumsleep where I can,” he explains. well-being? Hear a mer spent flipping burgers, the “I get about five or six hours on discussion after-school gig cashiering at the a normal day and, on the weekon “KNPR’s ends, I can get six or seven hours mall. According to one joint surState of

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Nevada” at desertcompanion. vegas/hearmore

On the clock, around the clock: Student and fulltime worker Aldo Ayala studies hard — and sleeps when he can.

vey by Citigroup and Seventeen magazine, four out of five students in the U.S. work at least part-time through school. That’s a good thing, mostly. According to the Child Trends DataBank, working part-time during school can teach responsibility, time and money management, and help teens develop real-world skills. But when work becomes a full-time grind, things go south: Also according to Child Trends, students who work more than 20 hours a week may bring home lower GPAs and be more likely to drop out than students working fewer hours. Some studies show that these full-timers tend to be minority and disadvantaged students.

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community And yet there’s a subset of students — ones perhaps not reflected by such statistics — who work full-time not to save up for the latest iPhone or PlayStation, or even necessarily just for college, but in order to bring home a paycheck for their families. In turn, their families and schools offer what support they can, whether it’s through a sense of generational connection or programs designed to ease the burden. These student workers live intense — and sometimes lonely and numbingly routine — lives, but their stories also suggest that they derive a deep satisfaction and pride from working to support their families and to clear a path to college.

Aldo’s parents, Aldo Sr. and Janet Ayala, don’t speak fluent English, but through Aldo, they say, “We are proud Generation next: In first for (him) being our son, juggling work and and second for being a son school — and helping who is responsible, caring, support the family — scholarly, family-oriented, opNoriya Bragg says she timistic, mature, and someone wants to serve as a role Sunday day,” says Sean who is learning to make good model to her younger siblings.

Abid, a counselor at Deschoices in life.”

Says young Ayala: “I have ert Oasis High School. “We to work to help my family, but see kids this ambitious, it’s also good for my future. ... I try to be and you want to help them.” Desert Oasis the best at all my classes because I write has 550 seniors, half of whom come from my own destiny. I am the only person who low-income families, and Abid hopes to can create a good life for me and for my get a majority of them through the ACT future family.” boot camp by graduation. “These kids really appreciate what we can offer, the boot ‘You want to help them’ camps and the support. They can see it. yala is not a rarity at his school, and They can see their future will be brighter the administration knows it. The and they are hungry for it.” staff at Desert Oasis High School in One of Abid’s students, Noriya Bragg, Enterprise realized they had a large group was bringing down Cs and Ds in her first of students from low-income families who few years of high school. were on the path to college — all while “We see that a lot,” Abid says. “You can working full- or part-time jobs. The Dessee them catch fire in about their junior ert Oasis staff started an ACT boot camp year and see the growth in their desire to to prepare these students for the college make a better life for themselves and their prep test. Students paid a fee and spent families. They know that college is a way 20 hours studying for the ACT over three to better their lives, and their families’ lives. It’s just amazing the hoops they have days.

“It cost them money and time, and they to jump through to get there.” came on Friday night and Saturday and As Bragg tells it, the need to support

A

“I feel like with hard work, nothing is really impossible, so I try my hardest to stay motivated and know that it will pay off."

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her family, the desire to excel at school and the dream of a college career weren’t competing demands — rather, they were inextricable. Her family had moved from Compton, California to Las Vegas when she was just starting school, to give their daughter a better life.

“I have two hardworking parents,” she says. Their struggles to keep their family afloat made her realize she could do more to help. “I really want to inspire the younger generations in my family to work hard in school and really push themselves to be the best they can be.” She hopes to attend University of Nevada, Reno to study to be an equine veterinarian.

But it’s not all dreams and inspiration.

Creating a balance between work and studying has created some tension in her friendships, forcing her to consider her choices carefully.

“I’ve had to learn how to manage being a good student as well as being able to work, so it can get pretty hard at times,” says Bragg, who works the counter at a southwest area Taco Bell. “I feel like with hard work, nothing is really impossible, so I try my hardest to stay motivated and know that it will all pay off.”

Her support network at school has

helped when she’s felt overwhelmed and on the verge of burnout. “I find myself getting distracted sometimes or losing track of what I’m supposed to be doing, as any teenager would at times, and then when I go to school, my teachers and counselor motivate me to stay focused and really keep me focused.”

finances. “When you reflect on your childhood, and I had a good one, and I knew if I worked, my little sister could have the kind of childhood I had that my parents could no longer (provide), for now.”

Sleep was in short supply that year, she said, but she kept her eyes on the future.

“I knew work would teach me responsi-

bility, how to manage my time and that McDonald’s had some scholarships and cared about kids going to school while they worked,” says Diaz-Ontiveros, who recently won a Ronald McDonald House Charities scholarship.

Managing her time meant giving up TV most nights and surfing online for hours

Friday night lights out

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ut Bragg does sometimes think about missing out on typical teenage adventures: a Friday night football game, or a lazy Saturday afternoon hanging out with friends. A typical Friday night for her? Spent on a shift at Taco Bell or catching up on studies — and, of course, sleep.

“I don’t really have time to hang out with my friends or even family as much as I’d like, but they’re all pretty understanding about it.” Her parents worry she may be overdoing it at times, but they’re also the reason she continues to work so hard.

“Not only do I want to go to school to be able to achieve my goals, but it’d mean a lot to me if I could make my mother and father proud, so ultimately they are my biggest inspiration,” she says. “School is important to me because I feel like it helps to prepare us for the real world and responsibilities, and any adversity we may face as adults.”

Sometimes, that adversity is more than the garden-variety hassles of adult life — traffic jams, annoying work colleagues.

After a car accident left her hardworking mother bedridden, Luz Diaz-Ontiveros walked to her neighborhood McDonald’s and asked for a job application. At 15, Diaz-Ontiveros became a financial pillar in her family — and when construction work for her father was slow, she was the household’s sole supporter. At the time, she was a student at Sunrise Mountain High School.

“My mother is not from here and she doesn’t have the (skills) for a very high-paying job,” Diaz-Ontiveros explains.

“My dad is in construction and we sometimes scrape by. After her accident, she couldn’t do the physically strenuous jobs she could before. That really hurt us.” With a younger sister at home, Diaz-Ontiveros felt a responsibility to add to the family’s

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community after school with her friends. Instead, it again, hopefully I can do it for her as she she rises early to fit in any homework she ages and needs cartilage replaced.” Now 18 was too exhausted to complete the night and out of high school, she has no regrets. before. She makes sure she has a clean “Because I sacrificed, because I worked uniform before taking the bus to school, hard for my family, I will have a better life.” which is another opportunity to brush ‘It’s going to be worth it’ up on her favorite school subjects, such as government. acrifice is a common theme among Her mother’s back surgeries resulting these teen breadwinners. Mariana from her car accident had a silver lining.

Dominguez, a recent Western High “I would study when I would go with her School student and another Ronald Mcto appointments, and I’d see how much Donald House Charities scholarship winthe nurses and doctors helped her, helped ner, started working her junior year in high other patients.” She began fitting volunschool so she could afford school trips and teer work at Valley Hospital into her tight athletic equipment. But some of that monschedule, and is planning on studying to ey she earned working the counter at a become an orthopedic surgeon. neighborhood Popeye’s went to the fami“When my mom got her surgeries, I ly bank account for was there every step of the way,” Dibills and groceries.

After-school az-Ontiveros says. “When she has to do “My family would special: Nicole have random fiWebb, left, and nancial problems,” Mariana Dominguez have learned that she says. “I didn’t managing stress is a mind helping out.” key part of balancing She dropped wreswork and school. tling training so she could work more hours. Now in her first year at UNLV as a business major,

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Dominguez still works — in a juice bar at a gym where she can get a discount membership — and saves money by buying used books from friends.

“I’m still working hard for the rest of it, for all I need to do to go to college, but I know it’s going to be worth it,” she says.

“That’s what working at a young age and being responsible for helping my family taught me.” Not that there’s any added pressure as the first in the family to go to college. “It was really overwhelming since no one in my family ever went to college,” she says. “I had so much support from my teachers and I’m so grateful for that.”

But looking back, college life seems easy compared to her high school career, where she juggled classes, a voracious interest in sports — running, swimming, wrestling — and worked more than 25 hours a week.

“My junior year was extremely stressful,” she says. “I don’t know how I kept going. I was so tired. A big part of it was wanting to do better and having people around me who wanted to do better. We were all working for the same thing.” She surrounded herself with students who were on the same path — and, yes, dropped a few friends who didn’t share her goals.

Leaning on friends and her parents helped with the stress, and knowing that even if she may get testy, as any teenager does, she could depend on them to understand.

“I learned to manage my stress and move forward,” she says. “I wouldn’t have that if I didn’t work so hard.”

Family ties, family time

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anaging stress is one of the hardest parts of juggling the roles of fulltime employee, student and teenager. Part of the secret: knowing you’re not a super-hero. “There are times where I have been stressed out, had to cut my hours because my education is everything, but you can see how much it’s worth it,” says Nicole Webb, currently studying communications at UNLV on a McDonald’s scholarship. “I learned responsibility quickly and had a (network) of people who cared about education.”

And often, at those stressed-out breaking points is where one of the biggest pressures turns into one of the biggest assets: family.

“Having support for these kids, many of whom are the first to go to college in their families, makes the difference of if they go to college or not,” says Desert Oasis counselor Abid. “I give these kids credit because it’s a lot of work, and many don’t have that support at home that can help them get through the process.”

“You have to surround yourself with people who are trying to do the same as you, better themselves,” Desert Oasis student Ayala says. “It can be tough.”

After a 25-minute bus ride home from school — and after working an hour at his brother’s middle school, where, fittingly, he helps students with college prep — Ayala gets home for an early dinner with his family.

“We eat, we talk at the table, and that

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keeps me going.” That shot of family time is enough to get him to work by 4 p.m., feeling rested. At 9 p.m., he returns home to finish homework, and it’s lights out no later than 11 p.m.

“I know I do a lot for my family, maybe more than most teenagers,” he says. “I don’t know anymore when I get to be a kid.

But it’s necessary, for now, to do what I’m doing for my family and for me to prepare myself for college. All this is helping me train for my career in medicine.”

Ayala hopes to attend University of Central Florida and possibly return to his home country of Cuba. Until then, he plans to attend UNLV on some well-deserved scholarships.

“I’m exhausted, but there will be time to sleep later. I have more in my life because I have goals and I have ambition.

I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished as a teenager.”

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The Dish 50

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eat this now 52

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cocktail of the month 52 Table for two 54

Our c i ty's be st spots to eat & drink

Caption

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Dining out

Talent on fire: From left, Josh Smith of Bardot Brasserie, Nicole Brisson of Carnevino, and Ronnie Rainwater of Delmonico Steakhouse.

The DISH

Meet the new boss When celebrity chefs give their executive cooks free rein, delicious things happen B y Mitchell Wilburn

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elebrity chefs are known as a lot of things: culinary innovators, larger-than-life personalities, harsh judges on reality TV cooking shows. But thousands of cooks know them simply as boss. And, like bosses, they come in every stripe. Some celebrity chefs can be true control freaks, demanding the executive chefs they hire to carry out their vision follow their menus to the last letter (making them less like executive chefs and more something like train conductors). Other celeb chefs are distant authority figures who keep tabs on their namesake restaurants from afar through networks of managers (perhaps popping in occasionally to take selfies with tourists). And still others are the kind of bosses we like the most: the

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kind who lead a team of colleagues rather than herd employees, the kind who nurture rather than micromanage, the kind who inspire rather than demand. These celebrity chefs create the vision, craft the menu — but then hand over the keys, giving their executive chefs the freedom to interpret and experiment. The menu isn’t a straitjacket, but rather a springboard.

