On our Las Vegas experience... A look back.

(View onto the Strip from the Bellagio, where we saw "O".)

The recent weather in New York had an unexpected impact on our audition process in Las Vegas: our casting director did not make it to casting. Her flight was canceled on Friday, then New York airports closed. The earliest flight available to her was one that left New York Saturday night, by which point we had finished our one day of casting in Las Vegas. This was a slight problem.

Luckily, David and I left New York early enough on Friday to make our way to Las Vegas. Our flight took off just as the snow/ice came down, so that we were only delayed about fifteen minutes. We arrived in Vegas safe and sound without much ado, discovered sunshine and 80 degree temperature, checked into our massive room at the Venetian, ate lunch, and made our way to the roof-top pool. There, we spent the afternoon sunning and sipping cocktails. We had no awareness of the blizzard in New York -- spring break was in the air.

Auditions on Saturday, despite our casting director’s absence, went smoothly. We found a couple of people... But we did not see any showgirl types that we had thought we’d come to Vegas to see. This was strange, since it would seem to us that leggy, blonde, big-boobed female dancers would be the order of the day in Vegas.

But so it goes.

In brief about our two days in Las Vegas:

Did we gamble? -- Yes. We spent $2. Lost $1. Won $1. That was the extent of our gambling. Looking back, we wish we’d folded when we had found ourselves, on our $1, up at $1.50. But we were greedy gamblers. Luckily, we resisted gambling addiction setting in.

Our biggest question about Vegas: Is breast augmentation mandatory in Las Vegas? I (Tomoko) felt as if I had forgotten to bring my pair of fake boobs to fully acclimatize to the general culture. (David calls them “saline stocking stuffers” and loves his alliteration in the description.)

Did we eat well? -- Lunch on Friday, to put it simply, sucked. We ate in an Italian restaurant in faux Venice, which was just odd. To be fair, our lunch choice does not reflect our best gourmet moment, as we missed the restaurant where we had intended to lunch (and booked) by about 15 minutes. We ate Friday dinner at Bouchon -- it was nice and quietly refined, although we expected more out of Thomas Keller. We wonder if these haute cuisine restaurants are not unlike the shows in Vegas -- scaled down. Broadway shows that come to Vegas, such as Mama Mia and Spamalot, necessarily get cut down from their original length to 90 minutes with no intermission (evidently due to the A.D.D. gambling culture). We began to wonder maybe this “cutting down” happened with restaurants -- one can find restaurants by Joel Robouchon, Bobby Flay, Thomas Keller, but perhaps they are not as fabulous as their counterpart restaurants would be in a city, say, like New York. On Saturday night, though, we ate at Le Cirque, and that was fabulous, if expensive.

Did we see a show? -- Yes, we saw Cirque du Soleil’s “O,” which everyone says is the BEST show in Vegas. There were certainly some gorgeous moments. David enjoyed it. Tomoko slept through half of the 90 minute show, which is never a good indication.

Did we party? -- Yes. We generally drank as much as possible while on a BUSINESS TRIP. Our biggest night turned out to be our first night in Vegas, when we went to Tao. The odd thing about Vegas is that the people -- besides us, obviously -- are extremely unattractive. It’s as if there were a high pitched call unheard by attractive people that inspires the other, less aesthetically-gifted to flock to Vegas. The ugly factor in the young people partying in Vegas worked in our advantage, however, as, when we went to Tao, we bypassed the long lines and were let in without a fuss. Tao was fun, if too crowded. We danced a bit, marveled at more fake boobs that abound the place, and then called it a night. We did not end up going out on Saturday night, as it was St. Patty’s Day and too chaotic. We made sure to raid the mini-bar in our own suite instead. That was fun.

Did David have a killer hangover that made him cranky? YES. Did Tomoko have a hangover? NO. She is a professional.

Did we get a tan? -- Tomoko has begun a healthy summer glow. David is just lucky that he is not burnt like a boiled lobster. (He continues to glow like moonshine on a summer’s night.)

How did we find the locals? -- Super duper nice. Nice people from the hotel staff to PAs for our auditions to the barista at Starbuck’s. People in Las Vegas are truly laid-back, friendly, and conversational.

In summary, we enjoyed Las Vegas. It’s an odd place, and not a place that we’d go back to for an extended stay. But this weekend was a great experience to have had, if slightly sleep-depriving.

