Things Will Be Great When You're Downtown

This time we flew from London Heathrow whereas every other trip we’d gone from Manchester on a Thomas Cook flight but circumstances (Thomas Cook went bust) meant we had to change plans and fly via Virgin Atlantic. This was a blessing in disguise because we used Airmiles to get it cheaper, drinks were free and the in-flight entertainment was far better than Thomas Cook. The downside was the time of the flights, usually we’d have got a really early flight so Day 1 in Vegas would be from about 12pm but it wasn’t possible so were landing in the evening. Another difference was we were missing Halloween (Booo!) and not going until Friday 2nd Nov and that meant one thing.

We can go to First Friday! Something we’d been told about by a taxi driver last year and something I thought sounded different and fun. I’d already planned to vlog it all and wanted to explore Downtown Vegas more and venture out beyond Fremont.

We landed, late. Jumping in a taxi we headed on down to Downtown. No Four Queens this time, I’d managed to get a good deal at the Downtown Grand. Matt Bridger had spoken highly of the place and we had popped in during previous trips and thought we’d give it a go. Straight to the room, dropped off the suitcases and straight back out – I think it was around 7pm so we were worried we’d missed a lot of First Friday. Ordered an Uber and we were on our way.

Now would probably be a good time to explain what First Friday is. No prizes for guessing it happens on the first Friday of every month. Located in the Arts District, also known as 18b because it originally compromised of 18 blocks, First Friday is a free monthly community festival that was created to showcase local artists, musicians, small businesses and has a multitude of really tasty looking food trucks.

Upon arrival I got my camera out and straight away saw a stand giving away free cupcakes, already I knew we were going to like this place. If I was to describe it I’d say it was like a really good arts and crafts fair, the work on display varied greatly in design but all of it was pretty impressive to say the least, my biggest regret was not buying anything and next time I won’t make the same mistake. Next was the food trucks, there were lots serving all different cuisines from various countries and States, I can’t remember what we tried but it was really nice. It wasn’t too busy because we had got there late and we felt safe there. I say that because Downtown Vegas can get a bad rap sometimes, yes there are areas you are recommended to avoid, especially late at night but that can be said for a lot of places. There was one situation during First Friday a pleasant chap came over talking to us about well-being and a local charity and he gave Jane a yellow bandana, initially alarm bells rang. Jane the tourist gets identified, nice chap confirms it by having a chat then marks her by giving her a yellow bandana so later on his mates can identify and mug us - job done. None of that happened, it was all legit and he was a genuinely nice person trying to highlight a genuine cause. It had gotten pretty late and we had been up over 24 hours so we did what any sane tired person would do. We walked all the way from the Arts District back to Fremont. About half an hour later we got back to the Grand and promptly fell asleep.

Day Two luckily was pretty chilled out, the advantage of going to Vegas each year meant there was now less need to pack so much in, that’s not to say there wasn’t plenty to do and even more to plan for the 2020 trip (that never flipping happened). If you’ve watched my vlogs and I think I’ve mentioned it in a previous blog, I’m willing to try nearly anything when it comes to food and drink (I say nearly – I’ll never do a BushTucker eating challenge). Sometimes it’s a nice surprise, other times it goes a bit wrong. The All You Can Eat Breakfast Menu at Freedom Beat in The Grand was where it went a bit wrong. The food was amazing, great selection and you could order as much as you want as many times as you want, It’s not a buffet, everything is cooked to order, portions are reasonable, a bit like a breakfast tapas. Jane had all you can drink Mimosas and I chose 3 Micheladas for $10, absolute bargain. I had no idea what a Michelada was but that wasn’t going to stop me, yes I could have Googled it but where’s the fun in that? To do it justice I have to show you the photo I took.

It transpired that a Michelada is like a Bloody Mary but it’s not Vodka, it’s beer that’s added to the tomato juice with lime, Tabasco, herbs and spices. It’s early in the morning, it’s breakfast and just one goblet of Michelada in I’m wondering where I’m going to put the other two. Jane tried to help and we got just over two down. That day I fell out with tomato juice. Let’s just hope it’s not part of the menu tonight because I won’t know until it’s too late. That’s the beauty of Blackout Dining.

