This weekend, I went back in time at the Mob Museum, Wynn Las Vegas, and more. I saw amazing performances harking back to centuries ago, decades ago, and years ago. And you know what I learned? Stay tuned.

THIS WEEKEND

• Mob Museum | themobmuseum.org | 300 Stewart Avenue, Las Vegas, NV 89101
• Wynn Las Vegas | www.wynnlasvegas.com | 3131 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89109
• Seth MacFarlane | sethmacfarlane.com
• Pink Box | www.pinkboxdoughnuts.com | 10251 S Eastern Ave, Henderson, NV 89052
• Las Vegas Mela (Indian Food & Culture Festival) | lasvegasmela.com
• Nevada Conservatory Theater | www.unlv.edu/nct
• The Dive Bar | www.facebook.com/DiveBarLV | 4110 S Maryland Pkwy, Las Vegas, NV 89119
• To visit ALL the places we’ve gone, click here!

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Mob Museum

The old Las Vegas Federal Courthouse downtown sat vacant for a time recently…

Built in the 1930’s, Las Vegas’s old courthouse became obsolete when a much bigger courthouse was built in Las Vegas. In the 2000’s, it was sold to the city for $1 to become the Mob Museum, officially the National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement. Check out who was involved:

• It was Mayor Oscar Goodman’s idea to build the museum. Goodman happened to be the lawyer who represented the mobsters here in town in their now infamous trials.
• The now museum president is none other than Ellen Knowlton, former Las Vegas head of the FBI who investigated and eventually brought cases against them.
• The museum was co-created by Dennis Barrie, the guy who brought to the world the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

So the Mob Museum had a killer lineup, if you don’t mind the pun. And it shows.

Your immediate impression from the Mob Museum is that it’s really well done. Exhibits are thorough, well-designed and crafted, and a great balance between entertaining and informational. Built as a modern museum, there’s an excellent mix of artifacts, interactive exhibits, and multimedia.

The Mob Museum is is 3 floors, and probably took around 2 hours. But I didn’t read/engage in every exhibit. I could’ve probably taken twice that long.

The exhibits are split into two perspectives:

• Those of the Mafiosi.
• Those of the police/FBI.

At one point, at the centerpiece of the Mob Museum, you find yourself where the two intersected – the actual courtroom where the Las Vegas branch of the Kefauver Hearings were held.

There’s also a bit of Las Vegas history sprinkled throughout, since the two concepts are so intertwined.

And if you’re thinking, ‘Yeah, I’ve seen The Godfather like a million times. So I probably wouldn’t learn that much from the Mob Museum.’ I’ll just rebuttal with this chart:

History

Las Vegas has such an interesting relationship with its history. Some of it brushed under the rug (mob ties), and some of it blown away completely (countless resort implosions). Yet we’re so young, all wounds still fresh.

We’re all just a collective memory bank of all the stuff that’s happened in our past.

Of course, the mob played an important role in the history of Las Vegas for half a century or so – a very important half-century for this town. And I wouldn’t say Las Vegans are proud of that, per se. (After all, these guys were thugs and criminals, inflicting a harsh form of law, preying on the weakest and operating in the most morally reprehensible dark corners of society, mostly only for their own monetary gain.)

That said, it’s a part of who we are. Las Vegas wouldn’t be what it is if it weren’t for Bugsy Siegel running the race wire, or “Mr. Las Vegas” Moe Dalitz, or Meyer Lansky.

Even the clean fellas had to get their hands dirty. If you were in the gambling business in Las Vegas in the last 50 years, the mob was a part of your life whether you liked it or not. Just ask Wilbur Clark or Steve Wynn or Bob Stupak or Benny Binion.

And we’re all a little bit obsessed with this truth here in Las Vegas. Sure, corporations took over, and everything’s “clean” now, but there was a time – a romantic time – when the west was lawless.

The mob funded casinos, then turned around and illegally skimmed off the top. In an ironic ending, some mob bosses were put away on tax evasion… for their illegally-obtained money.

It’s so embedded in our history that, heck, the lawyer that defended the mobsters (Oscar Goodman) went on to become mayor of Las Vegas. And you know who’s mayor now? His wife. I’m not saying any of those things are connected in any way. I’m just sayin…

Why does history matter? Why should we look at old letters written by FBI agents and guns that mobsters fired? Old casino chips?

When something happens in a culture, it leaves a tiny little mark. Sometimes, something happens that leaves a super big mark, like what September 11th did to New York City. And all the little things and all the big things, they pile up and collect.

All of history belongs to its culture, and all of a culture is its history.

And that’s all a culture is really. A city, a country, a people… all just made up of all those little bits, rolled up together into a ball, a label stuck on it that says “Las Vegas.”

We’re all just a collective memory bank of all the stuff that’s happened in our past. What else would we be? The buildings? A patch of land? Some roads?

A culture IS what its people identify with as their own. And the only thing that’s truly theirs… is their past. So all of history belongs to its culture, and all of a culture is its history. So you might say ‘history’ and ‘culture’ are the same thing – and maybe we only need one word for both. And that getting to know more about our history is just getting to know more about ourselves. And the Mob Museum reminds us of that.

