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South America
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Vegas Baby
WHAT HAPPENS TO GHOST WHISPERER'S JENNIFER LOVE HEWITT IN LAS VEGAS DOESN'T STAY THERE ANYMORE. BY MARK SEAL
In her CBS series, Ghost Whisperer, Jennifer Love Hewitt plays a newlywed antiques-store owner with a gift for communicating with the dead. But in real life, Hewitt likes to walk among the living in one of the most frenetic cities on earth, Las Vegas. Although the dark-haired beauty lives in Los Angeles, she regularly escapes to Vegas from an increasingly hectic schedule. It’s been getting busier by the moment ever since Hewitt rolled out of Killeen, Texas, set on becoming a star.
She already had a good start. At age three, she was in tap dancing and ballet classes. At four, she entertained a Texas restaurant/dance-hall audience with her version of “Help Me Make It through the Night.” By six, Hewitt sang Whitney Houston’s “Greatest Love of All” at a livestock show. At eight, she joined a song-and-dance troupe called the Texas Show Team, which toured the world for LA Gear. After moving to Los Angeles with her mom, the young actress appeared first in scores of TV commercials, then in the Disney kids’ series Kids Incorporated, and soon after, in the popular TV series Party of Five. It wasn’t long before she was starring in films such as Heartbreakers, I Know What You Did Last Summer, The Tuxedo, and as the legendary Audrey Hepburn in the TV movie The Audrey Hepburn Story. In 2005, she landed her starring role on Ghost Whisperer. All along, she’s also been working as a singer/songwriter, touring the world and releasing four albums.
In between everything, she fell in love with Las Vegas. “It’s just so lit up and beautiful; it feels like Disneyland for adults,” she says. “I’ve had the pleasure of driving to Vegas a couple of times, and when you drive into it at night, it’s just gorgeous. You feel like you’re in the middle of a pinball machine.” Here’s where Jennifer Love Hewitt plays in Las Vegas.
So tell me about your first time there. The first time I was in Las Vegas was a while ago. I think I was maybe 12 or 13. I remember going to Circus Circus and how cool I thought it was because you could win all these toys and stuff like that. We stayed at the Flamingo Hilton. While we were checking in, my mom went and put a few quarters in the slot machine just for fun. Then we heard screaming, and my older brother and I were like, “That’s our mom’s scream!” We had not even finished checking in yet, and my mom had won $2,500 on three quarters! My mom has unbelievable luck in Las Vegas.
Does that lucky streak run in the family? I don’t have any luck. My mom has all the luck when it comes to gambling. But one time I won $2,500 on a Slingo machine at Paris Las Vegas. I will never forget it because I was so excited, you would have thought I had won a million dollars. They came over and counted out twenty-five $100 bills in my hand. So my mom and I went up to the room, and we took all the money we had won and threw it around on the bed. We have some silly picture of me lying on a bed in Las Vegas with all of our winnings.
How much money did you have to put in the Slingo machine before you hit the jackpot? I think, like, $20. But I don’t gamble with more than $200 in Vegas. That is my limit. I bought everyone dinner. And I bought a pair of Prada shoes.
Where should we stay? What I like about the Four Seasons of Vegas is that it’s very, very private. It’s really hidden. If you want to go and chill out and not deal with the hoopla of Vegas right in the lobby of your hotel, it’s great. It has its own little, private entrance into the Four Seasons part of things, but when you’re ready to party, you can come out the secret entrance of your hotel and be right in the middle of it, which I think is genius. They should have more of that in Vegas, because the thing about Vegas is it’s absolutely a blast, but it’s exhausting. Nobody goes to Vegas for 10 days; I mean, you would just die. It’s just so crazy, and you’re always going, and there’s always something to do — so it’s like sensory overload.
Where should we stay if we want nonstop sensory overload? The Palms has these really cool suites. I was in the hot-pink suite, where everything was done in a very ’80s style. It had this huge living room and this big shower thing that was kind of in the middle of the room and all these disco lights, so you could feel like Donna Summer when you were in the shower. They also have a basketball suite that we got to see. It has a basketball court in the room, and everybody gets a jersey when they check in. It has two bedrooms, and everyone has their own locker. It’s just crazy. They have amazing places at that hotel. I also love the Bellagio. I haven’t stayed at the Wynn yet, but I went there the last time I was in Vegas. You feel like you’re in a palace. I didn’t go see any of the rooms, but we went and saw a show there and ate dinner at their steak house, SW Steakhouse, which was really good.
