Two important coming-of-age ceremonies must occur for any 20-something to officially consider him or herself an adult: buying their first legal alcoholic beverage and, as soon as possible thereafter, taking a trip to Las Vegas.
Old Las Vegas Entertainment and Eats
Although I’d visited Las Vegas a few times with my family as a kid and teen, this girlfriend getaway featured certain notable differences. For one thing, there was 100 percent more Tom Jones. Tom Jones may be approaching 70, and we may have been the youngest members in the audience—perhaps some three decades younger than the median age—but we had a great time and especially loved all his tongue-in-cheek posing that alluded to his former (?) sex-symbol days.
Photo: Folies Bergere, Tropicana Resort
In another nod to old Vegas, we got tickets to the penultimate showing of the long-running classic Folies Bergere at the Tropicana Resort, which happened to be closing for good the weekend of our visit. There are still a couple other similar revues in Vegas, so all is not lost—but a significant chapter in topless history certainly has now ended. I wonder what will happen to all those fabulous headdresses?
And, of course, no trip to Las Vegas is complete without a mega buffet meal, and there’s no place that does it better than the Rio Carnival World Buffet, the largest buffet in the city. I prefer a phase-in approach, first scouting the offerings (no small undertaking at a buffet this size), and then with each return trip focusing on a different theme (first salads, then Asian dishes, then crab legs, etc.) Pace yourself.
New Las Vegas Glitz
As much as we love the kitsch of Old Vegas, it’s the new glamour that probably draws most visitors. We stayed in one of the most iconic-themed hotels, Paris, for a good rate of about $115 a night (thank you, bad economy, for at least helping us to travel more cheaply).
Photo: XS at Encore
And, of course, there are the clubs. Before our trip, I had tried to wrangle some VIP club passes, guest-list entry and the like—but of course hundreds of others had done the same and were waiting in the same line. The highlight of the clubs we visited was XS at Wynn’s new Encore resort. Despite the steep costs—$20 for the women’s general cover (as opposed to waiting an hour in the no-cover “VIP” line) and $18 cocktails—it was a great evening, if only for the sheer spectacle of the elaborate dance floor opening out onto an elegant poolside terrace.
But the best girlfriend getaway activity in Vegas must certainly be Stripper 101 at Planet Hollywood. The class is taught by former strippers and is open to women only, who learn best techniques for pole and lap dancing. Participants begin by taking souvenir photos and enjoying a complementary cocktail (of course) before getting an insider’s perspective on pole tricks and techniques, then getting the chance to practice your moves.
What I learned? This stuff isn’t easy.
Check out our full trip plan.