Wynn Las Vegas

On Friday, we went to see Seth MacFarlane at Wynn Las Vegas. Right now, you’re probably reacting one of two ways:

1. “Who the ef is Seth MacFarlane?” or
2. “Um, Family Guy? What does he do on stage? Brian Griffin impressions? Stand up comedy?”

Your reaction probably is NOT, “Oh yeah, he sings show tunes, right?” But if you know Family Guy, you know that he includes song and dance quite a bit. He sings mostly as the voice of Brian and Stewie, often dueting with himself.

Or you may know him from his movies, Ted, Ted 2, or A Million Ways to Die in the West.

Let me just add a couple of things to that list. Did you know Seth MacFarlane was the Executive Producer of the reboot of the educational science-themed TV mini-series Cosmos, hosted by Neil DeGrass Tyson? Thanks for that, Seth!

And yes, Seth also sings. Mostly old, obscure showtunes. He’s actually three albums deep on the stuff, with two grammy nominations.

There were two flavors of audience members on Friday: those who were there for Seth the singer, and those there for Seth – the Family Guy creating, pop-culture ripping, Ted the raunchy bear-voicing comedian. He catered to both quite a bit. Between each song, we got a little mini 30 second, 1 joke standup bit. It was a bit awkward, but he pulled it off.

It reminded me of another time in Las Vegas’s history. When the strip was dominated by these kind of headliners performing this kind of music. It’s fitting that Seth performed on the same stage as the retired show, Sinatra.

Yes, Steve Wynn was there.

Speaking of history, Wynn Las Vegas and I have some of that as well.

I was so happy when I was offered the opportunity to work at Wynn. When I was hired, the casino hadn’t even opened yet, but I had already appreciated the work of the casino’s CEO, Steve Wynn, and I already knew it was going to be an amazing place.

I mean, Steve Wynn’s the guy that brought the Las Vegas Strip Treasure Island (it’s called TI now), Mirage, and Bellagio. Where do you go from there?

It’s a great story. Look him up one day. Basically, Wynn moved to Las Vegas with very little, and over a half-a-century, tons of hard work, definitely some shady stuff, a few longshot calls, a bunch of luck, probably some violence, yelling, lots of yelling, and some balls, he landed himself as one of the most influential men in Las Vegas history. And it paid off – he’s one of the top 100 wealthiest men in the world.

People think he’s an innovator, because when he built The Mirage in 1989, no one had done anything quite like it. Indeed, it was the most expensive hotel ever built in the world at the time. (No one would even loan him the money, so he built it on junk bonds.) Indeed, its success spawned the largest, longest growth spurt Sin City has ever seen, an era now referred to as ‘The Mirage Era.‘

But when you work for him, when you read about him, you realize he’s not an innovator; he’s an incrementer. Nothing he’s ever done was Earth-shattering, from his perspective. It was always just the next logical step from where he was at. He’s always just one iteration away.

Fast forward to 2000, he’s up to 7 casinos, and his company was basically swept out from underneath him in a LBO. He knocks the dust off his boots and almost immediately gets back in the game. This time, with a hotel bearing his name: Wynn Las Vegas. He’s currently building the 6th and 7th one of those, depending on how you count. There, now you’re caught up.

I spent nearly 10 years working at that place. Tens of thousands of hours. Half-a-dozen job titles. Hundreds of business cards. Countless striped ties. This place is in my bones.

I met people during my days at Wynn that are still my friends, my colleagues, my bosses, my wife. Remember what I said about a culture being defined by its history? Maybe that could also be said for people. The Wynn defines me in a major way. And I’m thankful for that.

And the timing for me to be back here was good. I think I’ve been gone from Wynn just long enough to be able to go back and set foot in that place again. And this was the first time I’ve been back for some time.

Yes, I saw people I knew there. People that still work there. Still living in that piece of my history that froze the day I turned in my name badge.

Don’t get me wrong. It’s not that I DON’T want to set foot in Wynn. I do. Wynn is the most beautiful hotel on the strip, and one of the best collections of restaurants and amenities in Las Vegas – maybe the world. You walk around in the Wynn and it just feels different than any other joint on the strip. It’s got a certain magic to it.

Pink Box

I started off my Saturday with a Pink Box Doughnut. This shit is seriously good, but… I might just be a sucker for doughnuts.

Their standard doughnuts are probably only slightly better than a Dunkin’. I’m just fooled by their more tasteful decor and high prices. Dunkin’ just feels like the Subway of doughnut shops.

But they’ve also got a collection of … I’m just gonna call them ‘ridiculous doughnuts’, if you’re into that kind of thing (see pictured, below).

This is why America is fat, people. We tend to think that if something is good, more of it is better. And then someone has to come along and “innovate” on it, by adding Froot Loops or some shit, and a fat arms race begins. Next thing you know, your donut is cream-filled and topped with bacon, peanut butter, maple syrup, toffee-flavored ice cream, and it’s served with a machine gun, and it’s called a “Gourmet” Breakfast Suck-it-ISIS America Patriot Fuck-Yeah Doughnut.