This may sound like empty theorizing, but it’s something you can taste for yourself on the Strip, once you know the difference. When you do, it might reboot the way you think of some of our marquee Strip restaurants. You’ll start to think of them less as franchises or outposts of a ruthlessly consistent mothership brand and more like experimental culinary labs where tomorrow’s marquee talent

is paying its dues — and having a lot of fun while doing it. Over at Batali & Bastianich Hospitality Group’s Carnevino in the Venetian, for instance, Executive Chef Nicole Brisson (our 2015 Chef of the Year) has taken the helm and made the menu her own, giving her own spin to classic Italian and impressively seasonal dishes. The fact that she can indulge in her love of ramps (a seasonal green she and many East-coasters grew up with) is a testament to that. And her creativity is viral: The whole kitchen over at B&B has fun with its annual “Goat-fest,” a week of specials themed around goat meat. In Le Cirque at The Bellagio, Chef Wilfried Bergerhausen is the latest in a long line of chefs who were given total freedom — and a dizzying budget — to bring their culinary vision to life.

If there’s one celebrity chef known and celebrated for handing over restaurants to his executive chefs, it’s culinary superstar Michael Mina. Over at StripSteak in Mandalay Bay for instance, with Mina’s encouragement, Executive Chef Gerald Chin (our 2014 Chef of the Year) has virtually created a new menu. Sure, there are still the classics — butter-poached steaks, duck fat fries — but Chin has baked his own creativity right into the offerings.

On his first spring menu, he debuted a

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d i s h c a l le d “Two-minute bacon,” in wh ich p ork belly braised with Chinese five spice is flash-fried to give it a little outside crisp, topped with a tempura oyster, and smoked with applewood under a dome for two minutes, bathing the sweet and savory bite with a big punch of smoke.

It’s a transcendent mix of flavors and textures that started out as a special, but Mina himself was so impressed with it, they decided to add it to StripSteak’s permanent offerings.

Over at Bardot Brasserie (our 2015 Restaurant of the Year), Executive Josh Smith is another example of what a chef can do when given the task of obsessively perfecting timeless French cuisine. When he was prepping for Bardot’s opening, Smith hit the books, poring over vintage recipes, from chicken roti to lobster thermidor to other classic Belle Epoque dishes. He was pulling the best of those techniques to apply to Bardot dishes such as its croque-monsieur. This was the fruit of a yearlong period when Smith was allowed to prep, plan and, most importantly, play around.

“The Aria and MGM team helped me on their dime, letting me work in the

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banquet kitchens as my experimentation space. I had nearly a year to prepare, and the time to do that is what helped us open with great quality,” he says. But make no mistake: It wasn’t all engrossing, immersive research and the joy of discovery, though. It was also work.

“Even with perfect ingredients, it takes a lot of work to make it right. For the French fries, it may be harder for us to cut and process them ourselves, and it would have been easier to get precut fries, but they just wouldn’t be as good as if we could make them.”

And that precious gift of time also allowed him to ignore the latest culinary fads streaking across the Internet and focus, instead, on crafting and mastering classics from the rudiments to the details.

“We developed the menu to be the antithesis of the trendy and constantly changing. Instead, we worked on perfection in execution and product.” And, as Smith says, that trust and respect translates into longevity —which means that, behind the marquee names on our flagship Strip restaurants, shine homegrown talents in the truest sense.

YOUR GUIDE TO LIVING IN SOUTHERN NEVADA

A guide for newcomers (but old-timers should read it, too!)

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Chefs gone wil d !

At home in sou thwest Las Vegas Q&A with school s boss Pat Skor kowskY The str uggl es of teen br ead win ner s W hat’s at stake in the Sage Gr ou se fl ap

YOU REALLY LOVE OUR MAGAZINE. NOW YOU CAN LOVE IT VIRTUALLY, TOO. Visit us at desertcompanion.vegas and check out our website. Between editions of our Maggie Award-winning magazine, you’ll get web-exclusive stories, breaking cultural news and fresh perspectives from our writers.

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HOT PLATE

Eat this now!

Baked Australian lobster tail at Emeril’s New Orleans Fish House In the MGM Grand, 702-891-7374

You can call this extravagant dish a trimmed-down Lobster Thermidor for today’s slimmed-down gourmand in search of incredible richness with a somewhat light touch. Twenty-four ounces of sweet, cold-water antipodal crustacean tail chunks are baked with trumpet mushrooms and oven-roasted tomatoes in a truffled cream sauce. Oh, heck … who are we kidding? A crust of buttered bread crumbs seals this bake as a Bondi Beach bender and bikini-buster. Greg Thilmont

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Cocktail of the month

Peanut Butter & Jelly Time at Atomic Liquors

A lot of times, a cocktail will have a name like Steak & Potatoes or Carrot Cake, but when you drink it — scam! It taste like some vague, scented, idiomatic, artisanal (groan!) gesture to the name, not some drunk-mad-scientist literal transcription of the actual thing into delicious, life-sustaining alcohol. Well!: Peanut Butter & Jelly Time really does taste like a PB&J! Probably because it has actual peanut butter in it (in a fancy foam form with egg and heavy cream), and muddled raspberries. But check this out: Along with sloe gin, the alcoholic base is Highspire rye whiskey, which is aged in old wine casks. It adds this malty bread smell/taste that zips it all up into this potent package of flavor and rich associative memory. The catch: This time-travel device is $15, but it’s strong — I was stumbling around like a sugar-drunk toddler! — Andrew Kiraly

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Dining out

Dining out

Over land and sea: A selection of items from Yui’s omakase menu, including oh toro (fatty tuna), sea urchin and wagyu beef

Table for two

The raw story In a sea of all-you-can-eat sushi joints, Yui’s fresh omakase approach represents a decidedly different wave B y D e bb i e L e e a n d Mitchell Wilburn

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his past November marked the arrival of Yui Edomae Sushi by former Kabuto chef Gen Mizoguchi. Hidden away in a nondescript building behind a Spring Mountain Road shopping plaza, the restaurant is a wholesale celebration in minimalism. A 22-seat dining room — 10 seats at the sushi bar plus three cozy banquettes — is all stark whites and pale blonde wood. Aside from a single floral arrangement, the only splash of color comes courtesy of raw fish flesh, which is

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neatly displayed in two small showcases.

Guests are given three omakase, or chef’s choice, options at set prices: $68, $120 and $160 — none of which include the cream cheese-slathered, yum-yum sauce-doused monstrosities found at all-you-can-eat sushi joints around the city.

Despite my appreciation for authentic Japanese cuisine, I’ve also been known to scarf day-old rolls from Albertsons deli department (don’t fight me on this— that ubiquitous fried onion garnish is the very definition of umami). The buzz surrounding Yui’s opening elicited an eyeroll, so I invited fine dining enthusiast and Desert Companion contributor Mitchell Wilburn for a recent meal to temper my skepticism.

Debbie: Let me start by saying this: I think if you took 10 self-proclaimed sushi lovers, blindfolded them, and gave them two pieces of tuna sashimi — one from the supermarket and another from a fancy Japanese restaurant — seven out of 10 wouldn’t be able to tell you the difference.

Mitchell: I’d accept that challenge.

The meal begins with a chilled aperitif: house-made organic Fuji apple-infused sake and a bowl of smoky bonito broth.

Mitchell: The sake has got a good ferment-y flavor. A lot of that leftover koji (mold/starter). Very tasty.

Debbie: (As someone who doesn’t drink sake, I taste a refreshing shot of diluted Mott’s. At least the gold polka dots on my shot glass are cute.)

Next, a trio of chilled starters: ankimo (monkfish liver), green beans in sesame

P h oto g r a p h y c h r i s to p h e r s m i t h

sauce, and mountain potato slices with wasabi soy sauce.

Debbie: The sliced starch is forgettable, but the sauce on the green beans makes me feel like I’m eating peanut noodles at a Chinese takeout joint. And I don’t mean that in a bad way. It’s got that same satisfying creaminess.

Mitchell: It reminds me of “ants on a log.” (Celery stuffed with peanut butter and topped with raisins.)

The following course is sashimi served on a gilded glass pedestal. Our selection included A5 Wagyu beef, oh toro (fatty tuna), mizu tako (Pacific octopus), mirugai (Alaskan giant clam), and snapper.

Mitchell: The wasabi! It’s real! The clam is great. It doesn’t give off the strong, funky flavor you might expect.

Debbie: I just like that the suction cup is sliced separate from the rest of the tentacle. It has its own crunchy snap.

Mitchell: That’s what I find interesting about Japanese cuisine. A lot of times you’ll find that ingredients don’t have much of a taste at all, but there’s a lot of attention paid to texture.

A carefully orchestrated series of cooked meat and madeto-order sushi follows.

Line cook: This is wakaremi, or triangle.

Debbie: Um, what’s a triangle?

Line cook: It’s a cut that comes from behind the fin.

Debbie: Kind of like the oyster on a chicken? I get it.

It’s super tender but lean. I can cut through the flesh with my tongue alone.

Mitchell: So it’s more like the tenderloin of a fish.

Debbie: I can also appreciate the fact that it’s so fresh that the rice is still warm. But the only bite I won’t finish is the gyoku (omelet/egg sushi), which is too bad because my favorite scene in Jiro Dreams of Sushi is when one of his cooks takes forever to perfect his technique for this very thing.

But it’s so sweet it borders on dessert. I do like that they brand their logo into the egg, though. Nice detail.

Mitchell: It would be cooler if they could monogram each one using our own initials.

Debbie: For the price we’re paying they should.

Line cook: (serving us two soup spoons of what looks like tiny brains.)

Shirako, or cod milt.

Debbie: You mean sperm.

Line cook: Yeah. It’s the sperm sac.

Mitchell: Milt, eh? So that’s what they’re calling it these days? Well, let’s knock it off the old bucket list. But give me the smaller one.

Debbie: It doesn’t smell like I thought it would. Since you’re supposed to shoot it back rather than chew, it’s really just like eating a mildly stinky oyster.

Mitchell: It’s okay.

Debbie: You’re probably better off saving it for your cat.

Mitchell: (undoubtedly looking to clear his palate) Hey, can I finish your omelet?

Yui Ed omae Sushi 3460 Arville St. #HS yuisushi.com HOURS 6-10:30p, Mon-Sat

Next up is a serving of uchiwa ebi, or samurai lobster.

Line cook: It’s actually shrimp.

Debbie: It’s fine, but I feel a bit duped that we were told it was shrimp after the fact.

Mitchell: Especially because the Japanese translation on the menu doesn’t even use the word “samurai.” Although at least it does have a red skin like lobster or crayfish.

For dessert, traditional manju (bean paste buns) and grapefruit tangerine jelly.

Debbie: The Asian concept of sweet isn’t a match for Western palates. Something like red bean is an acquired taste so you’ll never get me to like the manju. The flavors in the jelly are bright and clean — it’s a better way to finish the meal.

Mitchell: It’s good, but I prefer savory elements in my dessert; otherwise, I’m okay with skipping it.

After the meal …

Debbie: I read a Yelp review that complained about this place being out of the way. But when you serve this kind of unusual food, I think it’s better off being away from the Strip. Seeking it out is part of the adventure.

Mitchell: Agreed — even when you compare it to an off-Strip place like Kabuto, which tries to be a bit more crowd-pleasing. This is definitely more refined. Eating here is like earning your Ph.D. in fish.

