vegas virgin no more
Can you imagine being a kept woman in Las Vegas? Your every wish attended to, every whim indulged? Going to the head of every line? Playing blackjack with somebody else’s money? Going to the exact shows you’d most like to see, primo seats? Being told sternly that you are not permitted to buy so much as a lozenge … Sugar Daddy will get it for you?
That’s the fairytale time I just had, with one important edit: there was no Sugar Daddy, there was my Sugah Sistah, Carolyn, who gave us this remarkable adventure as a Christmas present to our sisterhood. (Sismas present?) She bought the airline tickets, show tickets, hotel room, a dozen taxis, all meals, little gifties I spotted and wanted. She even rented a scooter! so my slightly disabled ankles were given a few days off.
I felt bad when I backed over her toe with my little jitney, but otherwise I became magnificently adept at Scooting. Honey, that little vehicle had a turning ratio of less than three feet. It would slip between slot machine chairs like a hot knife through butter. With my right thumb on the Go lever and my left hand turning the speed dial, I was a magnificent menace.
It all began when I emailed her, back in November, about how I adore Terry Fator, the winner of America’s Got Talent. I said, “He’s the best ventriloquist, the best impressionist, and the best singer in the world.” The reason I added “singer” is that he perfectly becomes the voice of Nat King Cole, Natalie Cole, Kermit the Frog, Louie Armstrong, Garth Brooks, Elvis Presley, Vikki the Cougar, and Winston the Impersonating Turtle. Her response to my adoration was, “Well, let’s GO!” … and so we did, for the past three glorious days.
Terry Fator was as delightful as I’d thought he would be. His characters are just that—characters, not dummies. He reacts to them as if they are alive, and he has a mic for each of them. Wonderful evening.
The next two days we Scooted through half a dozen wonderful hotels. Onto an undulating tram that linked the Mirage with Treasure Island. We lucked into special taxis that opened up and let down a ramp, and I Scooted up and stopped a quarter-inch behind the upfront seats. I mean, I got good at Scooting.
Last night Carolyn arranged for us to take a helicopter ride over the Strip. She told me just to be a little wan and not be surprised if I got extra special treatment. She’d told them how important it was that I got to sit up front, as “this may be our last trip together.” Turned out she was only somewhat overdramatic, as it looked for a while that we weren’t going to get me on board. The step is almost three feet off the tarmac, a hard pull for all us passengers. And then I did indeed get to sit Right. Up. Front. in the half-bubble of the nose. We saw the pyramid Luxor shoot its light beam a thousand feet into the air. The waters of the Bellagio did their adagio just as we flew by. The whole thing was Fantasy.
We ended the trip with last night’s performance of Mystere, one of several Cirque du Soleil shows in Las Vegas. A truly other-worldy experience … smoke, a thousand colors, spinning dancers, amazing acrobats and aerialists. A stage that divided, sank, reappeared and ascended elsewhere. A lithe ballet dancer (male) who was the Firebird throughout.
I wanna go back! I love Las Vegas. I thought I’d sneer cynically at its Disneylandishness, but I adored it. The Venetian hotel is a work of art, right down to replicas from St. Mark’s square, and indoor/outdoor gondolas with singing gondoliers. The rugs at the Encore are brilliant red, bordered with that wonderful color that is blue with a purple undertone, and butterflies woven into the center. Also in mosaics set ino the marble floors. At the Mirage, where we stayed, there is allegedly a volcano that erupts on the hour, but it was down for repairs. How other-wordly is that? “Sorry, but the volcano is down for repairs.” Or maybe it was maintenance.
Home again, I’ve still got air-quivers of Vegas. Ready to go do it again!
That’s how I spent my week. Thanks, Carolyn, for the most glorious Sismas gift.
Love, Scooter
Tags: fantasy, Las Vegas, scooter, sisterhood
