Tag: attractions (U.S)

Last Words Before Leaving Sin City: Letter to the Las Vegas Weekly

This will be the last post of the vacation. We leave tomorrow, and I will be killed if time is spent blogging rather then packing. So on that note, a last post about the Vegas art scene.

The Las Vegas Weekly had an article on the arts scene last week. Its moderately contentious take was that there was an arts rivelary, high-art vs. low-brow. That eternal debate will rage on as long as snotty kids and up-tight art patrons both grab at the last glass of free wine offered at art galleries.

I had to put my 2 cents. While I didn’t get my letter to the editor published, the letters that did were pretty close to what I had to say. So, that being said, here’s what I had to say…

“As a former art installer at the Las Vegas Art Museum and LV
Guggenheim, I had to comment. While no longer a resident, my return
to Vegas for a summer vacation has me seeing Vegas’s cultural
offerings after a 9-month absence.

High culture/high art will always have a home in every city’s art
scene because it is the most accomplished and engaging. But the
high-kitsch/pop culture quality the city is nationally known for is
one that local artists can pull inspiration from. Art collector Wally
Goodman once said while speaking at Godt-Cleary, “Collect what you
love.” For many it is easy to love the widely-varied and
affordably-priced works that can be found on the street during First
Friday. As an owner of eight Shan Michael pieces (and one new
t-shirt, thanks Shan) I love his works and look forward to seeing his
continuing success.

I think it’s great that there is an open marketplace for art in Vegas
that allows a purchase starting at $20. The variety of prices and
stylistic offerings is cultivating buyers of art who otherwise would
not be inclined or be able to afford such a expense. Young collectors
may turn into clients for the new higher-end galleries. And for those
complaining about the lowest common denominator attending their
openings, I heard no comment of how that is impacting their bottom
line. It’s difficult to sympathize with their struggle; they can lock
their doors if they are so bothered.

It is encouraging to see the deep roots that the CAC, Arts Factory and
the Funkhouse have grown and maintained. Opening around these
established institutions and businesses are new generations of
additions, first like Dust and GC Arts, and now the Avant Arts
gallery, Holsum Lofts and Commerce Street Studios. Whoever their
target demographic, it is good that these venues are filling
storefronts within the Arts District and nearby areas.

Las Vegas will never turn into LA or NYC in terms of the broad
cultural offerings these cities have been developing for decades. But
I hear from friends that Libby Lumpkin is turning the Las Vegas Art
Museum into one worthy of being the city’s representative museum.
Additionally, Vegas is host to both its own unique Guggenheim venue
and home to the Pinball Hall of Fame and the Atomic Testing Museum.
That unique diversity deserves some celebration.

After this vacation, I look forward to returning to Atlanta to be a
cheerleader for Las Vegas artists and galleries and an advocate for
the city as a worthwhile destination to those looking for an
unexpected place for culture and art.”

First Friday in the Vegas Arts District

Every month there’s a big arts throwdown the first Friday of every month. For a short while, we walked Main St. taking in the few new galleries and murals that have appeared since we left Vegas. There’s some talk about the street carnival/low-brow nature of First Friday, with a concern that high culture isn’t enough of the night’s focus. But I love seeing all the people that wouldn’t be braving the summer heat otherwise. The diversity of people walking around means that there is broad appeal for the event, and its less likely to be affected by the fickle tastes of trendsetters and hipsters that seem to doom clubs and events in Vegas that are no longer in favor.

I didn’t expect to buy anything that night, but while walking by the new Avant Arts gallery, I bought this t-shirt…

And right before we left for the night, we ran in to local artist Shan Michael. We love his work and we bought 5 pieces a few years ago. Since then, he generously gave us 3 more, and I got a t-shirt that night from him…

All in all a good night that went by too quickly.

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Pictures from First Friday, June ’06

The Artwork of Amy Sol at the Arts Factory.

Burning Man near the Funkhouse.

Mike Bigg’s “Freak Baby” at the Avant Arts Gallery.

Thursday: Back Again, Pinball and Mini-Golf

I grabbed my friend Matt on his day off and hit the Pinball Hall of Fame and mini-golf again. He had had a bad start to the day so the distractions seemed to help. Many quarters were spent and I wished the place had a t-shirt

One of Vegas’s latest addition to the art scene is the Holsum Lofts.
Built in the 50’s, the Holsum Bread factory was reclaimed as commercial space and now has a collection of galleries as some tenants. While walking through one, I ran into an old acquaintance, Paco Alverez. He has been a player in the local art scene and is now working at the Neon Museum. It was great to catch up on the politics, and general news I had missed since moving. More good galleries are opening and the arts district looks healthy. Nice to see.

One of the Neon Museum’s major coups was the saving of a local modernist hotel landmark. Destined to be destroyed to make room for condos, the La Concha’s distinctive foyer will now be relocated on site of the future Neon Museum property. Vegas has lost much of its historic architecture and this was a rare win for preservationist.