Debbie: But do you think this was worth it? At the end of the day I really think it’s an experience that should be reserved for Japanese cuisine enthusiasts, and even then I can’t help but feel that a bit like I bought into the Emperor’s New Clothes. I also don’t know how I feel about paying top price and then watching a diner next to us get treated to caviar, which we didn’t receive. It suggests that one price is equivalent to what the chef thinks you deserve.

Mitchell: True, there might be the chance that we were getting the “honky menu,” in the same way a Thai place might withhold on spice. But even then, I think there’s likely nothing in the place that isn’t stellar quality. As far as price, I can see it being worth it for an obsessive sushi nerd, or someone who is truly bored with even the best of sushi places. It definitely caters to the well-heeled. There’s no budget shopping to be done here.

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you are here i n s ta n tl inte

loca l insight

Greetings, newcomer! Congrats on taking your place in the great residential churn of Las Vegas. Every day, new arrivals like you braid your interests, ambitions and lifestyles into the larger community. To help you sink those roots, our info-rich guide for newbies will get you off to a strong start in seven vital areas: the outdoors, culture, business, nightlife, family life, the food scene and philanthropy. Everything you need for a great new life. Enjoy!

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If you’re a ...

Foodie by debbie lee

Whatta ya know!

58

Farmers get fresh at produce markets throughout town.

INSTANT INTEL

Eating locally doesn’t mean eating dirt Believe it or not, maintaining a locavore lifestyle in the desert is doable. It’s not quite as simple as a trip to Whole Foods, but it’s also not as dire as foraging for nuts and berries at Mount Charleston. The Las Vegas area is home to a small community of farmers and quality food producers, many of which deserve our loyal patronage. The only trick is finding them.

The Downtown 3rd Farmers Market (downtown3rdfarmersmarket.com) and Downtown Summerlin Farmers Market

MARKET: BRENT HOLMES; CHADA STREET: CHRISTOPHER SMITH; ROBUCHON, WONG: COURTESY MGM RESORTS; BACCHANAL: COURTESY CAESARS PALACE

Sure, we live and breathe hype here in Las Vegas, but it’s not vacuous hyperbole to say you’ve just arrived in one of the most exciting culinary cities on the planet.

Thank the Strip for that. The sheer amount of capital might on our neon byway buys only the top culinary talent for its restaurants, which, increasingly, are playing a starring role in the new Las Vegas of luxury experiences. Not exactly an organic homegrown success story, but that won’t matter when you’re sampling a divine Golden Osetra caviar at Guy Savoy, will it? Off the Strip, meanwhile, we’re growing up, too, with Summerlin and Downtown as our dual incubators for dining innovation.

The Strip is not in Las Vegas. The City of Las Vegas is largely Downtown and some suburbs. The Strip is in Clark County.

January 2016

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Chada Street is a sure bet on your first foray into Chinatown.

the must list Get down to Chinatown For Vietnamese grub with a side of eye candy, make a late night run to Pho Kim Long (702-2203613) — it’s a favorite postgame hangout for club-going weekend warriors. Thai food fans must try the pork belly at newcomer Chada Street (chadastreet.com), while Japanophiles will find bliss in a bowl at the cozy (and often crowded) Monta Ramen (montaramen.com)

Graze the Bacchanal Buffet

Don’t skip iconic Strip meals Any epicurean worth her salt must Pamper yourself, get it yourself or cook it yourself.

From left, Joël Robuchon, the Bacchanal Buffet and Chef Edmund Wong’s culinary classroom.

(unaffiliated) are good places to start. Although some of the produce arrives from California, the majority of vendors are made up of small family operations, providing respite from big box stores and cybershopping.

You could also consider joining a CSA (community-supported agriculture). Quail Hollow Farm (quailhollowfarmcsa.com) and Meadow Valley Farm (meadowvalleycsa. com) offer subscriptions to weekly baskets of seasonal produce grown 50 or so miles from the city. For something less committed, a weekend trip to The Farm (thelasvegasfarm.com) or Gilcrease Orchard (thegilcreaseorchard.org) provides an opportunity to pick up local eggs, ///

pay respects at Joël Robuchon Restaurant (MGM Grand, 702-891-7925) and Restaurant Guy Savoy (Caesars Palace, 702-731-7286).

Their arrivals in the mid-aughts put us on the culinary map, and their degustation menus continue to serve as the standard by which all other upscale restaurants are measured. Diners who prefer whimsy to formality might be better served splurging at Bazaar Meat (SLS Las Vegas, 702-761-7610). From the $70 slices of imported jamon to the $30 foie gras s’mores, Chef Jose Andres’ maximalist steakhouse is a modern classic that shows no mercy on your heart (or wallet).

Zombie-marching around steam tables is a Las Vegas rite of passage, so you may as well go all in on the experience. This over-the-top buffet churns out more than 500 offerings daily, including dishes from Caesars’ most popular restaurants.

Where else can Gordon Ramsay’s fish and chips and grandma’s Jell-O cubes meet at the same table?

(Caesars Palace, 702-731-7928)

Try the Grand Tasting at Vegas Uncork’d For all of the culinary events hosted in our city, The Grand Tasting at Vegas Uncork’d — an annual event hosted by Bon Appetit magazine — is one of the most extravagant. Expect nothing less than an obscene amount of fine food, prepared and served to you personally by the world-class chefs who elevate our city’s dining scene. (vegasuncorkd.com)

Attend an executive chef’s culinary classroom Thanks to tourists and the quest for their very own Eat, Pray, Love moment, locals looking to hone their cooking skills have unique access to topnotch instruction at An Executive Chef’s Culinary Classroom. This series of recreational classes, arranged via concierge and led by Bellagio Executive Chef Edmund Wong, offers step-by-step guidance in the making of a quality meal. (bellagio.com, 866-906-7171)

honey, and fruit.

Finally, those with a DIY spirit have the option of growing their own. The 80-hour Southern Area Master Gardener Program, via the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension (unce.unr.edu), will shape anyone into a certified green thumb. Short on time?

Get the Cliff’s Notes version to your veggie growing quandaries by asking a gardener who has already completed the program — they’re usually on hand at farmers markets around the city. Or try a one-day workshop by Leslie Doyle (sweettomatotestgarden.com), a local Master Gardener who hosts free classes in her personal test garden. Debbie Lee

who to know Jolene Mannina The one-time food truck operator is also the city’s hottest food scenester.

After parlaying Back of the House Brawl, a head-to-head chef competition she orchestrated for local F&B professionals, into a television concept, Mannina now oversees Relish LLC, a catering and event management company. (whyrelish.com) Kerry Clasby When chefs Tom Colicchio, Mario Batali and Shawn McClain need pristine ingredients for their local menus, Clasby is their most valuable connection. The “produce whisperer” also supplies her weekly finds at the Downtown 3rd and Downtown Summerlin farmers markets. (intuitiveforager.com) Elizabeth Blau If you’re talking about the most buzzed-about restaurant in town, chances are Blau is linked to it. With a Strip pedigree (Le Cirque, Wynn) and a trifecta of local hotspots (Honey Salt, Andiron, Made L.V.), the restaurateur is now reaching a broader audience with a role on CNBC’s upcoming season of Restaurant Startup. (elizabethblau.com) Will Costello In 2015, Costello earned the title of master sommelier, an honor bestowed upon only 147 hospitality professionals in North America. Fortunately, in his role as wine director of the Mandarin Oriental, his expertise and influence extends to all properties on site (including, but not limited to, TWIST by Pierre Gagnaire).

Chef Natalie Young A leading light of the Downtown dining explosion, Chef Young is the owner of breakfast spot EAT and Chinese ’n’ chicken joint Chow. As Downtown cuisine matures from casino coffeeshop fare to more adventurous food that pushes the napkin, Young remains one to watch.

When a longtime Las Vegan says he or she “opened” or “closed” something, it actually means he or she worked there when it January 2016

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the must list

“Come for the cost of living; stay for the outdoors.” If everyone hiking at Red Rock this weekend had a nickel for every time they’d heard that, they could afford a much-needed refurb of the public toilets out there. The wealth of recreational opportunities within an hour’s drive isn’t exactly a well-kept secret; plenty of rock climbers and backpackers move here so they can live and work close to the wild. But if you’re a casual hiker or boater who came here for another reason entirely, you will be stunned by the abundance of nature at your trekking pole-tips. You could spend a lifetime experiencing new trails and peaks, and have another lifetime’s worth left to discover. Don’t let it overwhelm you. Start here, now.

If you’re an ...

Outdoors Enthusiast The mighty Colorado River is less than an hour away from downtown Las Vegas.

by heidi kyser

A guide to Nevada’s many public lands The amount of public land in Nevada is more than just a reason for folks like Cliven Bundy to get their Wranglers in a twist; it’s good to know for those who like to camp, hike, hunt and otherwise get their outdoors on without breaking the law. According to hunters and anglers nonprofit Our Public Lands, more than 80 percent of Nevada is occupied by national parks, forests, wildlife refuges, monuments and wilderness areas. Las Vegas is practically surrounded by such places, with the BLM managing most Whatta ya know!

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began or was shut down.

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of the public lands immediately surrounding the city, such as Red Rock and Sloan Canyon National Conservation Areas. Each area has its own rules, but generally speaking, the BLM requires visitors to respect the environment by staying on designated trails and not touching native art. The Forest service oversees the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area, part of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, which includes Mount Charleston. The big concern there is fire and other damage to sensitive habitat, so restrictions include things like keeping dogs leashed and getting permits to camp.

The National Park Service handles Lake Mead National Recreation Area to the east. Most of their rules have to do with safety — keeping boats away from swimmers (and vice versa), for instance. And The Fish and Wildlife Service oversees the Desert National Wildlife Refuge to the north, as well as recovery and regulatory issues related to the desert tortoise throughout Southern Nevada. You would see them for a permit to hunt in the Sheep Mountains … if there were anything to hunt there, that is. For a map of Nevada’s public lands, visit the U.S. Department of the Interior’s website at doi.gov. Heidi Kyser

COLORADO RIVER, WETLANDS PARK: CHRISTOPHER SMITH

INSTANT INTEL

Here in Vegas, it’s “the 15” or “the 95,” not “I-15” or “I-95” (as in L.A.). The 93, 95 and

Kayak Willow Beach in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area Just 15 minutes past the more popular marinas, Willow Beach is worth the drive for three reasons: gorgeous scenery, placid water and motorized-vessel restrictions on Sundays and Mondays.

With no speedboats or jet-skiers around, there’s nothing to distract from the painted cliffs and soft currents. (willowbeachharbor. com)

Watch (and listen to) wildlife at Wetlands Park Hidden near the heart of the city, this lush nature preserve harbors birds ranging from roadrunners to storks, as well as coyotes, ground squirrels and other small critters. Take advantage of the benches sprinkled throughout the complex of easy trails to hit pause and hear the stir of life in the marsh. (clarkcountynv. gov/wetlandspark)

Bike the River Mountains Loop Trail This 34-mile, paved, off-road trail has something for every type of bicyclist.

Experienced roadies get four miles of successive climbs between Equestrian Park and Lake Mead, For the birds, explore Clark County Wetlands Park.

dubbed the “three sisters.” For families there’s the fun, flat stretch that merges with Lakeshore Road near Boulder Beach.

And mountain bikers love the hair-raising hills of Bootleg Canyon. (rivermountainstrail. com)

Hike the Upper Bristlecone Trail at Mount Charleston Of the hundreds of hikes in and around Las Vegas, this 6-mile, moderately strenuous loop is the one to start with, because it’s accessible without being boring, wellworn without being overcrowded (at least during offseason) and close enough for a day-trip while far enough away to represent the depth and breadth of natural wonders available around city.

