Geoff Carter

Story Archive

Artist Gear Duran’s new Downtown mural embodies Nevada’s frontier spirit

Thursday, May 2, 2024

The mural recreates an encounter with a wild mustang in our Nevada wilderness using a palette of vivid, electric city colors.

How the experiential Area15 complex could become a new kind of Las Vegas theme park

Thursday, May 2, 2024

Area15 has subverted and transformed Vegas’ take on themed attractions—and it’s becoming one of our rare cultural exports.

Mariah Carey’s new residency is a retrospective, a biography and a gift to fans

Thursday, April 25, 2024

The first five songs of Mariah Carey’s show at Park MGM come off like a fireworks display.

Kynd gummies offer bright new tastes to defeat your troubles

Thursday, April 18, 2024

Ayr Wellness, a cannabis retailer with several Valley locations, is tackling any confusion head-on with its new gluten-free edibles that tell you, right up front, how they’re intended to be used.

Junior’s brings more than its famous cheesecake to Resorts World

Thursday, April 11, 2024

The Brooklyn-born Junior’s has a truly winning way with the classic dessert, and the rest of the menu is rich with the kind of deli and diner staples that are worth a trip to the Strip.

Thrive’s new Smoke and Mirrors cannabis lounge sets the standard

Thursday, April 11, 2024

Locals can comfortably light up or drink up at Smoke and Mirrors, recently opened inside Thrive Cannabis Marketplace on Sammy Davis Jr. Drive.

Whataburger is shaking up the Las Vegas Strip

Thursday, April 4, 2024

The Texas chain’s Dr Pepper shake is a simple pleasure but it satisfies in a rare way, hitting the sweet spot between fast food shake and ice cream float.

Radiant City: Las Vegas’ skyline is getting an LED makeover

Thursday, April 4, 2024

Applying color and light to Vegas’ resort towers is not a new idea, but LED lighting hardware like the Rio’s offers endless changeability.

Closing for good on April 2, Tropicana Las Vegas leaves behind a legacy of showmanship and reinvention

Thursday, March 28, 2024

The historic Tropicana hotel and casino will shutter to make way for a new baseball stadium and resort. The storied hotel-casino closes its doors April 2, just two days shy of its 67th birthday. Over the next year, the land the Tropicana now occupies will be ...

Brooklyn Bowl Las Vegas celebrates 10 years as a live music mecca

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Since opening at the Linq Promenade in March 2014, Brooklyn Bowl Las Vegas has been a destination for some of the best and most under-appreciated names in music.

Las Vegas chef James Trees doubles down on his beloved hometown with a new Esther’s Kitchen

Thursday, March 21, 2024

Trees knew that Las Vegans were ready for the kind of dining he knew in LA—neighborhood spots with relaxed vibes and ingredients from family-run ranches and farms.

Miniature artist Susan Canaday Henry delights in the details

Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024

Canaday Henry is a regular at miniature trade shows, including the International Market of Miniature Artisans (imomalv.com) this weekend at Palace Station.

UnCommons has an Italian hit with Amari

Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024

An airy space with a wood-and-metal interior and a broad patio overlooking the courtyard, Amari checks so many boxes that it’s tough to say what its biggest draw is.

Don’t skip the weird and wonderful Mystic Falls Park at Sam’s Town

Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024

Generations of locals have taken out-of-town friends to Mystic Falls, and families have added the show to their holiday traditions.

Nevada Shakespeare Festival’s Matthew Morgan and his collaborators serve up the Bard one shot at a time

Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024

Morgan has appeared in Strip shows including “Absinthe,” but maybe you’ve seen him in the the ongoing “Shotspeare.”

Too many empty buildings in Downtown Las Vegas are ready to burn. What can we do to protect them?

Thursday, Feb. 1, 2024

The vulnerability of these buildings is a constant concern for property owners and residents who live next door to all this historic kindling.

You may be frustrated by the system, but that doesn’t mean it’s stopped working—unless you give up

Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024

This year, your informed and conscientious vote could be the epochal act that pushes us away from autocracy and saves people you’ve never met.

Winnie & Ethel’s Downtown Diner serves up comfort and nostalgia all day

Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024

The Huntridge Center restaurant was born out of “The Great Las Vegas Coffee Shop Giveaway.”

Downtown Las Vegas dog-themed tiki bar Stray Pirate is your new best friend

Thursday, Dec. 14, 2023

Let the canine pirate puns commence, and enjoy a tasty cocktail, too.

Five things we noticed on our hard-hat tour of Fontainebleau

Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023

The BleauLive Theater has a capacity just under 4,ooo and a big floor suitable for GA shows or boxing matches.

Silver State-based Frey Ranch farms and distills spirits that are perfect for giving, and keeping

Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023

The flagship, 90-proof, sustainably farmed straight bourbon whiskey tastes as natural and unaffected as the place it was born.

Pens N’ rosins: Camp’s latest disposables are the vapes you’ve waited for

Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023

The Vegas-based brand is available through The Source and other dispensaries.

A new Neon Museum piece illuminates our Valley’s history

Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023

The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians funded the restoration of this 2001 Palms neon sign.

‘Mystère’ forever: Cirque du Soleil’s Vegas original celebrates 30 years of thrills, laughs and wonder

Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023

“They really made something that Vegas hadn’t seen before, something very unique, very magical, mysterious and kind of bizarre. It hits so many emotions.”

John Waters brings his special kind of Christmas show to Las Vegas

Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023

“I’m jealous because Elvira has a slot machine with their name on it. I want one where you always lose.”

