Track #1 (of 5): Jiaoying Summers @Copa Room inside Tuscany Suites
With these five “tracks,” “Las Vegas Mixtape” keeps the hits coming.
There’s off-Strip comedy by a viral sensation. Plus, off-the-beaten path mom-and-pop empanadas and an excursion train ride in nearby Boulder City. You can also read about wild punk rock stories shared in a museum by those who live to tell. And more.
Comedy, glamour, and fire. (Image: Vegas 411)
“The BTS boys are beautiful—I would love to breastfeed all of them.”
That was the fiery and glamorous comedian Jiaoying Summers deliciously riffing onstage about the South Korean boy band superstars at the packed Copa Room inside Tuscany Suites & Casino.
This is the kind of sly humor you can expect to hear when the Chinese American artist returns to the Strip-adjacent venue on December 17 for the third appearance of her four-show monthly residency. The viral sensation is armed with punchlines that sneak up on you and material that unflinchingly covers race, growing up in China, and her life as a divorced single mom who clearly knows how to take matters into her own hands. The 35-year-old Summers immigrated to the US at 18 from China, first attending college in Kentucky and eventually moving to L.A., where she was smart and fortunate enough to buy the Hollywood Comedy Club on Melrose Avenue.
“I realized that there’s not enough stage time for me to become great,” Summers recently told John Katsilometes of the Review Journal, “so I bought a comedy club in Los Angeles, literally two weeks after I started comedy. I still own the club. I actually just expanded into another room.”
Can’t make it to Jiaoying’s two remaining shows at the Copa Room? Tune in to see first hour-long comedy special “What Specie Are You?” onHulu and Disney+ and watch the sparks fly.
Track #2 (of 5): Made In Argentina Cocina @S Valley View Blvd
These lovingly prepared empanadas are worth the drive. (Image: courtesy of the restaurant)
If you crave empanadas, then make your way down S Valley View Blvd, around a half mile from Allegiant Stadium, to Made In Argentina Cocinafor those crescent-shaped turnover pastries (baked or fried) filled with sweet and savory ingredients.
My love for empanadas led me to this casual and intimate family-run eatery that’s been open since 2017. The ground beef empanada—crispy and enticingly seasoned—was impressive out of the gate. There are 10 other empanadas including one filled with blue cheese and mushrooms, which may or may not sound appealing, depending on where you stand on the subject of blue cheese.
All you need is cheese—and, well, more cheese. (Image: Vegas 411)
The menu at the moderately priced Made In Argentina offers six pizzas, highlighted by the popular Argentine-style Fugazetta—made with a thick crust and an endlessly sinful amount of mozzarella cheese, onions, olive oil, and oregano. It delivered the exact thrill I was hoping for, as did the juicy and chewy broiled skirt steak with a distinctive marinade.
Interestingly, there’s some Mediterranean food like chicken shawarma, schnitzel, and falafel served here. As the restaurant owner explained to me, the space used to be a Mediterranean restaurant, so he decided to retain some of the offerings that were favorites of folks who once ate there. To my mind, this is a respectful and admirable tip of the hat to the community in a world that’s always rapidly changing.
Track #3 (of 5): The Punk Rock Museum @Western Ave
ThePunk Rock Museumrocked its way into our noisy hearts back in 2023—and it’s still going strong. It was time for me to return to the 12,000-square-foot downtown museum, thanks to a guided tour invitation from two charismatic figures who I know from my days in LA: Genny Schorr and Pleasant Gehman. These fearless women and creative souls were instrumental in getting the city’s punk scene off the ground.
As musicians, Genny was a member of the late ‘70s, mostly all-gal band Backstage Pass, who contributed money and co-signed the lease to open the groundbreaking, influential punk club The Masque. She went to co-own the rock ‘n’ roll clothing store Strait Jacket and became a fashion stylist with clients like Linda Ronstadt. Pleasant began publishing the early punk zine Lobotomy and later wrote the essential scene column “L.A. Dee Da” in LA Weekly. She also formed the rootsy punk band Screamin’ Sirens (an early lineup featured Genny) and became a world-traveling belly dancer. At the museum, I bought copies of their highly recommended page-turning books: Genny’s newly published “All Roads Leads To Punk” (with a foreword by Pleasant) and Pleasant’s 2022 "Rock’N’Roll Witch…A memoir of Sex, Magick, Drugs, and Rock’N’ Roll” (what more do you need to know?).