Jeep to Potato Ridge at Red Rock Hard-core Jeepers say Rocky Gap Road, aka Potato Ridge, is the go-to route for those who want just enough white-knuckled rock-crawling and switchbacks to justify owning the Swiss Army Knife of vehicles, combined with the payoff of mountaintop vistas over the Las Vegas Valley. Stock Jeeps can use the main trail to the summit.

who to know Mauricia Baca Neon to Nature app Executive Director of the Outside Las Vegas Foundation Baca shepherded a massive, multigroup effort that brought all Southern Nevada’s trails, urban and wild, together in one searchable database.

Jim Boone birdandhike.com A scientists and wildlife consultant, Boone created birdandhike.com, one of the most comprehensive of the personally compiled online outdoors guides in Southern Nevada.

Heather and Jared Fisher Escape Adventures channel on YouTube Owners of Las Vegas Cyclery and Escape Adventures eco-tour channel. Lately, the Fishers have been selling people on the great outdoors with amazing videos, shot with drones, of the places they visit.

Alan Gegax VegasHikers Meetup group and Facebook page Gegax runs the hiking Meetup that claims more than 10,000 members, and is a living repository of information on safety and survival on the trail.

Jesy Simons @Wild_Jesy Southern Nevada technician for Friends of Nevada Wilderness.

If you need someone to pick up a snake — then identify its genus and species and send it on its slithering way — Simons is your woman.

She Tweets dependably on all things wilderness in Southern Nevada.

Deborah Wall Base Camp Las Vegas: Hiking the Southwestern States The Review-Journal’s official outdoors columnist. In addition to covering the hikes and camping trips readers expect, Wall ferrets out interesting outings in unexpected places — think exotic animal sanctuary or star-gazing spot.

515 are, at times, one and the same. When in doubt, just say, “the 95.”

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Please please please like us and don’t go, really!

When someone cool moves to town, something gross happens to me: I sort of devolve into this puppyishly eager-to-please bowl of ambassadorial tapioca. I tell Cool New Person, “Let’s have drinks soon — there are some cool people I want you to meet!” I tell Cool New Person, “Hey! Before you get too busy, be sure to check out (amenity, site or destination that exemplifies the best of Las Vegas (typically Mystic Falls), and, more importantly, serves as a potent distraction from the stuff that’s perhaps not-so-best of Las Vegas)! It’s amazing!”

I tell Cool New Person, “This can be a, uh, tricky place to settle into, so if you need anything — advice or intel or background or just a friend of whatever — call me!” (I even do that awful thing where you mime a phone with your pinkie and thumb and jangle-wag it next to your head.) I basically become this anxiously ass-kissing concierge laying down pre-emptively ingratiating cover fire. It’s the curse of a native Las Vegan who’s simultaneously proud of, invested in, and insecure about his hometown: a chronic reflexive posture of Please like me! It’s a reflex I’ve developed from having watched our neon revolving door churn like a propeller for most of my life, whether the people passing through were childhood friends, teen BFFs or adult colleagues.

Vegas takes time to figure out. Our homegrown arts and culture is easily outshined by the marquees on the Strip. Our basic socioarchitectural building block is the strip mall.

“Fresh food” is, for most people, a Big Bite from 7-Eleven. Urban vibrancy is a warning letter from the HOA, and community is a cursory wave to your neighbor as you arrive home, your minivan ingested into the mouth of the garage.

At least it can seem that way at first. It takes a little more hustle here to find art, make friends, connect with a real community and learn that not all of us spend Friday nights connected to a video poker machine by a trembling necklace of drool.

I used to feel like a sycophantic mope, the way I’d fall over myself to be the city’s ambassador, envoy, apologist, explainer, whatever. But then I think about the friends I’ve made, and how just maybe they stuck around due in some molecular part to my flopping oafish enthusiasm, and I consider the trait anew as a pay-it-forward lottery ticket: What if these friends did the same thing to another fresh, confusedly blinking arrival? What if you did the same thing? What if we all did? Perhaps the better Vegas we’re all trying to cobble together would be cobbled that much faster.

Andrew Kiraly

lemme explain

You might have scorpions in your house. It happens january 2016

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If you’re an ...

Entrepreneur

The Las Vegas Metro Chamber of Commerce is a networking juggernaut.

by Tony illia and andrew kiraly

Welcome! By the time you read this, you’ve probably heard the phrase “economic diversification” about 10,247 times. While that phrase does include a few generous handfuls of wishful-thinking fairy dust (and while our mainstay biz sectors, such as tourism and construction are rumbling to post-recession life again), there’s some truth in there, too. Between the small-business renaissance happening Downtown, our modest flirtations with a tech/industrial sector and helloooo medical marijuana industry!, the entrepreneurial opportunities here are constantly percolating. But in Vegas as elsewhere, it’s all about who you know.

Vegas Young Professionals grooms new entrepreneurs.

Want to make it in Vegas?

Give yourself up Despite our reputation for transience, Las Vegas has a surprisingly tight-knit business community. As a result, making inroads can be tricky for newcomers — but not impossible. Your first instinct might be to color in your calendar with a full roster of cocktail mixers and networking events, which is fine. But while you may spread your business cards far and wide, the real secret to powerful networking is to go deep.

How to do that in Las Vegas? Simple: Get involved.

Find a handful of groups that Whatta ya know!

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January 2016

are a fit for you. Many transplants mistakenly try to do it all, which often leads to disappointing results. It’s better to channel your time and energy into the groups where you can make a genuine difference.

And consistent participation is crucial. That means steady attendance at group luncheons, events and mixers.

Familiarity breeds comfort, which leads to acceptance.

Although meet-and-greets and business cards are a must, the real way to connect comes from volunteering. It’s far from the buzz of the hip cocktail mixer, but believe it or not, government-affairs and awards committees are strong candidates; they tend to

attract key industry types. For instance, Las Vegas Metro Chamber of Commerce government-affairs committee is the “it” group for valley powerbrokers. Inclusion among its ranks carries status, since the committee wields an uncanny amount of influence upon the political landscape.

Every elected official and candidate statewide covets the committee’s endorsement.

And NAIOP’s Spotlight Awards are the industry’s most sought-after honor, but it’s the planning committee that pulls the strings, planning the program and speakers, which include mayors and governors. Committee members rub elbows with the group’s elite, and everyone

returns your calls.

In such cases, your involvement shows people that you’re committed. You’re seen as someone who is building real roots, rather than as just another fly-by-night character looking for a quick buck. It additionally creates an opportunity to relate with people on a human level and form lasting relationships in a non-networking setting.

And — bonus — volunteers are usually recognized during public events where they’re asked to stand and wave, and they’re additionally acknowledged in newsletters and publications. That’s the type of focused marketing impact an ad simply can’t buy.

Tony Illia

ALL IMAGES: COURTESY LAS VEGAS METRO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

INSTANT INTEL

There are hundreds of sharks in this desert, mostly at Mandalay Bay’s Shark Reef, but also at the Golden Nugget

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who to know

the must list Join the Las Vegas Metro Chamber of Commerce This should be the first stop for every new business arrival.

The nonprofit’s annual Preview Las Vegas offers an invaluable economic forecast — which also doubles as the year’s ultimate networking event. The 200,000-person chamber also puts on a 10-month leadership academy for up-and-coming young professionals.

Another member benefit: group health insurance. (lvchamber.com)

Eat powerfully Like our dynamic economy, the power-lunch hot spots change, but a few blips on the radar include Andiron Steak & Sea, drawing the Summerlin cognoscenti; Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse

and the Silverton.

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and Wine Bar in Town Square, and — an oldie but a goodie, comparatively speaking — Veranda at the Four Seasons for a classic power breakfast. Even if you don’t stumble into that life-changing business-card exchange, it never hurts to be seen. (andironsteak.com) (flemingssteakhouse.com)

Consider joining Vegas Young Professionals An arm of the Las Vegas Metro Chamber of Commerce, VYP is more than a mere intake valve for the Metro mothership; geared toward professionals from 21 to 39, it’s quickly become a force of its own, earning a reputation as a bustling, gottajoin bootstrapping org for young entrepreneurs. (vegasyp.com)

Check out the state chapter of NAIOP Even if you’re not in commercial real estate. The acronym used to stand for National Association for

Industrial and Office Parks, but now it’s just NAIOP because it’s evolved dramatically. The Southern Nevada chapter is made up of the industry’s most influential powerbrokers.

Unlike many trade groups, NAIOP members actually do business with one another. And company owners themselves participate in chapter panels, mixers and meetings. NAIOP’s annual bus tour is a mandatory event. (naiopnv.org)

Read Nevada Business Magazine Nevada Business Magazine is the state’s 30-yearold business bible. It provides comprehensive examinations of tourism, insurance, health care, realestate, education and technology.

It also assembles roundtables with decision-makers who tackle topical issues.

Produced by Lyle and Connie Brennan, the glossy monthly boasts a circulation of 82,000, making it a must-read. (nevadabusiness.com)

Howard Stutz Las Vegas Review-Journal The resort industry is the all-powerful behemoth behind our economy, and no one covers it better than the RJ’s veteran gaming columnist. Stutz travels to Macau, Atlantic City and elsewhere to get the inside scoop. Global gaming companies rely on his insight and analysis when making decisions. You should, too.

(Looking to strike up a conversation? Just mention the Los Angeles Dodgers or San Diego Chargers. Stutz is an avid sports fan.) (@howardstutz) Terry Murphy Strategic Solutions Political pundit Murphy is president of the 19-year-old consulting firm specializing in government representation, grassroots efforts and public-policy analysis. No one navigates the byzantine political landscape like Murphy.

Station Casinos and Wynn Resorts have relied upon her savvy back-channeling expertise for lobbying efforts.

(And as Nevada’s honorary consul to Ireland, Murphy is a good person to grab a drink with, too.) (strategicsolutionsnv.com) Virginia Valentine Nevada Resort Association President of the ultrainfluential Nevada Resort Association, voice of the state’s largest taxpayer, Valentine knows Las Vegas from the inside out. She’s held stints as manager for both the City of Las Vegas and Clark County, overseeing billion-dollar budgets, dozens of departments and thousands of employees. So she knows everyone, high and low. (nevadaresorts.org)

Jonas Peterson Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance This must-know guy is chief executive of the heavyhitter group that extols the benefits of doing business in Southern Nevada. Made up of the valley’s power elite, the alliance champions economic diversity while helping newcomers take advantage of business benefits. Its efforts paid off last year with 3,800 new jobs. Peterson can be found hiking at Red Rock during his off hours. (lvgea.org) Tony Hsieh Zappos, Downtown Project Whether you think Hsieh is Downtown’s savior or just a fickle investor, there’s no denying the Zappos CEO and Downtown Project chief has helped launch a flotilla of businesses in the city core.

A proponent of “collisions” — chance meetings where ideas and business cards are exchanged — he’s often seen hanging out Downtown sans entourage. Even if you don’t get face time, keep an eye on him for his business moves — sometimes prescient, sometimes premature, but always bold.

Dr. Tony Alamo Nevada Gaming Commission Want to learn how gaming works here? Attend the monthly meetings of the Nevada Gaming Commission.

Its chairman since last year, Dr. Tony Alamo, is a local physician and prominent Republican who has a deep knowledge of, but not the deep ties to Nevada’s gaming industry: His father ran the Desert Inn for Kirk Kerkorian and opened the MGM Grand.

{ Talk | l i k e a Lo ca l}

“Today is my Friday” My workweek ends tonight

Rivalries: Southern Nevada-Northern Nevada, UNLV-UNR, Henderson-Summerlin, Downtown-everyone January 2016

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If you’re a ...

Culture Lover by scott dickensheets

Whatta ya know!

