text: Oohh ahhh a posh semisecret membersonly club in Vegas You know what It is not nearly as cool as it sounds Imagine my disappointment after getting onto the VIP list with the help of a local connection but it is the truth The Foundation Room is open to the hoi polloi on Mondays or else there would not be much point in reviewing it would therennOkay yes it does feel pretty awesome when you walk up to the unobtrusive podium in the lobby murmur your name to the hostess behind the desk and get waved through the ropes to the single elevator There is no need to punch buttons because it only goes one place straight up to the Foundation ironically located at almost the very top of Mandalay Bay nnWhen the elevator doors open you are greeted with the kind of quiet plush elegance that tells you you really do not belong The club consists of a series of rooms branching off to either side of a main lounge From the lounge you can also reach the restaurant and the balcony which really does have a stunning view of the Strip the best in the city if the hype is to be believed It is pretty spectacular and so the balcony is always crowded with people wrestling between their desire to gawk and their desire to look cool and jadednnAnd yes the decor is not only tasteful but actually beautiful romantically dim lights opulent Indian and Asian art and decorations and exotic wood paneling and carvings Smaller private rooms off the hallways are reserved for private parties but a quick peek revealed low plush couches and more elaborate furnishings and art nnThe main lounge is where the bar is but good luck muscling your way up to the front and getting served and if you do you will find yourself paying for a small drink that is mostly ice Yum A second smaller room has another bar and at least the night I was there a complimentary hookah table set up on one side with three hookahs bubbling away in different flavors Bowls of plasticwrapped disposable mouthpieces were set out so you would just grab one and get ready to puff an uncharacteristically free bonus in an otherwise insanely overpriced placennThe music was not anything superspecial muted trancehouse with a vaguely Asian flavor in the lounge and more hiphop in the smaller room But everyone is too busy looking hott and being way too cool to actually want to dance so all there really is to do here is silently judge each others outfits and suck on your expensive ice drink This is okay for about an hour but then it gets old fastnnIm glad I went to the Foundation Room for two reasons to see that magnificent view and to have my illusions about exclusive membersonly clubs demolished Yeah it is posh and people are probably wearing outfits that cost more than my annual salary but you will have way more fun slurping beaker shots and dancing to disco at Gay Corners where everyone is allowed in Power to the people