Vegas; a gas

A weekend press trip to Las Vegas lured me across the border, but it wasn't money I gambled on.

Stayed at the Mandalay Bay; excellent! Saw shows and went to a few pool parties. Unfortunately, San Francisco weather came with me, and there was no need for the SPF 4000 sunscreen.


Despite the clouds, the city shimmered and shimmied. Spas, food, drinks! Drag shows! More on that later. Note: the photo below is not meant to be 'ironic' in any sense. Wheelchair and scooter-using people were enjoying themselves all over town. The promenades, stairs, all have equally glimmering elevators and ramps. But, yeah, it's an interesting comparison.

But what really gleamed brightest for me, personally, was in a little bookshop off the strip, Get Booked. I did a reading and Q&A there last week. If you're in need of sexy cards, fancy underpants, books, or those certain items you don't want scanned by TSA, it's the place. It's also near several gay bars.

Proprietors Wes and Raul welcomed me with a great group of people, and the wish that I'd brought more books! It was great to catch up with a few friends, and bought a batch of discounted out-of-print FotoFactory postcards, Mel Roberts' "California Boys."

I'll have a feature about the whole schmageggie in the August BARtab.