Both women were candid and infectious tour guides. Since they truly lived and breathed punk, they told fabulous stories about their own freewheeling lives and how they intersected with other musicians from Los Angeles (X, the Bags, the Screamers), New York (Ramones, Blondie), and England (Damned, Sex Pistols). Along the way, there were sexual conquests with some of these musicians—and they talked openly about how they were every bit as wild as the guys (an early example of gal power).
A smartly dressed mannequin. (Image: Vegas 411)
On the museum’s second floor, Genny pointed out the stage outfit that she created and wore from 1977 with Backstage Pass. She designed an ahead-of-it-time female/male wardrobe mashup as an “early nonbinary statement about being a person who played (punk) guitar in a male-dominated music industry.”
For intel on The Punk Rock Museum’s guided tours, visit their website. With any luck, Genny and Pleasant will soon be back to escort others into the rabbit hole of punk.
Track #4 (of 5): Nevada State Railroad Museum @Boulder City
Step into this elegant time machine. (Image: Vegas 411)
For me, it was love at first sight when I visited Boulder City, located around 25 miles from The Strip, a few years ago. The winding streets in the historic downtown are gloriously lined with antique shops and restaurants—no chain stores here—and the classic Boulder Dam Hotel. It’s been attracting guests like Bette Davis and Boris Karloff since the 1930’s and was restored in 2005 (if the walls could talk, as they say).
If you go, pair your visit with a stop at the Nevada State Railroad Museum. On Saturdays and Sundays, ride “historic diesel-electric locomotives in early 20th century rail cars.”
“People get ready/There’s a train a-coming.” (Image: Vegas 411)
This 45-minute Nevada Southern Railway excursion train is a 10-mile round-trip between Boulder City and Paradise Hills. Leave your car and the complicated modern world behind and honor Nevada’s railroad history. This trip-back-in-time experience definitely got me out of my own head on a day where my news feed was overwhelming. Between now and December 21, the museum offers various holiday-themed train rides with Santa on board. Cynics and heathens are presumably welcome too.
Track #5 (of 5): Around Town Medley
These local faves gave a preview of what to expect in January when they begin their residency at the Forty Deuce reboot. (Image: Vegas 411)
There’s plenty of buzz surrounding the long-time-a-comin’ reopening of Ivan Kane’s sexy funhouse Forty Deuce at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. Having originally held court at the hotel from 2002-2009, the club opens its doors again on New Year’s Eve with a LED-heavy redesign, burlesque performances, DJ’s, and dancing.
Kane is also bringing in Vegas-based faves Franky Perez and The All Nighters for a residency starting January 7 and 8 and every Wednesday and Thursday after that. As part of the recent Latin Grammy Awards week, the band performed a red-hot set at the hotel’s spacious lounge Rhythm and Riffs, complete with two expertly choreographed showgirls. The set list included songs from their bilingual debut album “Dámelo”—a mix of Latin groove, soulful pop, and rock swagger—out this spring on a major label.
A haven for insomniacs. (Image: Vegas 411)
Why sleep when there’s so much great food to eat 24/7 in Vegas, particularly in the always percolating Chinatown Vegas? Like the Vietnamese hot spot Pho Go Bac Bac and the gluten-free PowerSoul Cafe—to name only two of many places where diners can enjoy bites around the clock.
Any discussion of 24/7 Vegas of course must include the supersonic Chinatown tiki palace known as The Golden Tiki.The visually stunning and sprawling spot serves up cocktails including the Hawaiian gin-infused “Rings of Saturn” and bites like “Chinatown Fries.” They’re described as “piled high fries with salt & pepper, garlic, jalapenos, & cilantro," and they promise to keep you up all night.