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USA TODAY SPECIAL EDITION
NEVADA | LAS VEGAS
FLY LINQ ZIPLINE AT THE LINQ PROMENADE
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FLY LINQ ZIPLINE
The first decision you have to make at Las Vegas’ newest zip line is a big one: How to fly. The FLY LINQ Zipline offers guests the option to fly backward, forward, seated or superhero style. I had only done seated zip lines in the past and was hesitant to try the prone position, but I channeled my inner child and picked superhero, a $10 upgrade that was affirmed by the ticket agent (“If you’re going to do it, you might as well do it”) and worker at the weigh station (“Oh, superhero, I love superhero.”) Only one employee called me crazy. The 35-second ride travels 12 stories above the bustling LINQ Promenade, past Brooklyn Bowl and Gordon Ramsay Fish & Chips toward the towering High Roller Observation Wheel: It’s a little unnerving getting into position, and the landing is less than graceful, but I had no regrets about flying head first. FLY LINQ isn’t going to set any speed records or put other zip lines out of business. It’s a short, fairly leisurely ride, but you can leave saying you rode the first zip line on the Las Vegas Strip. Not the city’s only zip line, of course. There’s also the Rio Zipline at Rio All-Suites Hotel & Casino just off the Strip, and Slotzilla at the Fremont Street Experience in downtown Las Vegas. ▶ caesars.com/linq/fly-linq
NEON MUSEUM
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HARD ROCK CAFE GUITAR AND TIM BURTON EXHIBIT AT THE NEON MUSEUM
The Neon Museum, a downtown Las Vegas gem where old Vegas signs go to retire, added another high-profile neon sign to its collection in March.
TIP: Look for discounted FLY LINQ tickets on deal sites like Groupon. Regular prices are $30 to $40 during the day for seated and $35 to $45 at night. I rode during the day but, like The High Roller, the views are probably best at night, when Vegas sparkles.
The giant guitar from Hard Rock Cafe in Las Vegas, which closed in 2016 after a nearly 30-year run, is now on display. The sign’s owner, Young Electric Sign Company, donated the guitar to the museum, which launched a $350,000 fundraising campaign in 2017 to transport, restore and maintain the sign. The Hard Rock guitar was lit in a March 4 ceremony. An exhibition from director Tim Burton is coming this October and running into February 2020. The museum says it’s the first exhibit of his original fine art in nearly a decade. ▶ neonmuseum.org
CHRIS WESSLING
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THE UNDERGROUND AT THE MOB MUSEUM
There are no signs on the green side door outside The Mob Museum. Visitors push a buzzer and a narrow slot in the door opens to reveal a pair of dark eyes. “Baloney,” I say, and the door is unlocked. Inside, there’s a combination speakeasy, distillery and Prohibition exhibit called The Underground that, like the Mob Museum itself, is a must-see in downtown Las Vegas.
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The attraction, which opened in April 2018 in the basement of the museum, is a great stop on its own or after a tour of the exhibits. Tickets to the Mob Museum include admission to The Underground, or enter free through the side entrance during the day with the weekly password posted on Instagram (@mobmuseum_underground). The small distillery makes corn-mash moonshine, and you can get a TIP: Ask a free sample, buy bartender a bottle to take to let you home or order a peek into drink at the bar. (or reserve) The 30-minute The Fitting distillery tours are Room, a offered daily. hidden The speakeasy private serves food lounge and happy hour for 12. specials, as well as providing live music three days a week. But its specialty is Prohibition-era cocktails, suitably stiff drinks delivered, in some cases, in glass flasks hidden inside hollowed out books. That’s how The Marlow, a bourbon and sherry drink, arrived at my spot at the bar. “Raise a glass to the past, drink what they drank and remember — you were never here,” the cocktail menu says. ▶ themobmuseum.org/basement
BLOCK 16 URBAN FOOD HALL
It’s easy to call Block 16 a food court, as did the lady behind me on the escalator up to the new food hall at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas resort. But fast food isn’t on the menu at the latest addition to the chic hotel with the trademark crystal chandelier. The Block 16 takeout bags playfully scratch out “fast” in “fast TIP: Look at foodies.” all the offerThe collection KIRVIN DOAK COMMUNICATIONS ings before of food counters, ordering and next door to the bring friends Marquee nightclub, features niche restaurants beloved around so you can the country. The valet at Cosmopolitan says he was already a try a bunch frequent visitor, singling out Pok Pok Wing, featuring Vietnamese of options. fish sauce wings from James Beard Award-winning Chef Andy Ricker; and District, a New Orleans favorite known for its burgers, doughnuts and coffee, as his favorites. We recommend the pork belly gyro from Lardo, a Portland, Ore., sandwich shop, and hot chicken and fries from Hattie B’s Hot Chicken, a Nashville, Tenn., staple. For dessert, try a doughnut from District; the menu rotates, so visiting a few times might be in order. ▶ cosmopolitanlasvegas.com/block16