Meet me in Margaritaville.
For many years, that was my Las Vegas mantra, my go-to-place in Sin City. While others were waiting in lines at the big mega clubs – the girls’ high heels going click-click-click on the floors to get there – sitting at black jack tables or playing video poker – I was wastin’ away in Margaritaville.
I just loved the place. I would sit in the bar area, downing those you-better-be-a-drinking-veteran-to-even-think-about-it Perfect Margaritas, watching videos of fellow Parrotheads at Jimmy Buffett concerts, interrupted on occasion by a rumble of the “exploding” volcano and a bikini-clad sexy mermaid winding up in a huge pitcher of “margaritas.”
But, sadly in the name of celebrity chef restaurants that are all the rage in Vegas, Margaritaville is like Buffett himself, a mere pleasant memory in my life. It is closed but my moments there live on forever.
Like the time I met members of the band Whitesnake and introduced them to the Perfect Margarita. We laughed and parties for hours.
Or the time when I literally gave a manager the shirt off my back. It says “Jimmy Buffett For President” and he put it on the wall near the bathrooms. I requested – and received – a shirt from the store and also a couple of free rounds of drinks.
Or especially the time I was there on a Sunday afternoon with a couple of friends. We popped in for our last hour or so before flying back to L.A. Well, one Perfect Margarita after another and we would up calling Soutwest Airlines every couple of hours to “book us on the next flight.” We wound up not leaving until the next morning. Pro’s Tip: When booking a flight to Vegas on Southwest Airlines, always get the cheapest fare there and the no-fee-to-change one on the way back. Because you always know when you are going to Vegas but sometimes, your return plans can change based on the situation.
But this is not a sad song. Just things I have witnessed and experienced.
Still, whenever I’m in Vegas, I’ll look up at where Margaritaville used to be located and feel a bit of a party void. But I’ll still be able to smile.