The first time I visited Las Vegas was back in the summer of 2005, right before the start of eighth grade. I was too concerned with how my adolescent body was transforming into something I detested. Tight pants and oily skin pushed me into a cranky mood the entire time I was with my family, but the trip itself was certainly memorable.
We stayed at the Luxor (the Egyptian pyramid casino) but walked around in the scorching heat while trying to seek solace in the neighboring air-conditioned casinos. At the time, I was thankful we didn’t live there, and I couldn’t imagine how people could live there! I also had a “scary” memory during which I used a treadmill at a hotel gym on the way back home to Northern California. I happened to trip and fall, scrape my knee, and my vision turned red for a good minute. I was lucky to be able to get back up to the room where my family was, but it certainly freaked everyone out. I had to wear long skirts for the first two weeks of 8th grade…talk about making a “cool” first impression!
The next time I would return to Vegas would be 10 years later…when I ran the Rock n Roll Las Vegas Half Marathon with Team Challenge, an organization that raises funds for the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation. I stayed at the LINQ, but it was a short weekend trip since the focus was on the race. I did treat myself to a cannoli and hot chocolate from Buddy Valastro’s famous cake shop at the Venetian. I’ll always remember what foods I had…
My best friend moved out to Vegas around that time as well, and multiple trips followed. In 2017, I visited for a blogger’s conference (back when I was an eager food blogger!) and for NYE. In 2019, my sister and I flew out in the dead of summer, but it was a nice girls’ get-together, and a fun opportunity to explore Vegas non-Strip, which I prefer. It was around this time vegan restaurants began to pop up, along with Californians escaping rising state taxes and unaffordable housing.
My last trip to Vegas before Italy was a weekend trip to celebrate my bestie’s birthday. We made the mistake of going to Omnia Nightclub and having a mediocre time. Right before the dawn of COVID, we were being rammed to the wall unable to breathe for a hot minute, while Steve Aoki made his grand appearance to screaming crowds.
It was definitely an experience.
Because of COVID and Italy, the next time I wound up in Vegas was earlier this year in March. It was again, a nice weekend getaway to catch-up with my bestie and enjoy vegan restaurants and cute cafes off-Strip. The funny thing is, I’ll be back AGAIN for work in November! Just so happens the next big expo on our line-up will be held in Vegas…lucky me 😅.
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My most recent excursion to the desert’s gem however, was (last week) for a girl’s trip on Strip. It’s been interesting to see how the city has changed, and in a lot of aspects, for the better.
Below are my thoughts from my past experiences in Vegas and my current stay. Perhaps they can be points to ponder if you ever decide to make a trip to Vegas in the near future:
1) Vegas is becoming more vegetarian and vegan-friendly
Which is something I am absolutely happy to see occurring! I think it stems from the Californian exodus, since a lot of the vegan/vegetarian restaurants actually come from Cali!
For example, Crossroads Kitchen just opened at Resorts World Casino, the latter of which is also relatively new (2021). It’s an upscale, all-vegan restaurant only open for dinner (5-11pm), and serves (mostly) Italian and Mediterranean-inspired dishes.
My friends and I enjoyed an evening here and had a vegan take on everything from carbonara to lumpia (I know that’s Filipino, but still, haha).
Urth Caffe is another example, although it is not completely vegetarian or vegan. It’s another example of how popular Californian staples are making their way to Vegas, and I’m sure glad this SoCal favorite has.
2) Beware of “Vegas Throat”
So I had no idea this was a thing, but “Vegas Throat” is indeed a thing. For most mornings of my trip, I woke up with a very sore throat, mildly bloody nose (or indication of bleeding via dried mucus…), and overall irritation. This year has apparently been very dry in the desert, so come equipped with anything that might help—chapstick, water bottles, a humidifier even? Lol!
3) Bring a blanket
Because the air conditioning in casinos and hotels is CRAZY. I brought all the shorts and sleeveless tops, but one thing I wish I brought was at least a light sweater. We spent a lot of our day hours inside, and at some points I was actually shivering!
4) Invest in a show
I’ve only been to one Vegas show (not counting the free ones some casinos hold), which was with my friend during my Dec. 2019 trip, but I think if you’re going to spend time on the Strip and spend that $$, might as well have the chance to get dressed up and support local artists vs. gambling it all away…just my humble opinion.
There are so many shows to choose from—comedy, acrobatic, concert—and they’re not all “x-rated”, which is refreshing.
And if shows are not your thing, there is always the Waldor Astoria Tea Lounge…
5) “Cheap” has bumped up a level
Gone are the days of free breakfast buffets and generous discounts. Cheap on the Strip is at least $15 for a Starbucks coffee and pastry or sandwich/wrap. If you don’t eat meat, it saves a few bucks, but meals do add up. It’s a wise decision to pack some snacks bought at home, as well as OTC medicine like Tylenol or ibuprofen. Us girls all reached some level of sickness towards the end of our stay (one of us with full-blown COVID and another one with a simple cold, lol), and while our friend did come with some medication not thinking too much about whether or not we’d use it, we ended up going to a CVS on the Strip paying more than what we should for the essentials we were missing…
6) You can split your bill in the most unique ways, don’t feel bad about it
I love how you can show up to most restaurants in Vegas (heck, America for that matter) in a group, and have no issues with splitting the check in the way most convenient for the customer. One of our dinner bills was paid by two people in cash, and the rest by two credit cards of two other people! In the mix of all that, we were even able to split our items out specifically to who ordered what. They’d go feral in Italy if you try to attempt this method of payment! 😂
Some other things that come to my mind:
Cheap, central place to stay on the Strip – Treasure Island
Try new, dietary-friendly cuisines and enjoy brand new facilities – Resorts World
Best watermelon gelato – Pizzeria Pronto (inside the Venetian)
Best time to exercise outdoors – 5-8am
Most vibrant casino – Cosmopolitan (so many awesome restaurants and cafes with a trendy vibe)
Most creative cocktail bar – The Chocolate Bar (my friends made at least three visits here during NYE 2017, lol)
Great place for high tea – Waldorf Astoria Tea Lounge (they make a fantastic veggie-friendly high tea selection…just look at these sweets!)
Classy, beautiful place to stroll around – Wynn (since my first trip in 2005, Wynn has been my most favorite casino. It’s so elegant and serene, even when there are crowds…)
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Vegas has definitely grown on me, and I think I have my bestie to thank for that, with Vegas having been her home base for the past seven years.
Unfortunately, due to inflation and the exodus of Californians to southwestern/southern states with “cheaper living”, housing prices have gone up incredibly in recent years. Only time will tell how things will be, but Vegas is definitely no longer one of those places to stick your nose up at as a “trashy city”.
For those who’ll never have the chance to escape to Rome or Paris or Bellagio or Venice, Las Vegas is the perfect place to experience the vibes of the world in the most American way possible 😉.