Dee-va Las Vegas 2025, Dee Four, Thurs-Dee

Continuing with my fun week at Dee-Va Las Vegas (Dee-One, Dee-Two, Dee-Three).

Dee-Va Las Vegas is a get-together, or as they say, a destination, not a convention. There are different outings to choose from, organized by volunteers. As this was my second time at DeeLV, I tried to be a bit more social this time around, and interact more with the other attendees, to learn their stories and experiences. I’m glad I did.

From talking, I learned about an attendee finding herself at 79, and realizing we might have crossed paths in the past, as she and her delightful wife lived a few blocks from my sister’s place in Chicago. I found about another who runs a boat towing company in Texas. 

I also realized again I’m pretty lucky. My wife is somewhere between tolerant and accepting, and I have more freedom for my extracurricular activities than others. For several of the attendees, the week in Vegas is an oasis that allows them to dress, when they can’t do it at their homes because of spouses or children, or both. These days, there is less need for crossdresser get-togethers like these, because the risks of being out dressed are significantly lower (if almost non-existent). But DeeLV does still serve a purpose, so thanks to the volunteers who put it on.

I had mentally planned to run again (my 10K was three days away), but my motivation was lacking. My compromise was to instead walk to the morning’s destination, the Pinball Hall of Fame.

There are no plaques in the Pinball Hall of Fame (unlike the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York), but there are lots of vintage Pinball machines, many of them operational. There was also other games, like Ms. Pac-Man, or the Baseball game where you swung a bat and tried to get hits and home runs. Back in the day, a quarter for a game was somewhat pricy. These days, a quarter game is probably the cheapest thing in town.

Perhaps ten from DeeLV made the trip to the PBHOF, but I’m sure I’m the only one who walked the two miles. Then again, it was still cool but sunny, and I had my Red Keds to walk in and I needed the exercise. Plus, I had a cute outfit–from my newest brand addiction, American Eagle–and if I’m going to dress I might as well get out to see and be seen.

I inserted a $20 bill into a change machine–one of my rare uses of cash these days–and ended up with a cup full of quarters. I wandered the aisles, finding Pinball machines of different vintages. I preferred the older ones, the ones from my teenage years when I played the most. The newer games with the more sophisticated electronics were simply too busy for me. 

I played for about two hours, spending maybe $10, buying a coke from a vending machine, and donating some of my quarters to a Salvation Army red bucket. I managed to win a few free games, and enjoyed my stroll down memory lane. The $10 or so I spent on the Pinball machines was more than I lost gambling for the week, and I enjoyed the Pinball machines more.

I bummed a ride from a fellow attendee and we met another two attendees at an In and Out Burger for lunch. At lunch, my ride and I agreed to meet at the pool after lunch. She had enjoyed the prior day’s pool party so much she wanted to break out her new swimsuit again. 

I dragged my laptop to poolside (no, not work–golf scores for my golf group, reading pictures of scorecards off my phone and entering them into my spreadsheet). I don’t think the frozen margarita I had helped my accuracy; I entered a couple of guys wrong and had to redo them a couple of days later. Once again, not exactly pool weather, but after finishing up the scores I warmed up with two of the other attendees in the hot tub.

I changed into the white butterfly top for dinner with three others, including one of the organizers. Then I returned to my room to get ready for the 10 PM departure of the party bus, a DeeLV tradition. I changed into a short short short black sparkly dress, took some pictures (of course), and met at the hotel bar for a drink before boarding the bus.

The bus had bubbly and snacks and twelve of us opted to take the bus. We hit the normal destinations; the Welcome to Las Vegas sign, the water fountains at the Bellagio, and the Fremont Street experience. We took pictures, ate the nibblies and drank the swill, listened to lots of female singers courtesy of our designated DJ, and enjoyed the night cruising LV. Afterwards, I stayed at the casino for about an hour, losing my $8, and calling it a night.

Fri-Dee morning I had about an hour to kill (after packing all my girl stuff), so I walked to the nearest mall, not really interested in buying anything. I did a quick circle of the mall, returned to get my checked bags, and shared a cab to the airport with a gentleman who was headed there also. It took a while to drop off bags, but security was quick and uneventful. I flew pretty again, wearing a black halter dress I had bought recently and one I like. 

After arriving in St. Louis, I met my GG friend Michelle and her friend Maura at the bar of a local Mexican restaurant, and filled them in on my trip. Michelle inspected my nails–I ended up the week with only my two pinky nails attached, after starting Mon-Dee morning with all ten. After a frozen margarita and a couple of chicken quesadillas, I headed home, happy with my week of Dee time.