Community? WIIFM?
Ah Derby Day, how glorious you are. I love it all, the hats, the roses, the horses, and predictably: the juleps! And today, in typical Vegas fashion, I got it all, and comped! The Hilton is a great place to watch sporting events. Fair enough, I haven’t been to Lagasse Stadium, but I can say that for football season anyway, when the Hilton converts their main showroom into a giant living room with a huge screen, salty pretzels, cheap beer and Jim Beam give aways that no one pays attention to, it is the best in town. And while the Derby party wasn’t quite as exciting as Super Bowl party, it did have its upside in the form of the Maker’s Mark guy who gave away hats and fabulous silver cups in which to drink the excellent Mint Juleps from the bar.
The Drinker didn’t have time to bet, which was just as well, because while Super Saver was my bet to win, I was sentimentally attached to Line of David and would have lost what I won on Super Saver on Line of David so in the end it was a wash, except I’m now up four of the aforementioned silver cups (It really does make a difference, drinking out of the proper cup. For more of this check out Herbs and Rye, down on Sahara- excellent bartenders and brilliant copper cups!)
And, as if the day couldn’t get any better, I had a Vegas revelation. I was already familiar with the WIIFM or “what’s in it for me” which is practically Vegas’ motto. (People ask what it’s like living in Vegas, I say “Have you ever seen Deadwood? It’s Deadwood with more showering.”)
I was introduced to WIIFM by the son of a gentleman for whom I was doing some non-profit work. I sat down to lunch with the kid to see if he might help us out with the organization, an organization for a disease from which his father suffers. No sooner had our order been taken than he looked at me and asked, in all earnestness “Okay, but what’s the WIIFM?”
As soon as the words were out of his mouth, it hit him what he had done and he, thank goodness, did seem somewhat mortified. “I’m sorry, it’s just the way we think here.” He thought about that for a moment, promised to help with the cause and promptly stopped taking my calls.
So, okay fine, WIIFM, got it. Then, though an offhanded comment, another piece fell into place. Someone told me “Everyone in Vegas works like they are VIP hosts”. (With few exceptions, a VIP host is basically a glorified promoter.) And holy hell, ain’t it the truth. Now, I’m sure there are those of you out there saying “Wow, DayDrinker’s a little late to the realization party.” And yes, I am, and yes, I am ashamed of that, but you see, I grew up in a place where manners meant something, I actually got a “consideration” grade when I was younger, so the idea that someone would invite you to a party, just to have another warm body in the room, and not even bother to have a five minute conversation with you is beyond. But not anymore. Now I get it.
It’s interesting, because every now and again, Vegas wrings its hands and wonders why it doesn’t have “a sense of community”. This is why. This right here. If only there had been some sort of prize for having figured that out! I think the mayor should at least buy me a martini.
But again, in my flowing spirit, Jesus, it sounds like the DayDrinker is on the rag with all this flow business. Anyway, in keeping with the realignment with the universal spirit and whatnot, ending on a positive note, I will say again what a wonderfully good job the bar at the Hilton did with that Mint Julep, one drink and I had the most delightful afternoon rest (you say blackout, I say nap, let’s call the whole thing off) upon my homecoming.