For Christmas that year Jane’s brother and his wife had bought us a Blackout Dining Experience, they’re not exclusive to Vegas and there are a few around the UK but it was something we’d never looked in to. The prospect of going to a restaurant that is in complete darkness and where you have no idea what is on the seven course menu was both exciting and intriguing, as long as there was no tomato juice.

Blackout - Dining in the Dark is located away from the Strip, not too far from Rio so we had to get an Uber there. Once there we signed a disclaimer saying we had no allergies, they went through what was going to happen, we ordered drinks and then a waiter with Night Vision Goggles took us to the dining area and carefully lead us to the table. Stating the obvious here but the room was in complete utter darkness, we had to feel around for the cutlery and drinks and for some reason I kept my eyes open throughout. As each dish was presented, the waiter gave us a cryptic riddle then described the plate/bowl and if the dish required knife and fork, spoon or finger. The rest was up to us to try and guess what we were eating. The concept behind it is that your other senses are heightened leading to a more pleasurable eating experience. The bonus for me was that I can’t see the other diners, they encourage you to be as quiet as possible too so there’s none of that droning of chatter you get in busy restaurants.

At the end of it all I was given a rose to hand to Jane when we leave so I look like I had planned it all along and win me some brownie points, my inability to lie and Jane knowing me very well meant she had clocked on anyway. We then got shown the menu so we could discuss our terrible palates but also celebrate the one’s we guessed correctly.

The experience wasn’t cheap (technically it was free as it was a gift) but the service was exemplary and the food was very high quality. It lasts around an hour and a half and $90 each (£65) not including drinks or tip but I’d say it was definitely worth it.

Day 3 and it’s back to the Arts District but no Uber this time. There’s a free shuttle called the Downtown Loop and it runs every 20 mins – 11am to 6pm Mon to Thu and 3pm to 10pm Fri and Sat. I’m sure it used to run on a Sunday too but doesn’t appear to anymore. I’ve added a map of where it takes you and we used it a lot that trip, if you’re in a rush to get anywhere then the shuttle isn’t for you but if you’re just exploring and taking your time then it’s ideal and free. Thanks to the Downtown Loop we got to see some pretty interesting places.

Whilst walking around the Arts District we went to a bar called 18Bin, inside was an old Street Fighter 2 Arcade, they had numerous board games you could play and a great selection of drinks and food. We were planning to eat at the Cornish Pasty Co. so we didn’t eat at 18Bin but enjoyed sitting in the sun with a beer watching the rides on the Strat far away in the distance.

I kind of wish we’d eaten at 18Bin, we thought an American/Vegas take on a Cornish Pasty would be fun to try and compare, the menu was extensive and I really fancied the Sunday Dinner Pasty. As it was, the food was very nice, nothing amazing and it was a Cornish Pasty. The problem was, for what it was it was very expensive, at around $14 (£10.25) for just the pasty it was a bit of a shock for someone who pays £1 ($1.36) for a Greggs sausage roll back in the UK.

Off we went again, this time it was to the Burlesque Hall Of Fame. Located at 1027 S Main St it wasn’t too far a walk from where we were and we got to see Snowball.

As always, I really didn’t know what to expect, I thought I knew what Burlesque was but had no idea of its history. As it turned out the place was brilliant, it wasn’t enormous in size but all displays were relevant, informative and fun. We were also given a guided tour by a very enthusiastic and knowledgeable lady and then left to walk around ourselves. I would apologise for subjecting you to the photo but I have no shame.

Walking around the Arts District there is a lot of art work not only inside the relevant buildings but on the buildings and pavements themselves. A lot of Downtown itself has many murals and you could spend a day just looking and photographing these. I’m not one for going into an Art Gallery and looking at 18th Century Art by Leonardo or any of the other Turtles but the urban artwork around Downtown was something that really caught my eye.