You struck it rich at Paris Las Vegas. What are your other favorite casinos? Anywhere that has a Wheel of Fortune is the most fun. It’s the amusement park of slot machines. People talk to you on the machine, and they applaud for you, which is exciting because when you’re gambling, you want to feel like people are rooting you on. I like the New York New York because you feel like you are really there. You look around and feel like you are somewhere else. The machines are great, and it’s really fun. And you can go grab a slice of pizza in between if you want, and I really enjoy that. I love the Bellagio casino. And I did gamble at the Wynn, and that was really neat. It was just beautiful. Their blackjack tables were really pretty.
What do you do in Vegas during the day? I probably go shopping for a while, and we usually lie by the pool.
Okay, which pool? The Mandalay Bay, which is next to the Four Seasons and has the best pool. It has these really neat cabana things where you can cover up if you want shade, which, if you’re in Vegas, most of the time you do, because it’s too hot. It’s just a really nice pool. Some of the other pools are supercrowded, and you just feel like you’re at a rock concert more than you are at a pool. The Mandalay Bay’s pool is really nice and relaxing.
Let’s back up before you get poolside — where do you shop in Vegas? Louis Vuitton [at the Wynn] is literally my version of heaven. I don’t know how to describe it — it’s just huge. They have all of their bags and everything. I’d probably go to the Caesars Forum Shops first because they are really fun, and it’s a good place to start. They also have a Louis Vuitton, and they carry more clothes there than they do at the Wynn. Then, I would probably go to the Aladdin and go to the little shops in there, just because they have really silly, fun stuff to buy. It has more of a market feel, and you don’t spend as much money as you would at the Bellagio or Caesars shops. But you can go home with a bunch of really fun stuff for your friends. The stores at the Wynn and the Bellagio and Caesars just have a glamour about them that I think is really neat. Vegas is really fun, but not all parts of Vegas are glamorous. The stores at those three hotels really make you feel like you’re on Rodeo Drive. I would go to the Bellagio and go to the Prada store, which is my favorite store to go to there. I would probably cry about how much money I spent at Prada, and then I would probably go after that to the Wynn. I normally buy an outfit from the Prada store to wear that night, so I would probably try to find a new purse or a pair of shoes to go with my new outfit.
Where would you wear the new outfit? Let’s start with dinner. I absolutely love the atmosphere at Prime Steakhouse at the Bellagio. It just feels kind of old-school, and I love all the dark wood and everything. I love the food, and the people there are just great. I also love Olives at the Bellagio, because you can sit outside and see the fountain and hear the music and watch the people go by. It’s really fun, and the food is just amazing. And there’s Little Buddha. It’s at the Palms and has really good sushi and Chinese food. It has a cool little atmosphere — it’s done all in red and black. I actually had my birthday there.
How did you celebrate? We had dinner at the Little Buddha, and it was really yummy and everybody really seemed to like it. I had never been to the Palms before, but they were lovely enough to invite and host 14 of my family and friends for my birthday. My best friend, Jenny, and her husband got to be there and my mom, my brother, my sister-in-law, my great boyfriend, and a couple of people from Ghost Whisperer got to be there. It was really great because we were in the middle of working and it was right before the end of the season, so it was fun to get away for the week.
Where did you go after dinner? Rain, a club at the Palms. It was really fun. We went dancing there, which was really awesome. It’s a very chill club atmosphere. They have this floor kind of in the back of the place where, if you stand over it, you can see all down the Vegas strip, which is kind of scary. They play really good music, and I would highly recommend that as a place to go. And if people are like me and not really into the crazy, crazy scene, I would definitely suggest Rain.
Aside from your birthday at Rain, what is another great way to spend a night in Vegas? I’ve been dancing at Studio 54, which was fun, but that was a really long time ago. I’m not really a big party person, so somebody else would probably come up with something more interesting. I really just like to go to dinner, and I like to go to the shows. I like to see as many of the shows as I can. Cirque du Soleil’s O is amazing. We also saw Le Rêve last time we were there, which was incredible, and everyone should go see that. Cirque du Soleil is like being in a dream you’ve had that’s just a little off. It’s the most beautiful thing you could experience. What these people can do with their bodies and how they do it to the music and the way that they do it is just truly extraordinary. O is one of my favorite shows because it’s all done pretty much underwater. I really want to go back to Vegas to see Love, the new Beatles one they have. It’s a new Cirque du Soleil production involving the Beatles music.
Okay, it’s probably coming up on dawn now. Where would you go for breakfast? Denny’s is always a good choice for pancakes. It’s just good! Especially when you wake up tired from being in Vegas, or if you’ve been up. When you’re exhausted from all the noise and all the atmosphere, there’s something very calming and childlike about just getting up and throwing on your comfy clothes and going to Denny’s and having a big stack of pancakes. The other place I love to eat at in Vegas is Café Gelato at the Bellagio. It’s a breakfast place where you can get crepes in the morning, and they have panini and ice cream and gelato and stuff like that. It’s toward the back of the hotel. The Nutella-and-banana crepe is really good — very decadent. They also have really good ham-and-cheese panini.
