I recently came back from a trip that kept me out of the country for almost three months. After getting back to the swing of things and catching up with tons of mail, a friend invited me out to have a few drinks. We went downtown. I have to admit that I wasn't too excited at the prospect of going downtown. As soon as I drove there, I knew something had changed... for the better. I can't tel you how fascinated I was upon visiting this area. What a beauty! You see, I remember downtown when it wasn't such a cool, clean, trendy place. It was actually scummy, crappy and tacky. Around 1992 I was performing and doing double duty on two Vegas properties: The Stardust Hotel and the Union Plaza. The Stardust hotel was home to a show called Enter the Night and the Plaza to Kenny Kerr's Boylesque show.  I was part of a specialty act known as Los Huincas Gauchos, a trio of bolo-wielding, drum-pounding South American cowboys that entertained audiences as part of those shows. Every night we would race from one property to the other, my mom at the wheel, while the three of us hopped (in costume I might ad) into the car parked in valet and race down Main Street to the Stardust... and back. Each night I would see the downtrodden area of downtown. Derelicts, graffiti, unsavory characters, dirty buildings, trash, etc all passing by as we made our way down to the Strip. So those memories stayed with me. Little changed through the years until Oscar Goodman, Tony Hsieh and countless of other great citizens pushed, cajoled, bullied, inspired, cheered and worked to get their vision of a beautiful downtown area for all. Kudos to all who worked for this! How proud I feel to be a part of a great city like Las Vegas where one sees progress. Progress measured not just in mindless buildings built by casinos on the Strip but in areas where in other cities (or countries) politicians, city leaders and people just give up. Kudos again to those who fought what might have seemed like a lonely battle. I for one was not one who saw "the vision". I was simply to distracted by the changes and wonders happening on the Strip to pay attention to what was being accomplished in downtown. You live and you learn. Now I pay  attention. It falls upon people like me now to thank in the best way possible: by supporting downtown and the businesses that flourished there with my patronage. So now I will not think twice to have a drink downtown. Now the problem is to decide on a place in downtown. They're all great! Bars like Park and Insert Coins or places like Container Park. Joints like Don't Tell Mama. All full of personality, charm and a great time. I highly recommend the Las Vegas Downtown area. Safety, charm, cleanliness and cool bars, restaurants and more can be found there. If you are from out of town the easiest thing is to drive North (toward the Stratosphere Tower) on the Las Vegas Blvd, make a left on Carson, a quick right on 4th St. and park on the Fremont St Experience parking garage. From there walk to Fremont St and make a right and voilå, you will bump into the fine bars, cafes and restaurants on the Downtown are. Enjoy!
