48 hours in Vegas
I spent a couple days in Vegas last week - it was great to get away for a bit! I had never been to Vegas before, but I'd always wanted to go and see what it was like. My dad and my brother were going for a trade show (they're in the flooring business), so I sort of invited myself along ... and it was even better because my sister came, too! While it certainly wasn't my favorite trip I've ever taken, it was still mostly a good time.
Our trip started out kind of rough: A delayed flight turned our 60 hours in Vegas into 48 hours, and we were stuck in Houston for the first night. I had my dry shampoo taken away (bad packing by me), and we were given hotel keys to rooms that other people were still occupying...so that was awkward. But after that, it was pretty smooth. Except for when I left my $185 hair straightener in our hotel and didn't realize til we got home. ;(
DAY ONE
After landing in Vegas, we took a cab to check in at our hotel, the MGM Grand. Definitely the nicest hotel lobby I've ever seen! It's the second largest hotel in the world by number of rooms and the largest hotel resort complex in the U.S. I couldn't believe how big it was, and I never even saw one of the five pools.
Then, I needed FOOD (I get motion sickness so I don't eat much while flying). Shake Shack had just opened in Vegas a month earlier, and we were the first in line when they opened at 11:00 am! It was SO DELICIOUS! I had a hamburger, cheese fries and peanut butter chocolate malt. Definitely a highlight of my entire trip.
Then we took a tram to Mandalay Bay, which is where the flooring conference was. We spent three hours looking at carpet, hardwood floors, shower systems/drains, etc. It was fun to see my dad in his element.
Then we walked through the Luxor (the hotel shaped like a pyramid) and made our way back to MGM. We had won $38 at the conference, so my brother walked up to a Roulette table, put down $35, and asked me red or black. I said red, and we doubled our money! I immediately went to cash out and asked where the nearest H&M was. :-)
We rested at the hotel for a bit before heading out for dinner. We walked through The Cosmopolitan (crazy huge chandelier!) and saw the Fountains of Bellagio (soo cool!) before eating dinner at Margaritaville, which was really yummy.
After dinner, we briskly walked the 30 minutes back to MGM for David Copperfield's show. I'm not a huge fan of magic, but it was a good show and he did a few things that left us scratching our heads. I would have liked to see him again during his later show that night just to see how different it was since he includes a lot of audience participation.
Afterward, we took a cab to Fremont Street, which is the old downtown area. This was definitely the low point in the trip for me. I think it was partly due to the fact that I was exhausted after all the walking and being up for 21 hours straight, as well as seeing all the strange, strange people in costumes and half-dressed women trying to make money, I was sort of over it. I guess I'm a prude, but I just don't get the appeal. My brother and I hung out outside under the lights while my dad and sister went on the SlotZilla "Zoomline" (like zip lining, except laying on your stomach). After that, we took a cab back to the hotel and went to bed.
DAY TWO
Day Two was a much better day for me. I woke up 20 weeks pregnant (!), took a much-needed shower and then chose our breakfast location: Sugar Factory. I thought it was delicious, but overpriced.
Then we walked through Paris and I found La Creperie, a casual walk-up crepe stand that came highly recommended. I got the Sugar & Butter crepe, and it was AMAZING. Definitely the best thing I ate in Vegas.
We continued walking through the nearby hotels, staring with Bally's, and then The Venetian, which features gondola rides, shopping, live statues and Carlo's Bakery (from Cake Boss):
Next, we went through Caesar's Palace and the Forum Shops:
And Bellagio:
Then we walked through New York New York and got Ben & Jerry's ice cream, checked out the Hershey's store, and then headed back to MGM to rest for 45 minutes.
For supper, we walked back to the Forum Shops at Caesar's and ate at Joe's Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab, where we enjoyed Cokes and fillets and onion strings.
After that, we walked next door to The Mirage for Beatles LOVE, which was absolutely incredible. I'd seen one traveling Cirque du Soleil show before, but this was on a completely different level! I was amazed the entire time!
We had all had enough at this point (and had a 6:45 am wake-up call), so we walked back to our hotel, taking in the strip at night.
Back at MGM, we got dessert at The Rainforest Cafe before heading to bed. I'm so thankful I had the opportunity to get away and spend time with my family!
Highlights
- Sugar & Butter Crepe at La Creperie (Paris)
- LOVE Cirque du Soleil (all Beatles music)
- Being first in line at Shake Shack
- Fountains of Bellagio
- Winning $35 playing Roulette
- Breakfast at Sugar Factory
- Shopping at Caesar's (H&M!)
- Spending time with my family
P.S. I don't want to sound like a brat who didn't enjoy my trip to Vegas, but I do have to honest that I found many of the "attractions" in Vegas to be very disturbing. I honestly didn't feel super safe while walking around, even with my dad and brother there, and don't have a desire to ever go back. I felt like even just being in the city as a tourist that I was somehow contributing to the sex trafficking industry. Eric and I had planned to go together at some point, but I think we would have more fun somewhere else. Anyone else not a huge fan of Vegas???