Las Vegas Weekly

July 26, 2010 · 12:40 PM

Angelica Bridges shares her kind of Las Vegas — it’s after midnight

By Robin Leach

Angelica Bridges performs in Fantasy at the Luxor.

Photo: Tom Donoghue/www.donoghuephotography.com

From July 14 through Aug. 4, Robin Leach will be relaxing under the Tuscan sun on his annual vacation and keeping his eyes on what’s happening in Las Vegas from Italy. Meantime, a kindly crew of Las Vegas celebrities and VIPs has agreed to write guest columns for Vegas DeLuxe.

By Angelica Bridges, guest columnist

Coming to Las Vegas as an outsider is like going to Disneyland as a child for the first time. Vegas can mesmerize with all the lights, rides, glitz, food, excitement, people and a wicked skyline at night. The only thing missing is Mickey. As a resident and someone who takes in The Strip on a nightly basis as a part of my job, I still get the “Welcome to Disneyland,” the greatest-park-on-Earth buzz, when I hit The Strip. The main difference is that this theme park doesn’t close at 10 p.m.!

There is just something magical and challenging about a city that supposedly never sleeps. Frequently, I’m bright-eyed and bushy-tailed at 2 a.m. and looking for something to conquer. When other cities in my time zone are all in their REM sleep modes, I am just getting revved-up. This is my favorite time of the day -- or should I say night -- when the light of the moon leads me to some of my after-midnight, secret Vegas hotspots. And you won’t find any dance floors at these haunts.

The first thing I can think of is my love for late-night food. I love places that are open 24 hours, like the Crown and Anchor British Pub on Tropicana. I go there for the bangers and mash, as the Brits like to call sausage and mashed potatoes. Kaizen is another one of my favorite spots. This little Japanese restaurant is open until 4 a.m. and the perfect place for the sushi enthusiast and even those anti-anything-seafood people like me!

After my tummy is happy, I love to do some late-night shopping. My tweet family may notice that I often tweet at night when I’m shopping. I usually grab groceries and miscellaneous things I can’t get during the day, and the 24-hour Walmart on Tropicana is just the place. If my cupboards are already stocked, then I’ll trade in the shopping adventure for a great 2 a.m. workout at Las Vegas Fitness.

Last but not least, the place I love to decompress after a long day -- and, incredibly, also is open 24 hours -- is the Imperial Spa on Sahara. This hidden gem is close, yet still far enough off the beaten path and a great place to enjoy the hot tub, salt and herbal steam rooms, clay rock room, snack bar and theater room. This place can ease even the toughest insomniac into a relaxed state of mind.

The best thing about all of my after-midnight hotspots is that you can let your hair down, wear your comfiest of comfy clothes and just be yourself. There are no ropes to cross or doormen to butter up, no sore tootsies from those Christian Louboutins you wore all night, and, most importantly, no hangovers to nurse the next morning. Vegas can truly be a healthy, calm and resourceful place for whenever your inner night owl may call, even if everyone else just thinks you’re a vampire.

Senior Editor John Katsilometes has been following Bridges’ in-flux job, currently as the headline star in Fantasy at the Luxor, in his The Kats Report on the Las Vegas Sun Web site.

Aid for AIDS of Nevada (AFAN) and Zoe Thrall of Studio at the Palms are the guest columnists tomorrow.

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

Follow Robin Leach on Twitter at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.

Follow Vegas DeLuxe on Twitter at Twitter.com/vegasdeluxe.

Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter at Twitter.com/VDLXEditorDon.

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