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City Cast Las Vegas

There are many reasons a Las Vegan might cry in public. Joy, allergies, your bill at Joël Robuchon — even a dose of seasonal melancholy, especially once 

 in a few weeks. No shame in it! (Though 

 never do it, of course.) Here are a few places where your waterworks wouldn’t seem out of place:

Maybe your tears are from allergens — or 

 it’s that this improbable concentration of floral beauty nested in a casino in the middle of a desert offers a respite from the friction of daily life.

Let the tears flow as you nurse a good drink in cozy anonymity — knowing that once your eyes are dry, the pick-me-up buzz of Fremont East is just outside.

Especially when you’re surrounded on three sides by orange cones and Google Maps has just added 10 minutes to your estimated arrival time.

No one will know you’re crying over a breakup when everyone else is bawling because they stupidly bet on the Patriots.

 with homegrown analyst Minty Bets. [City Cast Las Vegas 🎧]

You’re looking at the scary bathtub ring around Lake Mead, weeping for the dry, Mad Maxian future it portends. Do us a favor: Direct those tears into the lake if you can.

Chef DJ Flores is doing something exciting at 

. Like many of the chefs off-Strip opening up new concepts, Flores is a graduate of high-end casino restaurants, and marries his fine-dining expertise with a deep dive into his Mexican culinary heritage. “

” refers to a traditional agricultural system — at its base, it’s a plot of land that every home once had, which grew maize, beans, and squash in a regenerative cycle that nourished both the soil and the families that tended it. More philosophically, it represents the wisdom of ancient farmers who worked with the land instead of against it.

Flores is taking a similar approach to corn: He sources heritage varietals and employs nixtamalization, an ancient technique that extracts more nutrients and flavor from the kernels. His tortillas are fragrant and pliable. On the day I went, they were serving tortillas made with 

 corn, a deep gold colored grain with notes of butternut squash. We feasted on dense blue corn pinole pancakes, and chilaquiles redolent with heaps of fresh cilantro. My favorites, though, were the huevos rancheros, two perfectly jiggly eggs doused in a warm, tomato-y broth that I unrepentantly slurped up after finishing the eggs; and the black bean tetelas — tender pockets of corn wrapped around black beans like a Christmas present. Flores is part of a growing movement of chefs who are looking to the past and the future, holding both in perfect balance, with gems like Milpa as the result.

The modern and ancient mix at chef DJ Flores' restaurant.

An Off-Strip Gem Mixing Old and New Mexican Cooking in Las Vegas.

It's Back to the Future at Milpa

Food & Drink

Living in Las Vegas pretty much entails leapfrogging from one climate-controlled cube of constructed space to another — home to car to office to bar to restaurant to mall to this or that concert venue or family attraction. That sounds bleak and lame, but I’m down with it. The great stupid genius of this city is in its stubborn, hubristic terraforming, and I say let’s celebrate it. Honestly, I’m waiting for the day we just clap a giant dinner bell over everything from Summerlin to Sunrise Manor and make the whole place an immersive, walkable, urban-themed terrarium experience that in a delightful Borgesian twist is, ta-da, indistinguishable from a real city.

Until then, one of my hobbies is enjoying our many richly fake spaces à la carte (shouts to the Bellagio Conservatory, Springs Preserve, Fashion Show Mall), and one of my favorites is

. Opened way back in 1994, it’s a massive cliff waterfall guarded by animatronic bears, wolves, owls, and mountain lions, all set up in a misty, jungly atrium ringed by shops and restaurants. But it’s during the daily light-and-water show that Mystic Falls truly comes alive. The funny thing about artifice is how it 

) — and in that very insistence bursts its own seams and becomes kind of silly. During its daily show, Mystic Falls does just that, burgeoning into a kind of volcanic spasm of fervid, apocalyptic camp as the music booms and laser lights slash across the dancing spouts of water, and the robot menagerie erratically sways and poplocks to the echoing beat. This is the great, nightmarish indoors, and it is quintessentially Vegas.

