xxx Section J | Sunday, April 22, 2012 | chron.com | Chronicle

Bob Brye Las Vegasisasurebet when it comes to fun and games. And withall thenew visitor-friendlyprojects under wayinthe city,itmight be time to go all-in.

Travel It’s Vegas, baby! Party city is alive and cooking with newattractions, clubsand restaurants; and when you’re tired, some of the mostindulgenthotel rooms await

By Greg Morago

LAS VEGAS —The city thatmakes its name on gambling has been dealt some badcards in recentyears. High unem- ployment, abottomed-out housing market and drops in gaming revenuecontributed to unrestand malaise in party city. Butwhen the chipsare down, Vegas knows howtoget back in the game.The city is still very much alive with newproj- ects, hotel rooms, restaurants and attrac- tions meanttolure visitors and keep en- tertained those whonever gave up on the city.Caesars Palace is not onlyopening anew Nobu Hotel and Nobu restaurant this summer,italso is going aheadwith ,a$550-million retail, dining and entertainmentdistrict anchored by a550-foot-tall observation wheel directly across from the existing Caesars Palace, set for completion in 2013. Meanwhile,there are plenty of new reasons to visitLas Vegas.

Mobmentality. If your idea of movie entertainmentisanother night Powers Imagery 1with “Goodfellas” and your prime- The Marquee Dayclubatthe Cosmopolitan of Las Vegasisanadults-onlyparty venuethat time television viewing includes“Mob spans 22,000 squarefeetand boasts twopools, severalbars, agamingareaand eight cabanas. Wives,” then your next visittoLas Vegas must include atriptothe MobMuseum. Located downtown (in aformer court- house thatbore witness to hearingson ), the museum is a$42 million panorama of the historyofthe American .Inside, visitors will find interactive displays and exhibits showcasing hitmen, gangland figures, undercover agents, tommyguns, wiretap- ping equipmentand even the entire brickwall from the St. Valentine’s DayMassacre. Throughout, mobdom’s biggest names lurk:Al Cindy Yamanaka/ MCT Machine Guns Vegas Capone,, The MobMuseum is locatedina At Machine Guns Vegasyou can shoot firearms — “Bugsy”Siegel, “Lucky” former courthouse in . from WWII guns to assault rifles —inaclubsetting. Luciano,Sam Giancana, JoeBonanno,John menu(perhaps an M4 carbine,Uzi or AK- Gotti and more. 47); there also are female “rangemasters” The MobMuseum, whoare responsible for guestsafety 300Stewart Ave., and personal instruction. There are 10 702-229-2734; shooting lanes, including twocompletely themobmuseum.org private lanes with aseparate entrance for VIPs. Packages rangefrom about Triggerfinger. If $100 to $800,depending on the firearm your idea of happiness and number of rounds. Each package 2is awarm gun, then includesyour targets and aT-shirt as youshould probablytake mementos. There’s also complimentary aim at Machine Guns transportation from the Strip. Oh,in Vegas, anew,off-the-Strip case youwere wondering:Noalcohol is attraction for those wholike served. to go ballistic.The clublike Machine Guns Vegas, venuefeatures hostesses 3501Aldebaran Ave.,702-476-9228; DreamRacing whohelp youpickout machinegunsvegas.com At Dream Racingyou can drive track-readyFerrari your weapon from an iPad VegascontinuesonJ2 F430GTs on theLas VegasMotor Speedway.

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livia BrighT idea Vegasspa experiences formen e+O Dress up your wardrobe ic Heading to Sin City with the guys?Hereare some of the Al with colorful pants best spaexperiences formen. 1 Theseason’snextbig 1. Qua Baths at CaesarsPalace trend bringseye-popping 2. SignatureStone Massage at the Bellagio hues—such as fuchsia, 3. Ultimate Hand &Foot IndulgenceatVdara yellow and green—to 4. Russian Deep Tissue Massage at Reliquary the forefront. J3 5. Gentleman’s Facial at Canyon Ranch AskMen.com Bellagio J2 | Sunday, April 22, 2012 | Houston Chronicle | chron.com xxx Howtofind us travel Kristin Finan, TravelEditor, [email protected]|Phone: 713-362-6396|Fax:713-362-7410 Vegaswants to wine,dine and entertain

VegasfrompageJ1

Speed racer. Life in the fast lane is what you’ll 3getatDream Racing,a newattraction thatliterally puts youinthe driver’sseat. Set at the , Dream Racing offers speed demons the opportunity to be arace-car driverfor a day. It begins with a15-minute classroom instruction on how to handle aracecar,followed by 3-Dsimulators thatprovide arealistic experience of high- speed racing.Then youdon your racing suit and helmet, strapintoatrack-ready Ferrari F430 and you’re off:0to60 mphin3.5 seconds and speeds thatwould not be street legal. All-inclusive packages begin at $499,including transportation from the Strip. If you’re too scared to takethe wheel but have aneed for speed, youcan purchase the “Hot Laps” option as apassenger with arace- car driverwho will whiz you around the track. Dream Racing, Las Vegas MotorSpeedway, 7000 Las VegasBlvd.N.; 702-599-5199; dreamracing.com

