Good Life: Greetings From Las Vegas
GET THERE
Look out for $198 direct round-trip fares on Southwest and US Airways.
STAY
The $500 standard Wynn rooms? Getting into one is a little like trying to rent in Avalon next week. The new vintage-tinged (but with wi-fi) Go Rooms at one of the Strip’s eldest members, the Flamingo, will do just fine, with their $225 weekend price tag, kick-ass views, padded white-pleather headboards, and plasma screens. 3555 South Las Vegas Boulevard, 888-902-9929, harrahs.com.
SEE
Take in Barry Manilow on his never-ending ride at the Hilton (3000 South Paradise Road, 702-732-5111, lvhilton.com), or, for actual 100 percent verified gayness, visit rhinestone remnants at the Liberace Museum. 1775 East Tropicana Avenue, 702-798-5595, liberace.org.
EAT
When you get très tired of the waitlist at legendary French chef Joël Robuchon’s incredibly expensive 38-seat namesake at MGM Grand, seek out his small plates and stiff cocktails (the ones that won’t deplete your gambling funds) at the nearby L’Atelier (below). 3799 South Las Vegas Boulevard, 702-891-7358, mgmgrand.com. For late-night munchies, nothing beats the circa-1972 Peppermill Fireside Lounge, with its loaded nachos, flaming indoor fountain, and an unmistakable makeout vibe. 2985 South Las Vegas Boulevard, 702-735-4177, peppermill-lasvegas.com.
THRILL
Skyscraper-top roller coasters and zero-G plane rides sound a bit much? Flyaway Indoor Skydiving might be the right speed. Basically, you don a skydiving outfit and jump out over a turbine that blasts you up to 20 feet in the air for three minutes at a time. Flyawayindoorskydiving.com.
PARTY
When it comes to drinking, sex, and other more serious vices, the celeb-frequented Palms (4321 West Flamingo Road, 866-942-7777, palms.com) is the devil’s own hot spot. In addition to the thong-filled pool, in-house tattoo parlor and Hugh Hefner mega-suites (we can’t even imagine what goes on in a room that costs as much for a night as a Lexus), the Palms offers the 52nd-floor Playboy Club. Think expensive drinks, an insurmountable line, and impossibly proportioned — though not nude — waitresses. And if you think the view is good there, just head upstairs to the Moon nightclub’s 53rd-floor roof deck.
