"We have now completed our travels and are landing in Las Vegas, Nevada. You can now un-buckle your seat belts and exit toward the front of the plane," says the flight attendant over the PA system.
I'm here!!! I'm in "Sin City" for the 2006 Las Vegas Lowrider Super Show. As I get off the plane heading toward baggage claim, I see all types of people at the Las Vegas airport, scrambling around trying to find their rightful bags as well as flagging down a taxi cab to get to their desired destinations. As I observed the crowd, I noticed that there were a large number of Latino passengers getting off the flight that I was on, and from there I knew that these people were out here for the same reason that I was here, and that was to experience the 2006 Lowrider Super Show.
As I walk confusedly, trying to locate the baggage claim sign that reads "PICK-UP," I heard a faint voice in the distant, but I paid it no mind. I heard the same voice again, but this time it was much louder and clearer. It sounded as though someone was asking me a question, but I was too excited to get to my desired destination that I paid the voice no mind.
I hear it again and it was now clear that the question was directed towards me. "Where are you headed?" As I slowly looked over my shoulder I noticed a tall Latino guy wearing an extra-large Raiders jersey with a Raiders brim hat to match, walking behind me. It was then very clear that the man was talking directly to me, but I couldn't concentrate, because the only thing that was on my mind was that my feet were screaming for mercy and that I was too hungry and way too thirsty to stop and hold a conversation with this man. I slowly turned around, with a slight attitude. But when I turned around and I saw the man with the Raiders gear staring dead at me smiling, my "What do you need, sir" attitude quickly changed after he flashed me with his beautiful smile.
"Awwwwwe he seems sweet," I thought to myself, so I replied back to him in a sweet voice, "Oh, I didn't realize that you were talking to me," I said smiling. "Well, I'm on the way to the Cashman Field Center for the Lowrider Super Show move-in," I explained. "Really!" says the Raider gear man. "What do you do for the magazine, do you model?" "Oh noooooo, I'm a web producer as well as a writer, but thanks for the compliment," I said with a smile. After my brief conversation with "Raider Man," I got my bags and headed toward the door to hop into a taxi toward the Golden Nugget.
As I stepped out into the blistering Las Vegas heat, I noticed that there was a long line waiting for the next available taxi. I waited there patiently. As I waited in line, I decided to call my parents to let them know that I arrived safely and had a wonderful flight. Well, needless to say, after hearing a 30-minute lecture from my mom about not embarrassing the family while I'm in Vegas, as well as reminding me that I'm on this trip for business rather than pleasure, I was than ready to get off the phone and begin my adventure toward Cashman Field.
As I rode in the taxi toward my hotel, I began to imagine how this show would be. I knew that it would be full of exciting entertainment, extravagant rides, and let's not forget those girls that we classify as "hoochie mamas" LOL. After I paid the taxi driver and headed toward my room, I noticed people looking at me. It was strange at first, but than I remembered that I was wearing a Lowrider Girl tank top. Some people even stopped me and asked me if it was the time of the year for the Lowrider Super Show, and if so can they have a pair of free tickets. After I explained to several people that the tickets were $40 at the door and that I didn't have any free tickets to give away, I finally made my way from the inquiring minds and followed the arrow that directed me to room 872.
As I opened the door and saw how comfortable the bed looked, the first thing that came to my mind was that it would be nice to take a quick nap before heading out onto the field, but I instantly snapped backed into reality. I fixed my hair, through on some lipstick and headed toward Cashman Field.
When I finally made it to Cashman Field, the first thing that I noticed was the beautiful sea of lowrider vehicles. The colors ranged from blue, green, pink, red, and orange, which immediately caught my eye as well as my attention. "Wow!" I thought. "This is too cool." I walked down the ramp to get a closer look at these masterpieces. As I walked down the ramp I ran into "Twin," who is the president of the well-known Majestic Car Club. After we exchanged a few words, I met up with my sister (Alicia Brown) and my two homegirls (Jennifer Wade and Rosio Vasquez) and continued on our journey through the sea of cars.
As we walked through the crowd of guys loading up their cars, we heard old school music playing in the background, while the women were watching their men wax their chromed-out rides. As I begin snapping pictures of these beautiful cars, I noticed a slight malfunction, my battery was low. So quickly I called Reinaldo Robinson who is the Senior Feature Editor of Lowrider Magazine to assist me and save the day. After we fixed my little problem, I was good to go.
After walking around for four hours in stilettos, capturing photos, and getting a feel for the show, my girls and I decided to pack up and head back to the hotel, while at the same time anticipating on what to expect for the big day.
Stay tuned for Part 2 of my experience at the 2006 Las Vegas Super Show