By Jason Bracelin, Las Vegas Review-Journal

LAS VEGAS — Go ahead, spring for the puke insurance.

It’s a worthwhile investment — only $20, says the homemade sign on the wall scrawled out in Magic Marker — considering all the bacon martinis and shots served up in miniature ceramic toilets here.

We’ve entered the “Happiest Place on Earth” — so reads the awning outside the doorway — time to shut up and drink at the Double Down Saloon, Vegas’ most iconic dive bar.

Interior details are seen at the Double Down Saloon, on Nov. 15, 2022, in Las Vegas. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal/TNS)

Like the B-movies that play on the dented, dated TVs above the bar, the place is a gritty fantasia of knowing, pointed outlandishness.

Late globe-trotting chef and TV personality Anthony Bourdain counted it among the top five bars in the world, and fellow Travel Channel staple Samantha Brown also has sung the joint’s praises.

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Comedian Dave Attell partied there during an episode of his up-all-night “Insomniac” show, and Maxim, Playboy and Rolling Stone are just a few of the publications that have singled out the Double Down, 4640 Paradise Road, as one of the best joints of its kind.

And so if we’re going to dive into Vegas dives, this is the place to start.

But before we go any further, let’s define the terms. What exactly is a dive bar?

Well, there’s a certain ineffable quality to these magical little realms of happiness — and they do tend to be little — an often worn, lived-in feel that’s decidedly non-cookie-cutter.

The randomness is often part of the appeal, in fact — these places can’t be neatly planned; a certain chaos swirls in their dingy DNA.

It’s an aura, a vibe, frequently a community, and it cannot be faked: A true dive is as organic as the patrons that populate it.

For further clarification, who better to ask than Double Down owner P Moss himself?

“A dive bar is something that, over decades, gets the s— kicked out of it, and develops personality,” Moss explained to the RJ in an interview a few years back. “Anybody that says they can create that, they don’t know what they’re talking about.”

On that note, let’s crack open a 12-pack of must-visit Vegas dives.

The Dive Bar

To quote the late, great Lemmy Kilmister: “We want to be the band that if we moved in next door to you, your lawn would die.”

Now, the Dive Bar is a venue, not one of the greatest rock ’n’ roll frontmen of all time, but as the rock club equivalent of the Motorhead singer, the exact same sentiment applies.

Your shower will need to take a shower after you attempt to rinse off the residue of a night spent at this gloriously gritty joint, which has long been one of the city’s best venues for underground punk/metal/goth/rockabilly shows. 4110 S. Maryland Parkway

Huntridge Tavern

We can’t confirm that the ghost of Charles Bukowski haunts this place, but … he definitely should.

After all, this wizened, time-honored hang — serving up budget booze for over 60 years now — could have sprung directly from the pages of one of that legendary barfly’s novels.

The wood-paneled decor is decidedly no-frills, but it looks great through the bottom of a beer glass. There are rock, punk and metal shows here, the sounds usually as raucous as the setting.

Here’s what Bourdain said of the joint after stopping by for a shot of Jameson’s Black during Season 3 of his “Parts Unknown” TV series:

“The Huntridge Tavern: Where those who have to live it and see it, the things that men do day after day, night after night, in a town where people are encouraged to do their worst. Where they can drink the stain away. This is the side of Vegas I like.”

Second that. 1116 E. Charleston Blvd.

Stage Door casino

Physicists will tell you that time machines don’t exist.

Bouncer Da’ Ron Lamar Darden waits for customers at Stage Door Casino at the corner of Flamingo Road and Linq Lane in Las Vegas on Nov. 18, 2024. (K.M. Cannon/Las Vegas Review-Journal/TNS)

LOL, poindexters, the Stage Door casino continues to prove otherwise.

A Bud Light and a shot of Jager for $5 or a beer and a hot dog the size of one of Big Foot’s thumbs for $3, all mere steps from the Strip?

What is this, 1996?

And it’s not only discount hooch on tap in this small, homey bar tattooed in band stickers. Ol’ Blue Eyes himself was known to hang at the Stage Door in the 1970s, and in his honor, high rollers can spring for The Sinatra, a $175 bottle of Jack Daniel’s Sinatra Select served with ice on the side, just the way the Chairman liked it. 4000 Linq Lane

Rusty Spur Saloon

The images of Merle Haggard and Johnny Cash that adorn the wood-paneled walls next to Iron Maiden album covers and Social Distortion concert posters encapsulate the vibe at this country-leaning hang with punk rock undertones.

This place is the antithesis of a boxy, brightly lit honky-tonk, an in-your-face dive bar: small in size, big in attitude.

Know that iconic black-and-white portrait of a sneering Johnny Cash flipping the bird? (It’s framed behind the bar here in case you don’t.)

Well, the Spur is pretty much the embodiment of said image. If you favor grit over glam, this is your spot. 8025 S. Dean Martin Drive

Hard Hat Lounge

Like a veteran Hollywood actor who partied his jowls into hound dog territory, the Hard Hat got a facelift a few years back and looks like a kid again. (“Kid” being a relative term here; the place opened in the early ’60s.)

