Race Junkies
If off-road racing turns you on, then Speed Technologies (www.superlitechampionship.com) has the fantasy for you.
Speed Technologies, a leading team in the SuperLite Championship series, offers the Arrive and Drive Program for both off-road and aspiring racers. It takes away the hassles of towing the vehicle, start-up costs, race support and post-race shop time. You pay your fees, show up and race!
“Racing is a complete adrenaline rush,” said Chuck Demsey, driver and co-developer of the SuperLite series. “It’s like going to Magic Mountain and controlling the ride.”
A single race costs $7,500 plus entry fees, or you can race the entire season of seven races for $52,500 including fees. Racers are required to have a fire suit and a helmet, an investment of about $500, plus pay for any damage above normal wear and tear. You also get space for personal sponsors or you can wrap the truck with your company logo.
Once you’ve reserved your spot, you’ll have the opportunity to spend a day in a truck to get used to it before the actual race. “Sometimes new drivers are intimidated and only go about 30 mph,” said Dempsey. “We’ve even had people sit in the truck and puke!”
The races are held at venues in Nevada, Arizona and California one weekend a month during the season and are broadcast on Speed, ESPN or NBC networks. Approximately 15,000-20,000 people attend each race.
“This is the only place in off-road racing where anyone can do it,” said Demsey. “You’re racing the same trucks, you’re in the pits with the other drivers who do this all the time, and you’re televised, too. When someone gets out of the truck with a smile on his face, it makes me feel good.”
The Ultimate Tailgate
If sports is your thing, then Lagasse’s Stadium (www.emerils.com) definitely can fulfill your fantasies.
What? Emeril built a stadium here in town? Why didn’t I know about it?
Well, it’s not exactly a stadium, Emeril does run the restaurant but you wouldn’t be the first to have missed it. Hidden far from the maddening crowd beneath The Palazzo entrance is the ultimate sports bar with nearly 100 big screen TVs. If that’s not enough, the walls are covered with sports memorabilia that can be added to your tab and taken home with you. It also houses the race and sports book for the casino.
For the ultimate tailgate party, you and 1,000 of your closest friends can rent out the entire facility. Or, if you just want to perch yourself in one of the sky boxes above the bleachers, you can do that, too.
“There’s nothing like this anywhere in town,” said Marc Zakin, general manager. “We have the largest gamblers coming here from all over, just for the experience.
“It really is a guy’s biggest fantasy,” continued Zakin. “Sports stars and celebrity sports fans come in here all the time, so you never know who you’ll meet. You can’t always go to the game, but you can always come to the Stadium.”
Lagasse’s Stadium also has five private luxury boxes for a more intimate group of friends. All are equipped with DirecTV sports packages, plus Wii gaming consoles. There’s a minimum food and beverage charge for each, but your rental is fully customizable.
The smallest, Box 1, is one of the most popular. It’s very intimate with a huge sectional sofa and big screen TV, with access to the patio, which faces the Las Vegas Strip featuring a prime view of the TI’s Siren show. It feels like your living room with room service! Box 2 has a billiard table and a Pac Man arcade game with multiple screens so you never miss a moment of action.
The Man’s Room, Box 3, has a 105-inch flat screen and can accommodate about 40 people. This box is always in demand, so be sure to make your reservations early. Boxes 4 and 5 can be connected to handle as lightly larger crowd. Boxes 2-4 each have a private bath.
Depending on your needs, the luxury boxes range in price from $1,000 to $25,000 or more. The restaurant can provide DJs, live cooking, carving stations and pretty much anything else you require.
Tucked away in a corner is a gaming salon where friends can go if they need a break from the sports action. A big win at the craps table and maybe one of your buddies will pick up the tab!
Lagasse’s Stadium requests three weeks notice for reservations, but you can come
and sit in the bleachers or the restaurant any time. In fact, they’ll be open all night for World Cup Soccer.
Action Heroes
Think you’re the Terminator? Feel a Dirty Harry rush coming? In the mood to wrap your hands around a pulsing machine gun? Look no further than The Gun Store (www.thegunstorelasvegas.com).
By the weapon or by the package, The Gun Store provides an opportunity to get your Die Hard on. And, the VIP range allows you to do it in private, or to share it with a few of your closest friends.
“It’s a great adrenaline rush and a great stress reducer,” said Chris Irwin, COO. “Shooting is a lot easier than expected. It doesn’t knock you back like you sometimes see on TV.”
Reservations are requested for the VIP range, although anyone can use it if it’s available. However, if you plan ahead, you can really customize the experience.
The VIP range accommodates about 8-10 people. You can cater in your favorite food and drinks – sodas, juices and water. Sorry, no alcoholic beverages are allowed, nor can you have any prior to your event.
