We arrived in Las Vegas Tuesday afternoon and we were all wide awake. The great thing about Vegas is something was always in full swing any time of the day. As we walked through the enormous white-marble lobby of our hotel, the MGM Grand, I was thankful we were being escorted to our rooms. Every time I came here I couldn�t get over the overwhelming size of this place. If it weren�t for bodyguards I would get lost trying to get from one place to another. How could a hotel be so complicated? Why would you want to make a hotel so hard to navigate in? At least it was a great atmosphere, even if there were always fans milling around. There were the great restaurants, a gigantic casino, the spas, health clubs (which I don�t plan on visiting), and the swimming pool area. We were once told it was over six acres with five pools and the longest lazy river in the city, which I particularly love. AJ, Kevin and I always went to La Femme. It was an adult topless show. Kevin went for the �art and pure beauty� AJ and I went to see some of the greatest breasts on the planet.
Immediately my shoes were off once I made it into my room. It wasn�t the typical boring hotel furnishings with the bland colors and schemes. The room was full of bright colored curvy modern styled furniture with black-and-white movie-star glamorous photos. I loved the rooms here, they were some of my favorites in all the hotels we have ever stayed in, and there was something so alive about them. It was probably the rooms, they gave you so much energy the last thing you wanted to do was stay inside of it. You wanted to go out and before you could leave the premises you were caught up by something the MGM Grand had to offer, usually the casino.
I�ve had many good memories in that casino. My very first time legally gambling in that casino saw me win sixty thousand dollars. It was amazing, I was so drunk I didn�t know what I was doing which probably explains why I was able to win. In true MGM Grand fashion, I got lost. The place was beyond huge for one casino. They actually broke it up into four areas so you wouldn�t feel so overwhelmed but it didn�t help as far as I was concerned.
The knock on the door kept me from drifting off to sleep. We had all decided that even though we had Tuesday off we would wake up early and drive to Vegas so we could have a full day to relax before our responsibilities for the 80s concert. After the concert would be our own concerts on Saturday and Sunday. The fans will, undoubtedly, make it into town Friday night, the more dedicated fans probably scored tickets to the 80s concert. Aside from our hotel, and that could be taken care of, Las Vegas was a city that believed in exclusivity. If you didn�t want to be bothered by the fans you could spend an entire week and not sign one autograph. Although, I know there was no chance that I would turn everyone down.
�Come baby, let�s go eat.� That was Kevin�s way of asking me. I walked back in my room to grab my shoes,
�Where are we going to eat? Downstairs?� That would have been fine with me. The Rainforest Caf� was one of my ritualistic stops when I was in town. There was no way I could stay at MGM and not eat there.
�No, we�re going to Lawry�s.� I have never heard if it and frowned. Kevin shook his head,
�If you ever got out of the hotel and saw something besides the hotel restaurants and casino you would have eaten there by now.� I shrugged,
�Do they have burgers or pizza?� He held the door for me as I walked out and nodded at Carl and Kevin�s bodyguard, Barry,
�You are not ordering a burger. They do have seafood though water boy.� As we walked down the hall he gave me a little lesson on the restaurant where we were going. It was as if I was a little kid and I wasn�t being told where we were going and what type of behavior was expected of me,
�They have the best prime rib. The waitresses wear English-maid uniforms and everything, it�s great.� I shrugged, food was food and it was all the same to me. Five star, three star, in out, whatever, as long as the food was good I didn�t care.
AJ, Kevin and I were in a black and dark tinted Secret Service-like suburban followed by Brian and Howie in another. As we pulled out onto The Strip I looked over at the New York-New York Hotel and Casino. I wouldn�t mind staying there, it looked like the New York City skyline complete with the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building and even the Statue of Liberty. There�s even a roller coaster around the outside and into the hotel and casino. Who the heck thinks up something like that? My brother and mother stayed there the last time he came to Vegas. He couldn�t stop calling me every time he discovered something new. He was particularly thrilled about the arcade. Although, the kid got excited about relish in the new squeezable bottle.
�Did you know Lawry�s was first opened in LA in 1938?� There is no way AJ pulled that out of his ass, which was better known as his brain. I looked over to see him reading through some pamphlet,
�What are you doing with that?� He shrugged,
�I always grab these things from restaurants and hotels.� It�s not like he actually put this to use. He went to his comfort zones, just like I did, when he was in Vegas. It�s amazing that we�ve been to this city so many times and have probably done less than people who�ve been here only once in their lifetime. Vegas was just so difficult. There were so many places to go and have the time of your life. The fans knew and because of that they knew you were going to try and go out. Inevitably you ran into a group of them and they used outer space satellites or something to let everyone. Then, they just started following you around and the crowd grew and grew. Before long, I usually high tail it back to my room and take safe haven until it was time to go.
�Hey Nick, they have one of your favorites, swordfish.� I had always loved seafood but ever since the family moved down to the Keys I had developed a more enthusiastic love for it. Fresh fish was right at the top of my list but most times I only ate it when I was home. There were certain places I would eat seafood. The Keys, New Orleans, Baltimore and a little place in Santa Monica that wasn�t on the radar screen for popular hangouts. If I�m not at any of those places I�m not risking the possibility of getting less than fresh seafood. I�ve had a bad experience and I got the shits, never again.
�Dude, I need something more than that. I�m starving. I hope these ribs are good.� We were driving and it wasn�t before long that I noticed we weren�t anywhere I�d really been before.
�Where is this place?� The driver looked into the rearview mirror,
�It�s east of the strip, near the convention center. It�s not too far.� We were venturing out. Great, I�m starving and we�re going on a sightseeing tour before we get to the restaurant.
They were. The ribs. They were so good. I had to give Kevin credit. It was amazing. The place was nice too although I could have done without that big band music blaring through the speakers. And Howie�s suggestion to try the English trifle was on point too. Now he and Kevin, the two adventure eaters, think they�ve got a new member. They were always willing to try new things but when it came to food I wasn�t one to venture on the wild side. I think you just stick to what you know and you never go wrong. The basics, you keep with them and you�re less likely to get some virus, infection, disease or anything else.
Chapter 101
Stranger Than Fiction
Stories
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