Sometimes what happens in Vegas is too darn fun, exhilarating, and pleasantly unexpected and you just need to take it home with you. With the encouragement of some CDH sisters, my wife and I shared a two-day adventure as fun-loving girlfriends in this crazy town. If you feel apprehensive about stepping out en femme, this article may encourage you to get your girl on in public while providing some advice for what could work for you. Chances are you will glean just as much about what not to do; I now have a much longer list for the latter, LOL.
Until our Vegas trip this spring, our only other CD adventures outside the house were get-togethers at trans-friendly events at a local women’s consignment shop and a welcoming LGBTQ lounge. We enjoyed meeting CDs, SOs, and trans-folk in person and found much in common with our new sister-friends.
Vegas Day 1—After brunch we returned to our room and figured we had plenty of time for me to get my girl on, and for us to have dinner before we attended a show at a nearby casino theater at 7:30 PM – Menopause the Musical! We laid our outfits on the bed, my fashion maven wife advising that a pair of her black leggings and a nice black-and-white top would be a good option for me for the early part of the evening. We would return to our room after the show and change into glitzier attire (yay!).
We started by painting my toenails, while lounging and soaking in our view of the strip from our room 20 floors up. After the nails dried, it was time to shave my legs and arms…for the first time…Every square inch of my arms and legs needed several passes of the cute, pink razor to remove my fur. After an hour or so of unclogging the shower drain, bemoaning our slow progress, and crumpling all of the now-hairy bath towels, I had smooth legs and arms. Glitzy dress here we come! But not yet…
We figured it would be easiest to attach my press-on nails while re-taping the splint I needed to wear on one finger due to a recent sports injury. By now the clock seemed to be moving faster and it was nearly 6 PM already. Time to get going on makeup, with the sure hand and stylish acumen of my fashion maven wife, she finished me up in 45 minutes. Whew! How about dinner after the show? Okay, Plan B it is.
My wife’s stretchy, black leggings would not be too snug or unflattering, so my high-waisted, one‑size‑smaller support panties would facilitate a sufficient tuck while keeping my tummy at bay. Needing to pick up the pace, I grabbed the panties and started pulling them up but stopped halfway when my press-on fingernails, which were starting to feel like daggers by now, began bending and pulling on my fingertips. Begging my wife for assistance, she paused her own preparations and came over, helping me pull up my tight stretchy panties as I jumped and yelped. Between shrieks, tears, and laughter the panty finally slid into position and a suitable tuck was achieved.
By now it was pushing 7 PM. Do we have to go to the show? “Hush, Rochelle—we are going to make it!” retorted my fashion maven wife. So, once again with her help, on with the stretchy leggings, bra and breast forms, black kami, white flat sandals, and black-and-white top with three-quarter length sleeves, which thankfully draped below my crotch. Finally, my favorite wig, necklace, bracelet, earrings, and lastly, lipstick. It was now 7:15 PM and we had mere minutes to maneuver through our large casino hotel and two others to reach the theater in time.
My heart was pumping as we dashed out of our room. No one was in the hall or elevator—whew! And then—whoosh!—the elevator door opened as we raced into the raucous crowd in the casino lobby. I don’t think we gave onlookers any time to consider my appearance – or for me to consider how others might be considering my appearance, LOL. We were blurry apparitions, arriving at the theater only minutes before curtain. Seated in a small auditorium on a long-cushioned bench seat, I squeezed in close to my wife and away from the gentleman to my right. We thoroughly enjoyed Menopause the Musical, a joyous romp with all female actors. At the end, they ask audience members who have been through menopause to join them for a kick-line on the stage. This being my first night out in “public” and feeling a bit paranoid, I quietly pleaded with my wife that we skip the menopausal kick-line. She relented and we stayed in our seats.
After dinner at a sidewalk café and some fun people-watching, we returned to our room and changed into dresses. I selected a black and red V-neck, knee-length dress with three-quarter sleeves, and red earrings and necklace. Black thigh-high nylons, mid-height heels and a slim purse completed the look. Feeling more comfortable in a dress and heels, we sauntered through the casino and out to the strip where we were greeted with bright lights, a warm breeze, and the steady flow of tourists. We posed for pictures on a couple of the pedestrian bridges and wandered by the Bellagio fountain for its last show of the night. The thin soles of my heels provided little protection against the heat radiating from the concrete pavement. Then to a casino lounge for a nightcap, with my wife kindly ordering for us so I would not have to break the spell with my guy voice.
