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I previously posted in another forum about a road trip I was planning and was asked to report on it afterwards, so here it is!
I had planned this trip and scheduled rooms and activities several weeks in advance. I would drive from my home in Utah to Long Beach California stopping in Las Vegas for a night in each direction. I work a weekend graveyard shift three nights a week so I planned the trip as a Monday through Friday excursion to avoid using leave time. I had scheduled a short shift for Monday morning October 2nd so I could get some sleep before my drive to Vegas. I was excited for the trip and having trouble concentrating on work when a coworker came in just after midnight and told me about the shooting that had just happened in Vegas. Needless to say, this news cast a shadow over my plans and the sadness I felt for the victims left me questioning whether or not I should cancel my trip.
I decided to continue, it was too late to cancel prepaid reservations so I set out at about noon my time. As I drove I listened to NPR and news of the shooting, wondering what the normally hectic Las Vegas Strip would be like in the wake of such a horrific tragedy. Vegas was doing it’s best to be Vegas I found as I checked into my room st Planet Hollywood. I decided to go ahead and get into girl mode.
I did my makeup and dressed conservatively in jeans and a T-shirt, my mini-wedge Roman sandals, and a new leather jacket I’d just purchased. I went out and strolled through the miracle mile shopping center, stopped at a bar and had dinner and a few margaritas, then walked out on the strip. The mood was definitely more somber than normal with a large police presence and the Bellagio fountains silenced in deference to the victims, but there was still a pretty good crowd out and about. I walked into the Paris casino and used the Ladies restroom without incident, (my first time in a ladies room), then went back to my room and spent some time trying on some other outfits. I wasn’t tired so decided to step back out dressed a little more provocatively in my cheetah print dress with a corset worn over it and high heels.
I walked through the casino looking for a shop to buy bottled water and definitely was attracting more attention than I had in my earlier outfit, nothing negative though, double takes and knowing smiles from men and women both. I walked back into the miracle mile area but it was late enough that all the shops were closed and only bars were open. As I walked past one bar I noticed a young lady looking at me, I turned around when I’d realized there was nothing else open and saw she had brought her male companion out to look at me. When they saw I’d seen them they looked somewhat embarrassed and went back into the bar. I went in myself, sat at the bar and ordered a drink to go. The girl tending bar was really nice and we exchanged compliments on each other’s outfits, then I went back to my room, finished my drink, removed my makeup and went to bed.
It’s funny how much difference clothing choices make in how one is perceived. In my conservative outfit I felt that I blended in well and really garnered no more attention than I would strolling around in drab. The few interactions I had were really just quick passing smiles. The bartender that served me addressed me as M’am, and a woman in the ladies room shared a laugh with me as she had trouble getting the water faucets at the sinks to work. I felt nearly invisible. In a dress and heels it’s an entirely different story!
I didn’t intend to go into this much detail, and I’ve run out of time, so I’m going to take a break and continue my story later.
When I was young and first began dressing fully femme, my look was always very sexy. Nice shiny pantyhose, stiletto heels, very short dress or skirt and long or big hair. I was always surprised at how many compliments and how much attention I would get.
I also liked to go out dressed partially fem. That would be nice shiny pantyhose, short women’s shorts and somewhat non descript women’s shoes with maybe a small heel. I could pretty much go out anywhere. Once in a while I would turn heads or get asked about my pantyhose.
When I would dress down even more, it would still be pantyhose of course. Maybe not too shiny or even matte with mid thigh length men’s shorts and maybe men’s slip on sneakers or moccasins, I would pretty much disappear.
Hi Sofia……Great Story….look forward to more. Yes it is sad about the shootings. Same thing happens here, even with no guns laws. Almost all guns used in crimes are stolen or brought back by criminals who are known to police…..won’t do anything about it…..you violating their charter of rights. Sounds like you had a great time Vegas is one of my bucket list items. Stay well and take care.
Lady Veronica
Hi Sofia,
I am so glad you took the time to write this story. It was very sad about the shootings. I thought about you when I heard it ( I was also working that night) and was wondering if you were going to cancel your trip. I’m glad you went. I believe the best way we can honor the victims is for us to, of course grieve for them, remember them, pray for their families, but to also to stay strong and carry on with our life.
Anyway Sofia, It sounds like you had a great time. I dream of the day when I can do what you did. You are an inspiration to me. Thank You for sharing part 1 with us. I am waiting for part 2, and by the way, I love details.
Thank you so much,
xoxo
Jessica
Thanks for the comments ladies. I’ll continue with my travelogue now and see how far I can get.
Day two had me driving from Las Vegas to Long Beach California where I had made an appointment for a professional makeover/photo shoot and had plans to go out to a club afterwards. My original plan was to get up, do my makeup and dress as a woman then do the drive en femme, but I chickened out. I made excuses to myself; I got up too late, I like to drive fast and don’t want to deal with a potential traffic stop in dress, I’m nervous about public restrooms, will I be hassled checking into my Hotel when I hand them my drivers license?, I’ll just have to remove my makeup for the makeover anyway, and so on. Yes thinking about living 24/7 as a woman, even for just a short time is much different than actually doing it.
So I made the drive to Long Beach in drab without incident, arrived too early to check into my room so I went into town and strolled around and had lunch while I waited for my room to be ready. I had made an appointment with Gina from Transitions Makeup and Photography to meet at 4 o’clock at my hotel for a makeover and mini photo shoot. I had chosen to go with Gina after researching a few other services in the area. When I booked with her I was expecting to have to drive to her studio in Van Nuys but was thrilled when she told me she was close enough to do a mobile makeover in my room.