At The Gun Store, you can shoot nearly any type of weapon you can imagine, from handguns to World War II models, to the top-of-the-line M249 SAW belt-fed machine gun.
Even if you’ve never held a gun before, you can have a good time. Safety, of course, is of utmost importance. Every person is accompanied by an instructor who explains how to use each weapon.
The Gun Store provides a selection of interesting targets, but if you have something specific that you want to use, just let Irwin know a week or two ahead of time. He can create a full-size target from an image you provide. Or, bring in a photo or pretty much anything else you’d like to hit on the day of your event and they’ll set it up.
VIP packages run from $499 – $777 per person, plus the cost of catering or any extras, offering an assortment of handguns, machine guns and rifles. As long as you keep buying ammunition, you can keep shooting. You’ll also receive a t-shirt and a gift bag.
In the VIP range, you’re allowed to take photos and shoot video, commemorating the event for future debates.
So, if you’re looking for a guys’ day out, or maybe a birthday or bachelor party, The Gun Store could fulfill your fantasies. By the way, 30-40 percent of its customers are women. One brought in her wedding dress to use as a target. Hmm…maybe a divorce party?
Mile High Club
Zipping around the world on a private jet or helicopter definitely falls on the fantasy list. And, who better to fulfill that fantasy than the largest air charter, Blue Star Jets (www.bluestarjets.com).
“We specialize in customizing the entire experience,” said Todd Rome, president. “Whatever the client wants, we provide. We’ll outfit the plane any way you like.”
The ultimate, of course, is to charter your own jet to take you to the fantasy destination of your choice. However, Blue Star Jets is offering an option for sports fans that might just make the cost a bit more palatable.
For major sporting events, like the Super Bowl or championship fights, you can jet-pool, so to speak, by sharing a jet with others from the area who are also attending. It might even allow you to upgrade to bigger equipment to max out the experience.
For Valentine’s Day, the company offers a Love in the Sky package, with his and her massages, champagne and roses.
In addition to providing a variety of jets and helicopters, the company will cater to your special needs, provide nannies, stewardesses and even special security.
Secret Rock Stars
Do you have a song deep inside that you’re aching to record? Have you ever fantasized about being a rock star and recording an album where the big boys do? Have you thought about surprising your special someone with a personal tune that will become your song?
Battle Born Studios, www.battlebornstudios.com, can help you make that happen. This state-of-the-art studio has seen the likes of The Killers, Elton John and MÖtley Crüe, but it’s now available to serious local musicians as well.
Two control rooms, two isolated recording studios, a large live room that accommodates up to 40 musicians, a drum room, a vocal room, a lounge, an entertainment center and an endless supply of Red Bull are at your disposal, along with a crew that you can use as much or as little as you need.
Battle Born Studios is such a secret that they only make their location known at the time of a booking, providing a relaxed, private experience. The studio’s vintage décor adds to the comfortable, homey atmosphere and supports uninterrupted creativity.
A Tuber for Two
An intimate evening is definitely high on the list of men’s fantasies, and adding a little aphrodisiac to the mix sure can’t hurt.
Just imagine: music plays softly on the stereo, candles glow at the perfect table for two, a hearty Burgundy or a crisp Barolo are decanting. You’ve just prepared a risotto as step three in the seduction process. She’s impressed. She didn’t know a studly guy like you could cook. You amble over to the table and top off the risotto by shaving a rare and tasty delicacy on top—truffle. Wow! You’ve sealed the deal and you haven’t even eaten yet.
Now, I’m not talking chocolate truffles, which are always welcome as far as women are concerned. I’m referring to tubers that grow in the ground in Italy, France and Spain, previously hunted by pigs and now by trained dogs who don’t eat them when they find them.
Truffles contain pheromones which is why the delicate olfactory senses of the search animals become all atwitter when they find them. The strong, garlicky scent of the delicate white, or the woodsy, musky scent of the black winter variety are attractive to your senses, and therefore, can be a point of attraction between the two of you.
Truffles aren’t cheap, and that adds to the fantasy. “Scarcity makes them so expensive,” said Vincent Jeanseaume, vice president of Sabatino Tartufi, truffle purveyor. “It may take the work of 40-50 truffle hunters to find just a few pounds. However, each person will only eat about one quarter to one half ounce per meal.” Truffles start at $69 per ounce, and must be shipped overnight. You can purchase them at www.sabatinostore.com.
Of course, you could hire a private chef for the evening and put your entire focus on your lady, then, show your studly cooking prowess in the morning with a truffle-enhanced omelet.
“The real uniqueness of the aroma from the truffle makes it sensual and special,” said Jeanseaume. “It’s uncommon and that has an effect on the brain.”
So, next time you’re having a quiet truffle dinner with your lady, remind her that you’re only interested in her brain.