So, yeah, Mystic Falls is philosophically chewy, but I should also say that on a practical level, it’s also a fun hang. There’s a cozy atrium bar that’s a fine perch for catching a buzz while catching the show, and don’t sleep on the underrated Angry Butcher Steakhouse if you want dinner with ringside seats. Mystic Falls’

 runs through Dec. 23, but don’t fret if you miss it. Its “standard” show is a fanciful riot of New Age synth fugues, dancing kokopellis, and echoey eagle screeches — and is as real fake-Vegas as it gets.

Where better to celebrate this city's "stubborn, hubristic terraforming"?

Mystic Falls Is the Real Essence of Fake Las Vegas.

The Real Essence of Fake Vegas: Mystic Falls

The Appreciation Index

As of next week, the Fremont Street Experience will have been open for 28 years. So here’s a shout-out to the time before that, receding deeper into memory every day, when anyone — including, it seems, a carload of 

 on a pre-hibernation toot — could drive down Glitter Gulch for an immersion in classic Las Vegas.

That began to change in the early 1990s, as the Strip, energized by the Mirage and the onset of the megaresort era, began siphoning off downtown’s clientele. Before, “80% of the people who came to Las Vegas made at least one trip to see Fremont Street,” 

. “By 1989, 1990-91, those numbers had flipped so that less than 20% were coming downtown.”

The area was said to need a super-size entry in the “experience economy” to avoid being decimated. And because modern Las Vegas’ best practices dictate that you can solve any problem by throwing spectacle at it, a 

 became the solution (a frankly better one than Steve Wynn’s proposal to replace downtown streets with canals). 

And the view from the skyboxes is that it worked. “We turned it around with the Fremont Street Experience,” casino owner Bill Boyd told author Geoff Schumacher for his book “

But “turned it around” has a different meaning to those Vegas longtimers who still mourn the raffish, human-scaled, uncapped Glitter Gulch, and for whom the modern Fremont just doesn’t bear comparison.

The garish attraction saved downtown, if not Fremont Street.

Remembering Downtown Las Vegas Before the Experience

Before the Experience, There Was Just Fremont Street

Las Vegas History

Winter is coming — Dec. 21 is its first day. While that typically doesn’t mean snow days in the valley, it still gets damn cold — especially if you’re a bougainvillea. There are some easy steps you can take to help your flora hang on until spring. Here are a few tips we glommed from the 

 Prune or transplant a damaged plant until well after the coldest part of the season; otherwise you'll risk doing even more damage — or killing it altogether.

 If you have real grass, set your sprinklers on a midmorning schedule; our winter has lots of afternoon winds that hamper watering accuracy; and it gives the water time to soak in before night’s colder temps.

 When you water, do your best not to get water on leaves and petals.

 Fertilize your fruit trees late in the winter.

 drain outdoor hoses, don’t leave faucets and spigots dripping, indoors or out, says the Water District. Our winters aren’t generally extreme enough to make that necessary.

 Pile a few inches of mulch around the bases of your plants to provide extra cold-weather insulation.

 Overwater your succulents, which tend to be dormant in the winter anyway. Water plus freezing weather often equals rot, say botanical experts.

 Plan ahead. The Water District: “February is usually mild enough to allow you to plant petunias, pansies, snapdragons and other cool-season annuals …”

Simple steps to protect gardens and grass.

Winter-Proof Your Yard

Las Vegas Life Hacks

 my labradoodle wearing fake antlers, the desert bighorn sheep is as close as Las Vegas is gonna get to reindeer. Here are a few facts about Nevada’s state mammal, 

 these herbivores to survive in arid deserts: Their light coloring reflects 40% of the sun’s rays; their complex stomachs maximize the nutrition in tough desert plants.

 a bighorn can go for months getting their necessary electrolytes from their diet instead of by drinking water. During summer, they can go for up to three days in 100 degrees between drinks.

 that desert bighorn can lose up to 30% of their fluid weight and still function; for many species 10% is enough to trigger dehydration.