I’m also a little mad at them for, like, claiming they invented the pink box or something. I mean, that’s why they chose that name, right? That could be the only reason. As if no one was putting pastries in boxes that were pink before they came along? That just seems anachronistic and ridiculous.

I’m gonna start a business called Rolled Toilet Paper, Inc. Our strategic competitive advantage is that we’re gonna roll our toilet paper around a small, hollow, cardboard cylinder. That way, it’s easy to store and easy to retrieve! No Pink Box, I don’t think you invented the pink box.

So in conclusion, am I angry with Pink Box Doughnuts? Yes. Enough to keep me from eating their delicious doughnuts, made with love and affection, baked fresh each and every day? Absolutely not.

Las Vegas Mela

On Saturday, the Lees and I went to the Indian Food & Culture Festival, AKA Mela. There were food vendors, clothing and jewelry vendors, and a stage with pretty constant entertainment (even if most of the entertainment was little children working through their best Bollywood impression).

The Lees and I are huge suckers for Indian food, so this festival was a slam dunk for us. We tried nearly every food vendor, and deeply regretted not being able to get to try the few we missed. Indian food can be so complex and flavorful and colorful and inviting. Just like the people!

Indian culture(s) is one of the oldest in the world. It’s so old I can’t even begin to study it. It’s just too much. It makes me sad, all the things I’ll never know!

It’s a culture with thousands of years of history, 1.3 billion people, so many religions and languages and cuisine and fighting and peace and poverty and prosperity… and they’re still dancing. It’s still a beautiful, colorful, thriving thing. What’s that tell you?

There had better be at least one trip to India before I die. Or I have not lived.

Nevada Conservatory Theater

Saturday evening, Brian and I went to a performance of Kiss Me, Kate by the Nevada Conservatory Theater (or is it “Theatre“? Can we just pick one please? This is dumb.) It’s Cole Porter’s take on William Shakespeare. I had never seen it, but with those names, you can’t go wrong, right?

Oh man. It went wrong, alright. Morally. Kiss Me, Kate is full of all the WRONG lessons.

Of course, there’s little stuff. Like the song where the supporting female lead champions casually/routinely cheating on your romantic partner if it’s for monetary gain, and then there’s the number where the male lead takes us through all the many women he’s been with, and oh, how he misses that life so much, because now he only gets to kiss one woman for the rest of his days. Yuck, marriage and monogamy are dumb!

But the BIG lesson – the overarching theme, and the one that’s SUPER wrong was the one about women’s role in society and domestic life. It’s so bad that the director of NCT actually apologizes in the program notes on behalf of Porter and Shakespeare. He basically does that thing “the opinions expressed in this musical do not necessarily reflect those of the Nevada Conservatory Theatre or the Judy Bayley Theater…” but not in those words.

Now, I get it. I understand. Times were different then. And Porter and Shakespeare were both just a reflection of the society that was going on around them. (Strangely similar, given the 300 year gap between them.)

History can do this for us as well. It can show us that sometimes we are defined NOT by who we are, but who we are NOT. And in this case, we have come so far for gender equality. And Cole and Will are still reminding us of who we are not. Still some ways to go, for sure. But damn. We’ve come so far.

Anyway, the NCT did a phenomenal job. This is only my second performance from their company, but bravo so far – real professionals across the board. Please if you can, support their 2016-2017 season.

p.s. They didn’t allow photography, so shhhh. You did NOT see pictures of Kiss Me, Kate on maketheweekend.com.

The Dive Bar

After the show, we went across Maryland Parkway to The Dive Bar.

I don’t know what to tell you about this place other than that it lived up to its name. And that two PBR tall cans and two shots of jager costs $15. Total.

I found myself playing a game called What Drug Are They On? Because the range of drugs seemed so vast. It definitely made my copious alcohol consumption feel a little more responsible. It also made for some pretty good people watching.

THE FREEZE was performing that night, along with Unit F and The CGs. And if you haven’t heard of any of those bands, it’s because you’re lame. No, just kidding. It’s because you’re not into hardcore punk rock music… and because you’re lame. So that makes me lame, I guess.

There was definitely lots of screaming and moshing and black t-shirts. I actually really enjoyed it.

But don’t think The Dive Bar is all punk. I quick skim of their Facebook page (They don’t have a website. Because fuck the establishment.) reveals other genres. Dive Bar don’t judge.

I definitely left that night feeling adrenaline pumped. Like I picked up a contact cocaine high or something. Like I could run a marathon or kill a guy. Or both. And I guess that’s what punk music is all about, in a way.

Instead, I just ate Taco Bell and went home.

Let me Mob Museum be your reminder: Everything you think, everything you do in your life, everything you don’t do, the big stuff and the small stuff… It’s all you. It’s just a thought now. Just a small task. But it will define you.

Make sure you’re defined by a past that you can be proud of.

For all weekend recaps, visit maketheweekend.com