I had to cancel a number of friend dates recently because I was in Vegas. People assumed Iād partied too hard during my trip. But I didnāt drink alcohol or take edibles. I didnāt stay out late. I didnāt gamble. I didnāt go to shows. I didnāt walk The Strip. I didnāt even go to the pool. I wasnāt there to have āfun.ā I just wanted to lounge in a fancy hotel suite for a day. During the summer, prices drop because of the extreme heat. And Abe wanted to see the NBA Summer League there. So off we went, for less than 24 hours.
The real reason I couldnāt keep my post-Vegas appointments: we ate out for all our meals, and I was in pain from the gluten cross contamination. Lame.
Iāve had celiac for a few years now and my sensitivity hasnāt gotten better; this has turned into a common risk of traveling for me and why I donāt like to be away from home for long. I know I could have prepped better; I could have tried to find a grocery store, I couldāve asked for a refrigerator, I couldāve made a bigger stink with the servers to let the kitchen know about my allergy, I couldāve packed more gluten-free food in my suitcase, I couldāve rinsed the cut fruit salad from Bouchon in my hotel bathroom sink before eating it. But I didnāt want to be so rigid for this short trip. I already wasnāt doing all the Vegas-y stuff; I wanted to at least enjoy some overpriced meals and eat more than protein bars and jerky. I do regret it now, but I also know I was sort of in an environment that was out of my control.
I spent most of the day in said fancy suite, and then walked around the mall/casino/lobbies that connected the Palazzo to the Venetian hotels. I had been slightly worried that the A/C might break because there had been a heat warning ā like summers in NYC, where one random subway carās cooling unit broke. But every single place we entered operated as if 110 degree weather was perfectly normal. It was like indoors, we were on another planet. I even wore a sweatshirt.
I may not love Vegas, but Iāll give it this: itās memorable. I vividly remember all my previous visits: A wedding. A birthday. An anniversary party. Canvassing for Obama. A lesbian convention. As I walked around the casino at 8am and noticed the slot gamblers pounding Red Bull and vodka between pulls, I caught a glimpse of my former self. The one in my 20ās who also chain smoked and desperately wanted a dopamine hit first thing in the morning. The one who danced at clubs til 2am and dressed up in heels for a multi-course meal (chefās choice). The one so very far from me today but still feels familiar. I wonder who Iāll be in another few decades, how much my body and lifestyle will change again. How often Iāll even be back to this city.
Well, itāll be soon, because upon return I got an invite to my cousinās wedding and found out my friends are moving there. I know traveling has its risks, but I guess thatās just Vegas, baby. Or maybe itās just life.