Hyde and seek. Bellagio Houstonians are thrilling Hyde is thefirst nightlifeventureinLas Vegasbyhospitality leader sbe. The terrace overlooksthe fountains of Bellagio. 4to the newKatsuya, ahip sushihouse thatalso boasts ahot clublikescene. Theman behind thatwelcome buzz is Sam Nazarian, CEO of hospitality powerhouse sbe, responsible for some of the hottesthotels, restaurants and clubs in LosAngeles. So when sbedipped itstoes into the Vegas nightlife scene,townies knewithad to be good. The result is Hyde,asleek indoor/ outdoor clubatBellagio with unrivaled views of the hotel’s famous fountains. Smaller than the megaclubs vying for the attention of nightcrawlers, the Philippe Starck-designed venue is meanttosuggest an opulent Italian villa. ButanItalian villa with agourmet mixology program, 40 VIP tables and the likes of Sofia Vergara, Lauren Conrad, JoeJonas, Stephanie Pratt and Eliza Dushku, who all helped celebrate the club’s opening on NewYear’s Eve 2012.Now that’saparty. Hyde,Bellagio,3600 Las VegasBlvd.S.; 702-693- 8700; hydebellagio.com

1OAK. Adam Levine, Pitbull, Katy Perry, 5KanyeWest, Jessica Alba, Josh Duhamel, Fergie, Ashton Kutcher,LennyKravitz and Bruno Mars —those are Martin Tessler Wynn LasVegas justsome of the celebs and The Mirage gets theparty started at 1OAK,anew nightclubthat La Cave Wine and Food Hideaway is acasual wine bar/restau- musicians whohavepartied boasts asophisticateddesign. rant that overlooksthe pool area of Wynn Las Vegas. the night away at 1OAK,the white-hot newclubatMirage (starting at 550square feet)that 3730Las VegasBlvd.S.; 877- Steakhouse,CaesarsPalace, touchofcucumber.Onthe menu: Hotel &Casino.Aslicksister combine plushcomfort with 580-2742; arialasvegas.com 3570 Las VegasBlvd.S.; 877- charcuterie,oysters, wedgesalads to the original 1OAK in New innovative in-room technology. 346-4642; theoldhomestead and prime steaks. Fordessert: a Yo rk,this Vegas outpostboasts CaesarsPalace,3570Las Eat, drink and be steakhouse.com tribute to the King in the form of asophisticated design featuring VegasBlvd.S.; 866-227-5938; merry. It’s hard to keep 1 CenterCut Steakhouse: caramelized bananas, crunchy original artworkbyRoy caesarspalace.com 8up with the jackpot of TheFlamingohas turned a peanut butter crust, peanut Nachum. The16,000-square- 1Bellagio: Thehotel with restaurants in Vegas. So many former burgerjoint space into butter ice cream and chocolate- foot cluboffers all the upscale the famous fountain and newplaces to eat, so little time. asnazzy newsteak restaurant covered bacon. Just saying. pleasures of atypicallyhot blinding collection of luxury And while we wait patiently thatgoes the martini-and-meat 35 Steaks+Martinis, Hard Vegas clubbut with more adult restaurants nowcan boast for the newNobuatCaesars, route but with some polishthat Rock,4455 Paradise Road; sensibilities. That’s not to say redesigned rooms. All of the the newGordon RamsaySteak some might not expect from 702-693-5585; hardrockhotel. the place doesn’t rock. It sports 2,568 rooms and suites in the at Paris and the newJavier’s this Stripcasino.Center Cut com the bestsound system money main towerhaveundergone an margarita and Mexican food bar aims straight at the heart of the can buyand imports DJsfrom elegantredowiththree distinct at Aria, here are some places steakhouse puristwithshrimp Live fortoday. around the worldtokeep the color palettes. The$70 million thatare keeping us happy and cocktail, crabcakes, seafood There’s a party boys and girls dancing project provided rooms with very well fed. tower, lobster bisque and steak 10 reason we are until the suncomes up. cashmere-covered mattresses, 1 La Cave: Take all the hip cuts including NewYorkstrip, constantlydrawn back to the 1OAK,Mirage, 3400 Las 40-inchflat-screen televisions, sophistication of the city’sbest bone-in ribeyeand porterhouse. Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. VegasBlvd.S.; 702-588-5656; iHome docking stations, new restaurant/bar and drain it of Here’s the delicious twist: All This casino knows howto 1oaklasvegas.com furniture and adigital media all hype and pretension and the beef comes from Aspen party.This summer we’reready hubtoaccommodate anyand youhaveLaCave. This casual RidgeFarms in Colorado where to dive into the second season Room service. Some all devices. Bellagio,3600 Las charmer overlooking the pool stockisfed anatural diet free of Marquee Dayclub, aglitzy people actuallygoto VegasBlvd.S.; 888-987-7111; area of Wynn combines a of hormones and steroids. It’s daytime party venuewithtwo 6Vegas to sleep. Ye s, bellagio.com modern American small-plate asmart menuand asmart pools, multiple bars, private it’s true.And whynot? menuwithabeguiling global looking space. cabanas and even gaming in Thecityboasts some of the Sky high. Of the nine wine listthathas something for CenterCut Steakhouse, music-throbbing playground mostspectacular hotels newbies thatmade the list everyone.Asteak with Opus Flamingo,3555 Las Vegas of glistening flesh. Theother with the mostindulgent 7of AAA Five Diamond One or acharcuterie selection Blvd.S.; 702-784-8821; Cosmo novelty is the newEA accommodations thatmoney Awards for 2012,onlyone is with aSouth African chenin flamingolasvegas.com Sports Bar,apop-up concept can buy—and thatgoes beyond in Vegas. That distinction goes blanc?LaCavehas your food thatcombines the thrill of a justcomfortable beds. Here are to SkySuites at Aria Resort & and wine cravingscovered. It’s aHard Rock life.One sports bar,the comfort of a three places to consider. Casino.Ahotel within ahotel, La Cave Wine and Food of our favorite resorts off living room and the gameboy 1MGM Grand: All 3,570 SkySuites boasts 442 deluxe Hideaway,Wynn Las Vegas, 9the Stripisthe Hard Rock rush of video games. The guestrooms and 642 suites rooms, suites and villas all 3131 Las VegasBlvd.S.; 888- Hotel &Casino,whichalways masculine,high-techbar is a in the hotel’s main towerare located on floors 25-59 of the 320-7123; wynnlasvegas.com managestosport more vigor and total video-gaming immersion getting aplush,$160 million mammoth hotel’s south tower. 1 OldHomestead vervethan itship peers on the set on the ground floor of the facelift with contemporary TheA-listtreatmentbegins Steakhouse: Thefamous beef main drag. That’s because the casino.Ittakes the place of the furniture and awarm newcolor with an exclusive porte cochere emporium from Manhattan’s hotel constantlyreinventsitself previous pop-up concept, a palette.Aninitial set of rooms accessed by limousines only Meatpacking District has put its with youthful energy.The latest 24-hour wedding chapel where already has been completed (transportation to and from meathooksinVegas by opening shot of adrenaline is the new couples could perform faux with the remainder to be ready airport is courtesyastretch- aclassic NewYorksteakhouse 35 Steaks+Martinis. Another ceremonies or renewtheir by September. MGM Grand, limo fleet); private check-in; experience in Caesars Palace. steakhouse,you yawn?This vowsbychoosing from options 3799 Las VegasBlvd.S.; 877- personalized itineraryand From rawbar,burgers and one has arockvibeinvested in thatallowedthem to marry 880-0800; mgmgrand.com welcome gift; direct access to Kobe meatballs to prime rib, itsslickdesign and menu. The inexpensively or bling out their 1CaesarsPalace: With suites without entering casino lobster and a32-ounce Gotham restaurant’sname is an homage mocknuptials. Those folksat itsnew hotel tower, Octavius or other public spaces; and ribsteak on the bone,Old to Elvis, whowas born in 1935, Cosmo are too clever for their Tower, Caesars has expanded dailyloungeservice in the Sky Homesteadisready to indulge and the king’s sense of oversize owngood. itsinventoryto3,960 rooms Suites Lounge, whichisopen 24 the high-end wine and dine indulgence is evidentthroughout The Cosmopolitan of and suites. The668-room hours aday.The rooms, priced fantasies thatmakeVegas the restaurant’scool mash-up Las Vegas, 3708 Las Vegas tower, opened in January, between $700 and $7,500 per famous. Theplace looksand of classic steakhouse fare with Blvd.S.; 877-551-7778; offers guests their ownprivate night,offer dizzying technology acts authentic —likeit’sbeen cutting edgepizzazz. Pair your cosmopolitanlasvegas.com valet entrance,separate hotel and even more impressive there foreverdespite being only 35-dayaged, 35-ounce steak with lobbyand spacious rooms views. Aria Resort &Casino, months old. OldHomestead a35Gimlet, agin cocktail with a [email protected]