Sexy Sin City Sizzles in Summer

There's something about the warm summer nights in Las Vegas that make Las Vegas just a little sexier.

And the latest sexiest trend in Sin City is very much optimized in the summer. Beach clubs are the places to be now to party during the day and well into the night. The poolside clubs are generally attached to casino resorts and are a massive beach party during the day and a poolside nightclub when the sun goes down.

Some of the beach clubs have LGBT nights. Luxor Hotel hosts the LGBT-themed Temptation pool party every Sunday afternoon through the summer. The Artisan Hotel hosts "Siren," a lesbian pool party during the first Saturday of the month.

The fabulously gay-welcoming Wynn and Encore hosts "Flaunt" once at many of its nightlife venues, including Encore Beach Club. The event goes by the slogan "Always out. Never out done." For more information about Encore Beach Club as well as specials directed toward the LGBT community, visit Wynn's micro site: www.wynnpride.com.

Vegas Resorts

Wynn/Encore is one of the most upscale and stylish resorts in Las Vegas, making it a natural fit with the LGBT community. Everywhere you turn on the property is a feast for designing eyes.

The resort's signature is the Lake of Dreams, a waterfall that cascades into a lake with three life-sized human sculptures. But Wynn's relationship with the gay community is more than skin-deep. It has always offered domestic partner benefits for its same-sex employees.

The newest hotel/casino property is The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. It opened on December 15, 2010, and is already drawing crowds. It was originally built as condominiums, but with the softening real estate market, developers decided to open it as a hotel and casino. That means that rooms are extra large and many have full-sized kitchens. While most modern hotels don't have windows that open, most of the Cosmopolitan's units have open-air terraces.

The Cosmopolitan is a gay-friendly TAG-approved property and will soon have an LGBT micro site. Be sure to sample one of the unique specialty cocktails at the Cosmopolitan's stunning Chandelier bar.

The Cosmopolitan is the next door neighbor to the massive City Center complex in the heart of the Las Vegas Strip. Its modernistic upscale style very much blends in with the City Center.

Paris Las Vegas has long been one of the Las Vegas Strip's most LGBT-welcoming properties and it was among the first hotel casinos to use same-sex themed ads. Check out the resort's LGBT micro-site for specials aimed at the LGBT community. (http://www.harrahs.com/paris-glbt/)

The Blue Moon is Las Vegas' only gay hotel. For a gay beach party experience, the resort is open for day passes every day. Check the hotel's Web site for specials (http://bluemoonlv.com/)

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Cool Summer Restaurants

Jaleo by Jose Andres is part of The Cosmopolitan and has fast become one of the trendiest new restaurants in Las Vegas. The eateries' gourmet Italian and Spanish food are among what it has helped build its early loyal following.

Wynn boasts some of the more unique and classic eateries on the Las Vegas Strip. The Society Caf� is a favorite for breakfast and lunch. The Wynn's world-famous and very much out designer Roger Thomas says the caf� was inspired by Oscar Wilde.

The Wynn Country Club restaurant is another cool place to stop after you've sweated it out on the golf course or on a midday stroll on the Strip. La Cave is the place to stop for evening cocktails and dinner.

Wynn's neighbors on the Strip, the Palazzo and Venetian, offer some of the finest dining you will find anywhere.

If you have a taste for Asian food, check out the Zine Noodles Dim Sum restaurant in the Palazzo. It has a deserved reputation for being one of the best Asian restaurants in the country.

Sage at the Aria in City Center complex showcases superb contemporary American cuisine spiced with Mediterranean influences. It makes a great rest stop in the heart of the fabulous City Center.

Payard P�tisserie & Bistro at Caesars Palace is a wonderful French restaurant created by award-winning Pastry Chef Fran�ois Payard in 2007 and is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Serendipity caf� at Caesars is modeled after the original Serendipity in New York, which has been a celebrity favorite since 1954.

Speaking of the French, be sure to grab a bite in Paris. The hotel's Burger Brasserie and Sugar Factory offer some of the best food around in casual settings.

