Flavor 8: You should buy this but I hope you never have to use it

A too-close-for-comfort story from this morning in Vegas.

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What: The She’s Birdie Alarm

How Much?: $29.99 and you can use GEETHANKS10 for 10% off — this was given to us after I reached out and let them know I was writing about them today! This can be used on top of their current 15% off deal.

Anything I Should Know?: It works. It’s loud. Yes, your child may be able to accidentally activate it if you allow them to play with your keys or have access to your purse. Nothing bad will happen, but the sound will startle them (and anyone standing by!). That’s the point!

I was scared.

If you’ve been following me on the Gee Thanks! Instagram, you know I was in Vegas this past week for two days of relaxation, room service, and a few beautiful, sacred hours at the Sex and the City slot machines.

This morning I said my goodbyes and left to catch an early flight back to LA, and I found myself alone on the strip at 5am trying to locate my LYFT. (I forgot that I could have just gone down to the hotel entrance and there would be a line of cabs waiting. It’s been awhile since I’ve had to maneuver being out and about in the world!)

After ten years of living in New York City, I am not fazed by big public places full of people. I am a pro at staying in my own little bubble while remaining acutely aware of my surroundings. But there’s a window of time in Vegas where 90% of people are passed out in their hotel rooms, leaving Sin City eerily desolate. The 10% of people who are awake during that window usually haven’t gone to sleep yet, and they’re stumbling out of the casinos and clubs.

There are no crowds.

There are no light shows.

There is no music.

It’s still pretty dark out.

This morning I found myself smack in the middle of that window. Walking alone on the Vegas strip at 5am is not for the faint of heart.

The second I stepped out of my hotel and onto the strip, a drunk guy still dressed in night time party attire started walking toward me on the sidewalk. Not just in my direction—he was walking straight into me, and without directly meeting his gaze I could see that his eyes were trying to make contact with mine. I sidestepped to move out of the way; he shadowed my sidestep and remained in front of me.

There was no one else around us.

“Where are you going?” he asked me as I ducked around him and continued to walk. I ignored him. He repeated the question and, pissed that I didn’t respond, started following me.

I could feel my heart pounding out of my chest and my hands were starting to sweat. The thing about Vegas is while it looks like everything is very close together on one long street, the place is so comically huge that you feel like a Polly Pocket in Times Square every time you’re trying to get from point A to point B. My LYFT said it was arriving at the hotel next door to where I stayed and somehow Google Maps clocked that at a 14 minute walk. It ended up being longer.

I was panicking. There was no one else around except scattered pockets of other drunk revelers far far down the road. Then I remembered that I had brought my Birdie with me. Initially when I was packing, I was like, do I need to bring this? and ultimately decided that, duh, it would only be useful to me if I actually carried it. But it was in my bag, and as he walked behind me yelling and trying to talk to me, I shoved my arm into my tote and fished for it, gripping it in the deploy position inside of my fist as I picked up my pace. If I had anticipated feeling unsafe I would have left my hotel room with it in my hand already, but the danger I felt truly shocked me. I wasn’t expecting to feel less safe in a near-empty Vegas than I would at the height of its nightlife, but I should have remembered that any time a non-cis, non-white, non-heterosexual man is alone in public they are vulnerable. Fun!

“Do you know where my friends are?”

He was still following me, albeit lagging behind a bit. I did not acknowledge him. “Oh you’re too good to talk to me?” He stopped walking and stood on the sidewalk yelling. I was walking right in front of the entrance to the Bellagio driveway (which meant it would take me 7 minutes to get to their lobby because #Vegas) and I knew there would be people — namely sober employees— in the lobby so I started walking in that direction, Birdie in hand, ready to pull if he got any closer.

He gave up and walked away — and thank god. But I still was gripping my hot pink alarm with my sweaty hands and my pulse was still racing long after I got in the LYFT en route to the airport.

When I bought the Birdie in December, I did it because it was cute and seemed practical to have. But now the way I think about the Birdie has changed. Instead of just simply having it in my bag or my pocket, I will be holding it in my hand. Not just in Vegas, but when I head to my car in a dark parking lot after a dinner out, when I walk Lottie late at night, and definitely anytime I am alone or traveling somewhere unfamiliar. The best case scenario? I don’t have to use it. I don’t want to think about how easy it would be to find myself in the worst case scenario. This morning was a too close a call for my liking.

The Birdie comes in 11 vibrant colorways and you can get them cheaper if you buy more than one (when I bought mine I bought it in a bundle with a few friends). It doesn’t need to be charged, and it comes on a gold toned key ring to slip over your fingers when you carry it. It’s loud, and it flashes a strobe light when its activated.

She’s Birdie was started by two moms who found themselves nervous to send their kids to college knowing 1 in 5 women will be raped in her lifetime, and they urge their customers to have proactive conversations about safety with their friends and families. They also make note of the most important part of the aforementioned statistic: “Include boys and men in these conversations because we can't have a conversation about women's safety with just women.”

I also imagine Birdie could be useful to anyone who doesn’t feel that they are safe when they are alone or in an unfamiliar place — not just women.

The Birdie has over 3000 5-star reviews on its site, and I will be adding my 5-star review as soon as I send this email out. I only wish I had a Birdie when I was in college.

If you buy a Birdie, you can get 10% off using GEETHANKS10. This is not sponsored or paid content, the code was given to us after we alerted (pun!) the company that we would be recommending their product this week.

Stay safe and take care of each other!!

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