Nightlife in Las Vegas

It doesn’t happen often (does it?), so doing it right is key. You’re going to Vegas, you’ve got two nights and only so many hours to party, so...like I said...do it right. Get tables. Get bottle service. Live it up. Enjoy the dancers. Dance in the confetti. Stay out until breakfast. Heck, stay out past breakfast. It’s Vegas!

For the thrill of your life, head to the top of the Stratosphere on the north end of the Strip. My favorite is the Big Shot -- I can’t count how many times I’ve been. Take the elevator to the very tippy top, where you’ll find yourself outside, literally on top of the 921-foot tower. Then you’ll be strapped in and shot up in the air, where you’ll pause to take in the sites before coming back down so fast you reach negative G force. Oh, I love it! There are two other rides up there, and for the really brave, you can now jump solo over the edge (yes, from the very top), with harness technology that allows you to land on the ground right on your feet.

As part of the downtown revitalization renaissance, one of the new, interesting places to open in the area has been Commonwealth, a stylish Prohibition-era cocktail bar complete with its own speakeasy. The cocktail menu consists of two types of beverages--those that speak to the higher-end crowd and those that are a bit grittier--but all of them are interesting and worth ordering. Commonwealth’s interior design is a bit dark but echoes the time period it is modeled after, and the attached, secret speakeasy has its own menu (ask a bartender for tips on how to enter and they might be able to help hook you up). One of the best highlights of this bar, however, is the fact that it’s a locals’ favorite, and there is an upstairs balcony where people hang out late into the night. The people watching from this open-air balcony is fabulous as people come and go from the Fremont Street Experience, though it can get a bit crowded at times.

In the spirit of going big or going home, Hakkasan Las Vegas is a nightclub that basically outdoes all other when it comes to size and entertainment. To begin with, there is a two-story restaurant, which has a contemporary design and offers the perfect place to warm up for an evening in the nightclub. The club, which encompasses levels three, four and five, has a variety of rooms, each with its own feel and vibe. Level three consists of the Ling Ling Room and Club, which are chic and, in the case of the lounge area, dark and sleek as well. The main nightclub is located on the fourth floor; this is where party goers can watch DJs like Calvin Harris, R3hab and Tiesto perform. The fifth floor houses the Pavilion, which has an outside-type of energy. Come for dinner and stay all night long, rotating between the many nightlife experiences to say you’ve done a little bit of everything in Las Vegas.

Few places offer such an incredible dining experience coupled with such knock-out views as Alize, a French fine dining restaurant located at the top of Palms Casino & Resort. This restaurant is not only one of the top-ranked dining establishments in Las Vegas, it has also been ranked as one of the top five restaurants in the United States. This French restaurant is led under the auspices of Chef André Rochat, and though there is a menu from which to choose a meal, the fixe prix, multi-course dinner offers the perfect mix of food and wine pairing along with the chef’s favorite dishes. As if the food wasn’t amazing enough, the view is one of the best in the city. Ask for a table by a window so you can watch the sun set on the west and the lights come on along the Strip to the east. Set aside plenty of time for an experience at Alize. This isn’t a meal to be rushed.

Yeah Baby! The Strip might get all the attention, but if you want the real Vegas the only place to go is Fremont St. With its enclosed light show of a ceiling, freak show of people watching, and rock ‘n’ roll show of live entertainers you could be there for hours. Of course, it has casino or two should you want to make a wager, but my bet is that you’ll be fully occupied just taking it all in.