#VivaLavelle

You know how I know I'm getting old? It's Wednesday and I'm still recovering from my weekend. Oh, and I don't even drink.

This weekend, I packed my bags and traveled to Las Vegas for a dear friend's bachelorette party. Even though I took Friday off work for the occasion, the weekend seemed to fly by and I was headed back home before I could even double down on my hand. Just kidding - I don't gamble, either.

So, why does a non-drinker, non-gambler like me love Vegas so much? Let me show you.

Since I arrived so late on Thursday night, the action didn't really start until Friday morning. There were 12 of us in total, so rather than try to stay somewhere on the Strip, we decided to get an AirBnB about ten minutes away. This turned out to be a brilliant decision. We paid a fraction of the price to have an entire house to ourselves - complete with an in-ground pool, gorgeous patio area, massive kitchen, multiple bedrooms and bathrooms, a washer and dryer, a pool and foosball table, plenty of common areas for us to congregate, and no neighbors to annoy.

Since the weather was nice on Friday, we decided to hit some pools on the Strip. First, we ventured to the Aria, but after a while, some of us decided that the vibe there was a bit too low-key. The Aria also has a "club-like" pool called the Liquid Pool Lounge, but we weren't too impressed with it, either. There was a DJ, but the highlight of pool was definitely the giant duck floaties.

At this point, half of the group broke off in search of a more happenin' pool party. We found it at the Marquee Dayclub at the Cosmopolitan. The pools at Marquee are actually housed within a greenhouse-like dome, so we were instantly overwhelmed with both stifling heat and sound waves. A DJ was playing at the far side of the dome while jets of mist and bubbles periodically shot out over the crowded pools and bars. We settled in and I commenced with some excellent people-watching. I'll leave the rest of the afternoon to your imagination because, as you know, what happens in Vegas sometimes does stay in Vegas.

After some much-needed rest and recovery (and pizza!) back at the house, we rallied and headed back to the Strip for Frank Marino's Divas at the Linq. Although it's a close call, this drag show, which is actually the longest-running show in Vegas at 31 years, may have been my favorite thing we did all weekend. Performers in drag came out and impersonated/lip-synced along with some of the most famous female singers of all time, including Madonna, Cher, Diana Ross, Adele, Liza Minnelli, Patti LaBelle, Whitney Houston, Dolly Parton, and Celine Dion. In between performers, the host would come out (in a different, elaborate outfit every time) and do a stand-up routine for a few minutes. It was incredibly entertaining and the crowd was super energetic. My favorite performance of the night, however, actually came from the host when he lip-synced along with Charles Aznavour's "What Makes a Man" while slowly undressing, taking off his wig and makeup, and changing into pants and a button-down shirt. It was incredibly thought-provoking and definitely gave you more of an insight and appreciation into the art.

Once the show was over, we made our way back to the Aria (via monorail and taxi) because Lil Jon was doing a concert at Jewel Nightclub. If you ever have the opportunity to go to Vegas for a bachelorette party, I highly recommend it - You get to do so many things for free. After a short wait, we found ourselves on the upper level of the club, jockeying for position along the rail that overlooked the lower level. Eventually, Lil Jon came out and commenced a two-hour show where he played countless hip-hop and rap songs, including his own, from the DJ booth. Oh, and it wouldn't be Vegas without two scantily clad dancers there to top it off.

Unbeknownst to us, we were actually locked down inside the Aria for a while during the show because four idiots wearing pig masks decided to rob a jewelry store in the Bellagio using sledgehammers. You never know what's going to happen in Vegas and that trend definitely continued into the next day of our visit...