What’s your best memory of Las Vegas? I was touring with my band, and we took the tour bus into Vegas just for fun. We had been on the road for a while, but we finally had a break in the schedule. We pulled up to the hotel in our big bus, sort of late at night because I had performed somewhere in L.A. earlier in the day. We all got out and immediately bought big, funny, gold Elvis glasses and took pictures of ourselves in them. Then we went in and gambled and hung out. The next day, we lay by the pool a little bit and gambled a bit more, then got on the bus and came back. There is something very freeing about Las Vegas and fun and silly. You can’t really go to Vegas and be serious. It’s a city where people feel like they can go and let loose, and nobody’s going to judge them.
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She Said … What Jennifer Love Hewitt loves about Las Vegas
Lodging
Bellagio, very expensive,
(888) 987-6667
Circus Circus, expensive, (877) 434-9175
Flamingo Las Vegas
(formerly Flamingo Hilton), very expensive, (702) 733-3111
Four Seasons, very expensive, (702) 632-5000
Mandalay Bay, expensive, (877) 632-7800
New York New York Hotel & Casino, moderate/expensive, (702) 740-6969
The Palms, very expensive, (702) 942-7778
Paris Las Vegas, very expensive, (702) 946-7000
Wynn Las Vegas, expensive, (888) 320-9966
Dining
Café Gelato, Bellagio, inexpensive/moderate, (702) 693-8133
Denny’s, inexpensive, (702) 736-6265
Little Buddha, the Palms, Chinese/sushi, expensive, (702) 942-7778
Olives, Bellagio, Mediterranean, expensive, (702) 693-8181
Prime Steakhouse, Bellagio, very expensive, (877) 234-6358
SW Steakhouse, Wynn Las Vegas, expensive, (888) 352-3463
Shopping
Aladdin Resort and Casino, (877) 333-9474
The Forum Shops at Caesars Palace, (877) 427-7243
Louis Vuitton (at the Wynn), (877) 321-9966
Prada, (702) 866-6886
The Shops at Via Bellagio, (702) 693-7111
Nightlife
Cirque du Soleil’s Love at the Mirage, (800) 963-9634
Cirque du Soleil’s O at the Bellagio, (800) 963-9634
Le Rêve at Wynn Las Vegas, (702) 770-9966
Rain at the Palms, (702) 947-8833
Studio 54 at the MGM Grand, (702) 891-7254
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We Said …
What we love about Las Vegas
Lodging
Somerset House Motel, inexpensive, (702) 735-4411. If you’re saving your money for the slots, book your stay at the fabulously affordable Somerset. With only 104 rooms, it’s much more low-key than the megahotels that are a mere block away on the Strip. The majority of rooms have full kitchens, saving you even more moolah and making it ideal for families.
Dining
Hofbräuhaus, moderate, (702) 853-2337. Sausage, sauerkraut, spätzle, strudel — it’s all here at this right-down-to-the-rivets replica of Munich’s world-famous beer hall. The Bavarian vibe is here, too, thanks to the live music and jovial servers. As they say, it’s like Oktoberfest every day.
Pink Taco, inexpensive to moderate, (702) 693-5525. A scion of the founder of legendary Morton’s Steakhouse, Harry Morton has a hit on his hands with this first outpost of his budding Mexican-food chain. The name refers to the panucho, or grilled chicken taco, a patron favorite, as is the it’s-so-money selection of beers and tequilas.
Shopping
Zoom Shop, (702) 732-5111. Leave it to Vegas to automate buying an MP3 player. Located inside the Las Vegas Hilton, this tricked-out vending machine dispenses iPods, digital cameras, batteries, and more. If you’re already equipped, it’s still sort of fun to watch people poke and paw and pick out their purchases (check out some of the clips on MySpace if you don’t believe us).
OUTDOORS
Mount Charleston, (702) 515-5400. Want to beat the heat? Head less than an hour north on U.S. 95, where atop this panoramic peak it’s a good 30 to 40 degrees cooler than on the desert floor. Mount Charleston is located in the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, an oasis offering hiking, camping, cycling, and skiing.
Family-Friendly
Adventuredome, (702) 794-3939. If you had to bring the kiddos along to Vegas, entertain them at this giant indoor theme park complete with loop-de-loop rides, a roller coaster, bone-crushing bumper cars (our favorite!), a rock climbing wall, miniature golf course, and, naturally, an arcade.
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