11.28.05
Back from Vegas for a short break and partial reunion from the old crew, at least most of the guys, who are based out of Cali as of late. Had some catching up, to see how everyone is doing, so far they’re all on their prospective career paths and what not. couple masters here and there, med school, B school, law school, and a wedding in the works. in some ways, everyone is still the same, just a little older, maybe a little more settled.
Ended up staying at a hotel on the new strip, being my first time there I tried to cover a lot of ground. have to say that I liked it overall, its a fun city with lots to do and see, and if you like gambling and large quantities of food then its a place to go. Got to eat a brazillian style steakhouse meal, as well as a couple buffets here and there, along with a woody allen sandwich at a replica of a new york deli. Have to say that the service and the furnishing of the hotels were pretty top notch, probably the best of any vacation I’ve ever been on, even back at home. Very quick and convinient, I’d say that you get your money’s worth overall.
I think I was the most impressed with the Paris hotel of all of them, in that they tried to replicate a Parisan street at dusk 24/7. when you walk outside the casino you forget what time of day it is. It is a neat concept, trying to bring a lot of international appeals and sceneries to the middle of the desert, it kind of brings to life the fantasy. The atmosphere of the strip is alive with a carnival atmosphere, good times and entertainment abound.
Didn’t gamble that much, but I still came out ahead, surprisingly by playing slots, penny and nickle slots mostly. I ended up losing playing cards and $2 poker but quit before I got too much in a hole. I watched the Wisc-Hawaii game on the big screens, and got a bunch of free drinks by playing 25 cent video poker, and ended up winning some change there in the process. The craziest was winning $50 off a nickle pull on a slot machine. Don’t know what the odds are of that happening, but I was happy to cash that ticket in and move on to another casino, where it happened again.
Went to a club on friday with a pan-asian theme, with dark candlelit hallways with a live meditating statute wearing thai/southeast asian garb, a japanese zen rock garden glued vertically to the wall, and about a dozen bodhavista’s adorned throughout the top and bottom floors of the club, one that was about 40 feet tall. During the day it is a pan-asian restaurant, the big red banners on the outside of the casino advertised the club as a religious dining and clubbing experience. In some ways it reminded me of the Dragon Club that I once went to in Chicago, but with more of the Asian-theme going in the decorations and scenery.
Couldn’t help but wonder it would be akin to having a bunch of virgin marys and jesus statutes standing over $350 dollar bottles of grey goose vodka and house drum and bass. I found out later that the owners are buddhists and that the bodhavistas themselves are not replicas, but the real deal, from the owner’s private collection in NYC. My question is obviously, if you’re such a devout buddhist, wouldn’t you find it sacrilige to take sacred images that were once worshiped in temples and holy places and bathe them in cigarette smoke and booze? The most obvious contradiction was naming the club itself “Tao” instead of “Buddha” or something like that. I suppose if you’re going to have a club like this anywhere in the world, it might as well be in Vegas.
Staying true to the modern vegas tradition, was several row bars with overpriced drinks, one in an exclusive VIP section with a bouncer and a ribbon, and skyboxes overlooking the dance floor. Most of the tables were reserved, I found out after getting booted from some of the chair and had to settle for a bench by the bar. The top floor featured hip-hop mixes, along with a handful of paid go-go dancers, a pair of lingerie wearing girls siting on each other’s laps in front of a vanity mirror, and a girl with flower pasties taking a bath in a large wooden bowl.
Second club was a more standard club, with a live jazz band and a burlesque show, with a nice view of the strip, equipped with an outdoor bar, and propane heaters and large plexiglass wind shields. This helped, since the night we all went there was a winter wind advisory that knocked the temps down to the 30s. The whole club was decked out in tangerine lights, as fitting to the name, tangerine.
both of the clubs pretty much kicked ass compared to any other place that I’ve been before, both in Honolulu and DC. The 18th Street Lounge might actually be on a similar level as the Tangerine, but otherwise I haven’t seen much in terms of the big package. Then again I haven’t really gotten out much that often lately. I also tend to like smaller places like Chi-cha or Millie Al’s, a couple of summers ago I headed out to Felix and Tryst in Adam’s Morgan wih a bunch of fellow interns. I think that F.U.R. club by NY ave is probably like Tao. Maybe I’ll check it out sometime.
Couple events in the news while I was out that I should make a note of: an omen of sorts at the Supreme Court, Pat Morita passed away on Thanksgiving day.