First Impressions of Vegas

Our first day ever in Las Vegas -- already, we have plenty of snap shots with commentaries to match about it. We are a bit tired now, however, as we have not slept very much due to travel and have been up clubbing tonight at Tao (in the name of cultural exposure). We hope to post a few photos tomorrow. For the time being, one aspect of Las Vegas stands out to us more than others: this is the land of fake boobs. We haven't been to L.A. yet, we know, but for now, we have never seen more fake boobs than we have on our first day in Las Vegas.

TM & DS

Venetian Vegas

We found out that we will be staying at The Venetian in Las Vegas -- which seems nice, if perhaps overwhelmingly "Venetian." According to its website, the resort-casino promises that, there, we will "experience the romance of Italy" as it "evokes the spirit of Venice." It even has gondola rides on the Grand Canal!!! When we were in Venice for the first time last November, we thought that it may be a while before we return to the floating city. Who knew we'd experience it again Las Vegas-style! Cannot wait -- should be unlike any other experience we have had. David imagines it as a drugged up Jupiters Casino in the Gold Coast (with about 10,000 times the potency in casino-glitz). We both hope that the hotel can't be too bad if there is a Thomas Keller restaurant in it.

[Interestingly, someone just told me that one of the nicknames for Venice -- the real one -- is "the city of lights" (does Paris know about this?)... which I guess, then, makes it more appropriate in a kind of humorous/double entendre manner that there is a Venice in Vegas, as the latter is also a city of lights -- "bright lights." Of course, I must remember that am talking about the same place that boasts a Sphynx, so maybe I am reaching a bit here.]

TM

Pre-trip thoughts on Las Vegas

David and I fly to Las Vegas this Friday morning to cast for the Toronto production. We will spend just one day casting in Sin City (Saturday); then, on Sunday we fly to L.A. for three more days of casting starting Monday. These auditions are specifically for the principal roles of Baby, Johnny, and Penny (and their understudies). It should be an interesting casting trip, if maybe on the intense-side as we will try to see as many people as possible in a relatively short period of time.

I have never been to Las Vegas or L.A., neither has David. In fact, since moving to the US, David has seen more of Canada, perhaps, than of the US. In Canada, he's been to Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal for at least a few days in each city; in the US, outside of NYC where we live, he's been to a tiny Vermont town, to a wedding on Long Island, and has accompanied me to my Fifth Reunion at Princeton (New Jersey)... not exactly an in depth exploration of the US or even the East Coast (although he absolutely loves Vermont).

David is excited about his first adventure to the West Coast.

Being a total non-gambler, I've never had a real desire to go to Vegas -- I don't even like to gamble on a new sandwich at a familiar lunch source if I already have my well-established favorite there. My impressions of Vegas derive from movies such as The Cooler (love it) and Showgirls (...) -- impressions toward the desperate and depressing. (David, by the way, explains that he bases his impressions on Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, which I don't know is a good or a bad thing.) As most young people, I have entertained the fun-possibility of going to Vegas for a weekend party with friends, but have never done so. In the end, it always ultimately seemed better to stay in New York if I were home and party in this city of bright lights -- where I know where to go and what I like -- as opposed to the one out in Nevada.

But then, I was never a gambler.

I would like to think that being a non-gambler doesn't mean I am not curious to try new things -- I do, and am willing, I might just take a bit more time to reflect and contemplate on the new endeavor than most. I like to be informed in an instance where I am opting to do A when I might have done B -- weighing the scenario. Being this sort of a person, traveling for work gives me a great opportunity to be my "non-gambler"-self and yet comfortably go to places I might have hesitated to go to or may not have gone at all. It will be great to see Las Vegas without having to ask myself, "Is this the best way to spend my weekend?" -- I will be there for work, and it will be great to have a glimpse of it. And should I go out to a fun club while there, the experience becomes only a plus -- much better than feeling any kind of pressure that being in Vegas means I must have at least one crazy story to tell when I return home.

Perhaps I am slightly neurotic about travel. But I think I get better as I do so.

It will, in any case, be an intriguing trip to Las Vegas -- I, a non-gambler, had not anticipated my first trip to Las Vegas would be (1) for work and (2) with my husband (I mean... as one of my colleagues... most people our age go there single-and-to-debauch or to get hitched, don't they?). What kind of performers will we see? Will they be noticeably different from those in NYC or elsewhere we've cast?

I hope we find a fun restaurant and club to go to...

TM