Despite the fresh decor, the approachable neighborhood bar vibe remains and — living up to its name — there’s a daily construction worker discount with $1 off select beverages.

What’s more, the Hard Hat is the home of the brick-sized Stay Tuned Burgers. 1675 S. Industrial Road

Champagnes Cafe

Upon entering this gaudily svelte throwback lounge, old-school Vegas aficionados will feel like they have died and gone to heaven after being buried in a velvet shroud.

How legendary is this place?

Well, the word is spelled out in lights — L-E-G-E-N-D-A-R-Y — right above the bar alongside framed pictures of vintage Vegas — is that the iconic Stardust marquee we see? — and lush drapery.

There are classic cocktails aplenty, late-night karaoke jams and an excellent comedy open mic night every Tuesday. 3557 S. Maryland Parkway

Dino’s Lounge

Everybody, all together now: “Every rose has its thorn / Just like every night has its dawn / Just like every cowboy sings his sad, sad song …”

And where do all those cowboys and cowgirls and punks, hipsters and tourists-in-the-know go to sing them when in downtown Vegas?

Dino’s, naturally.

This has been one of Vegas’ go-to karaoke spots for decades now, with usually packed sessions beginning at 10 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays. 1516 Las Vegas Blvd. South

Moondoggies Bar & Grill

All are welcome at this friendly, surf-meets-Buffalo Bills-themed bar.

The place takes its name from Gidget’s wave-riding beau in the ’50s-’60s book/film/TV series but is more about the gridiron than the beach these days, with its sports pub bent.

Seeing as how it’s a Bills bar, reveling in Super Bowl victories is not the draw here, but rather top-notch pizza and wings washed down with affordable drinks in a comfortable, come-as-you-are setting. 3240 Arville St.

Red Dwarf

According to folklore, the Red Dwarf is a devilish imp from the Detroit area whose appearance presages bad things.

Now, we haven’t seen the little troublemaker at his namesake Vegas bar, where trouble (of the good kind) is readily made, but he did bring Detroit-style pizza with him — and it’s been a huge hit.

This tiki-meets-punk bar has become a locals favorite with its heterogeneous mash of thatch-roofed booths, walls lined with old local show fliers, voluminous craft beer list, Dole Whip cocktails and, perhaps most notoriously, that pizza, made from a personal recipe of owner Russell Gardner. 1305 Vegas Valley Drive

Grey Witch

A framed sign near the entryway reads “We’re all mad” here, and it’s a harbinger of what’s to come at this new bar/music venue/emporium of clown paintings, ceramic cats, taxidermied boar heads and dismembered baby dolls in glass containers from Gardner and the folks behind the Red Dwarf.

Dramatic lighting and funky art are a focus of the new Grey Witch bar and restaurant on May 22, 2025, in Henderson, Nevada. (L.E. Baskow/Las Vegas Review-Journal/TNS)

The Grey Witch’s interior design reflects its titular sorceress, who utilizes both helpful and harmful magic: The front of the place is brightly illuminated with polished wood tables for dining and is all-ages until 10 each night.

The back of the bar is decidedly shadowier, with more gargoyle statues, less greenery.

Yes, Gardner’s signature Detroit-style pizza is also served here. No, you won’t leave hungry. 722 W. Sunset Road, Henderson

Atomic Liquors

When tracing the gene map of Las Vegas imbibing, pretty much everything dates back to Atomic Liquors, which received the city’s inaugural liquor store license before becoming its first free-standing bar in 1952.

The outside patio begins to fill up with patrons for the start of the Atomic Liquors’ 70th anniversary party weekend on June 17, 2022, in Las Vegas. (L.E. Baskow/Las Vegas Review-Journal/TNS)

Barbara Streisand was a regular back in the day, as were Clint Eastwood, the Rat Pack, the Smothers Brothers and plenty of other celebs — both The Shins and Carlos Santana have shot music videos at Atomic in recent years.

You can still feel that sense of history amid the glowing neon and vintage signage, although nowadays, there’s a full kitchen — The Atomic Burger is the bomb; dad joke detonated — as well as an extensive craft brew list.

Bonus: The patio is among the best people-watching spots on Fremont East. 917 E. Fremont St.

©2025 Las Vegas Review-Journal. Visit reviewjournal.com.. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

By MICHAEL LIEDTKE, Associated Press Technology Writer

YouTube on Wednesday will begin testing a new age-verification system in the U.S. that relies on artificial intelligence to differentiate between adults and minors, based on the kinds of videos that they have been watching.

The tests initially will only affect a sliver of YouTube’s audience in the U.S., but it will likely become more pervasive if the system works as well at guessing viewers’ ages as it does in other parts of the world. The system will only work when viewers are logged into their accounts, and it will make its age assessments regardless of the birth date a user might have entered upon signing up.

