4 march days in Las Vegas

say what you will about vegas, but when you’re there, customer service in on point. i was talking about my love for the rare vegas excursion with a co-worker and we agreed that we must enjoy it because we spend a lot of time taking care of people, and in vegas people take care of us; opulence, extravagance and all. it was a pretty random trip…mat and i just said to each other “you know what we haven’t done in a while? gone to vegas.” i happened to have a few days off and we found good fares so off we went. we invited my parents to have some company to share meals and memories with, which was really fun. the day we left there was a huge snowstorm here in new york so it was a bit touch and go, but thanks to the good people at delta airlines and a rebooked flight, we made it earlier than expected!

stay:

• we stayed at the paris hotel and casino in the middle of the strip
  • it’s a bit more dated than some of the strip hotels, but it was clean, cute, and the location can’t be beat
  • we upgraded to the strip view on the 26th floor and spent a couple nights drinking wine and watching the bellagio water show and then crawled into bed by 11. grown up vegas is so fun.
  • mat likes to book hotels on priceline express deals. they don’t tell you what hotel you’re booking, just the star count and general location. he’s usually able to narrow it down because he’s good at internetting, so we got a good deal here. we found that if you’re willing to wait until pretty last minute, there were lots of deals to be found (just don’t be fooled- a lot of times they tack on an extra hotel feel that’s at least $30 per day).

eat & drink

• beauty & essex
  • located inside the cosmopolitan hotel with a functioning pawn shop as a facade
  • hip, bustling, and very loud (so…not ideal for dinner with parents. but they still loved it)
  • delicious small plates- we loved the avocado toast and the grilled cheese and tomato soup on a spoon
• the henry
  • also located inside the cosmopolitan (we love that place, clearly).
  • big portions (yaaass giant coffee cups)
  • the “lighter side” menu is still pretty hearty. i got the yogurt parfait and the fam each got the smoked salmon avo toast and we were all super full at the end
  • skip the beignets- they weren’t the freshest tasting but everything else was delicious
  • for the bacon lovers out there: bacon bloody mary’s. ta daaaaaa!
• carson kitchen
  • recommended to us by our waitress (named erin so no wonder we loved her) at beauty & essex
  • located in downtown vegas in a repurposed mid-century motel. read: nowhere near the strip, which makes it all the better.
  • delicious cocktails, great service, fantastic food
  • we ate upstairs on the roof deck which was perfect in the late afternoon/early evening
  • the only signage is a decal on the window and the neon hotel sign on the corner, so if you think you’ve walked by it you probably did.
• yong kang street
  • inside the paris hotel
  • don’t feel like spending a boatload and making a big production of dinner? this is a good spot.
  • dim sum and larger entrees available

to do

• wander the strip
  • check out the garden and chihuly glass pieces inside the bellagio
  • the floral entryway and extensive waterfalls and gardens at the wynn
  • watch the gondolas row by in the canals inside the venetian.
• see a show or exhibit
  • i’ve wanted to see cirquedu soleil’s “o” for at least ten years and i finally made it and it was worth.the.wait.
  • real bodies at bally’s exhibit: preserved human bodies for educational purposes. i love that stuff and my family enjoyed it too, but some people might be creeped out by it.
  • there are half price ticket booths on the strip for cheaper tickets (but i didn’t want to bank on that for “o” tickets. i waited too long and came too far).
• go to the neon museum
• • located in downtown vegas
  • a graveyard for old neon signs from the vegas businesses of yesteryear.
  • you have to reserve in advance and take a tour, which is about an hour.
  • my advice: don’t show up for a midday tour in the summer.it’s real hot out there. try and check out a night tour, as there are some signs that still light up.