Gay Vegas: A Guide To The Other Side of Sin City by Steve Friess
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Book Reviews of Gay Vegas: A Guide To The Other Side of Sin City
Book Review: Great book, even for locals
Summary: 3 Stars
Even though the book is geared towards tourists, it has great insight for residents of Las Vegas. It is definitely a great reference for those traveling.Book Review: A great Vegas guidebook for everyone
Summary: 5 Stars
Steve Friess's Gay Vegas is a welcome addition to the catalog of Vegas guidebooks, because it speaks directly to a prominent Las Vegas audience.
What will you find here? Plenty, whether you are gay, lesbian, bi, straight, or gender-ambiguous. After an introductory section that includes a brief review of Las Vegas' gay history, Friess rattles off chapters that address the usual tourist quandaries: where to stay, what to see, where to eat. But Friess also includes a chapter on gay nightlife that you probably won't find in your Fodor's guide, and admirable sections on local culture and the gay community. Friess intersperses the book with interviews with prominent Gay Las Vegans.
You'll certainly learn a great deal from the book. I didn't know, for example, that more gay travelers come to Las Vegas each year than San Francisco. That's something to think about, particularly for those of you in the hospitality business in Vegas.
Although, it seems, many of those who run the Strip's casino resorts already know this. According to Friess, most casinos advertise prominently in gay periodicals and actively court gay visitors.
All that being said, Friess has far more than a one-dimensional take on Las Vegas. He's a talented, witty writer, and he's not shy about sharing a few pointed barbs. Take, for example, this description of one local subpar eatery: "Disgusting family-style food, inebriated fat boys with coupons everywhere, and a totally obnoxious experience all around." Or the description of the Excalibur as "the largest and most unfortunate remnant of the early 1990s effort to court families." So it's fun reading.
I'd highly suggest Gay Vegas for anyone, straight or gay, who wants a unique, informed perspective on Vegas.