The wonderful Mexican restaurant, Border Grill, is located in the fab Mandalay Bay hotel/casino. It is owned by celebrity chefs Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken. By the way, Feniger is openly gay and Milliken is married to her ex-husband.

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Vegas Shows

Zumanity, at New York-New York Hotel and Casino, with continues to be a gay-favorite with its sprinkling of homoerotic vignettes. The show bills itself as the erotic side of Cirque de Soleil.

Las Vegas's newest show is Absinthe at Caesars Palace. It's a variety show with Cirque de Soleil-type acrobatic acts mixed in with the kind of vulgar humor you probably heard all through high school. Don't sit in the front row unless you have a good sense of humor. You will be mercilessly made fun of by the show's emcee.

Las Vegas' longest running headliner, female impersonator Frank Marino, stars as Joan Rivers in Divas at the Imperial Palace. The latest addition to the show, Lady Ga Ga, is joined by Cher, Beyonce, Britney Spears and Diana Ross.

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Cultural Vegas: Not an Oxymoron

Who says Las Vegas has no culture? Check out the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art. Currently, the gallery theme is entitled "A Sense of Place, from Monet to Hockney."

The Nevada State Museum and Historical Society in Las Vegas and chronicles the state from back in the days back 20,000 years ago when Columbian Mammoths roamed the desert.

The city's Barrick Natural History Museum has exhibits that focus on Native American culture from the Southwest and Central America.

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Vegas Spas

Spa junkies will meet their nirvana in Las Vegas. The Bathhouse at Mandalay Bay offers a full range of spa services and after you're through you are welcome to use the facilities including the swimming pool-sized hot tubs, steam room and sauna.

The Spa at Encore is a stunning architectural feast for the eyes. It has a Moroccan theme that makes you feel pampered the minute you step inside.

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Vegas Nightlife

Krave Las Vegas is the only gay nightclub on the Strip. Mondays are hip-hop night, Tuesdays are 18 and up, Wednesdays feature a dance contest, and stop by Thursdays for a drag show. The Krave Lounge hosts the only weekly lesbian party in town. It's called Kitty Bar and you can check it out every Saturday night 11 p.m. to 3 a.m.

The biggest concentration of gay business in Las Vegas is in the so-called Fruit Loop. It is along Paradise Road, near the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, about a five-minute drive from the Strip. On one side of Paradise Road are Gipsy and its sister clubs, Piranha Nightclub and 8 � Lounge.

Freezone is across the street from Gipsy. As its name implies, they never charge a cover to get in. It's gay/lesbian mixed but Tuesday night is ladies night and Thursday nights are male-focused with "Boyz" night, featuring a male strip show.

Buffalo is in the strip mall across the street from Free Zone. Buffalo is popular with pool and slot players and the leather crowd. The gay bookstore, Get Booked, is next to Buffalo and stays open on Friday and Saturday nights until 2 a.m.

The Commercial Center Strip mall on the 900-block of E. Sahara Avenue includes three gay bars: the Spotlight Lounge with slots, pool, and appetizers nightly, Ramrod with dancing, slots, darts, and pool, and the country western Badlands Saloon.

The newest gay bar in Las Vegas is the Garage. It's on 1487 E. Flamingo, about 2.5 miles east of the Strip. Like the city itself, the bar is open 24-7 for pool, darts, shuffleboard and video poker.

Goodtimes on E. Tropicana Avenue, about 2.5 miles east of the Strip, has a very popular Latin-themed Noche Caliente night on Saturdays.

The Eagle is a local favorite on E. Tropicana, about four miles east of the Strip. This delightfully fun dive bar is known for its famous Wednesday underwear nights. If you strip down to your skivvies, you can drink for free.

Celebrating its 35th birthday this year, Snick's Place is the oldest gay bar in Las Vegas. The 24-7 bar opened its doors in downtown Las Vegas in 1976 and hasn't shut them yet.

BootyBar is a monthly lesbian dance party event every second Saturday of the month. For more information, visit www.bootybarlv.com.

For the best up-to-date information on all things gay in Las Vegas, check out the new Web site www.gayvegastravel.com or the city's official tourist board: www.visitlasvegas.com and click on the LGBT section.

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