Gina arrived promptly and I helped her carry her equipment to my room and she set up and got busy doing my makeup. She had me on her makeup chair and explained what she was doing but I couldn’t see anything during the process as she purposely didn’t have me in front of a mirror. Gina is absolutely wonderful. She’s been involved with the trans/cross dressing/drag communities since she was very young and is the most interesting person to listen to about all things makeup and gender transformation related.
I had done my own makeup several times before meeting with Gina and had my hairstylist do it for me once, and I was happy with the way I looked, but what I saw in the mirror after Gina had finished my makeup and styled my wig and put it on me absolutely blew my mind! I barely recognized the beautiful woman that was looking back at me! This was another level of happiness entirely!
Gina set up her lights and took 150 or so photos, letting me change outfits once even though the package I booked is only supposed to be one look. She coached me on posing and gave me pointers on how to be more feminine in movement and behavior, and gave me the low down on the club I was going to. Said she wished I could stay so she could go out to the club with me on Saturday, which is the really fun Tgirl night, a sentiment I would hear a number of times before the night was over.
I had made tentative plans with Gina for makeup lessons the next day. She told me I wasn’t obligated and she wasn’t trying to sell me, but to let her know by noon if I wanted to do it. She pretty much sold me just by the job she had done on my makeup! I helped her carry everything back to her car then called for a Lyft to take me to Hamburger Mary’s for Tgirl Tuesday’s! I’ll continue that story in another installment.
Thanks for the update. I was courious about your trip. Despite the tragedy, you might have picked one of the safest times to visit LV due to the levels of increased police presence (you only saw the half—there were a lot of non-uniformed officers on duty too) and the drop in people on the strip due to road closures, fears, etc. it was a very different place here in the few days following October 1st, as I think you noticed, and I doubt anyone would have been keen on causing any more trouble. Anyways, I’m excited to read about how the rest of your trip went.
Cheers
I’m back to continue with part three of my travelogue.
Going out to Tgirl Tuesday’s was really the focus of my whole trip. Ever since I’d stumbled on it on the internet I wanted to go. As far as I know there’s nothing comparable close to home and it just seemed like the perfect place to go out all dolled up with an atmosphere of total acceptance. I wasn’t disappointed. I felt fantastic with my fresh makeover and sexy outfit and even though I went alone I had a fabulous time talking and flirting and dancing. Although there is definitely an air of pick up joint to the event, that’s not what I was there for and no one was pushy or disrespectful. There was a very diverse crowd and everyone I interacted with was nice and fun to talk to. I stayed till closing at 2 am, took a Lyft back to my hotel, admired myself in the mirror once more before reluctantly removing my makeup and going to bed.
I didn’t sleep well because I was still buzzing from my adventure so I was up way too early and after breakfast watched the news and went back to sleep for a few hours. I had contacted Gina and told her I wanted the makeup lessons and agreed on 4pm for her to come to my room. She arrived promptly once more and we started on what became the highlight of my trip.
Gina had told me the lessons would take about five hours so I had already eaten dinner and planned to just stay in and catch up on sleep afterwards to get an early start back to Vegas the next day, things didn’t exactly go as planned. We started the lesson but got sidetracked with conversation, Gina has led a really interesting life and I was completely enthralled listening to her stories. She asked about my life and talked me through the positives and negatives of potentially coming out to my wife, relating many stories of clients that did, by choice and by accident, and how most of the time it turns out for the best. She would say, “I’m not saying you should tell her, and you probably shouldn’t, but, if you did, it might not turn out as bad as you think.” Then she would tell me about all the calls she’s got from drunk wives and how she’s explained to them about their husbands. About how these men are really good men and how there could be much worse things they could be doing than wearing women’s clothing, about how if they accept it they wouldn’t only be keeping a good husband, but also gaining a girlfriend. Gina is very good at pointing out the upside it seems.
So we got sidetracked and talked so much that the lesson ended up lasting until much later than planned. By the end we were both exhausted, but I feel much better about my makeup knowledge now and can’t wait to try out what Gina taught me and start building my skills. As for coming out to my wife, I still don’t think I’m close to doing that, but after talking to Gina I feel less afraid of the consequences if it were to happen accidentally. I will be keeping her phone number handy! I can’t say enough about how awesome Gina is and totally recommend her to anyone looking for makeup services in the Los Angeles/ Orange County area.
After my late night I got a late start to Vegas and a comedy of errors that I won’t go into detail about left me without the time or energy to dress up and go out. So I just had a nice dinner and a few drinks in male mode, went to bed and got up the next morning and drove home. I didn’t do everything I had planned on my trip, didn’t get to do the shopping I had hoped for or spend as much time en femme as I thought I would, but it was still a great solo trip and a real learning experience. I learned that driving as much as I did takes more energy and time than I think, and that it’s not as easy to stay up late drinking and get up early as it was when I was younger. Next time I think I’ll fly!
Sofia part 3 ; thank you for sharing your adventure I most enjoyed it. It’s a dream of most of us girls here to venture out and experience such am emotional rush, mine also. Thinking how it would go and the excitement of doing it. Your story is like I’ll would anticipate such a venture and in time will be looking forward for this to happen. Again thanks for sharing, till the next. 🌹
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