LAS VEGAS VACATION

Just a few months ago, my husband and I decided to go on a much needed vacation. Now that I think about it—before this, we hadn’t had a real vacation alone since before we were married; which was over 7 years ago. We didn’t plan a honeymoon after our wedding. Honestly, we had other priorities and responsibilities following the wedding and into the next few years that we wanted to focus on that was just way more important to us. After our move and finally feeling more settled in our new city and home; we realized we were long overdue for a trip away.

Las Vegas seemed like a natural fit for what we wanted in a vacation—Bright lights, good drinks, an endless amount of entertainment— Oh! And of of course good food! I had previously gone to Vegas just a few months before. This trip was my husbands first time. We decided to go in the month of October and I would highly recommend this month if you plan to visit. The temperature doesn’t go over 85 Degrees (which makes for the most perfect weather ) and most of the summer crowds are gone.

We had a 3 hour layover in our connecting city, but we arrived to Vegas at about 8pm Pacific Time. Which was still early enough to explore our hotel and the Las Vegas strip until the wee hours of the night. Once we landed, we purchased a few bottles for our hotel room from Liquor Library LV—a library-themed store at the airport baggage terminal offering wine, beer, spirits, & tastings. It was so convenient! We were also handed complimentary shots of vodka, which perked us up after our long flight! We then decided to catch a Lyft ride over to our hotel, which was less than 20 minutes from the airport. We checked in at the LINQ Hotel & Casino, which is a newly renovated hotel and one of the most central locations on the Strip! This Las Vegas hotel has a plethora of dining options, things to do, including a must see— The High Roller. We settled into our room for a bit and then headed downstairs to explore our hotel’s casino and then finally the strip. We had a super late dinner and after a few cosmos felt the time change creep up on us. It was about 1am in Vegas, but 4am Virginia time, so we decided to call it a night.

We were up and ready to start our day the next morning around 9am. There were a few places we had in mind for brunch, but ultimately decided to head downstairs to the famous Hash House A Go Go! Hash House A Go Go is home to the city's best breakfast, including oversized pancakes, breakfast scrambles, signature hashes, farm Benedicts and more. I definitely recommend dining here! We ended up getting the ‘Andy’s Sage Fried Chicken with fresh spinach, hard wood smoked bacon, market tomato, griddled mozzarella, chipotle cream and scrambled eggs. The portions so are huge that we decided to share the entrée and were both still very satisfied.

TIP: This spot is EXTREMELY busy. I would suggest checking in for a table, but you’ll be in for about a 45 minute wait at the minimum. Put your name on the waiting list anyway and then just make your way over to the bar since it’s first come first serve. We only waited for about 15-20 minutes before a few people gave up their seats and VOILA—served in minutes. Saved us so much time.

After Brunch we then made our way over to the Promenade, which is the LINQ’s outdoor shopping district that features restaurants, shops, bars, and the High Roller! The weather was perfect and we ended up doing some shopping and sight seeing in this area.

Next we took a Uber ride over to see the ‘Welcome To Las Vegas’ sign and after a few photos —rode over to The Fremont Street Experience. Let me just say—it is definitely an experience to remember! If you’ve never been to Vegas before, you’ll definitely want to check out this famous part of the city downtown. We had so much fun sipping our cans of Lime-A-Ritas while sight-seeing the old school casinos, the Vegas Vic sign and neon lights! So many people and loud music—Good Times!

The experience was enough for us head back to our Hotel and take a break. We chilled for an hour and then headed back downstairs to the Promenade again to have dinner. We wanted some good Mexican food so we ate at Chayo Mexican Kitchen. Another spot you’ll need to check out! We requested a table outside to enjoy people watching and music that played throughout the promenade. While we dined, a magician approached our table and gave us a show!

The rest of the night consisted of us walking the strip over to the Venetian Hotel and doing a little bit of partying at Tao Night Club. It was so random, lol. We did our best to enjoy the music, but it was mostly House/Techno (which I do enjoy in doses—but I was in a dancing mood ) music so we spent the rest of our time people watching! I was so happy to be taking off my heels by the end of the night!

Sunday we got out at about 11 am and ate at Hash House again! Super convenient for us! We even ordered the same thing. Our focus this day was riding the High Roller— The World's Tallest Observation Wheel! I’m glad I was able to face my fears with this one. Our cabin had an open bar, so once I had a drink all of my nerves were gone, lol. We ended up meeting and having great conversation with a few new friends so that definitely took my mind off of being up so high! The views were gorgeous and we were able to see the beautiful Las Vegas skyline, including our hotel.

Once we were done with the High Roller, we walked over to the Bellagio Hotel to explore and to check out the fountain show! Viewing it over a few cocktails and appetizers was the perfect way to spend the afternoon. We even stepped outside and saw the show for a second time!

We wanted to get back and get changed for an evening Cirque du soleil show, so we grabbed take out with a few beers from Gordon Ramsay Fish & Chips! Along with our fish and chips, we ordered the Chipotle, Jalapeno, crisp chorizo fries that were absolutely delicious. This ended up being our dinner and we had so much food left over that it was our after party food as well.

Once we were dressed, we caught an Uber over to the New York - New York Hotel and Casino to see our very first Cirque du soleil show. Such an awesome experience. Be prepared for the drink serving sizes and the price tag to go with it! After the show was done—we were done! I only have a few photos to show for it, lol. We literally crashed as soon as we got back to our room.

Our last full day in Vegas was actually pretty chilly! The temperature dropped down to about 66 degrees, but the sun was shining and it was still nice out. We wanted to do some souvenir shopping so we did just that. We stopped in shops like Nectar Bath Treats and had lunch at In-N-Out Burger! Right in the Promenade again. We eventually made our way over to Cecear’s Palace for more shopping and sight seeing.

Later we tried the world famous Blue Ribbon Fried Chicken! If you go..get the Blue Ribbon Original sandwich with the special sauce! The chicken was some of the best that I’ve ever had. That crispy crunch on the outside and juicy meat on the inside will make your own mama re-think her receipe, LOL. Just THAT good!

Las Vegas was definitely good to us. What I loved the most is that everything we did, we both enjoyed. There was never a dull moment-always something to do and we created so many new memories that we will both remember for a lifetime! Spending 4 days here was definitely enough time to see and do most of what we wanted. Las Vegas has a reputation for being expensive, but if you plan right—it doesn’t have to be. We will definitely be back soon.