 As with many males, boy sheep try to impress girl sheep through head-butting contests. They’ve been observed to last more than 24 hours, with as many as five clashes per hour. Swipe right on your fave, ewes!

 have horns that curl fully — so much so that they sometimes break them off against rocks to improve their field of vision. Ewes have a half-curl.

 Least concern. In 2022, Nevada issued nearly 300 desert bighorn sheep ram tags.

 is climate change — not only because it’ll dry up water sources, but because it will impact the nutritional value of the grasses, shrubs, cacti, and acacia they survive on.

They're as close to reindeer as Southern Nevada's gonna get.

Fun Facts About the Desert Bighorn Sheep Around Las Vegas

Fun Facts About the Desert Bighorn

Urban Almanac

Once the city that never sleeps, Las Vegas now gets plenty of rest — it seems fewer bars and restaurants are open all night. As the witching hour shuts down, is Las Vegas losing something essential? We asked City Cast Las Vegas contributor and man about town Brent Holmes.

As someone who grew up in Las Vegas and later lived weird hours as an artist, what’s special about our city’s notorious accessibility and convenience around the clock?

“I can't imagine my schedule being (tied to), ‘Well, everything closes at 10,’ and no longer being able to have access to whatever odd, nefarious itch I have in the middle of the night. I need some Cap’n Crunch, it's 3 in the morning — I'm gonna go get me some Cap’n Crunch.”

It seems like a lot of places, like grocery stores, now have locks on their doors that they use! Can we even call ourselves 24/7 anymore?

“I don't think we really are. There's not the weird lounge act at 2 in the morning just killing it, right? They were really, like, 

 playing it. And that was the thing — there was this culture of entertainers getting off shift at 9 o'clock at night, and they would just pop from gig to gig, lounge to lounge, event to event, and hang out, play, drink, have a great time.”

Do you think we'll ever become a 24-hour city again?

“I hope so. I hope we're not headed the way of, you know, Albuquerque. I would like to see this city vibrant and strange at all hours. It's one of the most important things about our cultural identity — that this is a city that not just never 

. We've always got something new for you, and it has a superb effect on the locals. There are people living their entire lives at night here. And it's really beautiful that way.”

Is It Still Las Vegas If It Isn't 24/7?

Brent Holmes on What's Lost If Vegas Isn't a 24-Hour Town

3 Questions With

When people think of the glories of Summerlin, chances are whatever they have in mind falls within the boundaries of this neighborhood: the restaurants and entertainment of Red Rock Resort, the commercial sprawl of Downtown Summerlin, the Aviators’ ballpark and the Golden Knights’ practice rink.

“Gardens Park is a delight for dog walkers, parents with kids, and more,” says one reader, who notes, “There's even a regular group of ladies who get together and practice dance.” Reader Chrystal Watters (“This is my square of city! I love living there.”) favors Willows Park. She also touts the 215 West Beltway 

There’s more to do than shop, see a baseball game, or watch hockey practice — though those are all fine options. Downtown Summerlin frequently hosts concerts, fairs, and community events. Especially this time of year. Watters says: “The holidays are a great time — 

 in Downtown Summerlin, the ice-skating rink, 

 at the ballpark.” In addition to bowling and movies at Red Rock Resort, there’s 

A major draw of South Summerlin is that it’s near so much: “Hiking at Red Rock is a quick drive,” says Watters. “You could even bike there if you’re motivated.” There’s a shooting range just up Charleston if that’s your cup of tea. Firearms enthusiast? The 

 shooting range is just as close. For art, books, and events, the versatile 

What isn't there to do in Summerlin South?

Get to Know One of Las Vegas' Most Active Neighborhoods

Get to Know Summerlin South 

Neighborhood Guides

Time again for our occasional pop quiz about the natural wonders of this city and state. Answers after the questions. Good luck!