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January 2016

Bookmark UNLV’s Barrick Museum as a go-to space to discover serious art.

INSTANT INTEL

The entertainment industry nourishes our cultural life “Vegas is fortunate to have such a wealth of talent right here in the middle of our city,” says Troy Heard, one of the valley’s top theater directors, who programs shows at Onyx Theatre. He’s talking about the Strip, of course — that long row of megaresorts packed with singers, dancers, acrobats, comedians, musicians, artists, designers, costumers, lighting technicians and many other professionally creative people. For many of them, their main jobs consist

else, MGM-Caesars, Steve Wynn-Sheldon Adelson

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of performing the same task day after day, sometimes twice a day. They want more — to stretch different muscles, to tackle different challenges. Local culture is the beneficiary. “It’s not unusual to see Cirque clowns do midnight shows at the Onyx,” Heard says, “Blue Men act with A Public Fit and major lighting designers illuminate Cockroach shows.”

A monthly composers showcase at The Smith Center showcases Strip musicians, and dancers from production shows or Cirque productions have been featured in choreography showcases.

“I can think of 10 off the top of my head,” says Ann-Marie Pereth, artistic director of A Public Fit, an exciting recent

BARRICK, WRITER’S BLOCK: CHRISTOPHER SMITH; SMITH CENTER: COURTESY IMAGE

The arts in Las Vegas are all about knowing where to look. The vivid, attention-hogging high-beams of Strip entertainment — we say that with love, because a lot of it is very good — can make it hard to see the more intimate, community-based culture that lives in the valley’s nooks and crannies. It’s there, trust us. And for almost every cultural fixture newbies might expect to find here but won’t (a freestanding art museum; an equity theater company), there are forwardpushing synonym efforts (a university museum; risk-taking community theater troupes) ably delivering the kind of cosmopolitan fizz that’ll help make this place come alive.

Las Vegas is not a pedestrian-friendly town. You cannot be

who to know

The Smith Center

Brooklyn Bowl Twitter feed Music lovers will want to follow this joint on Twitter for updates and entertainment from one of the city’s best and busiest venues. (@BBowlLV)

the must list

Treat your optic nerve at UNLV’s Barrick Museum The valley’s scandalous absence of a freestanding art museum (even Reno has one!) throws this institution’s generally high-caliber exhibits and lecture series into high relief — it’s our best venue for large, serious, gotta-see exhibitions. (unlv.edu/barrickmuseum)

Get yourself multicultured at Winchester Cultural Center

addition to the valley’s roster of theater companies. “My standards are pretty high,” Pereth says. “I’m picky about who I use, so it’s great to have so many talented, skilled people here.” They’ve assisted her onstage and backstage, whether it’s Steven Zeller, a sound engineer for Cirque’s Love who’s designed the sound for several APF shows, or Chris Brown, a member of Blue Man Group who’s acted in APF shows and directs the company’s outreach program, or Kate St. Pierre, a former Mystére performer who’s an actress and associate producer with Pereth’s troupe.

“It’s a place for all this talent to stretch their wings.” All to the benefit of local audiences. Scott Dickensheets

The spunky programmers at this mid-valley gem are all over the map, in the best way: with seriously crosscultural music, dance and theater offerings, as well as a pocket art gallery that’s incubated some of the city’s most vital artists. (clarkcountynv.gov)

Kristen Peterson Las Vegas Weekly The local arts and culture reporter with the surest grasp of the community, the best source network — and just the right amount of sass. (lasvegasweekly.com)

See stuff at The Smith Center

Troy Heard, theater director If the word “madcap” didn’t exist, this blurb would have to coin it to describe the madcap theatrical impresario Troy Heard. Whether he’s programming the Onyx Theater — smart, undergroundish pop-culture musicals, comedies and hard-to-describe somethings — or directing for someone else, if his name is on the playbill, it’ll be worth your time. (onyxtheatre.com)

This is the source for most of your top-line entertainment/ culture needs.

Traveling Broadways shows, concerts, cozy jazz nights, big speakers. This is the kind of culturemaven big box that probably anchored the artsy scene in whatever city you just left. (thesmithcenter.com)

Tour the Neon Boneyard at night Few things promote a newbie’s rootgrowth like seeing the history of your new home made lovely.

These rescued neon beauties — presented in sequenced jumbles, some gorgeously lit up — are history at its most intimate and visceral. Closest thing Vegas offers to time travel. (neonmuseum.org)

Vicki Richardson, Left of Center Gallery Far from the hipster preserve of Downtown’s Arts District, Richardson has grown Left of Center Gallery into a true cultural resource for North Las Vegas, giving artists of color a welcoming venue and gathering a strong collection of African art.

(2207 W. Gowan Road) Brian “Paco” Alvarez, culture maven His see-no-evil Downtown boosterism irks some, but his Facebook feed is a clearinghouse for news and opinionated perspectives about the city’s cultural life.

Bookmark the Writer’s Block If you go for indifferently stocked corporate book caverns, Vegas has three Barnes & Noble outlets to serve your self-help and paranormal-romance needs. If you prefer a welcoming, smartly curated bookstore flocked with indie spirit and hosting a ton of events, this Fremont Street shop is the only game in town. (thewritersblock.org)

Black Mountain Institute Twitter feed The big-deal literary nonprofit tweets news of its activities — panels, readings, the doings of its fellows — as well as links to content any reasonably bookish person will want to keep up with. (@BlackMtnInst)

The Writer’s Block

careful enough.

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Except for special occasions and fancy meals, many Las Vegans avoid the Strip.

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If you’re a ...

by Xania Woodman and andrew kiraly

Yes, there’s no last call. Once you get that out of your system (and have the number of a no-questions-asked designated driver in your cell phone), the next level of Vegas nightlife awaits: Mind-melting nightclubs, artisanal dive bars and musical talent that butters its bread on the Strip but plays its heart out in a neighborhood venue near you. Still a small town in many ways, Vegas hasn’t yet been comatized by that big-city blasé factor. Yes, it’s about who you know, but it’s also about how you know them.

INSTANT INTEL

Your money or your life You simply have to choose. That’s what I’ve been telling newcomers to Las Vegas since I joined the ranks myself in 2001. Participating in the Las Vegas nightlife machine will either cost you your money or your precious time.

And you will have to spend one (liberally!) to save the other: lots of time in line to pay less or even nothing to get in, or money to expedite the process. Therefore, the more work you can do in advance, the better. Networking can go a long way, especially friending the guys and gals on Facebook with nightclubs for last names (“Adam Omnia,” “Eve Light” — you get the idea.)

As with so many things, there is also a sex angle that can’t be ignored. Not the steamy kind

OMNIA: AL POWERS/POWERS IMAGERY

Night Owl

Whatta yaya know!

Whatta know! streets named after Lake Mead — Lake Mead Parkway in Henderson, and Lake Mead Boulevard in the northern part

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who to know

the must list Dance the night away at Omnia If nightclubs are just our unconscious pop-culture figurations of alien technology — lights, beams, and boombips whipped into orchestral frenzy — with Omnia, we’ve achieved liftoff. The central chandelier ring — uncoiling, telescoping, spinning — is the closest you’ll come to being ecstatically beamed up into a sentient warpship’s uterine bio-port. To an incredible beat. (omnianightclub.com)

A crowd beams up at what’s quickly become the quintessential nightclub, Omnia.

of the valley. Don’t confuse them.

Sipping a neonescent fruit-hat drink while love-squeezing your date in the

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Rum it up at Frankie’s Tiki Room Thick with tiki-bar tchotchkes (and often smoke), Frankie’s Tiki Bar brews up braincreasing, rumforward drinks that are among the strongest in ... uh, what was I saying? *Fumblingly scoops mai tai-soaked mind from floor of bar back into skull.* (frankiestikiroom.com)

Hear new sounds at Composers Showcase

Drink colorfully at Fireside Lounge at Peppermill

so much as the gender kind. Women are prized for their presence, men more so for their wallets.

Not that you won’t ever see a tableful of young women pooling their quarterly bonuses for $750 bottles of Grey Goose Cherry Noir at XS, but for each of those outliers there are easily 100 wolf packs who just strolled in after trying to recreate “the fountains shot” from Ocean’s Eleven (you know the one).

Further complicating the struggle — and, oh, yes, the struggle is real! — is whether you’re a local or a visitor. As a local, you should expect your money to remain largely untouched till you hit the bar (hopefully with a fistful of drink tickets from your new friends at the door). Rather, the currency of the local is the time spent forging relationships. VIP hosts are well-compensated

firepit’s rosy glow isn’t just a totes-Vegas way to spend a chunk of Friday night. It’s a sporadic ritual for any self-respecting Sin City nightlifer. (peppermilllasvegas.com)

You might imagine that, when not performing, Strip musicians would enter egglike nutrient-bathed

cryo-chambers and enter a state of rejuvenative catatonia. But would you believe they’ve still got creative energy left?! Totally!

And they spend it penning original tunes! They perform them at Composers Showcase, a freewheeling (but curated) monthly musical variety show at The Smith Center’s Cabaret Jazz. (thecomposersshowcase.com)

Keep it cool at Phoenix For a destination, make-a-night-of-itand-maybe-someof-the-morning LGBTQ club, Share (sharenightclub. com) is a must. But The Phoenix Bar & Lounge, with its blazing signature mural fronting Sahara Avenue, has quickly become a locals mainstay, loved for its lively but low-key — and, most importantly, inclusive — vibe. (thephoenixlv.com)

for the number of women they bring in, regardless of the night. But locals, regardless of sex, will feel the love more on Industry Night. Each club has a night that it claims for itself as the alternate Saturday of someone presumed to be working in the hospitality industry in some capacity, and therefore more likely to work Friday and Saturday nights. On such nights, the nightlife machine is oiled just a little more to operate in favor of the service sector.

Assuming you came to Las Vegas to join the tourism-based work force — or can handle a late Monday or Tuesday night out — this is a good thing. But if 9 a.m.-to-5 p.m. Monday-through-Friday is your grind, you’re more likely to be thrown to the weekend wolf packs.

Xania Woodman

Yvette Auger Networking guru Auger’s Cosmopolitan Connections is one of the best free networking events in town. Newcomers will not only find like-minded professionals, but the rotating themes also mean meeting people from other professions, while the ever-changing locations bring you to new destination lounges, bars and restaurants. (cosmopolitanconnections.com) Michael Fuller Lucky Foo’s The former-DJ-turnedevent-producer has once again reinvented himself, this time as the owner of a hip Henderson restaurant and bar. But, as Fuller recently proved at the one-year anniversary of his Lucky Foo’s Restaurant & Bar, he can still throw down on the turntables. (luckyfoos.com) Alex Cordova Hakkasan The Las Vegas nightlife veteran currently doing a tour of duty as the executive vice president of marketing for Hakkasan Group also happens to own not one but two juice bars specializing in detoxifying your party bod. That’s right — he gets you coming and going! (juicenv.com) P Moss Double Down, Frankie’s Tiki Room In a nightlife and bar scene built on hype and hustles, the proprietor of the Double Down Saloon and Frankie’s Tiki Room is as real as a naked dwarf rolling around in broken glass. (Go to the Double Down to find out what that means.)

Keith Thompson, music impresario The witty host of Composers’ Showcase at is a seasoned composer in his own right, but he’s also a conductor — that is, a conductor of relationships who’s introduced countless musicians, singers and songwriters to each other during his tenure as emcee.

Many local drivers believe impatience grants them expanded right of way.

