the beat coffee house

this is Day 3 in Las Vegas. i decided to wander around in the downtown las vegas, which is no longer the main tourists' spot after the strip takes over. however i was just planing on visiting this place, see neon museum, and the wedding chapel, as recommended.
i was absolutely misled by the name...neon museum, it's by no means a museum, architecturally. the neon on signs are all over the old downtown area, mostly on fremont st. some of them are in the neon alley, which is kind of a shady, sketchy place. without neon on, i almost just missed it. after talking to some locals,  i found out that neon museum is actually a 3mile long walk around the downtown area. I went into the neon alley, most stores are vacant, only two are open: a just opened food store...and a jewlry store on sale.......T-T. So i kept walking, dissapointed that i didnt came here at night to see the neon signs actually lit up. then i followed someone into a cafe shop called THE BEAT. i wasnt looking for coffee, not looking to eat, i just followed. this is absolutely fantastic place. great jazz music, locals, have bunch of art postcards on the counter table, old jazz discs at the back of store. it's a coffee shop filled with life, art, passion. compare to the rest of downtown area, the tourist place. this is so much alive, so much real. I am falling love in the coffee shop.

instead of going straight to order, or actually before i went to the i got caught up on another sign. Emergency Art Gallery. following the sign, walking out thru the backdoor of the coffee shop, i found this amazing gallery. it's a gallery of different studios along hallways. it's kinda like a art residency from my point of understanding. and artists put up their work in their own studio, personalize their door, and their wall territories. most of them are not open on Sundays(oops, another bad timing) but most of them are hanging around in the coffeeshop that i mentioned earlier. i went back to the coffee shop, some old guys started playing music. great music as well. i sat down after ordering a specialy daily sandwich from the counter. the lady next to me, who also owned a studio upstairs, told me the password of the internet was : haveaniceday. isnt it so sweet, so awesome? i am soooo in love. and btw, the sandwich is awesome, i am just about to finish the entire thing.
more pictures deserve to be uploaded later on. geeez i am so in love.

:)