Winter In The Desert Oasis - Part Five

Wednesday:

After Tuesday morning's transportation debacle, I decided to pony up for a $15 cab ride from Bally’s to Mandalay Bay. I enjoyed some oatmeal with brown sugar and washed it down with OJ at my "favorite" new restaurant Red White and Blue.

Before the trip, some of my colleagues had discussed the idea of having a Big Dinner preceding our Big Night Out at Pure Nightclub in Caesars Palace. I took the initiative to find a place and eventually settled on Joe's Seafood and Steak, conveniently located at the Forum Shops in Caesars. I had hoped I would be able to get my other nine associates to confirm by noon so that I would not be held liable for the reservation.  would be a better choice. I had hoped that I would be able to catch up with everyone by noon Wednesday so I could cancel the reservation without liability. By 11:55am, I was able to catch up to all but one younger colleague who was already stretching his budget.

I had rarely been to the Forum Shops so I really didn’t have a clue how to get to Joe’s. The rest of my Mandalay Bay crew had even less of a clue and got out of their taxi at the main Caesars Palace entrance. We would find out later there was a taxi drop-off at the Forum Shops as well. (That’s Learning Experience #5.) In the end, we all managed to get there at 6:45, fifteen minutes later than our reservation time. Fortunately this wasn’t a problem as we had to wait another ten minutes for our table, anyway.

Joe’s is probably most famous for its stone crabs. A few of my colleagues put that reputation to the test. I ordered the petite filet mignon which was very good. We all shared a bunch of sides including some creamed corn that I believe someone here suggested. While I’ve been accused more than a few times of being “corny”, I’m not particular fond of corn but I gave it a shot nonetheless. I won’t say that I loved it but I managed to take a few bites which were a couple bites more than usual. In the end, our bill averaged around $40 per person which pleased everyone. In fact, they toasted me for my  Big Dinner choice which made me feel really good! We had about a half hour to casually make our way over for the next destination: Pure Nightclub.
As a guy in his forties, I like to think that I keep up pretty well with contemporary pop, hip-hop and dance music. However, as a teetotaler who prefers to dance with his lady or at least ladies that I already know, I seem to be incompatible with today’s nightclub scene, particularly in Las Vegas.

I was looking forward to checking out Pure not only because of all the perennial hype but also because it was supposed to be one of the larger clubs in the city. As it turns out, they cordoned off a fair amount of it besides the main floor, including the balcony area I had hoped to check out for a cool view of the Strip. Nonetheless, I had a good time. I did shock a couple of my friends when I told them that the seat we were sitting in would probably cost us hundreds if not thousands of dollars on a normal night. I also thought to myself that about 90% of the people at the function – friendly but not necessarily “beautiful” and averaging fortysomething – would probably not get in Pure at all without reserving bottle service.

Of the ten of us, seven had their fill after about an hour and either headed back to MB or further explored the Strip. That left me, one of my lady colleagues and the young guy. While Young Guy got his drink on, the lady and I hit the dance floor. At one point, we each recognized some other acquaintances and danced and chatted with them as well. Around midnight, the function broke up and my lady colleague and her friend caught a cab back to Mandalay Bay while I walked my other friend to her cab. I dragged my poor legs home, tired but satisfied.

As hinted at earlier, Pure is typical of the more popular Vegas nightclub in that its barriers to entry favor those who are ready to "party like rock stars. They are usually at two of the following: younger (below 30), affluent (to reserve expensive bottle service and the included rare seating) and fashionable (read: slim). A person of size who had not made said prior table reservations could find themselves waiting in the queue for a particularly long time. Fortunately there are many nightlife venues which, while perhaps less sophisticated and celebrity-laden, are more welcoming to all sorts of people.