Evel Knievel is the 1970s

Live Hard, Ride Fast, Eat Pizza

I recognize that not all of my readership can reminisce about the decade of the 1970s. So, you youngsters will just have to take my word for this post. There are many people and events that most characterize the 70s. With all due respect to the more meaningful figures/events of the 70s, the decade is most truly characterized by one person…Robert Craig Knievel…a.k.a Evel Knievel, the Greatest Motorcycle Daredevil of all time. Furthermore, I discovered a restaurant dedicated to celebrating the 1970s and Evel Knievel. This restaurant is Evel Pie in downtown Las Vegas. One visit to Evel Pie and you will be convinced that Evel Knieval is the 1970s.

Evel, the Man & the Legend

The chaos and debauchery of a Fremont Street in downtown Vegas made for many great father/son moments. And, of course, Evel Pie is on Fremont Street. Beyond just dining with my son in this special place, Evel Pie allowed me to share a part of my childhood with him. Evel Pie is a pizza joint dedicated to celebrating the life of Evel Knievel….as well as every other outrageous aspect of the 70s. The restaurant is even partially owned by Kelly Knievel, Evel’s daughter. As you look about Evel Pie, it’s all about nostalgia and Evel Knievel…

Making your living as a motorcycle daredevil is not just about fame, money and beautiful women. In Evel’s case, it also hurt a lot. Beyond the Greatest Motorcycle Daredevil of all time, Evel also holds one record in the Guinness Book of World Records. At 433, Evel holds the world record for the most broken bones in one person’s lifetime. The continuous loop video behind the bar showed the goods days of jumping buses, as well as the bad days of falling a bit short.

Beyond the Nostalgia, there’s toys too!

The fun with Evel Knievel never stops at Evel Pie. In his day, Evel endorsed about as many things as any 1970s icon. My son tried his hand at the Evel Knievel pinball machine. But, I found the Holy Grail of Evel Knievel products. Positioned on the top shelf behind the bar, was the original Evel Knievel Stunt Cycle by the Ideal Toy Company. As it was out of the box and looked used, I went ahead and asked Jen the bartender if I could play with it. As I obviously looked like a man of quality that tips well, Jen climbed the shelves and retrieved the vintage stunt cycle. What a rare and marvelous find…

Some Final Points…

Now, I would be remiss if I did not say something about the food. The menu is fun. It’s good pizza of the New York style. All their specialty pizzas have some double entendre name, such as Chessey Rider, the Greasy Strangler, or Balls to the Walls. To wash it down, I ordered a PBR. But alas, they were sold out of PBR. I downgraded to the Hamm’;s. But alas, Hamm’s was sold out. They recommended that I try the Montucky, which is the unofficial beer of Montana. I liked it. Lastly, they say you can always learn a lot about a place by how they keep their restrooms. The restroom picture below confirms that Evel Pie is worth a visit.

Evel Knievel is the 1970s. And, this Vegas fine dining is a great salute to his legacy. There is no modern day equivalent to Evel Knievel. Perhaps, there is currently no one stupid enough to want to break 433 bones in their lifetime. Be that as it may, if you find yourself on Fremont Street in downtown Vegas, stop by Evel Pie for some pizza, PBR, and relive the 1970s. Have a wonderful day. PT

I hope you have enjoyed “Evel Knievel is the 1970s” on Traveling with PugsleyTonks.

Only about a block away from Evel Pie, you can find another fine dining experience https://travelingwithpt.com/serious-as-a-heart-attack/

“Live Hard, Ride Fast, Eat Pizza” check out their website. It’s really fun https://evelpie.com/

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p.s. So, do you think you are a true child of the 1970s? As I mentioned, in Evel Pie, there was a TV that ran a continuous loop video of Evel’s jumps and crashes. However, in between those scenes, the video showed brief clips of notorious shows/movies of the 1970s. Below are snapshots of 4 of these 70s classics. Arranged in increasing order of difficulty…how many can you identify? Put your answers in the COMMENTS section below…