Commentary by Donna Monday
My friend and I did Las Vegas a few weeks ago. Oh, we didn’t do Vegas like people who “do” Vegas do Vegas. We did Vegas like a couple of grandmas without a clue do Vegas.
It all started less than a month ago. I called my best friend, who lives in New Mexico.
“Sherry,” I said, “It seems to me that if you’ve got a best friend, you ought to see each other at least once a year.” I suggested we go to Las Vegas.
“Vegas?” she questioned. “I don’t ever want to go there again.” (It’s a long story.)
“Okay,” I shrugged.
Forty-eight hours later the phone rang. It was Sherry. “I’ve been on the computer,” she gushed. “Vegas looks wonderful.”
She was all in. So was Annie the travel agent.
Days later Sherry and I were touching down in Phoenix just minutes apart and flying off together to Vegas. Wow!
To say Christmas season in Vegas is cool is an understatement.
There’s something for everyone, as became apparent when we were wending our way through the hotel casino– slot machines to the left of us, slot machines to the right of us, slot machines dead ahead and slot machines behind.
And the two of us? We were on our way to “Restorative Yoga” class. Yep! Restorative Yoga. On the third floor. It was that word “restorative” that hooked us. It’s a good word for grandmas. We have lots of parts that need restoration. And for 25 bucks, what a deal.
Meanwhile, others in the hotel were spending their money differently. I kept meeting interesting people in the elevator.
One guy looked especially rumpled and crumpled.
“How are you?” I asked.
“Tough night,” he said.
“Lose?” I asked.
He nodded his head.
“And you?” he asked.
“I don’t play.”
“Then you’re already a winner,” he said.
I wasn’t being completely honest. My friend Jane had asked me to put a dollar in a slot machine for her. I did and lost. I tried again.
I lost again.
I’d bet two dollars and lost them both. Enough of that…
Time to shop. I bought an aqua purse, Sherry a yellow wallet. We saw a show at Harrah’s, ate the best hamburger I’ve ever had, drank the best margarita I’ve ever drunk and each posed with “Elvis.”
“Leave them wanting more” is the motto for entertainers. That’s how we left Vegas. Five days in Vegas is fun. Five days in Vegas with your best friend? Priceless.
Happy New Year!
