Las Vegas Is More Than Just Gambling

The Luis Vuitton upscale shop in Paris was where I had my first sighting of these gargantuan rikishi men of strength. There they were, clad in kimonos and had their slick straight black hair tied back in a topknot. I understand that the tourists in Vegas were treated to the same sight. Imagine these huge men who top the scale at no less than 350 lbs and can approach the 400 lb mark easily. The rikishi did their usual shopping at Louis Vuitton's at the fabulous Caesars Palace Hotel's Forum Shops. Of course they dropped thousands of dollars on the largest size LV monogrammed wallets and handbags as they did in Paris. The wrestlers abandoned their mandatory Japanese early morning five-hour daily regimen of training and noonday meal of a protein rich stew called chanko-nabe for the enormous hearty mound of pastrami on rye at the Mirage Hotel and Casino's Carnegie Deli. They also attracted crowds as they piled their plates at the prime rib and turkey breast buffet carving stations at the Mandalay Bay, surprising the executive chef Sean DiCicco who made sure that the wrestlers had their Asian food of Japanese rice, miso soup and pickled radishes, by favoring the typical Las Vegas all-you-can eat American food buffets. I'm perplexed that they missed the marvelous hamburgers at the great Burger Bar, made with freshly twice ground beef with cheese, foie gras or even lobster combinations and a really gourmet $60 burger. I did get to tour the restaurant's unique butcher shop which was built in the back of the restaurant to guarantee freshly ground beef. (This brought back memories of my own mother who would only buy chop meat when it was ground twice under her supervision. No pre-packaged meat for her). Another specialty of the Burger Bar are delicious desserts served on petite burger buns. These oversized heavy weights wear diapers as they pound their opponent's flesh in the ring, and also made the most of their week in Las Vegas before and after their weekend match. I even received a report that the sumo wrestlers were seen smoking, drinking, and squeezing into the seats at the poker tables, slots and roulette wheels. They were entertained at the New York, New York Hotel and Casino where they saw "Zumanity: Another Side of Cirque Du Soleil," which is described as a provocative cabaret-style production with a Cirque Du Soleil twist. It is an adult-themed 90-minute production with playful innuendo in the intimate "velvet-lined" Zumanity Theatre with cabaret stools, love seats or duo sofas that could have been ideal for the sumos. Incidentally, I particularly enjoyed the 90 minutes of sophisticated comedy by Rita Rudner at New York, New York's Cabaret Theatre and could have sat through another hour of her delightful comic litany of laughter as a wife, as a "dog mom" and life in general. The Secret Garden of Siegfried & Roy at the Mirage Hotel is a truly wondrous habitat where I saw some of the world's rarest and most exotic animals, living side by side in perfect harmony. Up close in this jungle setting, I was able to view royal white tigers, striped white tigers, white lions, black panthers, snow leopards and a huge four-ton Asian elephant. As I entered this magnificent garden, I followed signs which led me to the nearby Live Dolphin Display in a 2.5 million gallon pool where eight Atlantic bottlenose dolphins swim, play, do flips, dive and are fed. This attraction was also on the sumo wrestlers itinerary. The Las Vegas Strip is fast becoming Broadway's Second City with the opening of the elegant Wynn Resort's 1,200 seat theatre this past August with the presentation of the White Way's Tony award winning production of the puppet musical "Avenue Q." Broadway's smash hit musical "Mamma Mia" has been the attraction at the Mandalay Bay. "Hairspray" is coming to the Luxor and "Phantom of the Opera" will be at the Venetian Hotel very soon. The only problem for me would be the long walk and inevitable route to the theatre through the casinos and the temptation of the slots and roulette before getting to my seat.© Copyright by Marcia AbramsonE-mail:mascribe@verizon.net