City of Sin (or not): Las Vegas

Las Vegas, the city of sin.... depending on what you want to do, right? Las Vegas can be as tame as you want or as wild as you want; it's entirely up to you. That is why Vegas is so great! I've been to Vegas a few times and each time I have had a completely different experience. I have been to Vegas with my dad and step-mom, my mom and her friends, my in-laws, many reunions with friends from all around the world, an intimate weekend with my husband, and a couple’s weekend as well. Every time Vegas has been slightly different.

When I went with my dad, we went to Hoover Dam, which was pretty awesome. It is not a far drive outside of the city and its size really does take your breath away. Further, but not too far away is the Grand Canyon as well, so if you do get bored of the casinos there are some nice outdoor activities waiting for you.

Hoover Dam with my friends and Dad-2009

Vegas, in my opinion really *shouldn't* be for kids, but there are plenty of family friendly activities: Coca Cola Store, M&Ms store, Aquarium at Mandalay Bay, roller coasters of Circus Circus, New York New York, & The Stratosphere. However, let’s be honest..... Nothing is worse than milking off a hangover by the pool and some loud, noisy, irritating children are splashing and shouting near you. I do have friends who go on family holidays to Las Vegas and they have a great time. However, most people go to Vegas to let loose… so not only do they not want to be around kids, the things they are doing aren’t really kid friendly. However, I don’t have kids, so one thing that I think Vegas needs more of, are adult only hotels (again, just my opinion) so that people like myself can have a stress free trip.

Bellagio Water Show-2012

The key to Vegas is to plan ahead and get a decent hotel. I always find that I spend more time in my temporary residence than always originally planned. If you pay that little extra for the comfort of a nice hotel, you spend less money on taxis. If you get a nice hotel, you tend to stay on its premises; especially if there is a casino and pool. Even though I am not much of a gambler, I love the sound of the casino when you walk in. Nothing really gets you ready to "go out all night" like the sounds of those slot machines! Plus, if you’re gambling you get free booze! My favorite hotel (thus far) is Planet Hollywood. Planet Hollywood has an amazing pool that sits beneath the "Paris" Eiffel Tower, and most rooms also face the Bellagio water fountain. Planet Hollywood has great restaurants, is connected to the Miracle Mile for shopping, has a great fun casino with dancing girls on the card tables, a relaxing spa, fun in-house entertainment, an AMAZING pool, and to top it off it is centrally located across from the amazing Bellagio water fountain display. The extra bonus of Planet Hollywood is that there is a no kids section at the pool :) ahhhhhhhhhhhh !

the pool at Planet Hollywood (view from my chair)

There are also some AMAZING restaurants in Vegas, owned by some of the most famous chefs in the world. My new particular favorite is, "Twist" by Pierre Gagnaire which is located in the Mandarin Oriental. The Mandarin Oriental is a secret gem in Las Vegas. It is tucked away and does not have a casino, but the Mandarin Bar has some of the best cocktails in Las Vegas with, hands down, the best views of the strip. It is very romantic in this bar, so it is a great way to start a fun romantic night for a couple.  My husband and I started here before heading to our Matt Goss show in Caesars Palace. (a great, fun, show by the way!).

Now back to Twist, ummmm AMAZING and one of the best food experiences I have ever had. I probably will not be able to afford such an amazing culinary experience like this in a long time, so I truly did cherish it. Plus the sommelier is amazing and even called my husband a few times prior to our visit to ensure we were picking the correct bottle of champagne to accompany our meal. The service, food, and view in Twist are amazing. Obviously, I cannot stop talking about it! So, as you can see, Vegas is great for a romantic weekend getaway as well.

What Vegas is probably known best for is the debauchery that goes on. In order to have the best and most fun time with your friends, you do need to plan ahead. You need to see which club and or clubs you want to go to and get your names on the guest list. Sad, but true, girls never have a problem so if you're going with boys you really, really, need to plan ahead.

what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas- amazing reunion 2010

In my opinion, the best and most amazing "new-ish" fun thing to do is to attend one of the many pool parties. I went to Encore Beach Club at the Wynn, and it was SO MUCH FUN! I saw Steve Angelo and he was phenomenal. Some of the best DJs come to these pool parties, which makes for great dancing. It may be because I am now getting older, but pool parties are really the way forward! You get there early, around 11 am, you drink and dance all day. It is sunny and hot so you're sweating out most of the toxins you're putting in your body, you dance to one of your favorite DJs, and once it is all over you go back to your hotel. At this point you're probably starving, so you eat and then (in my case) most likely go to sleep after watching some random TV marathon in bed. These courses of events lead to little or no hangover the next day! That nonexistent hangover allowed for my mid-twenty to early-thirty year old friends and I to do two days of partying in a row!! That is now unheard of for us, but doing the pool party first, meant that we could do a club (at night) the next day! So as you can see, pool parties are definitely the way forward... in my opinion; especially if you just cannot recover like you used to.

the pool party at Encore Beach Club-Summer 2013

Vegas can be anything you want it to be, as long as you're going with great people to make it fun. The entertainment options are limitless: Cirque de Soleil, comedy shows, concerts, gambling, theatre, plays, etc., but if you just want to relax, there are many options just for that as well. Vegas does have its flaws.... we already know about my biased child flaw, but I also particularly find myself disgusted by the amount of buffets. It is like watching people stuffing their faces like pigs to a troth. With all the great options for food, I just don't understand eating as much as you can for as little as you can, but then again that is just me… and YES, I have been to the buffets that are accredited, like the ones in the Rio, Caesars Palace and the Bellagio. I still don’t get it. For how much I paid for the buffet, I could have eaten for A LOT LESS money at one of the many abundant subways and not stare at people stuffing their faces all around me. Alternatively, for slightly more (sometimes less as the buffets do get expensive) enjoy a nice relaxing meal at a GREAT restaurant.  

For the most part, I love Vegas. However, I have a little biased sentimental piece of my heart saved for Vegas. I married the man of my life in this city, so how could I not love it? Don't be fooled, you cannot just show up to a drive through church and expect to get married! You have to go to the court house first to get your marriage license, so the whole "how did I get married" thing can't really happen; myth busted!

Las Vegas is great, but to be honest, you probably don't need more than three days there. Three days of pushing your body through extreme outdoor heat, indoor cold air conditioning, smoke filled casinos, alcohol, food comas, and lack of sleep kind of wears you down. The first 48 hours in Vegas are always the best, don't ruin it. Go home and recover so you can plan your next "sinful" (or relaxing) adventure.

September 12, 2009 =)