Sin City Saturday

What do you do when Friday night in Vegas is just about become Saturday, and you are completely, totally exhausted from a day of wonderful Vegas-tastic magic?  Fall asleep, and dream of dancing fountains gyrating enthusiastically to Bruno Mars?

The Bellagio's idea of streaming music

Nope. You get in an Uber and go to a party.

Way out west, by the infamous Wet’n’Wild waterpark, I arrived at Casa de Chris just after midnight. Everyone was in costume. More accurately, half out of costume. A big, happy crew of Burning Man brothers and sisters danced under disco lights. Many of them work in the Sunrise ER. Watching people be happy and carefree after the nightmare they endured together filled me with a peaceful joy.

Somehow, someway, things in the world, even the Vegas world,  were still okay. People danced, friends connected, and life was celebrated with beautiful abandon. They saw 214 victims of the mass shooting in Vegas at Sunrise. They turned away no one. Their stories of working as a team, a family, as a veritable river of blood streamed through their hallways, inspired and terrified. #TOL2TCOMP

Taking 'ghosting' to a new level

Those stories were put on hold tonight. New stories, happy stories, were in the making. I watched people dance, talk, sip, shimmy, and laugh, laugh, laugh. Gratitude flowed through me. They welcomed me into the fold like long, lost family. Well, if your family likes to party til second sunset, that is. Guess they don't work at a place called Sunrise for nothin'.

Finally, finally, I crawled back into the dear Hawaiian Senior Center at 3:20 am. Sleep never felt so fabulous. Six hours later, I would rise with great gusto, somehow still feeling great. Maybe it’s the lower altitude. Maybe it’s Vegas. During the VP tourney, I hit quad 7s. Yes! Boyd does a wonderful job with their prize structure. They award big money, $5000, to the winner. And progressively less money to the top 10. Places 11-50 each get a $100. The quad 7s would eventually be good for a 39th place visit later that day, and another crisp Benjamin.

Freaks on Fremont? Who would've thought?

Fright Zone on Fremont was in full swing on this fine Saturday before Halloween. Honestly, how do you know, really, if someone is in costume, or is it just another day that ends in “y” on Fremont?  Could life under the canopy get any scarier? 

Working?  Playing? The lines get blurry in Vegas

I love that people not only plan their Vegas trip for months, sometimes years, and coordinate outfits. Some even have special matching outfits made.

Birds of a feather

The Fright Zone featured a few tables and booths of Stuff You Can Buy, not unlike the Farmers Market from the day before:

Spooky market, cool hair

I meandered through the Gold Spike. Its empty dance floors and bars reverberated with anticipatory energy of the fun night ahead. Out the back, I strolled the grounds of the Oasis at the Gold Spike, one block north of Fremont on Ogden street. The Oasis was part small apartments, and part hotel. Apartment residents had just received word that all leases were being terminated to make room for more hotel rooms. The Oasis features an indoor Living Room, Playground with carnival games, and pictured below, The Backyard. http://goldspike.com/backyard/

 

Ubiquitous Giant Jenga at The Backyard of the Oasis at Gold Spike.

Cornhole, beer pong (left, back) and giant beer pong (right, in the distance)

The grass is always greener in downtown Vegas

The Cal and Main Street Station hold a banquet on the last day of their VP tourneys, and this time, it was held in the Main Street’s Garden Court Buffet. I love this place. The high ceilings, the stained glass, and the endless flow of vanilla soft serve ice cream. If you take some of this amazing ice cream to Oleg, he’ll make your Creamy Bellagio Drink even creamier. 

I didn’t want to miss first sunset on Fremont, featuring more freaks than ever. I didn't want to, but I did. I put my winnings from the tourney in my pocket. By now, I was up a few hundred dollars for the trip. Waaahooo! I walked past Boar’s Head Bar, past the craps table, past blackjack, and across the pedestrian walkway that connects Main Street Station with the Cal. I went straight up to my room, and fell asleep. At 5 pm. On a Saturday night, and not just any Saturday night. The Saturday night of the big Halloween shindig on Fremont, and all over town. 

Tomorrow would be football Sunday in Vegas, and I had Big Plans.