Vegas Day 2–We ordered room service for breakfast and began planning for visits to a couple trans-friendly venues off the strip that weekday evening. We headed first to Hamburger Mary’s where a Pride bingo evening was in full swing. We ordered dinner and a large summery drink to share between us and struck up a conversation with an engaging trans-woman sitting next to us. She was so kind and said she thought we were two girlfriends out for the evening (ah, that pink fluttery feeling again).
We then headed back to our room and quickly changed into glitzier eveningwear. Switching to 4-inch heels, and exiting our room, we passed a couple women in the hallway who exclaimed we looked ready for a fun night on the town! Amen, sisters!
We Ubered to a well-known gay nightclub, but soon learned that boys in tighty-whities got to drink for free that evening. Unfortunately, amongst all the gyrating tight male underwear, we did not spy any fun-looking CDs or trans-folk to socialize with. Had we stayed in town one more evening, a well-promoted drag event may have produced a more favorable crowd at this club from our perspective. So back to the strip and to a dance club we wanted to check out…
By now the line for the dance club had grown sizable. We approached the bouncer who asked if we had reservations – we didn’t – but he put us in line anyway. After 20 minutes or so standing in our highest heels, a new and not-soon-to-be-repeated experience, we reached the doorman who needed to see everyone’s ID – yikes! Thankfully, I had remembered to put my driver’s license in my slim purse. I gave it to the doorman who looked at it, then at me, back to my driver’s license, then a final look at me. With a curt smile, he stamped our arms and up the escalators we went and into the raucous, packed, club rooms for some gyrating ourselves. We eventually stumbled through a hidden door and into a secluded, small barroom. Ah, a free couch! We sat down to give our feet a well-deserved break and were immediately asked to vacate our seats because they were reserved. Oh well…back into the hot thumping melee. We found our escape in a corner elevator, exited the club, and then wandered through another casino and enjoyed a drink at a dueling piano bar to finish off the night’s adventures.
Some Vegas takeaways:
1) Consider the main strip area and casino resorts as great environments for trying out wardrobe options from casual to glam.
2) Check schedules for venues of interest including off-strip for any CD-friendly events. We will have to visit again over a weekend for more potentially CD/trans-themed options.
3) Practice at home with the outfits, accessories, makeup, nails, etc., you plan to wear while visiting so you can better estimate your preparation time.
4) Remove unwanted hair before you travel, if possible.
5) Put on nails only after you have dressed!
6) Enjoy the adventure, take photos…and a backup pair of shoes while you are out!
Many of you cross dressers and CDH sisters would love going out on a girl on girl date with your wife or SO, and you fear they would have no interest. That’s normally the case from what I’ve learned meeting CDs online and in person. But if you are somehow able to persuade your wife/SO to experience the adventure of a girl on girl date with you, please tell others how you did it and share your stories!
Happy Travels!
Rochelle
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Delightful story Rochelle and great tips. For better or worse I have no SO to deal with and I get out fairly often including attending multiple CD/TG conferences like Esprit or Keystone (either or both of which I highly recommend as both have active SO programs during them as well. I’d agree with all of your tips and warnings. Most folks either don’t notice or won’t care if they see you. But of course as any genetic female does as well, be mindful of where you are and the folks around you-steer clear of dangerous locales and remember safety in… Read more »
Thanks, Cyn. Glad you find the article enjoyable and the tips on target, coming from a CD who is frankly still in the novice zone. Many CDH’ers who have much more experience getting thier girls on in public have also noted that most folks in public are in their own headspace and don’t notice or care much about CDs in their midst. As I have been gaining a bit more experience going out myself, this rings true for me also.
Rochelle
I’ve been wanting to do the full body shave.
How noticeable were your shaved arms when you went back to drab?
Congratulations on a great adventure.
