Weekend in Las Vegas
Last October my husband, Jon, and I traveled to Las Vegas for RiSE festival. This was my second time to visit Vegas and Jon's first. While the city may be known for its parties, booze and gambling... it really has so much more to offer.
DAY ONE : TRAVEL + RiSE FESTIVAL
Jon and I decided to attend RiSE on the first night so we could have the rest of the weekend to explore. We arrived early because I wanted to make sure we had time to eat and rest a little bit before the festival without being rushed. Our first stop was Della's Kitchen in Mandalay Bay because I saw they had Shrimp and Grits and mimosas. Yes, please. I had the Della's Mimosa Trios. It came with a glass of champagne and a flight of 3 different handpressed juices... which sounds like the perfect way to start a bougie trip to Vegas. Then I took a quick nap... which sounds like my real life.
The festival took up the majority of this day but it was hands down one of the most magical nights of my life. I will share more about our experience there in a separate post very soon.
Tickets are on sale now for this year's festival...It is definitely worth it!
DAY TWO: THE STRIP
We spent the second day roaming in and out of several hotels on the strip. There is so much to see... eat, drink, shop. TheVenetian is probably one of my favorites. It is just the right amount of beautiful and cheesy. We sat and had a glass of wine under the sky-painted ceiling, watched the gondolas float by and saw a few lovebirds getting married. It was such a nice day so we also wanted to find a porch to hang out on. The strip has plenty to choose from... and porches are great for people watching.
We were exhausted by the end of the day but we packed in as much as we could. We ended the night at The Cosmopolitan with an amazing dinner at Jaleo and dessert at Milk. The B'day Cake Truffles are life giving. They have an online store that will ship them to you, my people! Let me know if you need my address!
// My advice for the legendary Vegas sign : the line is usually long, so if you can't/ don't want to show up early... do what I do. Stand on the side of the grass and use your body to block the person standing under the sign. Camera tricks! That's a good half hour of your life you just got back, friends. You're welcome!
DAY THREE: SEVEN MAGIC MOUNTAINS + HOOVER DAM
We rented a car so we could get out of the city and explore. Seven Magic Mountains has been on my bucket list for a few years now. It did not disappoint. This art installation sits about 20 minutes outside of Las Vegas. These stacks of colorful boulders were created by Swiss artist, Ugo Rondinone. I'm obsessed.
My husband's one request for the entire trip was to eat at In and Out... so I made sacrifices to make him happy. Kidding... I devoured it. We then hit the road for Hoover Dam. It is about a 40 minute drive, but it took a bit longer because we made a few stops on the way. Lake Mead was our first stop and it deserves to be on every postcard it has ever made it onto. So pretty! We also checked out the Mike O'Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial bridge. It's REAL high... but offers an incredible view of the dam. Worth it. Hoover Dam is big. Ha. Seriously though, it is massive... and we had a lot of fun roaming around and learning the history. It's gorgeous... and educational! plus. plus.
We made it back in time to eat dinner at Citizens in Mandalay Bay and then we headed over to Bellagio to check out the fountains and the botanical garden inside. The garden display changes every few months and it is stunning!
This was also the night I finally gambled. I gave myself a $10 budget because I'm gangsta like that. I won $17 and told Jon I would treat him to a cocktail somewhere fancy. We went to Harvest in Bellagio for drinks and a late night snack. My winnings wouldn't get you much there but... when in Vegas!
From lantern lights in the desert sky to neon lights on the strip, we had an amazing weekend! There is still so much we would love to do in the city... and so many landscapes we would love to explore right outside of Vegas. Hopefully we can visit again very soon!
Love + Light,
Laurie
