It’s funny because before we left, and even while we were there, people seemed so surprised when they heard we’d be spending a full week in Vegas. Now I can finally see why! It’s not that there’s not enough to keep you occupied for seven days, it’s that there’s too much, and trying to keep up with it all will eventually wear you out. Or, in my case, confine you to a bed for a few days when you return home. Lesson learned.
But just like with most places, Vegas can be however you want it to be, and while every day and night weren’t filled with experiences that would make it in another Hangover movie, our friends and I did try to keep busy and take advantage of the time we had there, and we also tried to live it up and do a few things that we wouldn’t normally do otherwise because…YOLO! If my recovery time didn’t make me sound old, then that saying probably did, hey? I don’t even know if anyone says that anymore, but it was definitely the saying of our trip. That, and the flying money emoji symbol because Vegas sure is damn expensive and every day we just kept laughing (or sobbing) as we watched all of our money fly off to never ever land.
It was our first time going to Vegas (but not for our two friends who went with us), so not only were we excited to get away and hang out with our friends, but we were also excited to see what Vegas was all about. We had a few shows booked before we left, and we had an idea of a few things we’d like to do, but for the most part we kept our days unplanned – a decision that often back fired on the four most indecisive people ever! But somehow we managed to make it through and fill up our days, even if it did take an hour of ‘I don’t care’s’ before we left our hotel.
Our first impression of our hotel, besides it fitting right in with the atmosphere, was that the rooms were nice and clean, but on the smaller side. We were staying in the west wing, and from what we heard, the rooms were bigger in other sections of the hotel. But the hotel itself was awesome (did I mention oversized?) and there were so many great restaurants and bars inside that you didn’t even need to leave if you didn’t want to. And their outside pool area was ahhmazing, but I’ll get into that a little later. Overall we were happy with our hotel choice.
While it was located on the strip, if I were ever to return and prices were similar, I’d probably first look at hotels located a little more in the middle. We ubered quite a bit towards the end, because after a few nights of two girls walking miles in heels, we quickly realized it was better to dish out a few extra dollars to save whatever was left of our poor feet. And something tells me even the guys in their comfy shoes didn’t mind getting picked up and dropped right off at the door. While everything looks pretty close from a distance, you’ll quickly realize that the strip is deceiving. And plus, at the MGM, it takes a good ten minutes to walk to your room once you’re even inside. #saveyourfeet
Day 1: Checking in to the MGM Grand, exploring the strip, dinner at the Cheesecake Factory, frozen cocktails at Fat Tuesday’s, drinks at the Skyfall Lounge, late night snack at Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill.
After checking in and changing into our shorts (hello crazy high Vegas temps!), we were off to hit up the famous strip. After walking our legs off and only making it as far as Ceasers Palace, we stopped in for an early dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. It was here where we had our first cheers to the beginning of a great week we had ahead, and to thank our friends again for the best wedding gift. It was also here where Todd pointed out Katy Hearn and Haydn Schneider- fitness gurus we’ve been following on Instagram for quite some time. But this wouldn’t be the only people that Todd would scout out during our time in Vegas. As he would say, “I’m just like the beagle!”. I swear he has an act (or a nose) for finding high profile people!
After eating, and while hopping around from hotel to hotel on the strip, we stopped into Fat Tuesday’s for the most potent drinks. We didn’t have any room left after our meal to enjoy our cheesecake, but somehow drinking our body weight in frozen drinks made sense. But I mean, can one even say they’ve done Vegas if they didn’t walk the strip with a 2 foot drink? I didn’t think so!
My first impression of the strip? Flashy, definitely flashy. Just as I expected. But, it really wasn’t so much of the actual view of the strip that caught my attention, it was the inside of the hotels that did. Going in each and every one of them is an adventure in itself because they’re all so unique and they all offer so much to see and do!
Later that evening we went to the Skyfall Lounge in Delano to enjoy some classier looking drinks and the beautiful view that the city has to offer. It was a great way to end our first day in Vegas. Actually, that’s a lie, I just remembered we ended it with stuffing our faces with pizza and truffle fries when we got back to our hotel. Okay, so an even better way then to end our first day!
Day 2: Breakfast at Avenue Cafe, roller coaster at New York-New York, Ice bar at Minus 5, milkshakes at Holsteins, shopping at Miracle Mile shops, dinner at Dicks Last Resort, Zumanity Cirque du Soleil show, Coyote Ugly Bar.
We had a busy night ahead and it started off with dinner at Dick’s Last Resort. This is a casual restaurant where the staff purposely treat you like crap and poke fun at you. The four of us agreed that the food wasn’t very good at all, but we did have a few laughs while we were there. It was fun to try, but after doing it once you wouldn’t feel the need to ever go back again. Then it was off to our first cirque du soleil show; Zumanity. We thought the show was great and the acrobatics part was amazing. We discovered later though that it didn’t hold a candle to the second show we’d see later in the week.
We ended the night at the Coyote Ugly bar and this turned out to be one of the funnest (and least sober) nights of our trip. The atmosphere was just plain fun and very laid back. We watched girls dancing on bars and other people from the crowd getting hauled up on the stage all night long. If you’re looking for a non-club night in Vegas, I’d highly recommend this place (although my memory and judgment could have been a teeny tiny bit impaired from that night!).
But, you’ll hear all about the hangovers that occurred on Day 3 on the next post.
Disclaimer: Due to the integrity of myself and others, only 5% of the photos that were taken in Vegas are shown.
Until next time.
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