In the field: doing “research” in Las Vegas

Research, sure. Yeah. That’s it.

Well, this is a new twist for me, posting one of these newsletters from the road. So it’s going to be relatively short. It’s also the first time I’ve ventured to Vegas with just a significant other, no one else. This makes for a totally different experience, too, and we’ve been having a great time.

As far as the research aspect, I’m working on a revised 2nd edition of my Las Vegas primer. The original was admittedly pretty uneven (though outselling all my books thus far save Night Driving, curiously enough; therefore my crappiest two books are somehow my top two - don’t let anyone tell you this stuff isn’t COMPLETELY random - and yet both are now out of print), so I’m excited about the revamp.

In case you other writers aren’t aware, a lot of what you’re doing can qualify as a tax writeoff, too. You just have to write something about it. So maybe that’s my first Vegas/travel/whatever tip: anything might count as research. In our single days some of us guys thought of hitting on girls as “research,” even - maybe that’s a stretch, but you get the point.

Anyway here are some quick highlights from our first few days out here:

Peppermill

This old school diner/dive, which also includes the even cozier and funkier Fireside Lounge in this room in the back, has been on my “to do” list for years. Despite its sitting right on the Strip, though, since 1972, we’ve never quite made it here in any previous trips. But it’s been a Vegas icon which was even featured in the likes of the movie Casino, and we weren’t messing around this time, knocking it out the first night. The help was friendly, non-pretentious, and everything we tried here was great. A definite must-see. As you can tell, Erin agrees.

Slots-A-Fun

You could say we’ve been on a retro kick, so this place “slots” neatly into that vibe. Located basically across the street from Peppermill and in front of Circus Circus (a separate building, but owned by them), this is an all but required visit for ballers on a budget, historians, or really anyone who gets teary eyed over the Vegas of yore. The sound of actual clinking coins is like music, just totally fucking awesome, instead of the lame payout slips used everywhere else. Our thinking too is that we want to experience this older stuff before it’s gone. Disney for example allegedly just bought Circus Circus - you heard it here first.

Famous Foods Street Eats

But of course you want to check out the shiny new toys here in Sin City, too. To that end there’s Resorts World, the newest and most expensive ever casino in town. To be honest, the casino floor itself is kind of humdrum, reminiscent of the baggage claim area at an airport or something, albeit with endless rows of games. But the rest of the place is pretty cool, flashy and creatively designed.

And this brick walkway food court type area is near the top of the list. As you can see some of the celebrities involved are DJ Steve Aoki and chef Marcus Samuelsson. They have a diverse array of offerings from all over the world. Erin went with a big ol’ bowl of Tonkatsu ramen, while I hit up this luchador themed place for a trio of different street tacos. All totally tremendous, but still not outrageously expensive.

Okay, that’s it for now! I would say more but we have a big downtown Vegas odyssey planned for today, and I need to conserve energy. It’s 7:08am here as I type this line, yet already insanely bright and hot. So we better get cracking. Talk to you soon!