The Beverly Theater’s Kip Kelly wants to introduce you to your next favorite thing

Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023

The young theater’s chief experience officer is eager to take on even more ambitious programming challenges.

Las Vegas needs to rethink its parking lots and garages before they take over the city

Thursday, Nov. 16, 2023

“You can’t have a city of a certain size where everybody feels entitled to drive their air-conditioned vehicle to their air conditioned destination.”

Smart, sexy Dita Von Teese burlesque show at Horseshoe Las Vegas captivates

Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023

The curtain rises, the stage blazes with light and there they are: some two dozen performers, strutting in Pete Menefee and Bob Mackie-designed costumes of feathers and Swarovski crystal.

With new book ‘The Meth Lunches,’ Kim Foster lends Las Vegas an empathetic ear

Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023

Foster’s prose is pure dynamite. Her dialogue sticks and moves, and her narrative voice is relatable and modest.

Is Las Vegas haunted? Ghost Adventures host Zak Bagans investigates

Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023

“Wherever you have death, wherever you have energy, wherever you have people’s emotions, you know you’re going to have a residual haunting.”

Go Southwest: Exploring the dining, activities and vibes of the Las Vegas Valley’s newest corner

Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023

It took a while for the western Valley to crowd in around the 215, but today, southwest Las Vegas is booming.

U2's residency at Las Vegas' new Sphere unites technology and showmanship

Sunday, Oct. 1, 2023

U2’s show at Las Vegas’ new Sphere, an 18,000-seat venue dominated by a concave, 16K-resolution screen, isn’t so much a game-changer for U2 as it is a leveling-up.

How fake frontier towns, an erupting volcano and other Las Vegas attractions paved the way for Sphere

Thursday, Sept. 28, 2023

It’s hard not to look at an immense ball with a fully programmable LED skin and not wonder, just how did this happen?

Our favorite Life Is Beautiful sets—ever!

Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023

When crowds descend on Fremont East this weekend, they’ll encounter a living museum of great street art from festivals past—and some fun new surprises.

A unique visual arts program builds on a Life Is Beautiful tradition

Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023

When crowds descend on Fremont East this weekend, they’ll encounter a living museum of great street art from festivals past—and some fun new surprises.

Shepard Fairey, creator of one of Life is Beautiful’s enduring murals, continues to speak truth to power

Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023

The artist behind the Barack Obama “Hope” campaign poster left his mark Downtown in 2016.

U2 debuts new song 'Atomic City' with Downtown Las Vegas video shoot

Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023

The band—including drummer Larry Mullen Jr., who’s largely sitting out 2023 due to longtime back injuries—enthusiastically plugged through several lip-sync performances of the song for an enthusiastic crowd.

Double O Heaven: 00 Pie & Pub brings great pizza to Las Vegas’ Chinatown, where it belongs

Thursday, Sept. 14, 2023

The Bresaola, a white pie topped with fior di latte, mozzarella, salsa verde, arugula, lemon vinaigrette and Parmesan, is a rock-solid convincer.

Old Vegas and new make good bedfellows in Wynn’s retooled ‘Awakening’

Thursday, Aug. 31, 2023

They made something you can bring nearly any visitor to see—the club kid, the Cirque stan, the old-timer who saw Siegfried & Roy at the Frontier—and give them what they want.

Bajamar’s poke nachos are a real catch

Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023

If you haven’t taken a deep dive through this menu, you’re missing out.

Las Vegas visual artists struggle for gallery space, community and patronage. How can they get where they need to be?

Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023

Local creatives face real and relentless headwinds on their journey to sustainability.

Kim Owens, owner of Main St. Provisions, on what makes dining out special

Thursday, July 27, 2023

“I’m looking for a moment where I can create an experience or a vibe or just a quick little memory for guests, so that they remember us.”

Las Vegas staycation spots to energize the rest of your summer

Thursday, July 20, 2023

It’s a great way to confront the oppressive summer heat. It’s a great way to mix it up with friends visiting from out of town. And it’s a great way to explore parts of the city you might not know well.

Exploring Curtis Joe Walker’s Photo Bang Bang photography studio

Thursday, July 20, 2023

You’ll walk through a Victorian era-inspired parlor, a dungeon, a boiler room that can double as a mad scientist’s lab and a steampunk-like clock tower, all stacked with nearly every prop imaginable.

Downtown Las Vegas bakery, restaurant and bar 1228 Main simply shines

Thursday, July 13, 2023

We could have just had bread, spreads and cocktails and gone home happy. But we succumbed to the lure of 1228’s salads and small plates, and it’s a good thing we did.

Las Vegas is going big on Bus Rapid Transit. So, what is it?

Thursday, July 13, 2023

BRT, at its best, should feel something like light rail without the rails.

The Nevada Women’s Film Festival represents female filmmakers, but it’s meant for everyone

Thursday, June 22, 2023

The four-day event—running June 22-25 at UNLV’s Department of Film—illuminates the many creative possibilities for women to work both in front of and behind the camera.

Las Vegas’ roads are a mess right now, but relief appears to be in sight

Thursday, June 15, 2023

“There’s no way into the Valley, really, without going through a work zone.”

Good things go together at Downtown Las Vegas ceviche and tequila bar Mezcla

Thursday, June 15, 2023

The ceviche stands alone, especially the Mezcal Aguachile, a savory beast of jumbo prawns, octopus, yellowtail, scallops, red onion, cucumber and Fresno chilies.

Muralist Iandry Randriamandroso celebrates the Historic Westside through ASL

Thursday, June 15, 2023

He notes that the 16 ASL characters in the piece, spelling out the name of the neighborhood, are modeled by “Historic Westside community members with different backgrounds.”