Ethnic Elvis, Does it get any cooler than that ?

After a short relatively uneventful flight we stepped in to the 100 degree heat and waited for our shuttle. All I could think about was dinner and a shower as I'd unintentionally skipped lunch that day because of the timing of my flight.

But as soon as I set sight on all the glitz and glamour that is Vegas I forgot about everything and just wanted to settle in freshen up and then hit the town. 100 degree temps be damned.

I've been to Vegas twice before and each time I've stayed at a different hotel. This time New York, New York would be my home for the next few days.

Let me say now that I loved my room, I called hubby and told him I wasn't coming back anytime soon. I had two lush queen beds and a sitting area and while it wasn't nearly the bling that all the celebs are treated to it was just fine for ol' WM here.

I quickly pulled myself together and headed out. I met back up with my boss and we ate at Il Fornaio and let me tell you I'm a huge fan of Italian food. Italian food and wine. Our table was next to a canal and trees (even though it was indoors) and I delighted in watching all the people that passed by. I saw everything from elegant to rode hard and put away wet, hottie to hooker, you name it I saw it and I was loving every minute of it.

After dinner we walked around to check out the town.

Outside a bar in the Exalibur I noticed him. It was an African-American Elvis. In true tourist-y fashion I pulled out my digital cam and tried to snap his pic.

He says loudly "Oh no, no pics unless you go in and have a shot". Of course I knew I didn't really need to do a shot to take his pic but I pretended to play along. This shot , whatever the hell it was was the size of 2 shots and the bartender at one point stuck a straw in it because he told me that I was taking too long. He was quite entertaining in a surly kind of way. He told my boss that she could not sit at the bar if she didn't take a shot and that she had to stand 15 steps back. Of course his game was to get her to buy a shot but she kept saying she couldn't party like she used to.

At one point, when he kept hounding her about moving she said something like "we're HR and we know the law" I think she thought it was funny. But I'm thinking "Shut the hell up, have a shot, it's funny, you're in Vegas baby!". But she didn't and she didn't step away from the bar so I guess they compromised and she was made to wear a 3 foot tall paper hat that said "I got fired from the M & M's factory for throwing away all the W & W's" or something like that (which I captured on film and fully intend on posting on our company intranet one day).
The shot had me a little weak in the knees but I finally got my picture with Elvis. I'm framing it and sending it on my Christmas cards. So wait by your mailboxes.

The evening continued on much like that. More wine, a little gambling , and then we watched a band called the Phoenix do some great rock covers.

I rolled into bed early that night because I knew my first seminar for my conference started at 7:00 a.m. The first day was ok, except I made the mistake of not getting breakfast before leaving the hotel (I don't like breakfast too early in the morning). So I stood in some monumentally disorganized line in the only restaurant at the convention center for runny eggs and dried potatoes.

That night I again met up with my boss for dinner. This time we ate at Wolfgang Pucks in the Venetian hotel. Let me tell you, I so love meals on the companies dime. Incredibly yummy food and positively enchanting wines. After dinner we typsily (you like how I make up my own words) walk back to the hotel. And man is it a trek from the Venetian to New York, New York and even worse in the heat.

It almost wrecked my buzz.

When we reached the hotel, my boss told me she was heading up to her room because she was tired and old and couldn't party anymore.

I however, refused to believe that about myself. So all by my lonesome I went to find adventure. As luck would have it I found some 24 year olds celebrating a birthday and intruded on their fun. They graciously allowed me to hang with them so as not to look like such a complete loser.
Many drinks and a little bit of dancing later, I took my leave of them knowing it was getting late and I had to get up to go to another 7:00 a.m. class. But those machines are just so bright and shiny I detoured and parked my tush at one of those shiny slot machines and promptly lost $10. I don't like losing... so I switched to Roulette. Where I quickly lost $20. I decided it really was time for bed at that point. No, $30 isn't much, but that money could have been better spent shopping.
They have some absolutely fabulous shopping in Vegas, you know ? Its almost as good as Rodeo Drive (I'm guessing anyway since I've never been there).
My fave: the designer Childrens boutique where a capri set was $186.00.
Umm , yeah. I love me some B & J but it ain't happenin.

My last night of partying in Vegas we began with dinner at a Seafood restaurant in Paris and again the food was simply divine. It thundered while we ate inside the hotel. I love that you can get the effect of being outside while inside. That way I can still look cute ...because if I really sat outside I'd be pouring sweat onto my plate.
Mmm tasty.
We ordered a bottle of wine with dinner and my boss drank half a glass and then told me to drink the rest. I couldn't let her down so I did. It was a lovely house mix of Chardonnay,Gewurtziminer and Sauvingon Blanc and I fell in love.

On the way back to our hotel we noticed a Chinese restaurant/bar with a sign outside marked "Drag Queen Parking Only". Well of course we just had to stop in. This was one of the most fabulous drag shows ever. And sadly most of the boys were prettier than me.

This was probably my most drunken night because I had more wine at the show and then did some druken souvenir shopping and chatted the hell out of the cashiers who I'm sure were thinking " will someone please remove this drunk bitch" but I didn't care.

Back at the hotel, my boss again left me and I went in search o' fun. It was my last night there and I had to do it in style. Some gambling, some listening to a band and a margarita later I was through. So I headed up to my room and changed for bed.
As I sat in bed something told me I was missing out on something. So I headed back downstairs in my pajamas no less and gambled a little more.

I was really feeling it the next morning. I know I won't drink like that ever again.

Ok, who am I kidding , I'm already making plans with hubby, mom, some friends and Worker Twin to head back in a few months.

Then I can really party like a Rockstar.