SEX AND THE CITY CENTER

Within the last year Sin City has opened up an exclusive world of luxury shopping, fabulous hotels, amazing dining experiences and more at CITY CENTER. Just as the name indicates, the complex is conveniently located in the middle of everything with plenty of other hotels, convenience stores and a festive gay club all within walking distance. VDARA is one of the hotels at the Center. This property is 100% non-smoking and non-gaming, located across from its sister property ARIA. The architecture is breathtaking. Everywhere you look is a work of art. If you do not like crowds and want to have a non-Vegas kind of break, these hotels are your bag. You kind of feel tucked away from all the people, street solicitors and general hustle and bustle. Vdara is very stylish and offers kitchenettes with all the trimmings of silverware, pots, pans, cutlery, cloth napkins and everything else needed for in-room dining. One of Aria’s restaurants, JULIAN SERRANO, boasts Spanish tapas and several larger meal options including their delicious leg of lamb. Some items are really reasonably priced under $14. Others such as the paella, which is packed full of fresh seafood is a bit more pricey, at $50. The service, ambience and cuisine – all top notch. Playing at Aria now is VIVA ELVIS. The tribute to the King was a feast for the eyes and while it is a Cirque Du Solei show it often times does not feel like it. There are plenty of performers with zero percent body fat flipping, twisting and turning as you would expect but the real focus of this show is the music and the dancing. In addition to fantastic choreography, costumes and lighting, the show is filled with several touching slide shows and video montages of Elvis Presley’s films, military days, wedding and concerts. VIVA ELVIS is larger than life. Another option on the City Center campus is the opulent, 47 story MANDARIN ORENTAL HOTEL. This hotel is also non-smoking and non-gaming, packed with phenomenal dining experiences, luxurious accommodations and an enormous spa and wellness center. The rooms are grand and, as is the case with many of the new hotels, feature remote control stations where with the touch of a button you dim the lights, open the drapes, operate your television and let housekeeping know you would like privacy. The service is unbelievable. When we were about to drive away we decided we wanted some ice. We were going to try and find the nearest ice machine and asked where one was. When we asked one of the staff members, rather than pointing us in the right direction, he went and got the ice for us. Those little touches make such a big difference. The lobby on the 23rd floor of the Mandarin Oriental has a festive bar with a wide range of specialty drinks. For dining, we went to MOzen BISTRO. The restaurant is elegant and serviced by a first class staff. The menu is international with a heavy focus on Indian, Japanese and other Asian options. We started with a cauliflower soup and finished with a delicate 16 layer chocolate cake. Everything in between was perfect. The SPA AT MANDARIN ORIENTAL is enormous and offers a wide variety of treatments. They have friendly, professional therapists with heavy hands to dig in and untie all your knots. If a couples experience is your preference, for an extra $50 per person, you and your mate can have dual services in your own Spa room. There is a small pool set at about 102 degrees Fahrenheit where you lay across a submerged type of a lounge chair that enables invigorating bubbles to envelop your whole body while you look out over the city. Following your Spa experience you are sure to walk out of there feeling 100% relaxed and pampered. Now for the sexy talk. Walking distance from the Center is the famed nightclub KRAVE. The dance club and bar has something going on every night of the week except Mondays and that something usually involves hot go-go dancers and local performers from all of the Vegas shows. Finally, if you need some upscale shopping, the Center’s retail and entertainment gem is CRYSTALS. You won’t find any discount shopping for sure. We eyed a cool, gayish bathing suite at the Tom Ford store that was around $400. Other stores include Bottega Veneta, Bvlgari, Cartier, Ermenegildo Zegna, Hermes and the gorgeous Louis Vuitton which also has unbelievable architecture facing Las Vegas Blvd. Did I mention the Crystals’ 99 Cents Store? Darn right I didn’t. That is on the other side of town kids. Overall City Center is very gay friendly and high-end. It is a cosmopolitan retreat from the fast pace of the Boulevard with easy access if you want to get back in to a traditional Vegas feel. I also wanted to mention one of my favorite gay friendly hotels – ENCORE. I actually saw two men kissing in the lobby while I was on my way to WAZUZU for some of the most phenomenal sushi I have ever had. The gay friendly options in Vegas are really limitless. I didn’t see any same-sex hand holding on the strip but I am guessing it won’t be too long before that happens - Gay billboards, clubs and bars a plenty. Pick your poison and gamble on Sin City where you are sure to come out on top (or another position if that’s your preference;-) - - - Charlie Reeves