Vegas as a Single Senior

Vegas as a Single Senior

 I went to Las Vegas over the weekend with Elissa, one of my best friends, and another Single Senior. The day we went up there was one of those clear blue crisp ones and the drive up was leisurely. The occasion was Tammy, Elissa’s daughter’s, fortieth birthday. We were especially celebrating because Tammy had a sudden serious illness last month and almost died. She’s recovered very well.

Elissa booked us into the Paris hotel. We had little trouble finding it as the Eiffel Tower sticks up. It was a nice room with marble tile in the bathroom. And the bathroom was soundproof!

As we walked along Las Vegas Avenue at four o’clock in the afternoon, no one came up to us to offer “girls” as they had when I visited last summer with a man. Elissa asked, “Why aren’t they offering us boys?”

The beggars in Las Vegas disguise themselves as cartoon characters or celebrities.  Many have soiled and dilapidated costumes. They jingle cans, asking for change. You’re supposed to give them money to get your picture taken with them. We saw some Disney Ducks passed out on the sidewalk. Walt must be turning over in his grave.

We walked through many of the hotel lobbies and shop areas, all beautifully decorated for Christmas. We had dinner at the Grand Lux Café in the Palazzo. We were joined by Tammy, her husband Kevin and Tammy’s childhood friend and her husband. Tammy and Kevin generously paid the entire tab. They had $150 in food credits because there were some problems with their suite at the Venetian. It was brand spanking new but had an acrid smell.

We saw Jersey Boys and it was terrific. I saw the show in San Francisco several years ago and enjoyed it just as much the second time. We waited after the show and met the actors.
While wandering around the Grand Canal we saw the latest fashion must for women, a micro-mini dress that’s form fitting. I’m pretty sure the women were not wearing underwear. It looked cute on the young girls whose bodies could carry off the skimpiness. Some looked not so good, but I think it made the wearers feel sexy. We passed a bachelorette party of eight girls all wearing variations of the dress in black. One woman was full figured and popping out of the top of the dress. “Someone lied to her!” Tammy commented.

We had great desserts at the Grand Lux café. Our party of six was unusual for Vegas as none of us had a drink.

Elissa and I went back to the hotel via taxi as she was really zonked. The driver was rude. During the entire ride he was on the phone, on a personal call, in a foreign language we didn’t recognize. Where have the friendly cabbies gone? (We later had two more cab rides. The first cabbie espoused very Republican views with which I disagreed. The best one was silent.)

On Saturday morning we perused the Miracle Mile shops. Every store declared a huge sale. I did find half price cute sweatshirts for my granddaughters, but nothing else appealed to us.

We had lunch at The Sugar Factory. Las Vegas is into decadence and that certainly holds true for the portions of food. Elissa and I shared a burger but there was no way we could consume the amount of French fries that accompanied it. The smoke from the casinos, restaurants, walkways and shops got to our nasal passages. We retreated to our non-smoking hotel room.

That night the birthday party was at Delmonico’s, Emeril Lagasse’s restaurant. Both Elissa and I dressed up but neither of us chose to wear the sexy outfits we packed. Why not? Maybe Vegas is not the place for a Single Senior to feel sexy. The emphasis is on young and toned women.

More of Tammy’s friends from high school joined us for the celebration. Tammy looked spectacular!

 

The conversation was entertaining and the food delicious. It may have been one of the best meals I’ve ever eaten. We were so full only the birthday girl had dessert. I saved the steak bone to bring home to my dog Sparky. The younger set went off for Karaoke. We declined in order to give them freer range and also not to embarrass them with our singing. We again admired the decorations.

We walked through the shops at Paris and found one that catered to fashionable senior women. Elissa bought an outfit that fit her perfectly and looked fantastic. Shopping made us hungry again, so we stopped at The Sugar Factory for a night cap of ice cream and hot fudge.

We both have had hard times in our lives these past few months. It was good to get away but neither of us “let loose” or even wanted to gamble. We just weren’t in the mood. But we both enjoyed some time away from our real lives.