There's nothing like a little cabin fever to encourage a night of mayhem and madness. A few weeks ago, I came down with a nasty cold/flu/SARS-thing that had been going around the office, and ended up staying home, feeling terrible and going to bed early every night for about two and a half weeks. When I finally started to feel human again this past Friday, I was more than ready for a night of drinks and fun.
Since it was Friday, I decided to join a couple of co-workers for an end-of-the-week pint at Fado Irish Pub in the Green Valley Ranch, our usual after-work spot since it's so close to the office, and because the 20-ounce beers go a long way toward soothing frayed nerves. By the time I had finished a couple of drinks, Sarah was almost done with a night of caffeine-slinging at Starbucks, so I went home to change and figure out where the two of us and our friend Sheena were going to go for the night. While I was getting dressed (actually, I was listening to Prince and jumping around the apartment half-dressed, but close enough), my friend Chris called to say he was headed to the Green Valley Ranch's Whiskey Bar with his friends Travis and James, who Sarah and I had met about a month ago at The Hofbrauhaus (Travis introduced himself by trying to lick us).
We hadn't seen Chris in weeks, Travis and James had already proven themselves to be fun to hang out with, and I hadn't been to Whiskey in quite a while, so it seemed like a great idea. Whiskey is definitely one of my favorite lounges in Las Vegas, and hands down the best in Green Valley. The décor is simple but modern, the vibe unpretentious, and the patio alone is worth the trip. Connected to the Ranch's pool, it's lined with huge beds and U-shaped cabanas which are perfect for kicking back and feeling cool.
But, as much as I like the Whiskey, I've been disappointed to find it nearly empty the last few times I've been there. Thankfully on Friday, the place was as close to packed as possible without being uncomfortable, and everyone seemed to be in a good mood. After finding Chris, Travis and James, we headed to the bar for a round of Bud Lights (not usually one of my favorite beverages, but that night they went down a little too easily) and mingled with the crowd. After a few goofy photos and a second round, Sarah and I decided we should stop by Fado to say hi to Scotty, one of our favorite bartenders.
After throwing back a couple of rounds way too quickly at the pub, we realized we had lost James somewhere along the way and headed back to Whiskey to look for him. By the time we found James, right in front of the bar where we'd left him, the beer was kicking in and the camera came out again. After a bunch of incriminating photos (neither one of us appears to need any more alcohol, but there I am, "helping" James with a drink), the six of us went back to Whiskey, which was still hopping. We ordered another round, Sarah put the camera away, and then, as if by magic, everyone's behavior pretty much went back to normal.
Though most of Whiskey's interior is set up like a lounge, with a long bar running about half the length of the room and couches and beds scattered about, it has a smaller room off to the side that's set up with a DJ booth and dance floor. None of us felt like heading into "club" area to dance, but we wound up on one of the beds, a great people-watching spot that was also calm enough to carry on conversations.
Sarah and I took the opportunity to fill Sheena in on our St. Patrick's Day plans, since we're going to make it a weeklong event this year: Nine Fine Irishmen at New York-New York from March 13 to 17, J.C. Wooloughan's in the JW Marriott from March 12 to 17, and Fado's will be extending its beer stands into the casino and possibly the parking lot, with a March 17 appearance by house band Darby O'Gill and the Little People. By the time we finished those last beers, it was almost 4 a.m. and I finally felt like I had made up for lost time.
Maria Phelan sets a new bar for drinking. E-mail her your favorite watering hole at [email protected].