Tag Archives: Las Vegas

Blackjack and music and comedy

Sin City, I am in you!

20130511_153514

Fifteen years ago, when I made my first trip to Las Vegas, I stayed at the New York New York Hotel. At the time it was fairly new to the strip, and a bit trendy.

For me it was also a tad bit aspirational.  I didn’t live in NYC at the time and wanted to…why not get some good karma?

We have returned there. This time the property was simply a deal…and a fun reminder of home. But I still want to ride the rollercoaster.

May have to do that on my own. (Not everyone appears to have packed their cahones.)

Next stop — Rock of Ages and Ray Romano!!

Double or nothin’

animated dice

 

Guess who’s headed to VEGAS??

Come on…guess.

I’ll give you great odds.

Gotta love those sparkly dice, am I right??

VEGAS, BABY!!!

Get the message

I love watching movies on the big screen. Many of my friends prefer to stay at home.

Price is only one factor.

They hate having their movie ruined by chattering, texting, rude people in the theatre.

Let’s face it — it happens more often than not.

And it might be getting a lot worse.

At a recent CinemaCon panel in Las Vegas, movie executives from Regal and IMAX chains said they both had discussed allowing texting during movie screenings to make the experience more interactive for younger viewers.

NO.

NO, NO, NO, NO, NO.

It’s bad enough already, with cellphones randomly lighting up the theatre and distracting your eye from the screen.  Imagine what it would look like if they were on throughout the film.  The incessant clicking.  The chatter as people shared text messages.

If movie executives want to lose customers, it’s the perfect business model.

Text them that.

Flashback

If you read The Egg with any regularity, you know I was in Vegas last weekend.  I worked.  I gambled.  I came home.

Or so I thought.

Recent photos on Facebook have revealed that I not only stayed in the same hotel as a good friend and former boss –we worked together almost 20 years ago — but I unknowingly met and spoke to his then future daughter-in-law in the elevator.

What the wha??

We were all staying at the Aria Las Vegas.  I was leading a workshop at a conference.  When I spoke to Britt — I didn’t know her name at the time — she told me that she was getting married on 9/10/11.

She was all smiles, of course.  I complimented her blonde updo and wished her all the best.

It was nice to think of weddings as I went off to work.

Little did I know — until I spied the photos today on Facebook — that I knew Britt’s future husband and in-laws.  Had worked with her future father-in-law for three years.  Could have scored an invite to the reception, at the very least.

It’s a small world, after all.

Let’s go flying

As I write this, I’m flying home from Vegas.

Yes, I’m flying on 9/11.

I have flown on the anniversary of the attacks almost every year since 2001.  I won’t lie; it does give me a moment’s pause, but only because that date is etched on my mind as it no doubt is on yours.

But to refuse to travel today would mean the terrorists won.  To be scared to go about my day-to-day activities…to be frightened to be in or to live in New York City — is ridiculous.

I refuse to live in fear.

Plus, if I had flown another day, I wouldn’t have had the chance to meet the couple from Switzerland on my flight today.  They just completed a three-week motorcycle tour of the western US.  On Harleys.  Had the leather jackets on and everything.

Now, that’s the American way.

Sin skin

What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.

But what happens when it doesn’t?

I’m in Sin City this weekend on business and, after my meetings yesterday, was getting the lay of the land at the Aria Las Vegas hotel and casino, since it’s new to me (and Vegas).

As I’m walking around seeing the sights — and the people, who are always a sight in Vegas — I spied a tattoo or two or three.  And it got me thinking:

If you get a tat in Vegas, that certainly doesn’t stay in Vegas.  That sucker comes home with you.  (And depending on where it’s located, everybody knows about it, too.)

Vegas offers some doozies to remember your adventures by. 


 

 

 

 

Wonder which tat I’ll pick?

That reminds me…

This is how I visualize my thoughts today…

Colorful.  Chaotic.  Going off in all directions.

Makes it kinda hard to string sentences together. But last night, this kind of disjointed thinking actually led to a fun conversation with a friend.

