Thursday, October 9, 2008

What happens in Vegas...



I spent most of Monday alone in a city of over one million. I can’t say I really like being alone nor can I say that I dislike it. Like a lot of moms, I haven’t been alone enough to have an opinion either way. Regardless, that is the situation I found myself in, having tagged along on my husband’s business trip to Las Vegas.

At first, I felt strange wandering through the crowded casinos and shops. It didn’t take me long to get over it, however, as there is not a better people watching place on Earth. Las Vegas is a voyeurs’ paradise.

I wasn’t the only one solo. And I couldn’t help but ask who are these people sitting alone at the slot machines at 9 a.m.? Have they been there all night? All week? Where are their families? My imagination flew--Vegas is great for writer’s block.

As I explored, I couldn’t help but notice the many couples, both old and young, some just married, bright-eyed and excited, and some lifelong partners, comfortable and contented. Of course, there were some that I wouldn’t dare speculate on. They don’t call it Sin City for nothing.

I dined all by myself, too. My teenage daughter used to say that eating alone was only for losers. As I sipped a glass of wine at a 5-star restaurant, waiting on one of three waiters to deliver my appetizer of scallops, I thought one day she’ll realize how wonderful being a loser is!

After lunch, I shopped, did some more sightseeing, and visited the gym and pool, feeling completely invisible and wonderfully alone. My only pang of loneliness came when I happened upon the wax museum in our hotel lobby. I really wanted to have my photo taken with Nicholas Cage but couldn’t bring myself to ask a total stranger to snap a photo of me with a fake celebrity.

As for the rest of the trip, as the saying goes, “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas,” unless, of course, it ends up in my novel.

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