Vegas Thursday Night

To read episode one of my December Vegas trip, click here.

So I nap for an hour or so, then shower up and head downstairs to meet Mark and Mike. Chilled at the sushi bar upstairs from the casino for a while as they eat and I drink my Pepsi (no place had Coke the whole weekend and I just couldn't grasp that, and ordered a Coke every time we went to eat. Sometimes multiple times at the same restaurant too.) which the bartender got into me a little about when I asked for it without ice. When I told him I was allergic to ice he didn't question it, didn't blink, didn't care....he was one of the coolest bartenders we'd see all weekend.

After the sushi we hung out in the casino for a couple minutes deciding whether or not to go to another restaurant or if I was just going to catch something quick on my own. We named places here and there and nothing sounded that good until Mark said, "How about that Italian place in Paris?"

I got up so quick that my chair started spinning and we were off to have some good food and GREAT bread. I am a carbaholic, always have been, and I really love bread. From now on I'm going to make sure I eat there at least once every time I go to Vegas....all because of the bread. I was pretty disappointed in myself for not thinking of the bread place as an option.

So we ate dinner at the little Italian place inside Paris. Wish I could remember the name of the place but I can't, and I don't feel like looking it up right now. After dinner we headed back to the room to freshen up and get ready for the bar. We left the room about 10ish or so and a few minutes and one semi-failed shortcut attempt later we rolled into the west wing entrance at MGM and walked right into the West Wing Bar/Lounge and immediately dug it....too bad we were the only ones in there as they were about to close.

We made our (roundabout) way over to Studio 54 to see if there was a line....I think I actually heard crickets when we got near the door. So we headed over to Centrifuge, the small bar in the middle of the casino area you first come into from NY-NY or Tropicana. The bar was pretty cool with a very attentive, attractive waitstaff and bartenders that know what a good pour is. Every so often the girls and guys that worked in the bar would get up on platforms or the bar and dance to a song for the enjoyment of the crowd. Thankfully we were sitting on the side of the bar where there were only girl bartenders.

After a few rounds at Centrifuge we staggered on over to Studio 54 to check out their "Dollhouse" night and see what that was all about. I had been to 54 a couple times before and always liked the layout of the place and the nice mix of people who go there on any given night. Some fabulous people watching to be had. The DJ was very good and gave everyone a chance to get out on the floor and shake their money maker. Too bad after a couple more drinks inside 54, I wouldn't really be able to shake someone's hand, much less get out and dance. The biggest draw for the "Dollhouse" nights are the girls and guys who change outfits every so often and get up on the platforms and dance in various stages of dress and undress, or in some cases just stand there and let someone paint their body.

All in all we had a good time at 54 and left as the crowd started to thin which is when we decided it was the right time to hit Fatburger. On the short walk there I found some "slippery when wet" cone/sign sitting outside and realized that it was actually put there just for me, so I picked it up and carried it with us. But when we got to Fatburger, the security guard stationed at Walgreens wouldn't let me take my cone in and forced me to leave it outside. Well, at least for a few minutes because I just went and got it when he wasn't looking anyway and put it in the seat next to Mike.

Things are kinda hazy for me inside Fatburger, but I do remember that Mike made quite a mess with his food and condiments, and earned the nickname Big Vagina from the guy sitting at the table next to us whom he ended up wrestling around with in the parking lot after we were all done eating. Sometime during all this the poor Walgreens guard came in and took the sign back outside. Why do I insist on making people's jobs (and lives) harder than they already are?

After dining on the burger that is so fat, we headed back to the room to let Mike pass out and Mark freshen up a bit. I also passed out sitting straight up in a chair waiting to see if Mark was up for more hi-jinks. When he woke me up I had no flipping idea where I was or what was going on. Love that Grey Goose and Red Bull.

After a short conversation where I told Mark I wasn't going to go to the Horse with him, I had a Monty Python moment and followed him out the door as he left. Again, details are hazy, but we left the Horse after a couple hours and lamented the fact that we didn't bring our sunglasses with us.