Viva Las Gala

I had SO much fun on my recent Vegas trip with my girlfriend, Mary.

With all the stress of late, it was the impromptu getaway I needed to keep my energy up for another leadership conference and then a Medical Executive Committee conference next week. However, I’m not sure how the celebs jetset all over the world and never have one hair out of place. The jetlag between Chi and Vegas kicked my rear and I looked like the crypt keeper the day after we arrived!

That is, in part, because of our black tie gala the night before our departure. I spent the morning primping and Jack was downtown at Navy Pier, helping set up for the big event. He came home to pick me up, we grabbed our tux and gown, and we rode downtown to check into our hotel. The “pre-party” was fun in the hotel bar with everyone (even the CFO) in our finest duds. We then taxied to Navy Pier for one of the largest balls the Grand Ballroom has ever seen. There were SO many people there! We talked to what felt like a hundred or more people, bid on silent auctions, hobnobbed, and danced.



Like a wedding that goes too quickly and you're left wondering where the night went, it was all over. We joined a small group at the Redhead for the “after party.” That was the first time I had been out until 2 a.m. in…well…YEARS.

SO we scraped ourselves out of bed Sunday morning and had breakfast with friends. Soon after, I departed for the airport to catch my Vegas flight. I was still so sick and my sinuses threatened to explode on the plane. Thank goodness Mary had stashed Tylenol Sinus in her purse!

We landed and checked into Paris, our temporary home.



Not having been out in, like, a whole 15 hours, we got gussied up for a girls’ night. We chose Ichiban for sushi and it was phenomenal. When the place is full of Japanese folks, you know you're in for an excellent time.

After walking a part of the Strip, we retired to the slots...Where I promptly lost $60 in about 10 minutes. Mary, on the other hand, was up about $50. Then she was able to play for another three hours on $20. Now that’s entertainment!

Sick of the slots, I went back out to the strip and watched several Bellagio shows. I love those fountains! It’s so powerfully emotional to watch them, especially with the slight breezes blowing your hair, whisking you away to another land where stress just doesn’t exist. I made three separate trips to the fountains because, well, I could. And while I like to gamble (when I'm winning), I wasn't into the slots quite as much as Mary was. Vegas is pretty safe; as long as you avoid the drunks, prostitutes, and pick-pockets, you're fine. Y'know?



The next morning, Mary went off to her conference and I went to the Bellagio buffet. Where else can you have sushi, shrimp, and beef tenderloin for breakfast? And yes, I went alone. Several people came up to me and asked in a pathetic tone, “are you here all alone?” Yes, I was there alone and greatly relished my time to wander! Now back off, buck-o!

After breakfast, I walked down to New York New York, my fave gambling casino. I played slots for almost three hours and was actually up about $120 before I lost it all again. Dangit! To dampen my losses, I treated myself to a pre-noon frozen hurricane at Coyote Ugly. Slightly buzzed, I joined the line for the NYNY roller coaster.

Yes, I’m one of those nuts who rides the roller coaster. It was fantastic! At $14/ride, it's a great deal for 3 minutes worth of thrills on the Strip! Except I don’t have photo evidence because they won’t let you take anything on the coaster with you (and they make you lock it away in lockers). So you’ll have to take my word!



I then wandered back to the pool for some work-related reading. It was just stunning out there:



That night, we got all gussied up again and went to dinner at La Cave, in Wynn. “Wynn” should be called “Wow.” Dinner consisted of five tapas: avocado rotini, sushi Panini, prosciutto-wrapped, stuffed chicken, roasted salmon, and filet mignon pizza. Yes, filet mignon pizza!



After dinner, we walked over to the La Reve theatre for our show. Dreamy and surreal, I know shows are good when they make me involuntarily hold my breath:



True to our nature, we returned to the gambling floor for a few more slots. Actually, Mary did and after I lost another $20 in 5 minutes, I just watched her. I was still pretty pissed at Vegas for taking my money so quickly. At least Vegas could *tease* me a little!

The next morning, Mary again went off to her conference and I went for a run along the Strip. Talk about good scenery! Between all the over-the-road walkways and extra staircases, I had a great workout. I then went back to the pool for more 85-and-sunny time. After all, I’m already vitamin D deficient and Chi is not known for its sunny winters!

When Mary returned that afternoon, we hit Margaritaville and in addition to the best cheeseburgers and ‘ritas we ever had, we were treated to a strip show. At Jimmy Buffet’s house. When did they start that crap?



Not quite done eating, we then went to Serendipity 3 for ice cream (that we were then too full to eat!). Deciding we needed to try NYNY again, we walked the length of the Strip and Mary promptly lost about $100 there. I held out, still pretty mad at Vegas. We did, however, catch a saxophone concert in front of the resort...very New York!

We weren’t quite done with Vegas and decided to check out Napoleon’s, a dueling piano bar in Paris. It was fabulous! The whole place was jiving and had a much better vibe than even Redhead in Chi. I love live music and had such a good time. We left only because Mary’s eyes were drooping and I could tell she was about to sleep sitting up at the bar.

The next morning, we only had a few hours during which we could play before our flight home. After a quick breakfast, I decided I had forgiven Vegas for taking my money so hastily. Except I blew the cash I had with me at breakfast. Mary loaned me a $20 (feeding my frenzy) and after taking two pulls on the machine, I won a jackpot. That’s more like it! Quickly cashing out to pay her back, I then played with my own money until it was time to leave. And it was entertaining, the way those pesky, mobster-run machines SHOULD reward you. We’re all like Pavlov's dog, right?

All in all, I left Vegas about $15 down. THAT I can handle.

Three days in Sin City was a perfect amount of time. It gives you enough time to try new culinary wonders, walk it all off while perusing the Strip, and forgive Vegas for taking your money away when they suddenly pay you back for your pain.