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Craig Ranch Regional Park in North Las Vegas

Discovery Children’s Museum in Downtown Las Vegas

the must list

Brill Music Academy in Summerlin

If you’re a

Family by molly michelman, sarah vernetti and chantal corcoran

Las Vegas is a fine family city, and key to that — wait, why are you smirking? Is it because you’ve heard there is a thicket of contraindicators here, from poor school rankings to high rates of teen pregnancy, from racy billboards to the temptations of a permissive culture, all lengthening the odds against a healthy family life? True, but only part of the story. As with many things, there are safe paths through the wilderness. Las Vegas is a fine family city, and key to that are the many terrific places you can take your kids to play, to learn, to grow — plus, plenty of smart, dedicated people ready to help along the way.

Who would raise kids in Las Vegas?!

My neighbor is a former porn star. We pass her house when we walk to the duck pond and might see her watering flowers or playing with her grandchild. Neither of my sons has ever raised an eyebrow at her gargantuan chest, not even my teenager.

Smug, young and foolish, we scoffed at the idea of bringing up our future children in this town. “Who would raise kids in Vegas?”

Nearly two decades and two children later, we are (still) here, Valley residents and Whatta ya know!

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parents. The Vegas stigma has not played into my parenting concerns thus far. I asked other parents (yes, including a former showgirl) as well as some born-and-bred for input on navigating the landscape of perceived depravity for teens.

“We barely go to the Strip.”

At the ready for visiting relatives or special events, the Strip remains a novelty. Local families prefer to stay local. Suburbs have beautiful parks, sparkly swimming pools and classy shopping. Kids stay busy with karate classes, soccer practice, piano lessons and birthday parties, like Anywhere, U.S.A.

Plus, the Strip can be pricey.

“That’s what happens when you drop out of school.”

Teachable moments are ripe for the picking. Moms (of girls, primarily) seize each negative, uncomfortable experience (strip-club billboards, naked buns on taxis, pornographic fliers) as an opportunity for discussion.

“We don’t live in a casino.”

Outsiders assume that Vegas children walk out the door and into a sea of vices.

Exposure to the risqué is no different than that of any city, any town, anywhere with Internet access. There are slot machines

Always carry some singles. You never know when you’ll want or need to tip.

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PARK: COURTESY CITY OF NORTH LAS VEGAS; MUSEUM: COURTESY DISCOVERY CHILDREN’S MUSEUM; BRILL MUSIC ACADEMY: COURTESY IMAGE

INSTANT INTEL

There is no true independent

Expand young minds at Springs Preserve This is the perfect starting point for families seeking to learn more about local history. Begin at the Origen Museum, with its exhibits on flash floods, train travel, water conservation and ecology. Move on to the desert-themed playground and the peaceful botanical gardens. For further educational fun, don’t forget the Nevada State Museum, right next door. (springspreserve.org)

Spend a day at Craig Ranch Regional Park A family could easily spend a full day at this 170-acre park in North Las Vegas. Check out the playground’s unusual slides and climbing structures, enjoy a picnic lunch in the shade, or play catch on one of the expansive lawns.

Craig Ranch also features a skate park and a dog run. (cityofnorthlasvegas.com)

Get musical at Brill Music Academy Located in Summerlin, Brill Music Academy offers private lessons on a

variety of instruments, including piano, violin, guitar, trumpet, flute, voice and more. With so many options in one place, Brill is a good fit for families with multiple kids who each want to play a different instrument. (brillmusicvegas.com)

Have fun at Discovery Children’s Museum A perfect balance between learning and active fun. Follow your kids as they climb, slide and crawl through the museum’s three-story tower, which is filled with interactive exhibits and experiments. Another highlight can be found in “Eco City,” where imaginative kids can pretend to be bank tellers, veterinarians and mechanics. (discoverykidslv.org)

Rise up on the High Roller Enjoy 360-degree views of the Strip and the desert beyond as the pods make their journey around this enormous observation wheel. Dance along with the fun music and be sure to notice the digital “tour guide” who narrates your trip.

Afterwards, walk to nearby Sprinkles Cupcakes. (caesars.com/linq/ high-roller)

at the grocery, though all my teen seems to envy are the free cookies they offer.

“We have it all.”

Desert hiking and rock climbing, skiing and snowboarding, boating and water activities, glamorous casinos, shopping, every rock concert imaginable, Broadway touring shows, amusement park rides and celebrity sightings all within an hour’s drive (and much of it off the Strip) add up to a pretty sweet situation.

Who would raise kids in Vegas? People who appreciate the small-town feel with big city opportunities for their offspring.

Molly Michelman

who to know Las Vegas-Clark County Library District website Newcomers have to check out lvccld.org, where a practical guide to Vegas awaits, including employment, government and healthcare resources.

Actually, make that your second stop. First, get yourself a card to take advantage of all the site has to offer, such as homework help, community events like LEGO Clubs or Teen Craft Hacks and, of course, ebooks! (lvccld.org) Vegas Family Guide website Tired of hearing there was nothing here for families to do, Danyelle Medina, mother of three, created this website dedicated to all the family fun to be had in Vegas. Beyond such posts as “Top 10 Cheap Date Nights,” Medina publishes a searchable calendar highlighting familyfriendly events. (vegasfamilyevents.com) Chris Sakman Springs Preserve Sakman is a naturalist with Springs Preserve, the guy who oversees the Nature Exchange, a trading post for young nature enthusiasts. Your kids are bound to discover interesting rocks and things in their new desert yards; they can take these to Sakman to swap for other precious collectibles, such as fossils or snake skins — while learning all about the history of Las Vegas. (springspreserve.org) Tina Tetter Discovery Children’s Museum You’ll want to get to know Tetter, an early childhood educator of the arts, at Discovery Children’s Museum — a three-story building of wonder and interactive exhibits.

Tetter works with young guests to explore the exhibits she also creates.

Her personal favorite?

Spirit masks made of household items, yarn and feathers, during Native American artists month. (discoverykidslv.org)

Everything you want: the casino as Main Street If you’re new to them, megaresorts can be confusing — labyrinthine; oddly placeless despite the relentless branding; crowded with restaurants, bars and gaming zones; resounding with crescendos of noise and flashing lights. The point of all this is to impart a mild vertigo of pleasant disorientation conducive to being shorn. Which can be great fun — if you’re a tourist.

But you’re one of us now, a resident, and you’re gonna need a different framework through which to understand and utilize casinos. Here’s one: Treat casinos like small-town main streets.

A place for mildly aspirational window shopping at stores you don’t encounter often, where you might splurge on a small extravagance, then have a nice meal, hit a bar, watch the game, see a movie. All in one convenient location, thanks to the long trend of resorts offering every enticement to come and stay. Like the Main Street of our imaginations, it’s not where the mundane, pick-up-some-groceries aspects of your life take place, but neither is it where your inhibitions drop so thoroughly you drain your bank account to make it rain. It’s a slightly more special place for date nights, buddy time, family outings (look, an arcade!) or simple people-watching.

Thinking about a casino this way will help you filter out the racket and visual bombast, the constant entreaties to gamble, realigning the whole place into a roster of useful and amiable lifestyle amenities. Take it from us, that’s the best way to approach it.

Scott Dickensheets

lemme explain

movie house in Las Vegas, so you can stop looking. We’re not bitter. It’s just … Cedar City, Utah, has one. Cedar City!

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If you’re an ...

Idealist by stacy j. willis and chantal corcoran

Whatta ya know!

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United Way of Southern Nevada plays a central role in social services in the greater Las Vegas valley.

INSTANT INTEL

Why volunteer? Here’s why I do it I’m retired from a career with an engineering firm in Illinois. I’m 86 years old. I started volunteering in Illinois, and now I live in Anthem, and I’ve been working at Catholic Charities every Wednesday morning since June. I just went in and met the chef and said, I’ll do whatever you need me to do, whatever I’m capable of doing. He was glad to have me. I just feel like I’ve been fortunate in my life, and I feel good about helping those who may be less fortunate.

So I start at 7 a.m., and I’ll dice potatoes or slice bread or bake biscuits or chop vegetables or whatever they need, and at 8 a.m., we serve breakfast. It’s not slop. We take great care to treat people with dignity.

I’ve been to fine restaurants where they don’t take the care that we take to put good food on the plate nicely — it’s about treating people well. We don’t just slop it on some paper plate. It looks nice.

After breakfast, we start over and serve a community meal from 10 to 11. It may be beef stroganoff or turkey tetrazzini, you know, something like that, with vegetables, and fruit — like maybe a

Clark County is the second largest government in the state.

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banana or an apple for dessert.

Do I get tired of doing it? I’m 86. I get tired. But it’s very simple: I get more out of it than the people who we serve, really. It reminds me that I’m fortunate, and I like to give back. If you don’t like to give back, then you’re selfish, aren’t you?

When I was a kid my dad owned a little restaurant, and I’d work there sometimes.

Later I took some cooking courses because I like to cook. I make meals for my friends, and my wife and I enjoy it, and it’s about sharing — and that’s the same thing it’s about with the people at Catholic Charities. It’s about sharing.

Homelessness is a terrible tragedy in this country. In my opinion, it has a lot to do with mental health, and when we closed all the hospitals (in the 1980s) we ended up with people on the streets.

Some people are not capable of taking care of everything by themselves. So I think working with an organized charity to help them is a good thing — it’s better than handing them money that may not go to food in their stomach or a bed for the night. I help make their food, and I treat them with dignity, and I think that’s what volunteering is about.

Peter Anton, as told to Stacy J. Willis

IMAGE COURTESY LAS VEGAS METRO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Welcome, causeloving idealist!

Welcome, potential philanthropist!

Welcome, charitable volunteer! We’re thrilled you’re here.

Not only because there are a lot of worthy efforts, nonprofits and needy people just waiting for you, though that is certainly a big part of it — after all, Vegas is on no one’s list of give-backiest cities.

Which is too bad: After the wild, go-go years, the recession hit this city hard, and plenty of folks are still reeling — to say nothing of the many arts, education, environmental and other causes that always need tangible support. But we welcome you, too, because every one of you who pitch in make this, bit by bit, a better, more livable city.

Yes, you’ll drink for free if you gamble — but not if

the must list Volunteer with United Way of Southern Nevada Nevada ranks last in the nation in preschool enrollment, yet studies show that quality early education improves a child’s performance and peer relations, increases graduation rates and decreases community poverty — which is why United Way is committed to free early education scholarships for needy families.

Donations help. Or volunteer for another project in your new community. (uwsn.org)

Help HELP of Southern Nevada The recession saw an influx of homeless youths, according to Abby Quinn of HELP of Southern Nevada.

The Shannon West Homeless Youth Center accommodates 65 kids, but HELP plans to double this capacity in 2016. It costs $57 a day to house, feed and rehabilitate each homeless youth toward selfsufficiency. Money, hygiene products and clothing are needed. (helpsonv.org)

Get out with the Sierra Club This month, the Sierra Club’s Southern

Nevada Toiyabe chapter will launch its campaign to retire the North Valmy Generating Station in its effort to see coal energy replaced by clean. Protecting the environment is one aspect of this ecofriendly organization’s mission.

Also, guided hikes, a must for greenconscious newcomers, promote exploration and enjoyment our desert lands. (sierraclub.org/ toiyabe/southernnevada)

Assist the Las Vegas Valley Humane Society Until 2008, shelters put down 30,000 animals a year, but spay and neuter laws reduced this by half.

