Vegas, baby!!!

A surprise wedding in a downtown "chapel" ... the clink of coin and the flash of cash ... dice splashng onto green felt ... miles of black-shirted electronics geeks and over-the-top booth babes on a million-square-foot convention floor ... late night club cocktails and early 'rehab' by the pool ... piles of poker chips in a private room ... 'Fashionistas' that double as strippers in anything-goes retail heaven ... that's right... it's VEGAS, BABY!

Last week, the EverydayDiva headed East, young woman, for a weekend fling and a weekday work assignment at what seemed like a never-ending NAB (electronics & media) trade show. Somehow Sin City has a way of warping the space-time continuum, n'est-ce pas??

Ever been to a Vegas wedding? Kitsch meets cool in a very mobius strip "it's so whacked it comes all the way back around to being amazing" kind of way. That Friday evening the world of single divas lost a member as my best girl H. married her guy, S. -- with yours truly (and R.) as witnesses to this fine occasion. H. was her usual stunning self (the married divas gain one!) in a short white jersey dress and little coverlet and matching peep-toes, and carrying a single white rose. S. was lookin' fine in his traditional cowboy gear (white hat!) -- and a gold ring the size of a small life preserver. (S., who is a very big guy, is affectionately known as King Kong.) So, congrats to the new Mr. and Mrs., who then spent their honeymoon at a trade show.... Vegas, baby!



What's Vegas without rich food (and richer gamblers, but that's not us, alas), right? Among the weeklong nibble-fest were trips to classic greats Nobu and Spago. Both are still outstanding. Having built its reputation on 'Asian American fusion', Nobu does a Black Cod with Miso whose recipe should be locked in a vault, never changed, and considered a national treasure: YUM! Wolfgang's signature salmon pizza with caviar was scrumptious and fit for, well, a diva... naturally!

Cohorts K., T., M. and I also spent a 'morning after' Blood Mary brunch at Caesar's poolside, where the scenery was... er... brief, let's say. Click here to check out K.'s blog (fun reading!) for your viewing pleasure. And I say "pleasure" in the sense of: eeeek! Little did we know, at that very moment, Britney and Kevin were there, too, promoting his new CD at club Pure.Good thing we didn't know or I might have had to spit up a hairball.

Anyone who's been to Vegas recently must realize that it's now retail mecca... and who are K. and I to fight the tide, right? We started to drag poor T. and M. through the Forum Shops, all 87 newly extended levels -- but alas, they do not have the super-shopper constitutions of K. and I, and they left. Imagine! Click here again to read K.'s account of our conversations during our marathon afternoon of browsing -- and yes OF COURSE buying (shhhhh, don't tell my landlord). Suffice it to say that K. and I are not allowed in retail environments together anymore -- until we find a source of unlimited wealth. Sugar daddies anyone??

After our over-indulgent weekend, Monday and Tuesday were filled with traipsing the trade show, working the booth, and hawking electronics: sell, sell, sell! However, anyone who has ever been to any show knows that the REAL wheeling and dealing and, er, 'bonding with colleagues and clients' (ya, that's it, ehem) takes place after hours, at endless rounds of receptions and corporate parties. NAB is no exception and we vote that the best party was Monday night's Hawaiian-themed Harris bash at the House of Blues. C'mon ... who wouldn't love rockin' out to a great band, sippin' killer Tequila Sunrises, and sportin' some seriously deranged pink flamingo glasses.

Monday night was also a personal fave as your EverydayDiva got to live out her 'celebrity poker maven' fantasy. Thanks to new poker pal D., who dragged me into the private poker room at the Monte Carlo, yours truly played real live Vegas poker with the big boys. OK, medium boys. No, I didn't have a hat. No, I wasn't wearing shades. Yes, it was only a 2-dollar table. BUT I WAS WINNING. For a while. Then I lost. A bunch. Sigh. To my 'backers', D. and R. -- one more hand??? Hey, it's Vegas, baby!

We ended our Sin City sojourn with a Tuesday night trip to GhostBar at the Palms. Slightly past its prime, it's still a hip spot and you can't beat the sparkly nighttime view of Vegas from the rooftop. Overpriced cocktails and underdressed Fashionista dancers (only in Vegas can you promote a show where "fashion" equates with "porno in spandex and vinyl" ... though the boy(s) certainly appreciated it... ehem), it was a cool scene and a groovy ending to a fun-filled biz trip.

Ah, the desert oasis of Vegas. I think I'm ready to go back ... in about a year.

Too much Vegas, baby!!