Sleepless in Sin City

Las Vegas: Day 1

Some people need alcohol to loosen up and let loose.

I am not one of those people. Cut sleep out of the equation, and my usually quirky demeanor and skewed perspective becomes even loopier than usual.

As usual, I left all my packing until the last minute. Somehow, I forgot to do laundry until later in the day on Thursday, so then I had to wait for a few loads to finish in the dryer before I could pack. Somehow, at 1:30 a.m., I managed to go to bed, only to reawaken to a 3:30 a.m. alarm, and depart my humble abode at the early hour of 5:00 a.m. Once at the airport and easily through security, I sleepily awaited my boarding call.

Fast-forward 7 hours (which was really 10:00 a.m. Vegas time), and I landed in Las Vegas. Chris and Amy picked me up at the airport, and we met up with everyone else at the timeshare. Then we were off!

Being half-asleep, the visual over-stimulation of Las Vegas, even by day, was staggering. There were things to look at everywhere! Just when you think you've seen something big and shiny, something bigger and shinier pops up, and then you come across something large and shiny which also bleeps, dings, or chirps. I took my first steps into a casino (EVER) at no less a casino than Caesar's Palace. And in true Gillian fashion, I promptly found the bathroom. (What do you expect when you drink as much water as I do? I like to be well-hydrated, but it does present complications . . .)

We snaked our way through Caesar's casino, and we wound our way to the forum shops. There we ogled fashion we couldn't dream of affording and admired shiny jewelry both near and far. (We were too scared to go into Harry Winston--though the jewelry sparkled insanely and beckoned us to look closer, the store seemed stuffy and uninviting. However, just like Audrey Hepburn's "Holly Golightly" noted in the film, Tiffany's was quite lovely. The sales staff was very friendly, despite the fact that we all but announced verbally that we weren't going to buy anything as soon as we entered the store.)

The evening led us to the "Fremont Street Experience." To get to Fremont from the Strip, we needed to hop on board a bus known fondly as "The Deuce." (Insert your own "Deuce" jokes here. We did!) This double-decker bus took us past a menagerie of wedding joints to "old Vegas." We saw classic casinos, a Halloween-themed light show, and street performers agogo. Being so close to Halloween, everyone seemed to be a character. We saw Batman, Jason, Jesters, and an assortment of the macabre all along the street. Many were friendly--some downright flirty! (Really--you might be a very handsome/nice/genuinely awesome fellow underneath the costume, but no, we don't want to start a relationship with you while you're wearing so many layers we wouldn't be able to identify you to the police should you disappear. "Really, officer. He a hat shaped like a whimsical "W," wore pointed shoes with bells, and wore what could only be described as a giant, shiny onesie.") That being said, Fremont Street was fun! It was like Christmas came early and exploded across the sky. Except that Christmas was taken over by dancing pumpkins and dark little goblins.

We ended our Fremont Street experience with dinner at The Firefly. If you ever find yourself in Las Vegas, make sure you check this restaurant out! Every dish was tasty. The bacon-wrapped date (stuffed with blue cheese and an almond) just about took us to heaven. The mussels nearly melted in our mouth. Spicy shrimp set your mouth on fire for just the briefest moment. The mushroom tart was layers of flaky, delicate phyllo, smothered in delicious mushrooms and a rich cream sauce. And this is just things off the top of my head. I'm starting to salivate just thinking about those tapas . . . Mmmm!

Good food aside, I just found myself giggling all day long! I don't think it would have really mattered where I went that day. It was more about the company (good friends!). And frankly, when you're running on two hours of sleep and find yourself in the company of such fantastic people, you're bound to have a good time and share lots of giggles.

Best bathrooms of the day: Caesar's palace.

Elvis Sightings: a shocking ZERO!