1. Which other state also claims the mountain bluebird as its state bird?

(a) Montana (b) Wyoming (c) Idaho (d) Florida

2. What does the prestigious Cornell bird lab suggest we do about the above?

(a) Continue sharing the bluebird (b) Adopt the sagebrush sparrow instead (c) Adopt the calliope hummingbird instead (d) Challenge the other state to a bird-off

3. Near Caliente is a fossil deposit with what are believed to be the oldest specimens — 250 million years old — of what creature?

(a) Ichthyosaur (b) Wooly mammoth (c) Lounge lizards (d) Trilobites

4. Which of the following isn’t the actual name of a local cactus species?

(a) Stinging Pete prickly pear (b) Teddy bear cholla (c) Jumping cholla (d) Scarlet hedgehog cactus

5. Enough wild turkeys live in Nevada to warrant hunting seasons in the spring — including out near Moapa. Are they native to the state?

(a) Yes (b) No (c) We talking about the bird or the bourbon?

6. The only place in North America to find a Virgin Valley black fire opal is in a remote corner of Nevada. It’s so rare because …

(a) It required an unusual combination of ancient volcanic elements (b) It occurs in small, unpredictable veins (c) It only formed inside prehistoric wood

 be a good band name, however. 5. (b) They were 

Test Your Knowledge of Las Vegas + Nevada Nature

Sometimes the waterworks just have to go on.

Where to Cry Publicly in Las Vegas

Find the best that Las Vegas has to offer.

Las Vegas' Best

If you work remotely or have a creative side hustle, you know that sometimes a change of location can level up your flagging inspiration. Here are some of our favorite places to post up for a few hours with a laptop, tablet, notebook, and/or brain.

Endorsed by our podcast host Dayvid Figler, that bonnest of vivants, who enjoys the patio’s ambiance; it vibes just enough downtown spirit to inspire, while giving you ample private space to create. Pretty good food and bev available, too, of course.

Our executive producer Sonja Cho Swanson hearts this spot thanks to the quiet alcoves on the second floor — conducive to good focus, she says. Also, when you need a break, there are plenty of books to sample and art to browse.

If you’re in deepest Henderson, this place, suggested by producer Layla Muhammad, is great if you need to focus. “I was in there the other day with a friend; we were whispering because everyone was reading or studying.” If you try the apple cider latte before I do, let me know how it is.

A study in the productivity-enhancing powers of a terrific view, foregrounded by the preserve’s wild beauty, with Las Vegas stretching away beyond. Plus, there’s food and drink right there. Suggested by food historian and City Cast contributor Sarah Lohman, who knows these things.

The bric-a-brac and community-sourced artwork on the walls, the shelves of used books, and the easygoing atmosphere all make this a great third place. And, hey, is that poet Harry Fagel at the next table, concocting an ode to the streets? Odds are good! And nothing caffeinates your work ethic like one of Grouchy’s almond roca lattes.

 Grouchy’s and Evergreen are both among our 

Sometimes you just need a change of setting.

5 Great Spots to Work Remotely in Las Vegas

5 Great Spots to Work Remotely

In between the charbroil of summer and the ice-knife wind of deep winter, it’s picnicking season. On (🎧) 

, host Dayvid Figler, lead producer Sonja Cho Swanson, and producer Layla Muhammad talk widely about the theory and practice of the picnic — including some of their favorite locations:

More specifically, Layla says, near the second lake on Tule Springs Road: “There’s a lot of grass, a lot of trees in that area. You can set up on a picnic blanket and have a really nice time. Can't guarantee that the birds will stay away from you, though.”

Sonja likes the human scale of smaller suburban parks like Gardens Park, Willows Park, and Hills Park, which “has really big trees, lots of shade, great play structures for kids, and is dog-friendly.”

In addition to the usual picnicking areas out that way — lookin’ at you, Spring Mountain Ranch! — Dayvid likes to “go a little off-grid.” “There are plenty of little off-trail spots where you can just kind of sit down with your cheese sandwiches and your olives that you got at Whole Foods and just be at one with nature. That, to me, is the perfect picnic.”