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If the system flags a logged-in viewer as being under 18, YouTube will impose the normal controls and restrictions that the site already uses as a way to prevent minors from watching videos and engaging in other behavior deemed inappropriate for that age.

The safeguards include reminders to take a break from the screen, privacy warnings and restrictions on video recommendations. YouTube, which has been owned by Google for nearly 20 years, also doesn’t show ads tailored to individual tastes if a viewer is under 18.

If the system has inaccurately called out a viewer as a minor, the mistake can be corrected by showing YouTube a government-issued identification card, a credit card or a selfie.

“YouTube was one of the first platforms to offer experiences designed specifically for young people, and we’re proud to again be at the forefront of introducing technology that allows us to deliver safety protections while preserving teen privacy,” James Beser, the video service’s director of product management, wrote in a blog post about the age-verification system.

People still will be able to watch YouTube videos without logging into an account, but viewing that way triggers an automatic block on some content without proof of age.

The political pressure has been building on websites to do a better job of verifying ages to shield children from inappropriate content since late June when the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a Texas law aimed at preventing minors from watching pornography online.

While some services, such as YouTube, have been stepping up their efforts to verify users’ ages, others have contended that the responsibility should primarily fall upon the two main smartphone app stores run by Apple and Google — a position that those two technology powerhouses have resisted.

Some digital rights groups, such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the Center for Democracy & Technology, have raised concerns that age verification could infringe on personal privacy and violate First Amendment protections on free speech.

Ready to set your alarm?

The annual Perseid meteor shower, which NASA has called the best meteor shower of the year — and which inspired John Denver to write “Rocky Mountain High” more than 50 years ago — is underway now. It’s expected to peak Tuesday night into early Wednesday morning.

The astronomical show often generates as many as 50 to 75 shooting stars per hour over California and much of the United States. This year, however, the view will be limited by a nearly-full moon on the peak night.

“You’ll still be able to see meteors,” said Ben Burress, staff astronomer at Chabot Space & Science Center in the Oakland Hills. “You might miss some of the fainter meteors, but the moon is not going to overpower the major meteors of the shower. It’s nice to have a very dark sky. But if your goal is to see a meteor, this is a good time, moon or no moon.”

The “shooting stars” that zip across the night sky during the Perseid shower aren’t really stars. They are space pebbles.

The meteor shower occurs every year between mid-July and mid-August when Earth, as it orbits around the sun, crosses a trail of dust and dirt from the famous Swift-Tuttle comet, which itself orbits the sun once every 133 years. The comet is just a huge ball of ice, with rocks, dust and other debris inside it. With each pass around the sun, some of that debris breaks away, and is left behind in the comet’s wake, creating a giant oval that extends from beyond Pluto to around the sun.

As Earth passes through that debris field each year, some of those tiny bits of sand, metal and rock burn up when they come into Earth’s atmosphere, creating the flashing trails we see across the night sky.

“It’s like a car driving into a cloud of insects,” Burress said.

The best time to see the Perseid meteor shower this year will be early in the morning Wednesday, a few hours before the sun rises at 6:23 a.m., said Andrew Fraknoi, chairman emeritus of the Astronomy Department at Foothill College.

You can look for them anywhere in the sky. But the view is best out in the country.

“Get away from city lights and find a location that’s relatively dark,” Fraknoi said.

Be patient, he advised. It takes a few minutes for your eyes to adjust to the dark. And don’t use a telescope or binoculars — they restrict your view and it’s important to see the whole sky to have the best chance at seeing shooting stars.

If you can drive to a dark rural location, like a road or park in the hills around the Bay Area away from city lights and fog, you’ll have a better chance of seeing more meteors.

Chabot Space & Science Center will open its observation deck to the public for a watch party from 11 p.m. Tuesday until 3 a.m. Wednesday, with experts on hand to explain the show. Cost of admission is $15 for adults and $7 for kids.

The Perseid meteor shower was first documented by Chinese astronomers in 36 A.D.

Apart from inspiring people about nature and space for hundreds of generations, the Perseids also inspired a famous song. In 1971, singer John Denver and several friends took a camping trip to Williams Lake, near Aspen, Colorado, to watch the Perseids. Denver, then 27, was so moved he wrote “Rocky Mountain High,” which became a smash hit for lyrics like “I’ve seen it raining fire in the sky” and “shadow from the starlight is softer than a lullaby.”

“Imagine a moonless night in the Rockies in the dead of summer and you have it,” he wrote later in his autobiography. “I had insisted to everybody that it was going to be a glorious display.”

Denver died in 1997 after a light plane he was piloting crashed into Monterey Bay. Ten years later, state legislators named his Perseid-inspired ballad one of Colorado’s two official state songs.

“Even though this kind of event requires you to get up early or stay up late, people are never disappointed,” Burress said. “It’s a good reminder to slow down and smell the roses and decouple from our busy lives and take a moment to observe nature. This is an opportunity to observe something special.”