LLVHS is a primary advocate for such legislation. It offers low-cost spay and neuter referrals. You can help by fostering a pet or making a donation. (lvvhumane.org)

Open your wallet for Nevada’s Big Give This fundraiser encourages a full day of statewide philanthropy. The goals of March 10, 2016 are to raise a million dollars and engage 7,000 donors. Whatever your cause — education, arts, environment — you’ll find multiple avenues to support it at Big Give’s website, plus GuideStar reports rating the legitimacy of participating nonprofits. (nvbiggive.razoo.com)

{ Talk | l i k e a Lo ca l}

“Comp”

Free stuff casinos bestow if you gamble enough; see also, “local birthright”

who to know Lisa Havighorst Spread the Word Nevada A terrific nonprofit that helps boost childhood literacy, Spread the Word puts books — some 38,000 a month — into the hands of kids who need them. What can you do? Donate books, sure, but why note get more involved by helping prepare books for distribution or hosting a book drive? Learn more at spreadthewordnv.org, and keep up with it on Twitter, @SpreadtheWordNV Young Philanthropists Society United Way Here’s one way to dip an early toe into community service: Join this United Way program of youngish go-getters who try to help youths through fundraising and mentorship. Breakout program: “Piggy Bank,” implemented at several local schools, which teaches kids the value of saving money, and has resulted in more than $100,000 saved. (uwsn.org/young-philanthropists-society) Briana Mackey Casa de Luz Casa de Luz is a Christian church and community-resource center in the Naked City neighborhood. It’s credo is that one must get “out of one’s comfort zone and onto the front lines of serving those in need every day.” The church operates a food pantry and works with families and others. Reach out to Briana Mackey and she’ll put you to volunteer work. (casadeluzlasvegas.org) Beverly Rogers The Rogers Foundation The wife of the late media mogul and big-impact philanthropist Jim Rogers keeps his mojo alive with this foundation. It’s bestowed major gifts (to UNLV’s law school; to the Black Mountain Institute), but at various times it also offers gifts and scholarships on a smaller scale, to students, artists and education projects. (therogers.foundation)

I’ll be honest: Las Vegas may not be for you In the past 20 years, a million-plus dreamers have moved to Las Vegas, attracted by good weather and low taxes, and often spurred by the media’s pre-recession promise of Las Vegas as a modern-day Detroit, where anyone with a work ethic can land a decent job and raise a family. Another handful has come recently, drawn by Tony Hsieh’s dream of manifesting a tech-friendly hub in Downtown. Plus, tourism numbers have broke records, exceeding 40 million annually.

Everybody, it seems, wants some Vegas.

Results for residents have been mixed, particularly since the recession. For all those who have tried to make a go of living here, others have left, disillusioned by what they see as a city of broken promises. Some can’t or won’t leave, instead remaining and adding to an all-too-often tiresome dialogue about Las Vegas and its shortcomings.

Part of that has to do with the people Las Vegas breeds and attracts. Risk-takers often take credit when they win but place blame when they lose, and Las Vegas has a lot of losers. Then there’s the churn itself. With so many coming and going, it’s hard for newcomers to get a grip on what Las Vegas truly is and plug in with longtime locals. Still, once you put in the time, you’ll find that Las Vegans are (mostly) a friendly, egalitarian bunch.

But it’s hard to be friendly when so many arrive to take advantage of Las Vegas while resenting that it isn’t like the place they left. Of course it isn’t; that’s why you left! Trying to get Vegas to mimic how things were done elsewhere is a recipe for frustration.

The overarching issue is population. Thanks to a population explosion followed by a recession, the city often struggles to meet them. Our schools and roads buckle under the pressure. You can’t double a city’s population in a decade and not expect these things to happen. Plus, all the clichéd complaints? They tend to hold true. Vice is everywhere. The city isn’t all that pretty. We have a homeless problem. It’s hot, dry and windy.

Las Vegas is an adolescent and proudly independent city, looking neither east nor west for guidance.

When you understand that Las Vegas is really just a small town with a big tourist population, it begins to make sense. We’ve been playing above our pay grade for decades, and while it doesn’t always work out, at least we do it our way. Get on board or get out of the way! James P. Reza

lemme explain

you sheepishly slonk a dollar in the video poker machine and hope the bartender doesn’t notice the amount. Trust us, she knows.

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MIKE

SHIFFMAN Land Rover Las Vegas is excited to introduce it’s newest member of the team, veteran salesperson Mike Shiffman. Originally from Southern California, Mike has spent over 16 years offering exclusive high end luxury and sports cars to thousands of satisfied local clients. Honesty, integrity and being great to work with account for his continuing success. Mike has been a consistent sales leader and top performer by providing outstanding customer service to his clients. When he takes time off he enjoys hiking, roller blading and concerts.

Las Vegas 702.579.0400 mshiffman@findlayauto.com

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your Arts+Entertainment calendar for January

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30 Bo Burnham The Joint

Whew. For a while, it didn’t seem as though 2015 would ever end.

But now that it has, let’s get 2016 off to a better, funnier start, thanks to this comedian and slinger of comic songs. 8p, $49 and up, hardrockhotel.com

19 Ignominious Refuse Winchester Cultural Center

Shameless-plug alert: This artist, Brent Holmes, is a Desert Companion designer. We’re plugging him anyway, shamelessly, because he’s a terrific artist, both forward-thinking and backward-looking in an exhibit that applies the philosophies of Epicurus and Lucretius to the world of today. Reception 5:30p, January

20 Stars & Stardust: Sidewalk Laura Astronomy McBride & Walter Kirn The Neon Museum

Who isn’t game to bounce between intimations of astral time and the shabby but chic artifacts of local time? Join the Las Vegas Astronomical Society for an evening of stargazing amid the enduring glamour of the nighttime Neon Boneyard. 6-9p, free, neonmuseum.org

The Writer’s Block

The first great superhero team-up of 2016 brings together the Vegas author of lit hit We Are Called to Rise and a visiting emissary of the Big Time (courtesy of the Black Mountain Institute), the guy who wrote Up in the Air and Blood Will Out. 7p, free,

17 Pinchas Zuckerman with the Royal Philharmonic The Smith Center

Maestro Zuckerman will conduct one of the world’s great orchestras and solo on the violin, bringing decades of mastery to Reynolds Hall. 7:30p, $39-$119, thesmithcenter.com

thewritersblock.org

22, free, 702-455-7340

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THE GUIDE D E S E R T CO M PA N I O N

PUB CRAWL at T O W N S Q U A R E

Join us for a night of sips, nips, slugs and swigs

THURSDAY, JANUARY 21 6-9PM Space is limited. RSVP required.

Details at desertcompanion.vegas.

ART

SHELF LIFE

THROUGH JAN. 3 Kate Gilmore and Franklin Evans will invite guests to contribute personal objects, which they will transform by painting, scanning, sculpting and other processes and add to the curated display on shelves lining the studio.

Free. P3 Studio at The Cosmopolitan,

cosmopolitanlasvegas.com

HOT, DRY AND INKED: TATTOO ART EXHIBIT

THROUGH JAN. 10, 10A-6P In this exhibit of tattoo art and objects, Las Vegas tattooers explore how the Mojave Desert influences the art they create on living and non-living canvases alike. Do you have a Mojave Desert or Las Vegas-inspired tattoo? Be part of the experience and enter to win prizes.

Free with general admission. Springs Preserve, springspreserve.org

STYLE MODERNE THROUGH JAN. 22

This exhibition presents a rich selection of glass objects from the Barrick Museum’s Art Glass Collection. Free. Marjorie Barrick Museum at UNLV, unlv.edu

KVECK, RUSS & STELLMON: BREAK UPS & TEAR DOWNS THROUGH JAN. 23

These three Las Vegas artists offer unique bodies of work that spring from a common practice of breaking down their subject and then reorganizing and reordering the pieces. The results, whether paintings, collages, photographs or constructions, are stunning and thoughtful revisualizations of contemporary themes. Free. Marjorie Barrick Museum at UNLV, unlv.edu

SCHOLASTIC ART & WRITING AWARDS

JAN. 31-APR. 3, 10A-4P Dating back to 1923, these awards are part of the nation’s longest-running, most prestigious recognition program for creative teens. Come explore the best artwork and writing from local students in a variety of category and mediums. Free for members or with paid general admission. Big Springs Gallery, springspreserve.org

PAINTED STORIES: DUEL IN THE LIBRARY JAN. 31, 2P

A mixed media competition of local LAS VEGAS, NV

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SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 13 @ 8PM STARTING AT

29 TICKETS

$

Purchase tickets at the Silverton Box Office by calling 702.263.7777 or online at silvertoncasino.com Guests under 18 must be accompanied by an adult 21+. Ticket price subject to L.E.T. (Live Entertainment Tax) and fees where applicable.

Entertainment subject to change without prior notice. Management reserves all rights.

PAV I L I O N

I-15 & BLUE DIAMOND • 702.263.7777 • SILVERTONCASINO.COM

THE GUIDE

Channel 10

authors and artists who will duel it out on one stage. As each author reads from his/ her work, both artists will turn blank canvases into works of art. After each duel, the author and artists will discuss their creative processes and answer questions from the audience. Free. Main Theater at Clark County Library, lvccld.org

MUSIC

DORIS AND ME JAN. 9, 7P

Sherlock on Masterpiece: The Abominable Bride Friday, January 1 at 9 p.m.

Scott Dreier’s joyful celebration of Doris Day and one man’s quirky obsession with America’s favorite Hollywood sweetheart. A musical documentary filled with rare stories from the iconic star’s life and film career. $20.

Starbright Theatre at Sun City Summerlin, scscai.com

CABRERA CONDUCTS RACHMANINOFF

JAN. 9, 7:30P; JAN. 10, 2P The Las Vegas Philharmonic performs pieces from the heart-racing second symphony, which is a testament to Rachmaninoff’s creative courage. $26-$96. Reynolds Hall at The Smith Center, thesmithcenter.com

LUCIE ARNAZ: LATIN ROOTS JAN. 15-16, 7P

Masterpiece Classic: Downton Abbey, The Final Season

Nature: Natural Born Hustlers

Sundays at 9 p.m., premiering January 3

Wednesdays at 8 p.m., January 13-27

The daughter of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz mixes the talents of her amazing parents in this eclectic Latin-American mix in English and Spanish highlighting songs from Cole Porter, Irving Berlin and Johnny Mercer alongside tunes by Dan Fogelberg, Agustín Lara, Rafael Hernandez, Margarita Lecuona, and her own father. $39-$55. Cabaret Jazz at The Smith Center, thesmithcenter.com

THE GREATEST OF JAZZ, BLUES, SWING! JAN. 16, 7P

American-born music played and performed by five great Las Vegas singers, a few surprise guests and a swinging band led by Bill Fayne. $20. Starbright Theatre at Sun City Summerlin, scscai.com

Mercy Street Sundays at 10 p.m., premiering January 17

Outdoor Nevada A Production of Vegas PBS

Wednesday at 7:30 p.m., premiering January 27

VegasPBS.org | 3050 E. Flamingo Road, Las Vegas, NV 89121 • 702.799.1010

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ANGIE LASPINA SINGS COLE PORTER JAN. 17, 2P

Enjoy fresh treatments of 17 standards including “Night and Day,” “I Love Paris” and “It’s De-Lovely” played by pianist Vincent Falcone, who conducted and arranged for Frank Sinatra. $25. Cabaret Jazz at The Smith Center, thesmithcenter.com

Amernet String Quartet

Sarah Chang, violin

with Rachel Calloway, soprano

with Julio Elizalde, piano

January 28 • 7:30 p.m

February 6 • 8 p.m.

Andrew York

Polish Baltic Philharmonic Orchestra

$45

March 17 • 8 p.m.

$30

February 20 • 8 p.m.

Duo Deloro · “La Buena Vida” April 13 • 8 p.m. $45

$75 - $55 - $40 - $25

Marcin Koziak, piano

$75 - $55 - $40 - $25

Orlowsky Trio · “The Soul of Klezmer” April 2 • 8 p.m. $70 - $50 - $35 - $20

For a complete listing of this season’s events, visit us online at pac.unlv.edu or call (702) 895-ARTS (2787).

