It’s Friday night and Las Vegas is buzzing, but not from the sounds of slot machines or the spinning of roulette wheels. It’s a different kind of buzz that fills the Arts District. A man stands at a microphone with the light of a neon sign serving as his spotlight. Passersby walk through the Arts District, taking in the various vendors’ stalls. A boy picks up a vegan chocolate bar, and the man, like a Greek stentor, shares his spoken-word poetry. A woman browses local artwork and as she moves on down the street she proclaims loudly, “I’ll have to pick that painting up later.”
Nearby, a group of gay boys files out of a local bar holding inventive sugary cocktails that each deserves its own PANTONE color. The poet continues to speak, creating a vibrant urgency, and people dance through the stalls to the beat of his trochees. The neon lights of Downtown Las Vegas’ Arts District are nearly drowned out by the illuminated vendors who have completely transformed the outdoor 18-block district into a creative amusement park of art and local culture.
The rumba of salsa music has old and young locals twirling under the disco-ball twilight. Clouds of smoke from the freshly deep-fried zeppole waft across the dance floor and mix with spray paint fumes puffing like a chimney from a young boy creating a mural. He’s plastering the wood wall with dragons, wizards, castles, and all his middle school fantasies. A hula-hooper leads an exercise class as crowds gather round holding bags of recently purchased handicrafts. “Do you feel free?” the instructor shouts to the dozens of men, women, and children hoola-hooping along. “Yes!” the crowd shouts back in a united voice that doesn’t match their wild gyrations. There is a new type of freedom in this city that visitors will discover in the sprawling creativity of revitalized downtown Las Vegas.
By Joseph Pedro – Full Story at Passport
Las Vegas Gay Travel Resources
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Experience a side of Las Vegas you may never even knew existed. Check out the many outdoor activities and attractions as well as the luxurious accommodations you can always enjoy in Las Vegas.
How about a little fun on the water? The Lake Mead National Recreation Area offers a wealth of things to do and places to go year-round. Its huge lake caters to boaters, swimmers, sunbathers and fishermen, while its desert rewards hikers, wildlife photographers and roadside sightseers. Three of America’s four desert ecosystems\0x2212the Mojave, the Great Basin and the Sonoran Deserts \0x2212 meet in Lake Mead NRA. As a result, this seemingly barren area contains a surprising variety of plants and animals, some of which may be found nowhere else in the world.
Another way to enjoy the water and its inhabitants without getting soaked is a journey through the Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay. Take a 14-exhibit adventure through a jungle environment into a sunken shipwreck where you will see 2,000 animals, including some of the most dangerous predators in the world.
Palm Springs, Calif., may be the city most associated with the legendary Dinah Shore festival (so called for a golf tournament bearing the entertainer’s name), the annual gathering of lesbians seeking sun and fun. But for the past five years, Las Vegas has hosted its own Dinah gathering.
This year’s Dinah Vegas — which wrapped Sunday and took place at the Rio, Tropicana, Flamingo, Linq, and Luxor resorts — was another rousing success, according to founder Sandy Sachs.
Most people travel to Las Vegas for the infamous strip and glittering nightlife that never ends. But what about Downtown Las Vegas? That tiny little core city where the story all began? I travel to Vegas twice a year for business and while I’ve stayed at a lot of hotels on the Strip (Trump, Vdara, Wynn, Caesar’s), I always make a trip downtown. It’s seedy, a little ugly around the edges and just being there can make you feel better about all your choices in life – but it’s an experience you can’t get anywhere else in the world. And it can be a lot of fun if you’re traveling with the right crowd.
A trip from the strip to downtown Vegas will cost you $30 – but the drinks are cheaper here and so is the food. And while you won’t get the glitz of the strip, you’ll get a slew of stories to tell when you get home.
Strolling the Fremont Experience can be ridiculously cool and depending on the time of night, make you happy – or a little sad – for humanity. There are no filters here and you’ll see all kinds of street entertainment vying for your attention and spare change. Please note, even though you’ll see lots of families, this is no place for young children (or anyone under 20 for that matter).