Summerlin Coffee & Wine Walk: Las Vegas Guide

Good morning, Las Vegas. We’re soaking up as much of this late season fair weather while we can. Expect to be outside all week and greeted by relatively soft winds and mild gusts.

In today’s Northwest Digest:

Learn about Summerlin
A coffee lover’s delight
Wine walk wins

Pitter Patter, let’s get at ‘er

— Marlin Mack

COMMUNITY

The opening of the far west side of the valley was marked with the planting of the iconic row of palm trees along Summerlin Parkway in 1990

Summerlin Lore

The entire northwest end of the valley stands above the rest (literally) but it’s crown is the master planned community of Summerlin, sorry Skye Canyon you’re too young to party.

While everything has turned out well indeed for the area and its continuous development, this was not the original plan. Instead, Howard Hughes, mogul of many domains, purchased 30,000 acres as a possible relocation for his many businesses. If you’re curious this land was purchased for just ~$1.3 million adjusted for inflation… not per acre, but for the entirety of Summerlin.

The relocations never came to fruition and the land sat dormant for 3 decades.

Following Howard Hughes passing in 1976 the masterminds at his corporation spent the next decade plotting. The result is that in 1988 the master planned community of Summerlin was announced.

Thankfully there was foresight to preserve the beauty of the region and before any shovels hit the ground an exchange was made with the BLM gifting them 5,000 acres near the Red Rock Conservation Area in exchange for 3,000 acres of land more suited for development. Whether that was a lie, negotiation done at gunpoint or a cunning realization of executives to preserve the skyline views of their homes we will never know, but are grateful regardless. In the years to come each side would exchange 1,000 more acres.

Once the swap was official, shovels hit dirt that same year and Summerlin hasn’t looked back since with 38 continuous years of development with more planned.

Side note: Check out The Aviator if you’d like to see the eccentricities of Howard Hughes captured by Leonardo DiCaprio

SMALL BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT

Sambalatte Shines

In a city filled with far too many Starbucks and Dutch Bros local coffee shops must offer exceptional service, quality refreshments, and carefully cultivated vibes to stand out. Sambalatte does all of the above and more.

Nestled in Boca Park, the oblong café feels quaint, but through a careful seating arrangement and mezzanine offers a tremendous amount of seating options.

The walls are decorated with maps showing different coffee bean regions and interesting facts, reminding you that your delicious latte was created through a careful selection of imported beans. I have no drink recommendations because everything I’ve had from a black house coffee to their signature Red Rock latte has been a delight.

While I’m partial to classic butter croissant, all of their pastries and food items rival any experience you can find on or off the strip thanks in part to their “From Farm to Cup” initiative. This features a laundry list of objectives including: no bleached flour, no fake butter, and no seed oils. Those that know me understand how serious I take the latter.

Keen-eyed reader will recognized that Sambalatte has been included in the newsletter for some time as you can find live jazz performances on the weekends by anyone from high school students to those collecting pensions.

Any time you are in the mood quality food, drink, or entertainment please consider stopping by and supporting local.

(they also have locations off Molasky Center and Jones!)

EVENTS

Week Ahead

Tuesday

Get your green thumb on and learn about hydroponics with an open house put on by the Centennial Hills Library from 5:30 - 6pm, good for all ages.

Wednesday

Don’t stop believing, Journey takes stage at the Sandbar as part of their Final Frontier tour. No comment on if singing their songs will improve your chances on the tables afterwards, but for the sake of the table dealers, please don’t.

Thursday

Wrangle up the group for Rouge Roundup at Red Rock Resort (say that five times fast). The monthly series returns turning the normally electronic lounge to a honky tonk. Enjoy live country performances, try and beat my time on their mechanical bull, or join in on the line dance lessons. Doors open at 7.

Friday

Pickleball lovers rejoice, The Courts LV is having their grand opening starting at 5pm. Come for a game or two, recharge with some local food trucks and come early as the first 100 members get some free swag!

Downtown Summerlin hosts the Lei Day Parade celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Come celebrate and enjoy performances by local dance companies starting at 6 pm.

Saturday

Honoring our veterans and the nation’s 250th, the Centennial Hills Library is hosting the Salute to Service Military Fair. The event is free and offers something for all with: face painting, foam activates, Swing It! Girls performances, and resources for veterans. Come by from 10:30 to 1:30.

Drink for a good cause. The New Vista wine walk benefits their charity whose mission is to support those with intellectual and developmental disabilities. For just 50 bucks you get to support a great cause, enjoy 18 tasting stations, and enjoy the sunshine.

Sunday

Take your Sunday Stroll at Downtown Summerlin with a highly curated marketplace. Enjoy the crafts a simple selection of food and beverages or have a nice brunch at one of the many fine eateries in the area.

Monday

May the 4th be with you, stay in and binge your favorite Star Wars movie or head over to the library with your kids and make some Star Wars themed crafts from 10am to 5:30pm

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PARTNER WITH THE NORTHWEST DIGEST

In other news. . .

🚵 New trails: expanding on one of the greatest trail systems in the nation, a new 3.5-mile stretch is being added along the Summerlin Parkway from the interchange to Rampart. The project includes a pedestrian bridge, under crossing, and three at-grade crossings.

👑 Knights need Saving: The Vegas Golden Knights have given us a hear attack. After falling 2-1 in the series they opened up a huge lead on the Mammoth only to lose it in the third. Luckily the Knights rallied to win the game 5-4 [DEEEEP] in overtime to tie the series. Time to bring the energy with a home game 5. (Let the record show I wrote this while we were down 3-4 in the third period. You can thank me for our win)

🏴‍☠ RAAIIIIDEERRSS: To come as no surprise to anyone who has seen any NFL draft coverage this year the Raiders chose Fernando Mendoza with the first overall pick. 9 more players were drafted to the Silver and Black. Having stuck to the script with their first pick their draft has generally been graded as very solid.

🏈 Born and raised: while no UNLV rebels were taken during the draft, there were two Southern Nevada high school football players taken. The Tennessee Titans selected Fernando Carmona Jr. with the 142nd overall pick and with 116th overall pick the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Keionte Scott. Congratulations to both young gentleman, we hope to see you in the league for years to come.