A sliding stone on Racetrack Playa
Mark Sedenquist Publisher, www.RoadTripAmerica.com
two-room place for people to find peace would triple in size in less than three years, so great was demand for said product. As the square footage grew, so did the list of services — now ranging from healing modalities and oneness blessings to spirituality workshops and yoga classes. There’s even a café where you can hang out and just be. Sound intimidating? Fear not, Papa says.
Most people are put at ease by the practitioners’ professionalism and a guru-less culture that encourages individual exploration. “We provide a foundation for people to find their own path and connections to well-being,” Papa says. “Take what resonates and leave the rest.” — H.K. 3199 E. Warm Springs Road #300, 485-4985, www.ganeshacenter.com
Reader’s Choice
Barbara Buckley of the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada
Best family consignment shopping If buying expensive items with stupid-low price tags is the definition of fun shopping (and it is), then the As They Grow consignment event is a glorious amusement park where you get on every ride, toss your cookies, and still beg for more. This semi-annual event is where parents just like you sell their kids’ outgrown toys, clothes, cribs, and a myriad of other kid accoutrements. The sale features thousands of square feet of retail space, an infinite variety of children’s items, and the chance
Hidden Gem
My favorite hidden gem is the Pinball Hall of Fame (1610 E. Tropicana Ave., www.pinballmuseum. org). I made it through college by taking pinball breaks while cramming for finals. This place has all of my old favorites — and I’ve discovered some new ones. Plus, all of the proceeds from the machines go back into maintenance, and what’s left over goes to charities. — Ricci Slobodnik
48 | Desert
Companion | FEBRUARY 2012
to consign your own kids’ stuff in order to stretch that overused parental dollar. Start practicing those jiujitsu moves and work out your shopping strategy, because only the strong survive. Brand-new Petunia Pickle Bottom diaper bag for $20? Yes, please! — Andrea Leal Location varies, 499-1438, www.astheygrowlv.com
Best place for a playdate Chasing a young toddler around is a hard workout to endure when you’re already suffering from the mommy-tireds. A tiny table, chairs, toys and books make Saxby’s Coffee Shop the ideal baby corral. Grab a latte and a scone, settle in for a long chat with your friends on their fireplace-facing couch, and set the kids to autopilot. If you want to make it a bigger play date with several families, their adjacent meeting room is free as long
B A R B A R A B UCKLEY : CHRISTO P HER S M ITH
Best place to find arrowheads (and .22 shells): Knob Hill in the Eldorado Mountains. Best road trip to an alien universe: Racetrack Playa in Death Valley National Park, weird habitat of the ever-mysterious sliding stones. Best place to hear bullfrogs: ponds at the Corn Creek conservation area. You can hear them a mile away! Best jaunt back in time: Heritage Street at the Clark County Museum, where eight real structures from Las Vegas’ colorful past have been set up and furnished with vintage furniture and equipment. Best place to photograph the Las Vegas Strip at night: McCarran Airport Terminal 1 parking garage, level 5. Best 45-minute road trip with wildlife viewing potential: Spring Mountain Ranch State Park. I spotted a five-point stag while ambling along the hiking trail just east of Lake Harriet.