4 0 Ye a r s o f t h e A r t s i n L a s Ve g a s 2015 – 2016 season

THE GUIDE WARREN G JAN. 17, 9P

Formerly of 213 (with Snoop Dogg), he received worldwide recognition as a solo artist immediately after his smash hit “Regulate” in 1994. Come for some old school and contemporary rap. $25.

Brooklyn Bowl at The Linq, brooklyn

bowl.com

show to pay tribute to the legendary singer/songwriter. Incidentally, 2016 also marks 50 years since Diamond’s first three hits. $20. Starbright Theatre at Sun City Summerlin, scscai.com

DANCE

TRIBAL NIGHT

THE CAT IN THE HAT

Live drumming and dancing from all over the world. $20 online, $25 at the door. Baobab Stage Theatre, 6587 Las Vegas Blvd. S., baobabstage.com

With dialogue straight from the book, Sally and her brother know that the Cat in the Hat is the most mischievous cat they will ever meet. Suddenly, the rainy afternoon is transformed by the Cat and his antics. Can the kids clean up before mom comes home? Bring the whole family to find out! $14.95-$22.95.

Reynolds Hall at The Smith Center,

JAN. 14, 7P

BRONSON, BRODY & BEATLES – A HARD DAY’S NIGHT OF LEGENDARY MUSIC JAN. 20, 8P

Lon Bronson and his iconic horn-infused, 14-piece all-star band will perform an evening of all Beatles selections, featuring guest vocalist Brody Dolyniuk. Brody is world-renowned for his amazing vocal artistry as former lead singer for Yellow Brick Road and creator of The Symphonic Rock Show. $15-$35. Cabaret Jazz at The Smith Center, thesmithcenter.com

CHRISTINE EBERSOLE: BIG NOISE FROM WINNETKA

SHEN YUN 2016: A GIFT FROM HEAVEN!

JAN. 21, 7:30P; JAN. 22, 8P; JAN. 23, 2P & 7:30P; JAN. 24, 1P This incredible dance performance features 100 world-class performers, more than 400 sets of exquisite hand-made costumes, a unique orchestra blending East and West, and dazzling animated backdrops. $64-$304. Reynolds Hall at The Smith Center, thesmithcenter.com

JAN. 22-23, 7P

Fresh from the third season of her TBS comedy series Sullivan and Son, Ebersole shares her fun and jazzy voice stylings from her latest CD. $39-$59.

Cabaret Jazz at The Smith Center,

thesmithcenter.com

THE SOUND COLLAGE JAN. 23, 4P

This talented foursome blends sound and song using only the human voice, bringing a unique sound to classics and songs of today. Free. Windmill Library,

lvccld.org

LEGENDS: KEOLA BEAMER & HENRY KAPONO WITH MOANALANI BEAMER JAN. 29-30, 7P

Beamer, one of Hawai’i’s premier singer-songwriters, arrangers, composers and guitar masters, helped launch the ’70s statewide revival of slack-key guitar. Kapono, an award-winning singer and songwriter, forged the sound of ’70s Hawaiian music as part of the wildly popular, laidback contemporary rock of C&K. $37-$59. Cabaret Jazz at The Smith Center, thesmithcenter.com

MOSCOW NIGHTS AND THE GOLDEN GATES JAN. 22, 7P

Enjoy an evening of Russian folk music, dance and stories from these two groups, including skillful virtuosity, colorful costumes, feats of gymnastic leaping and syncopation of foot-stomping ferocity.

Free. Main Theater at Clark County Library, lvccld.org

THEATER

CONSTELLATIONS

BY NICK PAYNE

JAN. 7-24, THU-SAT 8P; SUN 2P Marianne and Roland meet at a party.

They go for a drink, or perhaps they don’t. They fall madly in love and start dating, but eventually they break up. After a chance encounter in a supermarket they get back together, or maybe they run into each other and Marianne reveals that she’s now engaged to someone else and that’s that. One relationship. Infinite possibilities. $16-$20. Art Square Theatre, cockroachtheatre.com

JAN. 30, 7P

Rob Garrett (aka the “King of Diamonds”) returns with his award-winning

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JAN. 13, 6:30P

thesmithcenter.com LECTURES, SPEAKERS & PANELS

THE REAL STORY JAN. 12, 7P

For years, former Mob associate Henry Hill alluded to his involvement with the largest unsolved cash crime ($6 million) in America. In a new tell-all book that was written with Hill before his death in 2012, co-author Daniel Simone will reveal how Hill planned the heist, what evidence the FBI had on Hill and other Mob figures involved, and where the money might have gone. Joining in the discussion panel are Hill’s widow, Lisa Caserta, and brother, Joe Hill. Free. Main Theater at Clark County Library, lvccld.org

THE HUNT FOR WHITEY BULGER JAN. 19, 7P

Phyllis Karas talks about her encounters with Boston’s Winter Hill Gang members, her research and writing process, her fictional works, and the status of Boston’s organized crime scene today after Bulger’s famous trial and conviction. Free. Main Theater at Clark County Library, lvccld.org

TRIBES

AN EVENING WITH KIM MACQUARRIE: ADVENTURES IN SOUTH AMERICA BY THE AUTHOR OF DEATH IN THE ANDES

Billy has lived among the noise of the hearing all of his life. One day he meets Sylvia, a woman about his own age, whose life mirrors his. Sylvia comes from parents with hearing loss. She is

MacQuarrie shares surprising stories including perfectly preserved Inca mummies found on top of 20,000-foot volcanoes, uncontacted Amazonian tribes, the epic conquest of a 10-million-strong

JAN. 8-24, THU-SAT 8P; SUN 2P

NEIL DIAMOND’S 75TH BIRTHDAY TRIBUTE

in the community, she is fluent in sign, and she herself is losing her hearing.

Billy starts to realize that family is just one component that defines who we are and which “tribe” we choose to align ourselves. $10-$15. Las Vegas Little Theatre, lvlt.org

JAN. 21, 7P

REMEMBERING SHERIFF RALPH LAMB JAN. 26, 7P

During his 18-year tenure as Clark County Sheriff, Lamb arrested 74 Hell’s Angels and gave them haircuts, made the Beatles obtain sheriff’s cards to play a concert in town, initiated the use of modern weaponry and transportation for the police force, and kicked the Mob out of Las Vegas. Geoff Schumacher of the Mob Museum moderates a panel of special guests to remember Lamb’s impressive accomplishments.

Free. Main Theater at Clark County Library, lvccld.org

FAMILY & FESTIVALS

CHRISTMAS TREE RECYCLING

THROUGH JAN. 15, 10A-4P Help the Southern Nevada Christmas Tree Recycling Committee give our community a gift by recycling your tree.

Before dropping off your tree, remove all non-organic objects such as lights, wire, tinsel, ornaments and nails. Flocked trees cannot be recycled. Free. Springs Preserve, springspreserve.org

Save the Date OF THE

Inca Empire by 168 Spaniards, plus the exploits of Che Guevara, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Pablo Escobar, and more. Free. Main Theater at Clark County Library, lvccld.org

I S SU E PART Y

ROCK RINK

THROUGH JAN. 18, MON-THU 4-9P; FRI 4-10P; SAT 10A-10P, SUN 11A-8P Ice skating right in the heart of Summerlin, skaters of all ages can join in the fun! $15 includes skate rental. The Lawn at Downtown Summerlin, downtown

summerlin.com FUNDRAISERS

LAPS FOR CHARITY JAN. 31, 8A-7P

NASCAR fans and car enthusiasts can drive their personal vehicles around the 1.5-mile superspeedway at speeds up to 75 miles per hour (behind a pace car), all to raise funds for Speedway Children’s Charity. Drivers must be 18, passengers must be 6 or older. $35 for three laps (daytime); $45 for four laps (night-time). Las Vegas Motor Speedway, lasvegas.speedwaycharities.org

FEBRUARY 25 at 6PM Land Rover Las Vegas 5255 W Sahara Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89146

Join us as we celebrate Desert Companion’s Best of the City award receipents. Enjoy specialty cocktails, light bites and great company.

RSVP by February 22

Details at desertcompanion.vegas.

presented by

| JANUARY 2 0 1 6

DesertCompanion.com

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END NOTE hey, newcomer!

So you came here to be

a pro poker player

An open letter from someone who tried

D

ear New-to-Town Grinder, I’m not surprised to see you here. It was only a matter of time.

There’s a lot I want to tell you, very little of which has anything to do with poker. (I stink at cards.) The real game, the one at which very few of you will come out on top, is surviving in Las Vegas.

Spare me your stats. Your online hand history is irrelevant. Longevity in this city depends on your reads away from the felt.

A good rule of thumb? Don’t trust anyone.

These are not your home game buddies.

The friendlier they appear, the dirtier they are. For instance, when that cool-ass regular Marco makes good on repaying a $100 loan, it’s because he doesn’t plan to return the $500 he borrows down the road. Or when that 60-year-old woman you meet in the poker room invites you to her house for meat loaf and impossibly fluffy mashed potatoes, it’s to ask if she can borrow $8,000 for a shady business proposition.

It will inevitably leave you leery and lonely. So when the cute massage girl/ cocktail waitress agrees to let you buy her a drink after her shift, you’ll be thrilled (and slightly incredulous). It might even become a regular thing. If you continue to make decent scores, you’ll eventually help the poor girl with a past due bill — that’s when one can officially declare, “Game over.” Chances are the final tab for her companionship will far exceed the price of an appletini.

It’s not always a miserable grind, though.

For one thing, there’s a sense of camaraderie (however minuscule) that comes with your tenure in this parasitic microcosm.

Stick around long enough and the crabby man who once screamed at you for beating him on the river might see you on a smoke break and decide to tell you his life story. Or you’ll befriend someone like Margaret, a re-

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tiree who shares IHOP coupons with local players between hands. Poker dealers will invite you to their children’s christenings; the player who praises [enter your least favorite presidential administration here] will become your best friend; the guy who hasn’t said a peep for hours will suddenly mention Chuck Klosterman’s last book and make your day. (Fine, the last one probably applies only to me.)

It’s beautiful, in a dysfunctional way.

Outside of a poker room, it’s hard to imagine a place where a Libertarian grandmother of three, a fast-talking Armenian real-estate developer and a socially awkward British expat — all bound by a shared interest in protecting their cash and egos — would engage in hours of friendly discourse (feigned or not) by choice.

Perhaps you’re not interested in making friends. Maybe you’re already well acquainted with the unsavory types I’ve described. In that case, you’ll probably fit in just fine. But even the most jaded grinder will tell you that professional card playing attracts no shortage of outlandish characters. If you’re lucky, you’ll at least have some

incredible tales for your mates back home — like the time that drunk woman, er, had a bladder malfunction in the middle of a cash game at the World Series. (If you’re running like garbage, you’re probably the poor schlemiel who had to sit next to her.)

One anecdote I like to tell newbies is about the night I watched a young guy bet his entire stack under the belief that Q-K-A-2-3 qualified as a “wraparound straight.” It’s a good thing he wore the standard poker-player uniform (hoodie and sunglasses) because it helped him literally save face as he was laughed out of the room.

Just for the sake of clarification, that’s not a legitimate hand in Texas Hold’em — but don’t be embarrassed if you didn’t know that. We all have to start somewhere.

In fact, we probably have a lot more to discuss. Want to chat over a game sometime?

Let me know when you decide on a regular room, and I’ll give you a crash course on the dangers of this city in person. Just save me the seat on your left (it’s my favorite).

See you at the tables, Debbie Lee