Reliving the unchanging past at Crystal Palace
When I was in elementary school, my mom enrolled me in the Crystal Palace skating program. I never perfected my T-stop, but all 9-year-old me cared about was skating backwards and beating everyone in our after-class races. I still enjoy skating, but this place offers so much more. I love having a corner in Las Vegas that still exists from my childhood, that remains almost the same every time I go back 20 years later. It’s such a rare occurrence for a Vegas kid. You walk in and the rows of blue and red metal picnic tables atop sapphire-colored carpet with the confetti pattern are exactly the same. You hear skates whirring, mixed with all your favorite ’80s and ’90s R&B, while the lights from the disco ball bounce off the walls in the darkened skating hall ...