Jumping back onto the Downtown Loop we then went to the North Premium Outlets and as we do every trip to the US, we went to The Cheesecake Factory, it was slightly disappointing .......ah who am I kidding. It was great as always, I went for the Pineapple Upside Down Cheesecake as it was a new addition to the menu. Now full of Cheesecake it was time to walk it off with a trip to Frankies Tiki Room. We should have caught an Uber here but fancied a walk, a 20 minute walk that took us through their University Medical Centre and then we arrived at our destination. Last year we had gone to the Golden Tiki Bar so we thought we’d compare and had recently watched a Hog and 2Cent video where they came here and it looked pretty decent. Inside it was dark and decorated with all that is Tiki, they had Swamp Thing playing on the TV and there was a machine that looked like the Love-Matic Grampa from the Simpsons.

The picture you see is from Universal Studios - this one I didn't break.

Hog and 2Cent had tried it so I thought I’d see how much of a Lothario I was. The money went in, I grabbed the stick, it started up and bang. The lights blew and the machine went into complete darkness, a chap laughed and told me what I embarrassingly knew “Hey fella, looks like you broke the machine”. Now, either I’m such a stud I blew the machine or more likely the machine didn’t want to embarrass me and took the only way out. I must confess I sat back down, drank my drink and then did a runner. Both Tiki bars were pretty similar but we preferred the drinks at Frankies Tiki Bar, there was live music there too but to be honest you won’t be disappointed with either.

Hey Annie….I’m Nacho Daddy!

Time for some Nachos and the Scorpion Shot.

Why would I want to try the Scorpion Shot? I’m not a massive fan of Tequila and I’m not known for my love of eating Scorpions. As most of you will know, you can see this on my vlogs but I’ve added it here just so you can have another laugh. Procrastinating as long as I could, I really didn’t want to be sick or spit the whole thing out so what would I do? Then I remembered, I can swallow large tablets very easily so if I can just knock this back in one then I’m in for the win. As I knocked it back, the Scorpion didn’t even touch the sides and the Tequila that I could taste was actually really nice. I was rewarded with the shot glass to keep and I was happy knowing that I didn’t embarrass myself for a second time that day. Would I do it again? Yes I would to be honest, it cost $20 (£14.50) which isn’t cheap but the Tequila was nice and I got to keep the glass.

Next stop, Atomic Liquors. By this point it had gotten pretty late but sleeping is for wimps and the Atomic Liquors Bar isn’t too far a walk from Nacho Daddy past the Container Park. Atomic Liquors is the oldest free-standing bar in Vegas and once we were allowed in by the Doorman we entered a bar that was pretty dark with lots of comfortable seating where you could really relax. Outside there were heaters and lots of seating too. There are plenty of drink choices from cocktails to canned and draft beers with many from local micro-breweries, something I’m a big fan of. After busy day with a lot of walking it was nice to relax and have a drink. Day 3 over, tomorrow we’re going to the Strip.

Day 4 was a Monday and a stickler for tradition, Monday meant Monday Night Football at Hooters. The casino was now OYO but luckily they had kept the Hooters restaurant inside. We stopped at Hooters a few years back so it would be interesting to see what had changed. For the first time ever we went off Strip to Sahara. Breakfast was the Mirage Cravings Buffet, by the time we’d got there it was Breakfast/Lunch all of which was very nice with the added bonus of serving Chocolate Milk for Jane and Mr Pibb (it's like Dr Pepper) for me.

The rest of the day was gambling at Mirage, Sahara and failing to go to Tacos El Gordo. It was a shame we didn’t get to go there but there’s always the trip in 2020 so we can do it then – not like there’s going to be a pandemic to ruin everything.

OYO/Hooters was an interesting evening. I wasn’t a fan of the OYO branding and found it quite bland, there was still a lot of stuff left over from Hooters, and luckily the restaurant was great as always so no worries there. Throughout the day we’d been gambling and making the most of the free casino drinks and the MyVegas free and 2 for 1 drinks rewards so it would be fair to say I was a bit tipsy. Vlogging whilst intoxicated can have its drawbacks and when your sober memory is useless at the best of times a less sober mind is beyond useless so of course I misplaced my phone. It’s amazing how sobering complete and utter panic is, I spoke with security and they were very helpful, I sheepishly told Jane who asked if I’d retraced my steps. Of course I …….. hadn’t. Off I ran and there it was, face down up against the screen of the last machine I’d played. Fortune favours the brave but rolls its eyes at the stupid.

As for the rest of the week, well that's for the next blog.........