Heading back to a vacation destination I haven’t been in a while, Melvyn was excited for his first visit to Las Vegas. Not sure of what the day would entail, we went with the flow this time. The results? Better than expected.
Retro vibes in downtown
17, March 2019
After a night of partying, we had to get out of bed by 6:30AM, which was surprisingly manageable for the both of us. We got into an Uber and headed to the airport, where we saw the sun rise upon LAX. The check-in process was a bit complicated, because Melvyn paid for the luggage fee, but no sticker was being printed… He ended up bringing his luggage as a carry-on. We had a small breakfast that morning, not knowing when the next time we would eat. A smooth flight, it’s a short trip from Los Angeles to Las Vegas (49 minutes, just enough time to nap before the next adventure).
First thing we saw once we got out of the airport: slot machines. No other airport than Vegas has slot machines in the terminal, if you ever need to get that gambling fix before taking flight. Once I got my luggage from the carousel, we headed to the shuttle to take us to the car rental centre. In Las Vegas, there is one centre where you can pick up a car – that is something I can appreciate. Instead of working with a representative in person, I worked with a representative online. A fast process, we headed into the lot and wanted to collect our car – the only thing is, the car was not there. The representative in the lot managed to get us a car, which was also an upgrade (got to love it when the representative is in charge). With no idea how to drive in Las Vegas, we got onto the highway and made our way to the hotel.
In the air & on the road
It’s been a while since I’ve stayed on the Las Vegas strip, I use to stay at my sister’s house when she use to live in Henderson. Bring me to present day, and I am simply amazed by our hotel, The Cosmopolitan. Upon entry, there are ten lanes to navigate taxis from ride-share services – we went to valet, who were some very courteous members. If that was not enough, the hotel lobby had about 30 agents working to get guests checked in (keep in mind, this was about noon). Not only did the agent get us into a room upon arrival, she placed us on a relatively high floor.
We stayed in the Chelsea Tower on the 40th floor, and the room blew my mind. Bigger than our previous hotel rooms combined, everything from top to bottom was one shiny confection. The wallpaper was gold, art deco was all over the place, and intimate amenities were sprinkled all over the room (only in Vegas). One of my favourite features of the room included the can with all of the ‘pleasure tools,’ and the book of art that took place of the bible – trust me, this ain’t no ordinary art. I also appreciated the reading light on the headboard, but one of the best parts of the room had to be the view: it was in front of the Bellagio water fountain. Not only could we watch the show every day, but it also had such a picture-esque view of Las Vegas. It’s like this hotel couldn’t get any better… I could go on about the gym, but there’s no need for that.
All the essentials you will need
Our original plan for the day involved driving to Arizona to view the Grand Canyon; thankfully, those plans were cancelled. Still tired from last night, Melvyn and I decided to drive, well, somewhere. So we settled for the Hoover Dam, about an hour away from Las Vegas. Before heading out to the attraction, we walked around the shopping centre close by to get Melvyn’s Saint Laurent bag cleaned from the sunblock residue on his skin. In addition, we also got to try Eggslut, a much popularized food spot by Instagram (or, at least, by my friends on Instagram). While I did enjoy the taste of the food, it wasn’t very filling. Melvyn, who had the Slut, was only an egg dip with baguette; well, at least we can say that we tried Eggslut.
Hello, you delicious snack
This was the first time we visited the Hoover Dam, it never really interested me the previous times I’ve visited Las Vegas. The car ride was pretty direct, until you reach entry. At security check, all windows must be down, inspecting for weapons and other dangerous materials in the vehicle. And the parking situation isn’t exactly clear, passing by three different parking spots, we settled for one by the Arizona sign (you could say we visited three states on this vacation)! With the water is so blue and the whole place quite spectacular, I can see why this is a tourist attraction. Although we didn’t get much into the history behind the Hoover Dam, it is fascinating to see essentially a bridge that divides Nevada and Arizona. Maybe next time, we will make the trek to the Grand Canyon and explore another wonder of the United States.
