 |
 |
|
|
 |
|
On Location: Vegas Surprises
|
|
What happened when we sent a jaded New York writer to report a guys-versus-girls story in Sin City
|
|
BY RIMA SUQI
|
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
The delicious Verbena cocktail at the Cosmopolitan's Chandelier Bar; a section of the Forum Shops at Caesars.
|
|
|
|
When I got the call to write a Vegas story, I was oddly excited. I’d never had the desire to go there: I don’t gamble, I don’t go to clubs where things heat up only after midnight, and since I live in New York City, I’m not exactly starving for great food or decent shopping. But several good friends—all world travelers—rave about Vegas. This was my chance to find out why.
After my few days in Sin City, I am now a convert. I still don’t gamble, and I didn’t once set foot in a nightclub after midnight. But I did get to do a lot of cool things in the name of journalism, and had one major shopping score that would have never happened in Manhattan. I’ll definitely go back.
SHOPPING JACKPOT
I arrived in Vegas on a Wednesday afternoon. I planned to have dinner that night at Planet Hollywood with the owners of Flight 001, a travel store with outposts in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles and other parts of the world. (The guys were in Vegas for the luggage show.) I got lost on my way to Planet Hollywood and found myself in front of the largest H&M store in the United States, in a corner of the Forum Shops at Caesars. A sign in the window announced “The Marni collection arrives tomorrow at 8:30 a.m.” In New York, people camp out all night for the privilege of being the first to grab these high-profile collaborations—and the merchandise tends to sell out in less than an hour. I made a mental note to return the next day, but given my reporting duties, I wasn’t optimistic.
Apparently no one in Vegas cares about Marni, because at 5 p.m. on Thursday the entire collection was all still there. I tried on everything and ended up with two tops, a T-shirt, shorts, a pair of shoes and an awesome tote bag. A Vegas miracle! When I asked the sales clerk about it, he commented, “The Versace collection was more popular with the locals.”
STAGE FRIGHT
Versace probably would have been more appropriate garb for my class at X Burlesque University at the Flamingo. Of all the things I was scheduled for in Vegas, this made me the most nervous; I was thinking it would involve a pole. Wrong! Burlesque is all about slow moves and serious eye contact. And a feather boa. Every student gets a set of false eyelashes and a red Wet n Wild lipstick. Much time is spent on eyelash application. Then lipstick, and then red glitter on top of the lipstick—which sounds tacky but is kind of hot and, as they kept saying, “looks great onstage.” Everyone chooses their own feather boa, then lines up onstage to learn a short but easy routine taught by the company’s choreographer, a fun and funny man. It’s all about slow, exaggerated movements. For me the only thing missing was the right footwear: When you’re onstage in false eyelashes, glittered lips and a feather boa, you have to wear sky-high heels. I was wearing flats.
BEHIND THE WHEEL
Exotics Racing school was also way out of my comfort zone. I’ve driven stick shift only twice, I live in a city where it’s silly to have a car, and, truth be told, I’ve never owned a car. I do love to drive, but at Exotics Racing
it’s not just a shifting experience; it’s a paddle shifting experience (you shift the gears by means of paddles mounted on the steering wheel). As we watched a video before being assigned our instructors and cars, I could feel the energy drain out of the room: All the guys had thought they’d just throw the car into gear and scream down the straightaway. Instead they realized they’d have to master a new technique on a 1.40-mile course with eleven—count ’em—eleven turns. I chose to be the passenger in an Audi R8 V10. When my instructor asked how fast I wanted to go, I said, “How fast do you feel comfortable going?” “Ma’am,” he replied, “that’s not a question you want to ask me.” Let’s just say that we lapped the Corvette Z06, and I did not close my eyes, throw up or pee in my pants.
SOMETHING FOR THE NERVES
Luckily, cocktails awaited me at the Chandelier, a tri-level bar in the Cosmopolitan Hotel. During my scheduled interview with one of the head bartenders, I tasted a variety of libations. My hands-down favorite was the Verbena, a mix of tequila, yuzu sour and a few other ingredients I honestly don’t remember. What I do remember is that the bartender gave me something called a Szechuan button to chew on before sipping the drink. Subsequent research has revealed that the Szechuan button, also called a buzz button, is sometimes used to flavor chewing tobacco. The effect is most accurately described in this line from Wikipedia: ”Eating a whole flower bud results in a grassy taste, followed by an extremely strong tingling or numbing sensation and often excessive saliva production and a cooling sensation in the throat.” It felt weird, tingly, fabulous and as if it would be banned in certain states. In Vegas—thankfully, after the day I’d had—it was perfectly legal.
|
|
|
|
Published: July 11, 2012
|
|
Photos: The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas; The Forum Shops at Caesars
|
|
|