Las Vegas!

So I haven’t really been keeping up with my blog…at all. But I want to change this. I’ve decided to write a post about all the stuff I did on my Las Vegas trip the other week. I really regret not keeping track of all the things I see/eat/do on past trips because I often want to revisit but can’t remember what all I did! So this will be helpful for me, even if no one else cares ;)

Friday 3/23

The ride to Vegas was pleasant. John drove most of the way, and we had birthday girl Janna with us. We left around 12 and got there around 5:00. John surprised me with the hotel that night. It was the Vdara which is a pretty trendy place! We immediately helped Janna to her room at the Riviera where she was sharing with others. We walked, and it was awful! It must have taken an hour or something to walk from City Center to the Riviera. When we finally got there, we made sure Janna seemed situated and John and I took a taxi back to the Vdara.

I was really impressed with our hotel! Apparently it’s rated 5 stars. We had a small suite, which included an awesome bath. We got dressed and headed over to the Monte Carlo to meet Nikki and her new Boyfriend for supper. By this time, it’s about 9:00, and we find a sushi place in the Monte Carlo called Dragon Noodle Co. John and I shared some really awesome rolls. Nikki and her guy were fun to chat with, and after we walked them to Aria resort, which was next to our hotel. We parted there, and John and I explored Aria. It was also a supter trendy hotel, and we kept getting invited to check out the club ($40 cover for dudes? no thank you). We found a really awesome crepe place for dessert, and got back to our room around 12:30 or so. I really wanted to try the bath!

Saturday 3/24

Janna’s B-Day! We packed our stuff, checked out, and left our stuff with the bellman while we enjoyed an amazing buffet at Aria. It was way more expensive that we anticipated, but was worth it. I indulged in eggs Benedict, gelato, prime rib, breakfast burritos, crab legs, and a bloody marry, among other tasty things. I was really really full and vowed to never eat again ;)

After that, we checked in at the Stratosphere, were we would split 2 rooms with a bunch of people. The stratosphere was nicer than I expected. It had a good casino, a chic bar, and the rooms were decent. The bad thing was that it’s at the north most part of the strip, and is far from everything else.

From there, we took the car to Mandalay Bay, and walked around the strip, looking for friends. We spend most of the day doing that, and headed back with our party around 6:00 to get ready for the night. I got to wear a really fun dress I’ve been dying to try since I bought it some months ago, and we all hit the hotel bar, where they had an amazing happy hour special (unlimited drinks for $25). I did not indulge in bottomless drinks, opting for a single specially martini instead, which was fantastic. I think everyone enjoyed themselves here.

When happy hour ended at 9:00, we went to the buffet. It wasn’t super awesome, but was fine. Then I went with my girlfriends to a nightclub at the Mirage. Apparently, the cover charge is normally $40, but since our friend knew the DJ, we got in for free! It seemed like a pretty cool place, but it was reeeallyy crowded. I couldn’t dance at all without bumping into everyone around. I tried to make the most of it, but left after an hour to check out the casino action at the Strat. I turned in around 1:30 I think, but had a super hard time sleeping. Not sure what my problem was, my roommates were quiet and everything.

Sunday 3/25

After getting everyone packed up and out the door, John and several others chilled and played some casino games. We went to the top of the Stratosphere, which was really interesting, although I would never bungee jump off as some of my friends have done.

A few of us went down to the coke store on the strip to check out the sodas from around the world. That was super cool! There was a really nasty one from Italy that we all tried, and a mint one that tasted like mouth wash. Lots of fun.

We got back to Phoenix pretty late, and it really sucked going back to work on Monday. Next time we go to Vegas, I definitely want to see a show, because I always want to but never do. I hope to go back again sometime this year!