What happened in Vegas - Part 1

Oh boy, this is going to be a long one!  I'm going to try and recount everything that happened in my action-packed, 4-day adventure in Las Vegas.  But first, let me introduce the cast of characters.  (Since I don't use real names on my blog, I'm giving all my girls WASPy nicknames just like mine.)

I traveled with:

• Muffy -- My bestie, who I've mentioned lots before, the birthday girl.
• Lulu -- Muffy's younger sister and the only non-single gal on the trip.
• Didi -- Hilarious and sarcastic family friend of Muffy and Lulu.
• Gigi -- Didi's childhood friend, and the sassiest addition to our traveling crew.
• Cece -- Friend of Muffy's from uni, and aspiring yoga teacher.

Wednesday

On the night before the trip, I began overpacking like a maniac.  (I actually packed four pairs of beige shoes in varying styles and heel heights -- no kidding.)  I struggled with trying to zip my suitcase and then called Muffy for fashion editing help.

She convinced me I wouldn't need a raincoat as the weather was going to be hot and dry.  I decided on a whim that I probably also didn't need to pack pants on this trip -- a decision that I would regret in about 4 days.  It was really late before I could fall asleep, since I'm always worried about forgetting something.  And also because I was excited!  Finally, a vacation!  (A much needed one too, after two weeks of massive overtime at work.)

Thursday

I got up early to catch a bus to Muffy's house in St. Catharines.  It didn't take long before I realized the 9:30am bus to Niagara is the Casino Express for little old Chinese ladies.  They were a hoot in their leopard print and sequins.  It was like a preview of Vegas.

I arrived at Muffy's and napped in her guest room for about an hour until the other girls arrived.  (I'm not a morning person.)  They all had huge suitcases too, so I didn't feel so bad.  Gigi even went so far as to being a clothing steamer, and Lulu's suitcase was like Mary Poppins' magic bag!  That girl was prepared for every level of first aid, which definitely came in handy.  Soon it was time to get on the road!  Destination: Buffalo airport.

Crossing the border wasn't a big deal, but Muffy gets so nervous at the border that you'd think she had a trunk full of cocaine.  Thankfully the border guard didn't notice her wringing her hands and we crossed without a major interrogation or cavity search.

At the airport's security checkpoint, everyone made it through without incident except Didi.  She was wearing a super-sexy and elaborate bra with metal accents on the straps, which of course set off the metal detectors.  She got held back by the guard until a female guard could be found to pat her down for weapons.  As soon as Didi whipped out her bra straps to show the female guard, we were on our way.



The flight to Las Vegas was really quick.  The pilot was able to shave nearly an hour off our flight time!  It was a bit of a bumpy ride, which left Muffy a complete wreck.  (She's a terrible flier and can only get through it under heavy sedation.)  My only problem with flying is that my ears plug and I become hard of hearing, which results in my trademark 'stage whisper'.  When the flight attendant came by with a choice of snacks, I had to ask him to repeat the options twice.  He got frustrated and literally threw me one of each.  I didn't appreciate the attitude (or the Ritz crackers with fake cheese -- ew), but I'm not going to turn down extra snacks!

After we landed we were determined to grab our luggage, get to the hotel as fast as possible, and get a drink into Muffy for her shot nerves.  My suitcase was damaged in the flight and the handle wouldn't lift out.  Since it was too heavy to carry, I had to bend my knees in a duck walk and lean sideways in order to wheel it through the airport.  I'm sure I looked 'special'.

We checked into the Flamingo hotel -- it was just as pink and campy as I remember from a few years ago.  We got the Flamingo "Fab" room.

Isn't it though? The pink and grey faux fur blankets are especially fab.

We split up into two adjoining rooms:  Gigi, Didi, and Lulu in one, and me and Muffy and Cece in another.  We were starving so we thought we'd eat somewhere in the hotel.  That brought us to Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville.  Gigi and Didi shared the 'nacho volcano', and put a fairly decent dent in it -- way to go girls!

Next, over to the Bellagio to watch the fountain show.  It wasn't a far walk, which was good because it felt late due to the 3 hour time difference.  The strip was incredibly busy!  We tried to take a group picture in front of the fountain but people kept walking through the frame.  Eventually I yelled "Oy! Hold up!" and stopped all pedestrian traffic in a 40 foot radius.  We finally got a shot, but I ruined it because it caught me mid-yell with my hand up like a traffic guard.  (Hopefully someone crops me out of that one before it ends up on Facebook.)

At some point during the walk back to the hotel the soles of my feet started feeling hot.  What I didn't realize until back in the room was that my sandals had created giant blisters from hell on the balls of my feet.  'It won't be so bad as long as they don't pop', I remember thinking.  (That would mark the last point on the trip where I remember not wanting to amputate my legs at the ankles, but I won't get into that now.)

I snuggled into bed with Muffy after a long day, and tried not to fall asleep in a position in which I might snore -- which is most positions, actually.  Muffy and I have a fairly easy time sleeping together because she takes up very little space and sleeps in a ball close to the edge.  I, on the other hand, sleep like an epileptic starfish.

(Yes, sometimes there is a wee bit of overlap.)

It was important to get a good sleep, because the next day was so full!  Stay tuned for Part 2!