Las Vegas, USA
Introduction
Glitzy, bright, and more than slightly surreal, Vegas is truly a destination unlike any other. One of the gambling capitals of the world, tourist life is generally kept to the “strip”, which is basically a screen-set city within a city. These blocks of mega-hotels along Las Vegas Blvd. run the gamut from the pirate themed Treasure Island to the French-inspired Paris (complete with its replica Eiffel Tower) to New York, New York (guess what that one’s based on) or the pyramid shaped Luxor hotel. Tourists basically never leave the strip, and Vegas residents usually only go there for work.
Everything in Vegas is fake and over-the-top, but that’s what it’s meant to be. That’s also why people either love it or hate it, and it seems like a lot of lesbians (at least American lesbians), have got that lovin’ feeling. A recent study by Community Marketing (a major American LGBT marketing and research company) shows that Vegas is the number one travel destination for Gen-X and baby boomer lesbians, and a close second for Gen-Y lesbians. So what’s the attraction???
There’s really not much of a lesbian nightlife in Sin City, but honestly, who goes to Vegas for that? In Vegas it’s all about entertainment, shopping and gambling, three things the ladies tend to enjoy. The first time my honey and I went, we unintentionally had one of the most lesbian vacations ever: we saw a totally hot Parisian burlesque show (the Crazy Horse); took a helicopter ride to the Grand Canyon (and saw the cliff Thelma and Louise drove off!); checked out the queerest mainstream production ever (Cirque de Soleil’s Zumanity); ate at the lesbian-owned Border Grill; went to a gun range and shot both a Glock and an AK-47 (hey, we’re Canadian and this seemed slightly insane and worth a try because it’s totally illegal where we come from. We just pretended we were either a: Jodie Foster in Silence of the Lambs b: Signourney Weaver in Aliens or c: Mariska Hargitay in Law and Order); played a Texas Hold’em tournament (well, I think the word “tournament” explains it all there); and went outlet shopping (yaay, designer duds at cheap prices! You know the lesbians love a deal!)
That said, if you’re looking for some lesbian clubbing, there are a few options, mainly near the so-called “Fruit Loop” a few blocks off of the strip by Paradise and Naples streets. These nights happen either early in the week or on the weekend. During the early week parties, it’s very much for the locals. On weekends, it tends to be more for tourists and younger locals. Local gays and lesbians don’t usually go out on Friday or Saturday because so many of them work in the service industry. With casinos and restaurants open 24 hours-a-day, 7 days-a-week, they’re usually on-the-job during the busy, money-making weekends.
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