Rory and I were walking through the neighborhood before dinner, and I checked the time on my phone.  As I scrolled through the apps, I thought about playing blackjack as we strolled along.  That made me think of Las Vegas.

I wanna go to Vegas.

That reminded me of my very first trip Vegas 13 years ago…which reminded me of my very good friend who went with me…which reminded me of his birthday coming up soon…which reminded me that we need to discuss his visit to New York City.  Which led to a phone call.

All because I almost played blackjack on my phone.

Can I have a ‘woot woot’ for chaos?

Watch and win

If you love all things shallow — as we do here at The Sticky Egg — plump up your couch cushions and get comfy.

Shallowness is being serenaded, crowned and presented with sparkly awards this weekend on TV.

It begins Saturday night with the 2011 Miss America pageant — LIVE from Vegas! — and wraps up on Sunday with the ever-entertaining Golden Globe Awards, hosted by Ricky Gervais.

If you think about it, these two programs are a lot alike.

Both get their fair share of criticism.  Miss America because it’s a pageant, which many feel is an antiquated idea in this day and age with its swimsuit competition that displays the contestants’ “good health and fitness.”

And then, the Golden Globes, whose nominees are voted in by the Hollywood Foreign Press, which consistently selects those actors and projects who launch the most effective (translation: swaggeriffic) campaign.

Both programs also seem a bit dated.  Miss America‘s production values have always been a tad behind the times — far less glitzy and polished than the Donald Trump-produced Miss USA and Miss Universe.  And the Golden Globes still features a sit-down dinner at their show, which most other awards have abandoned due to the danger of mixing celebrities, alcohol and live television.

Personally, I’ve always found the folksiness of the Miss America broadcast to be part of its charm.  I like making fun of the contestants and the show.

If it gets too slick, where’s the funny in that?

Same goes for the Golden Globes.  The stars drinking at the show practically guarantees that something is going to go wrong on live television, which is way more interesting than the overly-produced Oscars.

So, pull up a chair — or your DVR — and watch all the beauty queens and movie stars put themselves out there for crowns and trophies.  There will be tears.  There will be joy.

And there’s bound to be a bobble or two — do you really want to miss that??

Loop de loop

On this date in 1898, the first roller coaster was patented.  (They finally figured out how many loops it takes to make you throw up!)

Suffice it to say — I love coasters, but they don’t love me.

One of my favorite roller coaster rides ever was during my very first trip to Las Vegas.  My friend Paul and I both realized we had hit our 30′s without visiting Sin City, so off we went.

We stayed at the New York, New York casino back when it was bright, shiny new.  I don’t even think we knew it had a coaster, so when we saw it was one of the attractions, we kinda poo-poo’ed it.

I mean, seriously — a coaster that wrapped around a casino building in Las Vegas? At $8 a pop?  How much fun could it be?

OMG — SO much fun!

The roller coaster whipped between the casino buildings so fast, it felt like we were going to slam into someone’s hotel room!  It was the best time ever.  We immediately got off and got right back on.  It was so worth the price.

I read it’s up to $14 now.  I’d pay that much today.

I mean, come on — all the other scares on the Strip cost way more.

Potty time

Love potty humor?  How ’bout potties themselves?

Cintas Corporation, provider of specialty services to businesses — including bathroom sanitation — is searching for “America’s Best Restroom” in their ninth annual competition.

Nine times they’ve done this?  Where was I — in the john?

They started taking nominations in February and recently announced 10 finalists. Now it’s up to all of us to vote for our favorites…and in September, they’ll name “America’s Best Restroom.”

I’m proud to say that two of the nominees are right here in New York City — the public restrooms at The Muse Hotel and Bryant Park.  But there are toilets on the list from Wichita to Louisville to Fort Wayne to Las Vegas.

And these potties — all public restrooms, mind you — are pretty spectacular.  Even if you initially thought “Why is the Egg talking toilets?” I think you’ll enjoy a tour of the Top 10. Vote while you’re at it, too.

If you’ve ever needed a public restroom and couldn’t find one, you know how truly important this topic really is.

May the best potty win!