STEVEN SPILLS © 113
SHARING THE EXPERIENCE
I’m bringing you all the dish, dirt and detail of my recent trip to Sin City. Escape with me if you will to the adult playground Las Vegas. Arriving on Saturday afternoon, the husband and I checked in to our ultra-sleek accommodations at Palms Place. Floor to ceiling windows gave us quite a spectacular view of the Strip from a far. Palms Resort and Casino is up the street away from the Strip which is both good and bad for the Sin City traveler. Good, because you’re not in the chaotic bustle of Strip traffic and can get in and out of the three towers with plenty of self-parking in front of the resort. Bad, because you miss much of the feeling one gets by being in the hustle of the Las Vegas Strip, the energy and power of the neon above you.
At Palms Place, the accommodations are co-op so the condo-style of our hotel room with expansive kitchen was in keeping with the fact that it was a timeshare owned condominium. Unfortunately the balcony doors didn’t open which was such a tease! Explained by our bellman that with the lower than norm room rates found at the Palms and Palms Place becoming more known and possible, younger crowds came in and wreaked havoc by tossing bottles off balconies, etc. He admitted that business had waned slightly once they locked them up.
We wandered over to Palms for dinner at Little Buddha which has fed us before. Sushi and sake, naturally. The concierge got us great reservations! Later in the evening the grand opening of Palm Springs personality Michael Crisp’s newest premiere LGBTQ hotspot, Share Nightclub and Ultra Lounge was happening nearby so we figured Palms Place was a good choice in home for the night. Plus, the city of Las Vegas was giving an official proclamation celebrating Share Weekend so we HAD to be there.
Share Nightclub and Ultra Lounge opened in the finale of last year but their grandest of openings that happened on Saturday evening was, as they say, Spectacular! Spectacular! The crowds were packed up inside the new LGBTQ destination with scantily clad dancers busting-a-move on platforms and inside private cabanas upstairs. You see, Share Nightclub boasts the fierce fact that they have an adult entertainment license so the go-go and shot boys are able to really go the extra mile to please the clientele. I was ready for some (first and only Showgirls reference) Nomi Malone action, trust. A few of the dancers did make us feel quite welcomed.
There was quite a scroll of celebrities set to appear. During our out-later-than-normal-for-us evening at Share I observed comedian Ross Matthews who was hosting the event and looking svelte and lean. Carson Kressley, who I saw nose buried in his smartphone being led through the Palms Place lobby earlier, now busy being dragged around Share by an entourage of photographers. Adam Bouska and his NOH8 campaign was busy applying logo tattoos on faces and taking portraits for equality awareness. Everyone’s spirits were up and fabulous all night!
Drag superstar and Las Vegas darling Frank Marino and his Divas Las Vegas cast came barreling in and caused quite a stir in the VIP area, bulbs flashing. Luciana was smashing in green glitz and getting ready to perform her smash “I’m Still Hot.” Q Vegas editor Benjamin Lemkie was sexy to the core while a smathering of Palm Springs locals trekked over in support looking for a good time. That’s just to name a few! Michael Crisp really knows what works. When it comes to an elite nightclub experience, Share Nightclub and Ultra Lounge is where you want to be in Sin City! Could a Share Ultra Resort and Casino be next?!
Sunday we moved over to The Cosmopolitan where our amazing Terrace Suite on the 49th floor overlooked the magnificent Bellagio fountains. Impeccable service and class all the way is always found at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. After a delicious dinner at Scapetta, we caught the 9 o’clock show of Vegas: The Show at Planet Hollywood across the street. Offering everything one thinks symbolic of Las Vegas, the fabulous show is chock full of strong vocalists, high on hard choreography done to perfection by sexy male dancers and lead showgirl Tara who shines brightest in the newest must-see production on the Strip. A great finale to an amazing trip.
LUV THIS SHOW!
TRUE VEGAS ON STAGE!
, ever-popular Laura Croft and cutie Josh Strickland to mention just a few. Oh, and a cadre international media flying in (again – that’s me!) for the event. Share has an adult entertainment license so they are able to get away, err, provide more service than say other clubs. The website says to ask the Shot Boys for “anything” and you shall receive. I’m living for that! I want the full experience, Ultra Lounge and Private Cabana filled good time. The event benefits not only the NOH8 Campaign but the 
(of the Pussycat Dolls), 
and 
among many others. Check out the website for the real Tea or hang in the lobby of host hotel Riviera and find you some!
starts and start lip-syncing like it’s all planned. You (CeCe) will tip out (strut, walk) the crowd will go up. Motion will look at you and you will say something like “Girl, you need to press.” Motion will walk off and you sing. CeCe just squealed at my use of “press” and I believe stole the phrase from me.
! Always have, always will. OK, with that said, let’s dig into the ultimate sin of having your cake and eating it, too! This is how I celebrated my birthday — my way, in Sin City during the New Years’ holiday.
Fergie strutting her “Fergaliciousness” at Mirage, 
bringing her diva style to RPM Nightclub at Tropicana and Kim Kardashian collecting her $600,000 paycheck at TAO at The Venetian for ringing in NYE.
and Chanel iPhone cases at special deals “because it was a slow night.” The Strip called us back outside and we were off to enjoy a birthday ritual of shameless plunges into sushi and sake oblivion back at The Cosmopolitan.
I used to love walking the long hallways of the MGM as a child looking at the Hollywood movie stars portraits that hung perfectly between hotel doors and iconic lion logo in the carpets and on doorhandles. I was often left alone with a few hundred dollars to fend for myself while my dad would hit it to the casino and could sometimes feel the eyes of the pictures follow me as I walked alone to our room. There was a memorabilia shop downstairs that I spent most of my money in buying Marilyn Monroe photos before having ice cream at Swensen’s Grill down the way. I loved the MGM Grand as an impressionable child and playing Keno during breakfast with my parents was always a thrill. I still love finding one of the more established (translation: older) hotels that still have a Keno board and Keno girls walking around taking bets.
