A day in the life of your Vegas blogger

By E.C. Gladstone

Doing a blog like this isn’t all fun and games, you know.  Okay, it is mostly fun and games.  But sometimes I can find myself clocking an awful lot of miles trying to look like I’m “relaxing.” Okay, no whining.  The point is, I thought it would be fun just to share one typically hectic day in my life with you all.  Let’s take the Friday before last…

I woke up in a spacious junior suite on one of the Palazzo’s upgraded Concierge levels. While Palazzo & Venetian have always been one of
my favorite LasVegas hotels on the Strip for many reasons, the Concierge level adds so much to the already high amenity level here (premium betting, motorized curtains, body jets in the shower, DVD player on one of two big flatscreens, multifunction Brother fax/scanner). Grabbing breakfast in the sprawling concierge lounge (a modest rate upgrade for 3 meals and evening cocktails, free DVD library and more), I caught up with news and e-mails using the free business
center computers before heading downstairs to the new Azure club pool.

In contrast to the other club pools here, Azure isspacious
and luxurious, with two pools, a big hot tub, lots of cabanas and daybeds,
passed amenities, signature cocktails, Wolfgang Puck food (stunning lobster
salad, drool-worthy hamburger), and even Canyon Ranch Spa services available.
Speaking of Canyon Ranch, I popped over to see Dana Scali, my favorite
aesthetician at the adjacent spa, who is her own best advertisement (how many Playboy models can you get a
facial from? Guess.), then did a tequila shot at Venetian’s crazy-hot club pool
TAO Beach with my friends Joe Vargas and hostess
Sharri.

No time to get distracted by bikinis and booze, though — since
it’s opening day of the World Series of Poker, my next stop was the Rio
convention center, where it all takes place (still going on — and free to
spectators) to wish my poker pro friend Jennifer Harman good luck in her first
of several tournaments (you did see my Top 10 Poker Rooms blog, right?) and then checked into the
Metro Suite at the Flamingo. I mentioned the Metro in last week’s blog, New Las Vegas hotel suites… there
are plenty of lavish suites in this town, but this one actually makes you feel
cooler just being in it. By pure luck, my old friend Max Burgos (who manages
comedian Eddie Izzard) is also playing in the tournament and can’t find a room.
Luckily, I have two (guess I’ll have to put off my plans to reenact The
Hangover).

Speaking of comedians, one of my favorites, Rocky Laporte, is
headlining at the Improv at Harrah’s (love his line about practicing to gamble
on the plane by flushing dollars down the toilet). But before that, I have a
champagne date in the new Krug room at Guy Savoy in Caesars Palace, an
ultra-exclusive collaborative experience with the famous champagne producers
(the first of its kind in the U.S. — only in Vegas indeed) within what is already
one of the world’s greatest restaurants. Unfortunately, I have to take charming
manager Franck Savoy’s rain check to stay for dinner, despite being plied with
several savory snacks from his gorgeous French hostess Ilona.

After Rocky’s
set, I meet Jessie Gibson, one of my independent promoter friends, for a drink
at Planet Hollywood’s sexycool StripHouse before helping him usher a group of
girls from Vancouver (Hi Amanda!) into Privé nightclub, one of whom manages to
upset a bouncer three times her weight and get ejected in less than an hour
(this is such a daily occurrence you wonder why these security guys are even
phased by it).

Ending my tourist outreach for the evening, I scoot to the
Mediterranean-themed Lavo at Palazzo, to meet up with adult actress Sasha Grey,
who’s hosting a party at the club tonight to celebrate her mainstream film The
Girlfriend Experience. Sasha, who couldn’t be more different off-screen, trades
notes with me on what to do tomorrow…and with that, 18 hours later, my day
finally ends! There’s a premium Metro suite bed with my name on it…

Insider Tip: Vegas has been busting out with do-it-yourself
experiences in cooking, massage, mixology, stand-up comedy (not to mention all
our karaoke bars) but this has to top them all: Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay is
now offering PADI/NAUI-certified scuba divers the chance to swim with the
sharks, while up to four friends watch.

Related Orbitz resources:

• Las Vegas hotels
• Jennifer Harman’s Top 10 Las Vegas poker rooms
• New Las Vegas hotel suites

A contributing editor at VEGAS Magazine, E. C. Gladstone also interviews top Strip entertainers, restauranteurs, moguls and behind-the-scenes players for other local and national publications and websites. Like many Las Vegans, he sleeps only when absolutely necessary.

Tagged: Family time, Las Vegas