Pirates to Pyramids: Las Vegas Taxi Tales by JJ Carlson, George Bunescu, Sylvia Carlson Read Free Book Online Page B
life.
"Okay. Okay. Please calm down. Where do you want to go?" They immediately calmed.
"The Four Queens, like we always do." Always? Wait just a minute.
"How many days were you here?" Four.
"And how many days do you stay at the Four Queens?" Four.
They always stay four days, at each. Wow. These guys were tough. Eight days in Vegas is a lot. Most people can't handle more than three. I tell everybody, Fantasyland becomes toxic after three days. These two must come once a year, or maybe every couple of years.
"So how often do you two come to town," I asked.
"We come every month. We love this town." "Excuse me. I thought you said every month."
"You heard us right. We come every month, except December... dammit."
"Every month and you stay at two hotels for a total of eight days. You must not be gamblers? "
"Oh yes we are. We love the machines. It is one of our favorite things we come for."
"What is the matter with December?" I could not calculate what they must spend.
"We don't come in December because our children want us there for the holidays with their kids,
dammit." (Second dammit.)
"You don't want to be with them on the holidays?"
"No. We love it here and we can see them any time.“
These two were different. Where must they live? It must be close to Vegas, like Barstow, California or Kingman, Arizona or somewhere nearby, like within 150 miles.
"So where are you two from?" I asked.
"Hawaii. We are from Hawaii."
“ You live 3,000 miles away? You don’t mind the travel?” The world's oddest couple lived six hours away by fastest jet.
“ No, we love to travel.”
“ Oh, do you go other places, too?
“ No, we just like coming here.
I had to know, “So, do the hotels fuss over you and treat you special?” No.
"Do you not get the red carpet treatment?” No. They didn't want that. They liked to keep to themselves.
"How did you two meet? (How do a Swede and Japanese turn into a couple?)
"I was his secretary." She said, and then actually giggled, like a young girl.
That's when I remembered that they giggled at each other's every sentence.
"What kind of business was it?" since they had to have bucks to visit Las Vegas each month?
"Insurance office, he was my boss," came the answer with yet another, legitimate giggle.
She was in love. They were in love, a Swedish woman and a Japanese man. Who knew?
"What does the brain surgery mean to your traveling? Going to slow you down?" I asked.
"It's up to him," she said. So I asked him, "Well, sir, what do you say?"
"We should stay more days each month!"
They giggled yet again.
That day I realized, you can never, ever, tell for sure where love will go, or what story will get into your cab.
HANGOVER
The movie "Hangover" came out last summer after being filmed in Vegas at Caesars and in front of the Luxor Hotel. It was exceptionally funny and captured the worst case scenario of Las Vegas visitors getting carried away with celebrations and having some inconveniences occur. The very day after it came out at theatres I had two guys in my cab. They were still feeling last night's drinking and I expected little from them.
Exactly as we passed the location where the funniest scene in the movie was filmed the one guy spoke.
"You know, we're gonna have to find that groom."
I laughed and said, "Have either of you seen the trailer on the new movie, Hangover?"
"No. Why?"
"Because you are living it," I said.
I swear to God, the very next day, Sunday, three girls still feeling the effects of their partying the night before, landed in my cab. Exactly in the same place on the road the one said, ominously, "You know, we're gonna have to find that bride."
Cue the Twilight Zone music.
++++
Vegas drinking stories go back in time to the beginning. I have seen pictures of early Vegas’ wooden casinos similar to the cable TV show "Deadwood," but with a
"Okay. Okay. Please calm down. Where do you want to go?" They immediately calmed.
"The Four Queens, like we always do." Always? Wait just a minute.
"How many days were you here?" Four.
"And how many days do you stay at the Four Queens?" Four.
They always stay four days, at each. Wow. These guys were tough. Eight days in Vegas is a lot. Most people can't handle more than three. I tell everybody, Fantasyland becomes toxic after three days. These two must come once a year, or maybe every couple of years.
"So how often do you two come to town," I asked.
"We come every month. We love this town." "Excuse me. I thought you said every month."
"You heard us right. We come every month, except December... dammit."
"Every month and you stay at two hotels for a total of eight days. You must not be gamblers? "
"Oh yes we are. We love the machines. It is one of our favorite things we come for."
"What is the matter with December?" I could not calculate what they must spend.
"We don't come in December because our children want us there for the holidays with their kids,
dammit." (Second dammit.)
"You don't want to be with them on the holidays?"
"No. We love it here and we can see them any time.“
These two were different. Where must they live? It must be close to Vegas, like Barstow, California or Kingman, Arizona or somewhere nearby, like within 150 miles.
"So where are you two from?" I asked.
"Hawaii. We are from Hawaii."
“ You live 3,000 miles away? You don’t mind the travel?” The world's oddest couple lived six hours away by fastest jet.
“ No, we love to travel.”
“ Oh, do you go other places, too?
“ No, we just like coming here.
I had to know, “So, do the hotels fuss over you and treat you special?” No.
"Do you not get the red carpet treatment?” No. They didn't want that. They liked to keep to themselves.
"How did you two meet? (How do a Swede and Japanese turn into a couple?)
"I was his secretary." She said, and then actually giggled, like a young girl.
That's when I remembered that they giggled at each other's every sentence.
"What kind of business was it?" since they had to have bucks to visit Las Vegas each month?
"Insurance office, he was my boss," came the answer with yet another, legitimate giggle.
She was in love. They were in love, a Swedish woman and a Japanese man. Who knew?
"What does the brain surgery mean to your traveling? Going to slow you down?" I asked.
"It's up to him," she said. So I asked him, "Well, sir, what do you say?"
"We should stay more days each month!"
They giggled yet again.
That day I realized, you can never, ever, tell for sure where love will go, or what story will get into your cab.
HANGOVER
The movie "Hangover" came out last summer after being filmed in Vegas at Caesars and in front of the Luxor Hotel. It was exceptionally funny and captured the worst case scenario of Las Vegas visitors getting carried away with celebrations and having some inconveniences occur. The very day after it came out at theatres I had two guys in my cab. They were still feeling last night's drinking and I expected little from them.
Exactly as we passed the location where the funniest scene in the movie was filmed the one guy spoke.
"You know, we're gonna have to find that groom."
I laughed and said, "Have either of you seen the trailer on the new movie, Hangover?"
"No. Why?"
"Because you are living it," I said.
I swear to God, the very next day, Sunday, three girls still feeling the effects of their partying the night before, landed in my cab. Exactly in the same place on the road the one said, ominously, "You know, we're gonna have to find that bride."
Cue the Twilight Zone music.
++++
Vegas drinking stories go back in time to the beginning. I have seen pictures of early Vegas’ wooden casinos similar to the cable TV show "Deadwood," but with a
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