Viva Las Vegas

Hey y’all! I can’t believe it’s already August… where has the summer and year gone?!

I just spent the last week in Las Vegas! It was my first time visiting the city and I had a blast! I was able to see my best friend Marci, who ended up being my little tour guide as she goes out there a couple times a year to visit her grandparents 🙂 I now understand why she loves the city so much!

Instead of doing a wordy recap, I’m going to do a caption per picture.

I missed my early morning flight to Vegas and had to go standby for the later and last flight out of Charleston; thank the Lord because I received the last seat on that later flight.

 >>>>>>>>>>>> 

My first day in Vegas was a surprise day that started out with breakfast and coffee at this vegan place called Sunrise Coffee House.

After breakfast, we spent the next several hours at the Springs Preserve, which displays the area’s natural habitat, a dinosaur exhibit, and state museum.

The Springs Preserve is also home to a energy-efficient house that won 2nd place in a global competition!

The last major surprise for the day was a trip to the Mob Museum! This is something Marci has talked about visiting in the past and it definitely did not disappoint; I love this time era and the mystery of the mafia.

 

With Marci being vegan, this was a place she had been too several times and I’m glad she introduced me. Not only do they service those who are vegans but also gluten free, vegetarian, and just regular ole eaters like myself 🙂

Day 2 consisted of Red Rocks and Spring Mountain – God’s work is simply breathtaking!

Marci and I went hiking on Spring Mountain (don’t worry… it was an easy trail) and only got a little lost once. Luckily, her deductive reasoning skills and my observation skills got us to where we needed to go!

After our hike, we ate at my first Vegas buffet and it did NOT disappoint! There were so many choices of food and everything was so good!

Later that night we got all dressed up and went to a variety show, which was both funny and unbelievable!

After the show, we walked up the strip to see the Bellagio fountains and the Chandelier at the Cosmopolitan. The strip is gorgeous at night!

While we were at the Cosmopolitan, we stopped at another bar and had the BEST cosmo ever!

We ended the night at the Aria to watch a musician that Marci knows. Patrick has definite skill on the guitar and piano while also adding his own style to his music.

 

While on the strip, we walked through many of the hotel/casinos to see their special features!

Especially the delicious-looking chocolate fountain!

We also got to see a sky view of the strip from the High Roller, the new world’s tallest ferris wheel!

Later that night we hit up a couple of bars. One was a surprise! A surprise that included fur coats, gloves, cold toes, and lots of ice!

We also hit up a Sinatra inspired bar that was playing Motown-style music.

My last full day in Vegas started with THE BEST burger I’ve ever had plus some delicious skinny fries from the Yard House.

And ended with some California Pizza Kitchen and Charming Charlie! I found a Panama-style hat for the beach for only $5!

It ended up being a great week! Now back to wrapping up the summer and getting ready for the school year.