She was always the kind of girl a guy likes to take to Vegas. “Fuck me! I like to party! Let’s go!” Beginning in their late teens when some of them could pass for twenty-one, they began making the trip to try to sneak into the casinos and get “free drinks.”
They didn’t understand the concept. “You have to gamble to get free drinks,” the tired limping cocktail waitress explained. Sometimes they would serve some drinks anyway – watered down, of course.
Back then when Kristie dressed up and put on a lot of make-up, no one would question her about her age… “Too stunned by my beauty,” she joked. As she got older boyfriends who thought she looked good on their arm took her along as a good luck charm. She liked to drink, smoke, and screw, but she never had any money, so her looks counted for some advantage.
The guys paid or the women paid or whoever she was with paid for the gas, the motel, the food, and the booze. She was never been much of a gambler – a few slots, some Blackjack, a roll or two on the Roulette wheel…. She had been to Vegas at every stage of her life from her crazed youth, a mistaken midnight marriage, divorce celebrations, birthdays, Christmas, New Years, quite a few Thanksgivings, business conventions, family vacation stops on the way to grandma’s, and finally as an older married woman.
It had been a blast in every way – the atmosphere, the international buzz, the hurried pace, the shows, the food, the desperation… The lingering background music urges everyone along at 120 BPM,” Eat, Eat, Eat! Gamble, Gamble, Gamble! Drink, Drink, Drink! Party, Party, Party!” Everything goes at such a rapid pace, it’s like being thrown into meth mode.
The buffets are unending displays of the most desirable foods; premium cuts of meats, seafood, salads, breads, and desserts. But they are not cheap either financially or calorically, and they tend to offer the same fare day after day. After a couple of runs through the buffet lines, they begin to look for other culinary adventures. Vegas is about the food too. Every major chef on the food network has a restaurant there: Gordon Ramsey, Emeril Lagasse, Wolfgang Puck, Bobby Flay….
Both patrons and servers alike dance to the 120 BPM cadence. “Eating, and chewing, hustling and bustling… ‘ The wait staff works to the beat of the music – busing the tables, serving the drinks, walking and smiling … takka, ta, takka, ta,takka, takka, takka, ta… They notice people walking by in time to the music. Everyone is in step, “One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight… Hit it!” They expect a flash mob routine, but it never happens.
She wants to relax and be friendly, slow down and smile. “Spend, Spend, Spend!” the music reminds her. They walk past countless first choice stores, name labels, premium style houses: diamonds, crystals, hats, purses, shoes, Fendi, Armani, Kardashian… They look through the display windows. Nothing the fancy stores have entices them to spend that much money… although her man would look good in those purple suede shoes!
Oh! The fountain at the Bellagio is going off!! The first few times they see it, they stop everything and admire the dancing waters, hypnotized by the rhythm and the music. They can see the fountain from their rooms and they look out every few seconds hoping to see it again and again. After a dozen concentrated attendances, she finally begins to calm down about it, “Oh, there it goes again…” Kristie says nonchalantly, and on to other things.
Sex? Well, if you want it, you can get it. She is sure they could suggest a three way to the bell boy and he would take her up on it…for a price. The hotel room concessions come stocked with high end mini liquors, beer, wine, expensive snacks like a small sack of cashews for $15, and “The Intimacy Collection” – a safe sex kit that includes three condoms (wishful thinking?), a small tube of lube, and an after shot towelette, all for merely $25!
She wonders if she’ll run into one of the famous gigolos she sees on the TV series? She goes looking for a new vibrator thinking this would be the perfect place to find one, but after asking point blank at a couple of lingerie shops, she discovers that all such items can only be found in the more seedy part of town. Humph! Someone should open up a sexual appliance shop on The Strip. They would do a landslide business!
Big Ben chimes, the Eiffel Tower lights up. She can’t decide between a Cirque Du Soleil show or a bawdy burlesque review, so they do both on consecutive nights. Although she still likes to party, Vegas is about the shows for her now. Where else can you see top name performers and expertly staged elaborate productions cast with the most gorgeous men and women on the planet? Vegas, Baby!
(First published 10/18/12)