After leaving Holsum Lofts, Matt and I were joined by my wife and at the nearby Tinoco’s. Housed in the Art’s Factory, this was our first visit for all of us. The meals were excellent. I had a veal, steak and chicken dish. Pounded flat and grilled, it was served on black rice and field mushrooms, with a mild sauce on top. Seriously wonderful.

Matt called it a night, and we met up with friends at the Sidebar, near Fremont St. The area around the heart of old Vegas is slowly coming up, scary enough to keep most people away but edgy enough to reward those who do. Sidebar is beautiful inside, with drink prices reflecting the classier décor. The bar is on a block being redeveloped by the new owners of the Lady Luck. That casino/hotel is in the closed renovation, but the free valet parking is still being run for the bar patrons and area visitors. It’s a nice service by the hotel owners, a convenience that makes that area’s lack of parking less of a concern.

Our friend Donald loves indie/new music, is a virtual ambassador to the city and knows lots of folks. Which was how we got to talk to Ronnie, the drummer for The Killers, when we first sat down. They had attended the We Are Scientist show at the Celebrity, and the two Killers who were there watched the show unmolested. People desperate for celebrity sighting are usually in the casinos, while someone with a high profile can do their thing downtown with a good chance of being left alone. Donald said We Are Scientist put on a really good show. Vegas had a big problem with a lack of venues for new bands with small but growing buzz. Often LA or Salt Lake City were the only places for music fans who didn’t want to spend $200 a ticket at a casino on an aging rock band or dance divas that refuse to retire. The Celebrity has been showing good bands recently, but Donald is worried that that may change for the worst.

I give the evening an A+. Hooray for good places that aren’t in casinos!

Vegas Vacation: Not Helping the Gaming Economy At All

Eleven day in Vegas… set foot in only one casino so far. Didn’t even gamble.

Spending what little money we have in a much better way. It may not have all the cultural offering of LA, NYC or even ATL, but Sin City sure has more then what people expect. And even more then when we left it 9 months ago.

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On a completely different note…

… seen at a Utah gas station. I didn’t have the heart to hassle the cashier. Was she on the Defence Dept. Quiki-Mart mailing list?

Art Galleries, Vintage Pinball Machines, Cheap Movies, and "Obstacle Art": Vegas Vacation

I did a quick hit & run of some of the Vegas art galleries Thursday. Dust Gallery, G C Gallery and the Funkhouse. The local art scene is continuing to build on previous successes, with the art event “First Friday” now averaging 7,000 people each month. I’m hoping to hit June’s “First Friday”, coming up on the 2nd.

The city’s City of 100 Murals project has loads of buildings sporting new art and the arts district is slowly filling with new galleries. One loss to the area is the collection of small apartment cottages currently home to artist Dray and his gallery Dray’s Place. The lot just sold 3 million and is to be demolished for a 42-story condo building.

What a wonderful time-suck the Pinball Hall of Fame & Pinball Museumis. We just wandered the place for 10 minutes before even settling on the first game. The 3 tween girls wandering the aisles were funny: they were overheard saying, “Let’s go back to the movie theater, I don’t feel safe in here.” But the lure of the machines was too much and they were last seen playing a mechanical driving game unmolested by prowling pervs.

This was my second visit, the first time I played some games there, and not the last. Seriously good fun. You have to love a museum that doesn’t close until 11pm most weekdays and midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.

We were almost late to the dollar theater, where we saw “American Dreamz.” The dark satire wasn’t as sharp as it could be, but definitely a well-spent $2.50

Sunday was spent with friends. The first part of the day we were playing Obstacle Art Golf at the Commerce Street Studios. The 12-hole course was $3 to play, fun to look at and a nice way to kill some time on a Sunday.

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And now for something completely different…

…getting to read the free Vegas weeklies reminds me I’ve forgotten how strange the city can be. We are trying to get an artist/art professor friend of our to call the number for the following ad, in the May 18th Las Vegas Weekly.

“Artist: Rare opportunity for female artist. Paid, F/T sculptor apprentice. Life size female nudes. Unusual medium. 2yr commitment. Salary + benefits, some travel. Spanish and/or Manderin helpful but not required. Possible live-in. Work is extremely dirty and brutal but is fulfilling& sexy, international, abeit obscure recognition.

Candidate: Female only, unencumbered, intellegent, focused, responsible, tough, broad artistic background. Comfortable w/ tool, dirt, nudity, deadlines. Must love the female form. Be studious, teachable, commited to artistic lifestyle. Age, race, orientation unimportant. Stamina & perserverance is. Call (702) 631-4456 (eves. Only for interview.) Portfolio Helpful”

The Long and Winding Interstate Highways

Atlanta – Upstate NY – Vegas… 5 days, 4,952 miles.