I started shaving smooth all over this year and after wearing shorts and T-shirt’s or similar, I have never had a comment from friends or strangers. If people notice, they simply don’t say anything. I was nervous about this at first and now it’s normal. Gigi
I have also been pleasantly surprised about not receiving any comments regarding my shaven arms or legs since returning from our trip. So I’ve been keeping the hair at bay on my extremities. I may keep my arm hair at about 1/4 inch length so it is manageable and can still look feminine. I took up this suggestion from a local CD friend and it is working well so far, I think.
LOTS of good, USABLE INTEL IN THIS STORY.
We can always get great info from someone who has just learned a lot from her experience.
My knees are too bad to do this now that I am 73.
My wife and I have been in Vegas many, many times and always had a wonderful time. You have to be able to walk quite a bit, & I no longer can.
I am Ssssoooo glad our Sister got to do this, once in her life.
Bravo kiddo, Bravo….Dr. T J
Thank you, TJ, for your warm and kind reply. Glad you have been able to enjoy Vegas over the years. We stayed center strip to have some fun venues we could reach in heels, although I think we ended up Ubering back from one we walked to, LOL.
Rochelle, yay! You both clearly had a wonderful time. Congrats. And your photos are divine with that big smile! I look forward to visiting Vegas , maybe next year, and emulating your experience. Hugs, Gigi
Thanks, Gianna! It was surely an invigorating and eye-opening trip. Hope you are able to schedule a Vegas trip next year. I don’t think I will ever visit again without bringing some girl wardrobe with me!
Rochelle,
Thank for your inspirational and informative article… I’m sorry that you had a “trying" time in your shaving your arms and legs …I have been shaving for years …. Coordinating with the seasons…arms and full torso in the winter. I shave the legs year around .. Wearing shorts in the summer , I found no one notices … I guess age (70+) has its advantages..Just a suggestion .
There is nothing like a clean shaven body.
Hugs, Leonara
Hi Leonara! I guess you could say I tested some assumptions about how long it would take to put my girl on with shaven arms and legs, and press on nails for the first time. I can say, though, after removing my fur coat for the first time, maintenance shaving has been a breeze, LOL. Rochelle
thanks for writing that. lots of good stuff. glad to be one of you local GF’s. Big cities like NY, LA, especially Vegas no body much cares or notices but even local outings have all been great too. THe shaving thing, yes maintence is a lot easier. been using a flash hair remover thats helped reduce grow back by 25-75%. no consistancy as to how well it works where, but any improvement is better. I guess do I splurge on real laser treatment …
You’re welcome, GF! Yes, outings in local towns/cities have been great, too. Gotta get your girl on and out the door every so often. Will have to try out some other hair removal options, too.
Great article and glad you had a great experience you gave lots of great advise. I got to go Vegas a few years back with my girlfriend at the time. One night was girls night out. We dressed up and gambled for a bit and had some drinks. To finish it off we went and saw a drag show. It was a blast and I highly recommend it for any girl out there. I’m always nervous going out but no one even seemed to care or notice. Oh and I am completely shaven from my neck down and have never… Read more »
Hi Christy! Glad you enjoyed the article. And thanks for sharing your Vegas experience. It was the encouragement of some CDH members that tipped the scales for me to bring my girly stuff to Vegas this spring, and I’m really glad I did.
Rochelle, I love it!!! It is so fun to be able to read this after having the good fortune of hearing you tell the story first hand!
It is wonderful you are getting yourself out there and experiencing your feminine side.
Thank you so much, Maggie!! And I’ve had the good fortune of meeting you and other local/WI CDs, who have been so supportive and encouraging. It is so cool and refreshing to have some great GFs!
Hi Rochelle. Glad to hear you had a wonderful outing in Vegas, sweetie. Las Vegas has been on my bucket list for a long time. Personally, I would get waxed where I could and shave the rest. And I will check on CD friendly events and venues. BTW, you looked so gorgeous in your outfits.
Thank you, Rachel! Like the idea of waxing and then shaving for the detail work. Yes, I left Vegas with the desire to return for much more en femme exploration. I could also have emphasized how this crazy town affords wonderful opportunities for closeted or semi-closeted sisters to get their girls on. I would love to go back some time with a group of girlfriends and over a weekend. In hindsight, I wish we had spent more time exploring and experiencing the center strip area en femme instead of Ubering around to check out LGBTQ venues that really weren’t all… Read more »