Surviving Las Vegas
Well, we survived our first day in Las Vegas! A few surprises, a few laughs and a few cocktails later, we’re ready for day 2! We enjoyed a quick, light room service breakfast of coffee and fruit then joined Kim and Aaron for a brunch and cocktails at Tom’s Urban, inside our hotel. After laughing over our meals about the previous days adventures, and plotting our Saturday excursions, we ordered drinks to go (it’s Vegas baby!) and headed outside. The weather was beautiful! A sunny and warm departure from what we have been experiencing in Oregon.
We decided to do a little shopping on the strip. Our stroll through the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood included Fireball shots, just because we could, don’t judge! We then meandered over to The Bellagio just in time to enjoy the fountain show. Due to Covid 19 safety precautions, we had to wait in line to view the Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, but the line moved quickly and we were not disappointed. We visited during the Lunar New Year display. The team at Bellagio transforms the immense garden seasonally for Spring, Summer, Harvest, Holiday and Lunar New Year. We perused the shops at Bellagio then, once Kim had acquired the Coach purse she had been longing for, we moved on to Freemont Street.
The Freemont Street Experience
Freemont Street has changed a lot since last time we were there. The covered walk with brilliant video display above is still there, with the addition of a zipline ride, high above the crowds. Norman really wanted to do this but we had dinner reservations coming up. Some of the familiar old casinos are gone, replaced by casinos with new, modern sounding names. We spent a little time gambling at Circa after dinner and margaritas at Nacho Daddy. I love Mexican foods and Nacho Daddy did not disappoint, they even have a huge selection of gluten free items on their menu! Now that we’ve had food and beverages, we’re off to our next stop: The Neon Museum.
The Neon Museum
I could make an entire post exclusively about The Neon Museum, it was incredible! Our tour guide was very informative and his passion for the art, history and lore of Las Vegas was infectious. We did the standard tour of the “boneyard” then braved the freezing desert night air for “Brilliant!”, which the Neon Museum website describes as “a 25-minute show in the North Gallery using light projection to illuminate unrestored signs and incorporates music and archival footage to transport guests into Las Vegas’ history.” It was a gorgeous spectacle worth standing in the biting cold for.
Dinner Time, Winner Time!
Our tour of the Neon Museum left us cold to the bone, tired and hungry for some comforting cuisine. Norman and I had canceled our dinner reservations at Gallagher’s to go to the Neon Museum so we hoped there would be some suitable dining availability at our hotel. We were in luck! We were able to enjoy some comfort foods and Irish whiskey at my favorite pub, Nine Fine Irishman. Their shepherd’s pie was gluten-free and to-die-for cheesy. Norman had the bangers and mash, which he assures me was delicious.
So, we have been brunching, drinking, shopping, gambling, drinking, lunching, touring and dinner-ing (I know it’s not a word, but I couldn’t resist). That is more fun than I can take in one day so we told our friends goodnight and headed off to bed. We had to fly out early in the morning, while the Boals’ were staying to play another day.
I’d like to think it wont be another 10 years before we visit Las Vegas, but it probably will be. We’ve got so many trips planned in the RV we wont have time for Vegas! I’ll be sharing all about our next adventures soon. In the meantime, Happy Glamping!