The trip was long, the wife cute, the cat well behaved and the car worry-free. Which was nice since the air-conditioning was fixed a day before our departure. I’ll be posting a recommendation about our Atlanta mechanic later. For now it’s will be a recap of the roadside attractions that led up to our arrival in Vegas.

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The RV Hall of Fame, Elkhart, IL




The main attraction at the RV Hall of Fame is the collection of vintage travel trailers and motorhomes. It’s worth the trip, as many of the travel trailers on display can be walked through. Since most were used as rolling vacation homes (or just a home, as one was) they show some wear-and-tear to be expected.

While there is a suggested donation, one is not required to get in. The current RV Hall of Fame requires a meandering drive through Elkhart. The actual Hall of Fame is a photo gallery of men and women who helped make the RV industry what is it today. One volunteer was excited about the new 6.8 million dollar expansion. It will double the exhibition space, and the future site is now being constructed is visible from the I-80. It will be housing the existing collection as well as 32 new additional RV’s

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Carhenge, North of Alliance, NE

Takes Stonehenge.
Move it to Nebraska.
Change all the stone megaliths to cars.
Paint grey.



Planted in a broad field, this monument to the American motorcar grows. While appearing precarious, all the vehicles looks secure in place. When we first arrived we were the only car in the small gravel parking lot. But before we left, a trio of older folks and a couple of younger girls arrived to gawk.





Additional sculptures such the “Four Seasons”, a covered station wagon pulled by two motors and a leaping fish made from car parts are further away from the central area.

Incomplete signage onroute means just following the sighs will take you in the wrong direction. If you’re not on the 67 you’re not in the right place.

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Ames Brother Pyramid, In Wyoming, off the I-180




When I talked to my folks after seeing the Pyramid, they asked if it was on TV. Apparently a car commercial has it being visited by hip kids using their product. The pyramid was a memorial to the Ames Brothers who aided in finding funding for the railroad heading west. Tracks went by this site at one time, giving passengers a view of the monument. Now only a broad dirt road lead to it.


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Lincoln Highway Monument, Off I-80


An unplanned stop at a highway reststop led to this monument to the Lincoln Highway. It was first highway route that unified a collection of roads into a multistate system.

Holiday Wrap-Up Part 2: Washington D.C.

After returning from the Land of Big Cars (Florida), we left a day later to Washington D.C. It was all business for my wife and all pleasure for myself.

Day 1

The first full day started slow, with a late begining. First thing, catch the subway to get to the International Spy Museum. I love Metrorail’s stations with their cast-concrete retro-futurism.

Compared to NYC or London some might think them charmless but I love the flowing lines of the walkways and the modular caverns that the trains roll into.

Get to the museum to find that day’s tickets were sold out. Bought one for the next day and got directions to Chinatown for much needed cheap eats. Wandered around and followed a pack of students into one of the numerous chinese restaurants. The food was fine and not too expensive. Took metrorail back towards the hotel, exited one station early and walked the rest up Connecticut.

Day 2

Trips to London, Minneapolis and Dublin had all resulted in finding little treasures, be it The Sir John Soane’s Museum, The Museum of Questionable Medical Devices which is now located at The Science Museum of Minnesota, and the Grand Masonic Lodge in Dublin. I worried that D.C. wouldn’t have something like those other cities, but a visit to this website got me pointed in the right direction.

The George Washington Masonic National Memorial is dedicated to reminding people that our founding father wore an apron. I was worried that I wouldn’t know where to go once I got off the train, but at the station it was pretty clear what direction to go.

While large from the outside, the building has even more rooms inside then I expected. The grand hall has a huge bronze George greeting all, with murals on each side of him. Further wandering around finds exhibits about George Washington, the building of the memorial, the Shriners, etc.

One of the highlights, the Animatronic George Washington. He stands, he gestures, he talks. But he doesn’t seem to look like G.W.

I wish I had stayed for the guided tour, but my timed-ticket for the Spy Museum had me leave before I could join the tour. Had the spy museum been less packed I could have judged it on its merits, but the crush of people made it all but impossible to enjoy. Their website warned of fast ticket sales and the post-christmas crowds filled the place. The museum has no grand hall, mainly a collection of collected rooms with no flow or reason. The architecture is in the style of “Alias” mostly modern materials and flashy lighting. There were loads of cool spy artifacts, but the crowd killed my desire to linger.

I think all future travel have to include a bit of Masonic tourism. They do their places up right.

Day 3

Return flight to Atlanta. Seen in Dulles International Airport

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More Washington D.C. Pictures – Flickr

George Washington Masonic National Memorial – Google Map

Good food:

Petits Plats – French, slightly pricey, great chocolate mousse.

Furin’s of Georgetown – fresh made soups, salads. Super tastey, good price.