Gaudi - Henderson

Anyway, it was Thursday and the most excellent early afternoon buzz I cultivated at the Skyline was long gone. Running around playing slots like a wild chicken man had left me exhausted and I was becoming uncomfortably lucid. I caught a wave outside the Skyline and rode it down the Boulder Highway. There's a strange swirling energy that ebbs and flows along this highway. It pools in vortices in casinos on either side of the road. It swept me right inside this place. Sunset Station is home of The Gaudi Bar, named after famed Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi (1852-1926). This is one of my favorite places to visit and a great place to work on getting your buzz back. I grabbed a seat and urgently got to work. Sixteen ounces later things were starting to look up. And there's a lot to see here. Now, you don't need to be high to enjoy Gaudi, but his work is all the more delightful if you are. Same with the Gaudi Bar here. The higher, the better. The bar reminds me of an indoor version of Park Guell, the little park designed in the Catalan Modernist style by Gaudi up in the low hills overlooking Barcelona. Straight lines were like an anathema to Gaudi. In his work, everything you expect to be straight is curvy, and he favors brightly colored mosaics pieced together from broken ceramics. The Gaudi Bar at Sunset Station has the same type of architectural columns which support Park Guell. They look like tree trunks, which branch out to support a fancifully scalloped domed ceiling ringing the bar area, with the top of the dome removed to expose a fake blue sky. The ceiling features a number of cutouts for lighting covered with fantastic mosaics, functioning like stained glass windows. Ringing the ceiling are wicked cool red lanterns which look like volcanic stalactites growing through a tangled web of wires and threatening to drip hot lava on the patrons below. The table behind me was filled with what looked to be mayonnaise salesmen celebrating something. I noticed they were sitting directly under a lantern. It occurred to me to warn them about the dripping lava but just then a cocktail waitress came by and I got distracted. When I looked back they were gone. Poor bastards. I finished my beer and hit the penny slots. Mikey C says: Hot Lava!

We stopped in one night this past trip to listen to Ryan Whyte Maloney and Cali Tucker who were very good. My wife ordered strawberry blonde cocktail while I chose a banana and cream martini. Prices are reasonable and service was good.

The Gaudi Bar is a bit of a trek as it is in the Sunset Station Hotel in Henderson, NV. Nine miles off the strip. The reason to go... The Gaudi Bar. Inspired by the Spanish architect Antoni Gaudi, the Gaudi bar embraces the traditions of Catalan Modernism and it is an amazing surrealistic experience. This is unlike any bar you will find, not only in the Vegas area, but also in the US. The architecture goes beyond the circle bar and into the casino area. The color, lights, and molten cavernous ceilings draw you in and overwhelm you with curiosity and awe.

Weird spot... Nothing really special about It. Open bar In the middle of the casino. Most of the time you have to walk up to the bar to order your drinks as there aren 't many servers and the bartenders won 't come to your table (even if it 's not busy). Been there twice, don 't think I 'll be going back.

This was my first time here, and after reading positive reviews I expected it to be a cool place. There was barely anyone here, with only a few people actually sitting at the bar. I sat at the bar to watch a game and order a drink. The bartender was talking to two customers a few seats down from me when I sat down. Not a problem. I figured she would take my drink order when she finished her conversation. This was not the case. She finished her conversation and walked past me two different times without saying anything or asking if I wanted anything. Again, there were three of us at the bar top. So she wasn't swamped. Then she proceeded to get on the bar phone where she stayed. After about 10 minutes I got up and left. Terrible service.