Viva Las Vegas!

(Or, What Happens In The Elevator Stays In Vegas)


No, sugar-pie, Auntie hasn’t forgotten you. First we went away, and then I spent a few days trying to make sense of it all.

The weather wasn't bad, it never got above 104F. The food was good. There was quite a bit of it and it was different enough from what you’ve already read here before that I think I could make it interesting… but no. Maybe later. Maybe not at all. We’ll see.

You want to hear about something fun and new and Auntie has just the ticket. You all know what dinner theater is, well, this trip we perfected the art of Elevator Theater. It’s basically the same thing, without the food and the singing.

(Remember, there was NO singing. Dignity was maintained within reasonable expectation.)

Think about it: I’m a writer of comedy and he’s an improvisational comic. Our room was on the 34th floor. The hotel was fairly crowded, which meant that every ride provided a fresh audience, and plenty of new material to work with. Let me say for the record, watching someone pretend not to listen and then try not to laugh is even better than making someone laugh straight out. Try it yourself, you’ll see.

That's enough about that. This trip was about people. We saw many friends, though we missed two of the nicest.

My thing was asking couples if they’d like a photo of both of them. You know, when we’d see one taking a shot of the other (“of”, not “at”) I’d step in. One couple thought I was about to assault them. Another acted as if I was going to ask for spare change. Even the rudest ones ended up chasing after me and saying “please”. One couple was so sweet I hope I never forget them.

Story: I’d taken a mediocre picture of an elderly German couple. Oh, it was composed more exquisitely than most postcards, and in razor-sharp focus, but it wasn’t flattering. The people looked frumpy-dumpy and way too serious. I could do better. Their smiles came out after they saw it. They were so happy, they didn’t want me to re-shoot. They thanked me so warmly that I walked away thinking I’ve been in LA for too long if I think a picture has to be pretty to have value.