Huddled inside the Luxor hotel-casino, three newly minted
21-year-olds are big on dreams but short on know-how. The girls
want to play blackjack, but where do they get the chips?
Leslie Berlin, a junior at Vanderbilt University, shrugs off their
inexperience and throws her arms around her best friends.
“We’re gambling virgins!” And so the odyssey begins for the
barely legal in this city of megajackpot dreams and sinful
excesses, the destination for those seeking their first legal drink
and roll of the dice. After all, what better place to celebrate
turning 21 than the town that turns on 21?
Whether it’s that last party before getting hitched or actually
doing the deed in one of the area’s dozens of wedding chapels, Sin
City is a rite of passage for tens of thousands each year.
And for many of those celebrating their 21st birthday, this desert
oasis has become America’s must-see party ground.
“In Las Vegas, every night is a Saturday night,” says Jenn
Michaels, vice president of public relations for MGM Mirage. “It’s
always a party.”
For the visitors from Vanderbilt, it truly is a Saturday night in
Vegas. Sashaying through the crowd in skirts that would make a
cheerleader blush, they enjoy the moment.
“I’ve been waiting for this day my whole life,” says Ellen
Africano, a pre-nursing student who turned 21 the day before.
Spotting a nearly empty blackjack table, the young women sit down
and nervously pull out a few twenties, giggling.
“I’m scared they’re going to laugh at us,” Africano whispers.
Holding out the money to the dealer, which is a minor casino faux
pas, they are quickly asked for their IDs.
“It’s the skirt,” Berlin says. “It makes me look 12.”
The dealer motions for them to place their money on the table and
casts a wary eye at the little plastic cards. An all-access pass in
Sin City, IDs guarantee a seat at the table of indulgence.
“You can’t get in anywhere unless you’re 21,” says Sarah
Pachtman, a Vanderbilt senior. “It’s the hardest of the hard to
get in. It’s the holy grail of IDs. Nothing but the real thing
works.”
The heady rush of a spinning roulette wheel. The buzz of asking a
bartender for a rum and coke. The ease of getting into a club with
a legitimate ID. It all makes for a winning combination in this
city of all-nighters and anything-goes attitudes.
But why has Las Vegas become the place to be and be seen for
21-year-olds?
“Sin is in. Skin is in,” says Anthony Curtis, editor of Las Vegas
Advisor, a consumer newsletter that tracks casino promotions and
gambling trends.
Curtis says Las Vegas always has drawn those crashing into
adulthood, although the city has seen a boost in recent years
thanks to Hollywood.
There was that salacious season of MTV’s “The Real World,” in
which a group of twentysomethings lived it up at the Palms
hotel-casino. Then there was “Ocean’s Eleven,” in which George
Clooney and Brad Pitt evoked the old-school cool of vintage Vegas.
And most recently, NBC’s show “Las Vegas” has captured audiences
with its sexy plot lines and even sexier cast.
“When somebody turns 21, they feel like all the boundaries are
broken. They’re going to drink and party and start their adult
life, and what better place to do that than in Vegas?” Curtis
says.
New York may be the city that never sleeps, but the tick-tock of
the Vegas party clock is unrelenting. The girls from Vanderbilt
leave gambling behind as they head to the MGM Grand hotel-casino
and Tabu, a chic club that bills itself as “ultra lounge.” With
European house music blaring in the background, the girls empty a
bottle of vodka and dance on the table (it’s encouraged).
“Las Vegas has every vice that exists,” says Candace Carrell, the
club’s general manager.
The girls are ready for their next adventure so they head to the
club of all nightclubs – Studio 54, where everyone dares to be
decadent. Re-created in all its sinful glory, Studio 54 is one of
the oldest of the trendy clubs on the Strip.
Its promise of “erotically delicious entertainers” is too much
for most to ignore. On this night, the club is packed and those
lined up 100-deep are drawn to the staccato rhythms emanating from
the three-story club.
“There’s something magical and surreal about Las Vegas. There’s
something magical and surreal about doing something you were never
supposed to,” Africano says. “And when you put the two of them
together, it’s awesome.”
Standing in line, the girls dance and sing along to “I Love Rock
‘n’ Roll,” blaring from nearby speakers. The line inches ahead,
moving one step closer to the promise of lost inhibitions.
At Studio 54, the bouncers automatically ask the girls for their
ID. Berlin, who turned 21 two weeks before flying to Vegas, doesn’t
hesitate. The card is her ticket to freedom.
“It feels worry-free,” she says.
The doorman ushers the young ladies through the line.
“This is where all the walls come down,” he says. “It’s the
ultimate place for the ultimate sins.”
It’s well after midnight when the trio gets inside. They work their
way through the crowd, head to the bar and later the dance floor,
where the bump-and-grind never ends and includes more than a few
gropes and grabs.
But even the party-hardy eventually run out of steam. After
watching one girl get sick on the bar, Pachtman heads back to the
hotel. Berlin and Africano soon follow.
Her feet aching, Africano has a moment of indecision. She is torn
over whether she should take her shoes off and walk barefoot – a
frequent sight as the sun rises over the Strip.
“My mom always said a real girl never takes off her shoes,”
Africano says.
In the end, her feet win out. But moments later a young woman,
apparently struggling with the same decision, walks by and tells
her friend, “See? She’s not wearing shoes.” Horrified, Africano
quickly puts her shoes back on.
“I would rather bleed than be trashy,” she says. “We had the
most gangsta night in my 21 years of existence.”
Berlin smiles and throws her arm around her best friend. “At least I wasn’t the girl vomiting on the bar.”
Vegas’ hottest nights
Monday: The House of Blues Foundation Room at Mandalay Bay Hotel –
the only night the exclusive club is open to the public.
Tuesday: The Palms Casino Resort is your ticket. Start off at Skin,
the poolside lounge, then go to the 55th floor to chill at the
MTV-famous Ghost Bar (pictured below).
Wednesday: Mandalay Bay’s China Grill turns into the Dragon Lounge
for a good hump-day party. Baby’s at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
is still a hip night.
Thursday: V Bar at the Venetian Hotel for a funk and soul night or
Ra at the Luxor for hip-hop.
Friday: Tab, the MGM Grand lounge where you can dance on coffee
tables, is a hit. So is the huge nightclub, Rain, at the Palms.
Saturday: Tab is a winner again. Risque, the new ultra-lounge at
the Paris Las Vegas, has deep house and progressive music in one
room, hip-hop in another.
Sunday: Light at the Bellagio Hotel is the winner, but it’s a good
idea to get your start at V Bar for a sexy neo-soul and reggae
night.