Good idea from Sonja here — you can jazz up your picnic basket with fresh stuff. “

 in Henderson has a farmer's market every first and third Saturday; 

 has one every Wednesday afternoon. So you just wander, pick up some pretty fruits, vegan Mexican food, or Thai beef jerky and snack.”

But isn’t it closed? Actually, the roads to Lee and Kyle canyons are either open or soon will be, meaning you can again picnic amid the alpine vibe of such faves as the 

Hear the Full Episode

It matters where you spread your blanket.

The Best Places to Picnic in and Around Las Vegas

The Best Places to Picnic

The accidental yet perfect confluence of Halloween and Nevada Day is just the prompt we here at Hey Las Vegas needed in order to wonder: What 

 the best Vegas-specific costumes? We crowd-sourced the question; here are some of your and our responses, most of them plainly satirical:

This was the top reader suggestion, and for good reason: It’s scary because it’s real! Our lead producer, Sonja Cho Swanson, proposes a further twist — speaking like the evil Daleks from “Dr. Who”: 

When the time is right, we will emerge and take our rightful place as the supreme power of the UNIVERSE!

Accessorize your protest! Yoking this major pop culture phenom to the cause of wage fairness on the Strip ought to put extra candy in your trick-or-treat bag. (Suggested by a reader named Brianna)

Dress up as a tortoise with lots of tattoos, a dystopian fashion sense, and a penchant for vengeance (below). 

 you’re beyond thunderdome! (Suggested by Sonja Cho Swanson)

Get a sheet, a visor, and a clipboard full of ineffective plays, and you can be the ghost of Josh McDaniels’ Raiders career, refusing to move on to the next world. (That one’s my idea.)

😳 Oscar Goodman Wearing a Showgirl Outfit

“Scary on many levels,” jokes reader Nancy W. 

“Stripper with slot machine button breasts and a Freddy Kruger merkin.” —Sistermable

“It would have to be a Frankenstein Elvis.” —Don H.

“A  bloodspattered croupier using a bloodied spear instead of a dice stick.” —John J. Delibos

The Best Las Vegas Halloween Costumes

 much to choose from here! We could’ve doubled this list just by naming locals who went on to sporting glory: Greg Maddux, Andre Agassi, Bryce Harper. Here’s what we came up with:

The Runnin’ Rebels NCAA Basketball Title

If they ever erect a Mount Rushmore to Las Vegas sports, this will be the mountain they carve it on. The 1990 hoops squad united the city in a delirious new way — 

 highlighted something about our civic character, as the crowds thinned for subsequent Rebel teams that failed to recapture that glory. Vegas, we learned, mostly loves a winner.

 about the long-awaited arrival of, and wild success of, major pro sports in Las Vegas, and while the Raiders seem unlikely to win anything but a participation trophy for a while, they’re part of that story, too.

After moving here from Oklahoma City in 1985, it’s become an annual December juggernaut that neatly solved a massive slow-tourism problem for the city. This is complemented by the 1996 opening of the 

 and its massive NASCAR crowds. Both laid key groundwork for the idea of Las Vegas as a major sports town.

That was the 1996 Las Vegas Invitational, after which he did pretty good for himself.

Hagler-Hearns, Mayweather-Pacquiao — there have been a lot of 

. But this notorious 1997 match, with its edge of violent lunacy — Tyson biting off a chunk of Holyfield’s ear — stands apart as a reminder that Vegas is also a city of anything-can-happen weirdness.

👉 OK, sports fans, what did we miss? Click the button below to weigh in!

Email Your Thoughts

Five Great Las Vegas Sports Moments

5 Great Las Vegas Sports Moments

Love ’em or hate ’em, strip malls are a ubiquitous feature of our cityscape. The good ones have a certain organic charm to them, which is why this list of our favorites doesn’t include master-planned behemoths like Downtown Summerlin, The District, or Town Square. Here we go:

Better known as the Pho Kim Long building, is actually three rows of long, skinny buildings with (surprise!) parking tucked between them. There are so many gems here: Pho Kim Long, the long-beloved Vietnamese late-night eatery; Take it Easy Roasters, with Colombian pastries; Partage for a high-end date night; the Golden Tiki for fanciful cocktails; and Chengdu Taste, our favorite Szechuan in town. Plus, it also houses the Las Vegas Little Theater!

