I know Matt Novak; he runs Alexander McQueen, not Gucci. And downtown definitely suits him. This article is right on - Downtown is the only place in Vegas right now that actually has culture and a sense of community. It is interesting to consider it against the "other" that Las Vegas has to offer. I can't imagine wanting to stay within the trappings of the Strip much more than 3 days... And what's the other alternative? Green Valley or Summerlin? Yuck. I am admittedly a transplant; however, I just cannot understand why the music and nightlife here is so horrible. I accept that this is a city built around tourism and the result is one that is lucrative for most of us (probably the reason most of us live and work here), but I really am appalled by the way that it seems unable to move past mediocrity. What's more difficult is that there are so many cool people here... There are a lot of losers too, but at least they (for the most part) fail at life on such a grand scale that they are entertaining (anyone thats been to The Griffin or BB on First Friday can empathize with that, let alone Tryst, XS, Prive, or The Palms in general!). I think this is the sign of something great beginning to happen: People like Novak (and "C") or Jennifer and Michael and the rest of the "downtown figureheads" are the kind of people that make places desirable and cool - mainly as a result of their real passion for ART (DUCHAMPian, indeed Mrs!) and culture as something constant and lived; not purchased for a few hours with exorbitant drink prices and Mash-up DJs (god! is there any music more dead and miserable?!). What DowntownSteve said is correct about community... I want an 11th St. Loft too... I just hope that the economic difficulties this city is experiencing don't interfere with the "organic" growth and implication in this little "heart" of our relatively lifeless city.
I know Matt Novak; he runs Alexander McQueen, not Gucci. And downtown definitely suits him. This article is right on - Downtown is the only place in Vegas right now that actually has culture and a sense of community. It is interesting to consider it against the "other" that Las Vegas has to offer. I can't imagine wanting to stay within the trappings of the Strip much more than 3 days... And what's the other alternative? Green Valley or Summerlin? Yuck.
I am admittedly a transplant; however, I just cannot understand why the music and nightlife here is so horrible. I accept that this is a city built around tourism and the result is one that is lucrative for most of us (probably the reason most of us live and work here), but I really am appalled by the way that it seems unable to move past mediocrity. What's more difficult is that there are so many cool people here... There are a lot of losers too, but at least they (for the most part) fail at life on such a grand scale that they are entertaining (anyone thats been to The Griffin or BB on First Friday can empathize with that, let alone Tryst, XS, Prive, or The Palms in general!). I think this is the sign of something great beginning to happen: People like Novak (and "C") or Jennifer and Michael and the rest of the "downtown figureheads" are the kind of people that make places desirable and cool - mainly as a result of their real passion for ART (DUCHAMPian, indeed Mrs!) and culture as something constant and lived; not purchased for a few hours with exorbitant drink prices and Mash-up DJs (god! is there any music more dead and miserable?!). What DowntownSteve said is correct about community... I want an 11th St. Loft too... I just hope that the economic difficulties this city is experiencing don't interfere with the "organic" growth and implication in this little "heart" of our relatively lifeless city.