It's About People

After seeing U2 on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, we had four days between shows. Some of the crew left for home; other friends were just arriving. People came from as far as Australia; we had some from Texas, Arizona, Boston, Colorado, and several from the DC area, among other places. Many of us had met in New Zealand and Australia for the 2019 Joshua Tree tour. It was thrilling to meet up again.

The only two times I ate out in Vegas were on Tuesday and Thursday of the second week - we had kitchens in our rooms that were bigger than mine in DC. Other than ordering pizza a couple of times before shows, we mostly ate at our temporary home. I, of course, also had my daily frozen daiquiri by the pool, because although I was working, I was also on a trip, and there was a pool, and it was hot, and by god, I was going to enjoy it, even if I had to take the laptop to the pool, which I did.

The prior Tuesday I had cooked Guinness stuffed cabbage and mashed potatoes with Irish spices for at least ten people, who all came to our hotel for the dinner that I insisted on cooking. The Irish theme was for U2, of course, as that is why we were there. It was definitely a challenge; I didn't have the right utensils or enough pots and had to use the same one to boil rice, two large heads of cabbage (separately, because they were so big), and potatoes. (Needless to say, it took much longer than I had anticipated.) I had brought my spices for the dishes with me, and we instacarted the rest. The meatballs were made with an Irish spice blend, fresh mint, worcestershire, and Guinness, with plenty of garlic and onions that had first been sauteed in olive oil. My tomato sauce was much of the same ingredients with fennel seeds added. I was winging it, but judging from everyone's reactions, I think I pulled it off.

 

 

The Formula 1 track early on

Although you can walk around with an open container, they don't have alcohol delivery in Nevada, so earlier in the day I had to trek to a liquor store and carry back 12 bottles of Guinness (what I was drinking that night), darting across the street that was nearly closed because it was becoming a Formula 1 track. It did end up closing completely and cars had to use the back entrance to the hotel, and it took double the time to walk to the Strip after that, which had been only a 15 minute walk. I don't know how people aren't rioting in the streets over what they've done to the city. Apparently it is taking employees on the Strip an extra four hours to commute, and they have to use the Monorail to get there because the streets are now completely closed off for the race next weekend. They ripped out trees at the Bellagio to put up the stands - I never once actually saw the hotel's famous fountains. And supposedly the people of Las Vegas have to do this every year for the next decade.

On Tuesday we went to a Mexican restaurant and Thursday it was French in Fake Paris. After the Mexican food I set out to find a place to watch the baseball playoffs while others went to a show. As Treasure Island was the first place I found it on, I stopped. But I was in hell. It was a smoky country bar where three rather unattractive women were line dancing to songs about how much city people suck. I drank my one beer and got the hell out of there. When I asked someone if they knew of a sports bar, they directed me to what passes for a sports bar in that town - a sports betting establishment. Didn't matter, as there were people watching baseball because they were fans, and that's where I parked until the end of the game. 

That night ended with me confronting a racist asshole at the bar, a guy who bragged about how he would bet $1500 in one go but complained that the $6 beer was too expensive. I was floored by the casual racism I encountered in my three weeks out west. I know I live in a bubble, but at least I am aware of that. Still, white people just coming out and saying racist things because they think I'll accept it because I'm also white was something of a culture shock. One time a guy asked me if DC had a lot of "colored people." Another time a guy freely used the word "negro." I won't get into the specifics of what else they said; there's enough to be outraged about without me piling it on. It's astounding how it has become acceptable for white people to say the things I guess they thought in silence in the past. I guess people need someone else to blame for their shitty lives, so they lash out at everyone else that doesn't look like them. You can thank Criminal 1 for that.

The night after the French dinner was much better, when two friends I had met in Australia (who live near me) and I went to a Bourbon Street themed bar for a bit while others went to a show. We had just been to Fake Paris and now we were in Fake New Orleans, but at that point I had learned to accept the fakeness of everything and just enjoy it. There was a live band that was fun and the drinks came with little skulls or in flask bottles so there were fun little surprises.

Fake Paris by day

Fantastic fish dish

Skull drinks on drum table

I had stayed one more day than I had intended, partly because those two were arriving on Thursday and partly because I hadn't really had any free days in Vegas because I was working. I picked up my rental car and went to the Botanical Gardens before our French dinner. The next morning I would set out for a different kind of adventure in the American desert.

The time was flying by; the first part was already over.

Random window display in Treasure Island