This one is for people with a sweet tooth! Between Freed's Bakery, Krispy Kreme, Freddy's, No. 1 Boba, and Nothing Bundt Cakes, you are spoiled for choice. Walk it off at one of the big chain stores or get pampered at Diva Beauty. If you are a tea-lover or looking for a fun gift, pop into Sheffield Spice & Tea Co. With all the shopping and eating, you can spend a whole day here.

This strip mall has the highest ratio of amazing food to terrible parking anywhere in the valley (we challenge you to find a place with better food and worse parking). But the fight is worth it for gems like EDO Tapas, Chubby Cattle hot pot, District One, Hachi Izakaya, and Cafe Maiko with its green-tea-swirled desserts.

Let’s say you’ve just enjoyed an event at the Sahara West Library, and you want to take that elevated energy somewhere. Here’s the place. There’s a ridiculous wealth of eateries: Khoury’s, considered one of the city’s best neighborhood restaurants; Archi’s Thai; Settebello, for fine Napoli-style pizza; and the oddball gourmet hotdogs of Buldogi’s. There’s also a bike shop, suit-maker, golf store, and comic-book joint.

The city’s OG strip mall, you know it had to be this list’s anchor tenant. There are so many varieties of cuisine here — Thai, Korean, Nigerian, Colombian, soul food. Culture, too, with galleries and creative businesses galore. And shops, from the funky to the fabulous. This isn’t just a mall, it’s a day trip.

Sonja Cho Swanson and Layla Muhammad contributed to this list.

They have their own quirky, organic charm.

5 Las Vegas Strip Malls You Should Love

5 Las Vegas Strip Malls You Won't Hate!

Sometimes a person just wants to observe the pageantry of modern humanity strolling by — maybe you want to feel less alone, or triangulate your own position in the human parade, or just get judgy about other people’s fashion choices. Here are five places to do it:

🚶🚶🏻‍♀️🚶🏾 Fremont Street: 

The second-floor window seats at this Binion’s bar offer a fishbowl view of the cavalcade of human variety — tourists, buskers, every denomination of person in between — that is the Fremont Street Experience.

👩‍🦽🚶🏽‍♀️🚶🏿‍♀️ Town Square: 

Hey, you don’t just want to people-watch the tourists — from this grog shop’s patio you have a casual overlook onto the mall’s play area, where families pause for a few minutes between shopping and eating.

Lotta foot traffic here. Buy a coffee, find a bench, and take in the endless parade of international visitors bringing varied fashion and converging languages to the echoing walkways.

🚶🏾🚶🏼🚶🏽‍♀️ Arts District: 

There's nothing odd about enjoying the human parade.

Las Vegas' Best

Where to Cry Publicly in Las Vegas

Bellagio Conservatory

🍸 The Darkest Booth at Downtown Cocktail Room

In Your Car

🏈 Sportsbook

Hoover Dam

Las Vegas' Best

5 Great Spots to Work Remotely

The Best Places to Picnic

The Best Las Vegas Halloween Costumes

5 Great Las Vegas Sports Moments

5 Las Vegas Strip Malls You Won't Hate!

5 Great People-Watching Spots

Our Favorite Glimpses of Vegas in the Media

5 Great Places to See Local Music

The latest in Las Vegas

It's Back to the Future at Milpa

The Real Essence of Fake Vegas: Mystic Falls

Before the Experience, There Was Just Fremont Street

Winter-Proof Your Yard

Fun Facts About the Desert Bighorn

Brent Holmes on What's Lost If Vegas Isn't a 24-Hour Town

Get to Know Summerlin South

Test Your Knowledge of Las Vegas + Nevada Nature