Driving back into Las Vegas, we had to make a stop to the one place we didn’t check out while in Los Angeles: In-N-Out Burger. With such a simple menu, the food is amazingly delicious. Neither of us had the burger joint in a long time, as we topped off our meals with a vanilla milkshake. I am not sure what is inside the Animal-Style fries, but that sauce acts as the perfect match to the cheese and onions. Melvyn was going to pay for the meal – until he noticed that his card was missing. Pretty sure that he left his card in the hotel, Melvyn had to call the bank and cancel the card, soon as possible… The banks are usually closed on a Sunday. We checked out the In-N-Out merchandise store, which mostly comprised of logos on t-shirts and images of the restaurant in bright colours. Although we didn’t buy any merchandise, it was neat to see the clothes they sell from the iconic burger chain.
One thing Melvyn wanted to do in Las Vegas was to take a photo by the “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign. For years, people would have to park their cars off to the side to get a proper picture in front of the sign; now, there is a parking area for visitors to take their photo opportunity. While there was parking in the area, we did not expect the long line-up of people who had the same idea. Ranging about 30 people in line, we decided to take a picture off the centre of the sign (which was honestly, not a big issue). Another thing that caught our attention was the sign being green instead of white. For Saint Patrick’s Day, the sign turns green to honour the holiday – I had to take a picture by the sign, it’s my holiday (at least, that’s what I tell myself). Cute and kitschy, I did not realize that the city was into celebrating Saint Patrick’s Day! When we got back to the hotel, guess what was found on the bed: Melvyn’s card. I’m glad that he found his card, and we didn’t have to go through such trouble the next day.
Peace be Patrick
For the evening, we decided to walk down the strip and check out what was happening throughout the city. Because it was Saint Patrick’s Day, I decided to wear my jumpsuit once more for the occasion. Our first stop was Planet Hollywood, where we found ourselves getting an alcoholic slushy by the name of “Fat Tuesday.” The last time I had this drink, I passed out during the first half of the show my family and I were watching. This time, I got myself a reasonably sized drink with no extra shots of alcohol. Melvyn got himself double the size of my drink, ready to see how the remainder of the evening would go.
A few noticeable stops we made included the Flamingo, which actually has a flamingo sanctuary in the centre of the casino! This was also the first time I stopped by the Flamingo, and was highly entertained by the pink birds and their activity done on one leg. Other stops included the Venetian for its shopping centre, the Wynn for their floral garden, Caesars Palace for the operatic singer, and the Bellagio for the conservatory. There was a lot of walking we’ve done that evening, and managed to finish the strip closer to 9PM – still too early to call it a night.
Looking for my will to survive the night
So we went back to the hotel but to get the car this time (not to worry, I have sobered once we arrived back to our room). We went to check out downtown Las Vegas, one of my favourite places! Fremont Street is sight of the old Las Vegas strip, where you will find an LED ceiling, zip lines, and other fun quirks of the city. Spray paint artists, hanging challenges, and street performers were all around, there was so much life on this one street. I may have been impressed by the Las Vegas strip going green with their displays, but the people all around were dressed up for Saint Patrick’s Day (it was astounding). Though we stayed for the light show and live performances, there was only one thing I needed to do: to visit the Golden Nugget. Every time I went to Las Vegas, I would always make a trip to see the Golden Nugget ever since I first stayed at that hotel. In addition to the nugget itself, the hotel also has a shark tank that has a slide through the aquarium – I still need to slide through the sharks one day! But there in its beauty stood my golden nugget, bigger than I remembered, brilliant as ever. We stayed at Fremont Street for about two hours, having to battle the maze of people getting out of the parkade that evening. However, the night was still young, so we went back to the hotel to change and head out to the next destination.
Always a beauty to see
We met up with Melvyn’s friend at the hotel, who brought us not only to the club, but also to eat out! I was starving by this point, and needed to eat something if I was going to stay up. Filling up on breakfast foods closer to 3AM, we went to the Piranha Nightclub, which was not what I was expecting. This club had go-go dancers, three dance floors, an aquarium, and spinning chandeliers – let’s just say looks can be deceiving. One dance floor had Pop anthems, while the other two rooms were playing Latin songs, both slow-jams and booty-boppin’ hits. Much as I enjoyed the club, I was slowly drifting off from such an event-filled day. Melvyn’s friend brought us back to the hotel, parting ways as we finally had a chance to rest.
Don’t get eaten alive
While we may not have tested our luck on Saint Patrick’s Day, Las Vegas was turning out to be a different kind of fun from Los Angeles. Green today, gone tomorrow…
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