You should take a road trip with me, I bring all the snacks.
I have been to Las Vegas numerous times, either for work or to party and both reason are very exhausting. Every time I go to Las Vegas I feel like I need another vacation, it can be very draining. But there’s so much more to Vegas then conventions and nightclubs. Just once I imagined going to Vegas just to eat at the delicious restaurants and to see the shows, and it finally happened!
We had a great excuse to go, it was Danny’s birthday and close enough to LA so we could drive so we decided to do it! We booked a stay at Mandalay Bay but after realizing it was all the way at the end of the strip and we were going to have to Uber literally everywhere, we decided to switch last minute and stay at the Mirage. All the 4 or 5 star hotels are nice in Vegas but some are way nicer then others. The Mirage is nice but definitely a standard 4 star hotel and doesn’t really have any of the fancy restaurants some of the other hotels have. Quick tip: If you want to get a really good price on a 5 star hotel in Vegas just book for the weekdays. On weekends their prices double! We went on the weekend so we decided Mirage was a better deal but rest assured I would have been at the Cosmopolitan so fast if it was a weekday.
Even though I don’t like road trips we decided to drive to Vegas because it was just easier and of course I wanted to take pictures along the way. Something about the open desert is just so cool behind a lens. And thanks to Lexus we got to ride in style. We drove to Vegas in the 2017 Lexus IS 350 in this really nice slick grey color. I actually have this car in white 2015 version so I was familiar with it but it was nice to see the upgrades they put in it. I love the wider navigation screen and it seem to have much better handle of the road. It was a VERY smooth ride.
On the way, we stopped at Peggy Sue’s Diner a popular diner along the way that serves yummy milkshakes and has Thrifty’s ice cream. They also had a cool gift shop with all sorts of knick knacks. We took a little detour on Route 66 for history’s sake, gotta say you did in once in life right?
And right before we checked in we made a stop at Seven Magic Mountains. This rock formation is really cool in person, it’s almost fascinating to think how they could have even accomplish this. If you want to go for pics I recommend going in the evening on a weekday. The sunsetting behind the rocks is gorgeous and there were less people around to block the photo opp.
After we checked in, we went straight to eat. Oh the food in Vegas! All the major chef have restaurants in Vegas, there are just so many amazing places to eat. But the price point is a little out of control, most of our money was spent on food. (minus the bit we lost trying to gamble!)
FOOD
This place is a traditional Steakhouse, they literally come up to your table with a bunch of mock cuts of meats on display for you to choose from. It is very pricey so put your big girl shoes on (no literally, there’s a dress code) and come ready to drop some money. But it’s totally worth it. The food was so on point, everything was fresh down to the cherry tomatoes in our salad! And I had the best cocktail dare I say in my life there! If you’re a meat eater, I highly suggest this place.
This is a more trendy spot in the Palazzo and has a southern theme which comes off a little cliche with lots of watermelon and bourbon on the menu but the vibe is very cool. I can’t quite recommend it because I’m pretty sure we didn’t get the dish everyone seems to go there for which was the fried chicken. Every second a plate of friend chicken was flying by us but we were still full from steak the night before (and Cracker Barrel that morning), that we couldn’t fit anything fried in our bellies. I got the herb chicken thinking it would be a lighter option but it turned out to be really bad, like really bad guys, it tasted like my chicken was swimming in lemon juice. Like raw sour chicken. I hate to say it but it was the truth. So avoid this option!! I did also get a mango salad which was just ok and Danny got short ribs over cauliflower mash which honestly was bomb! I ended up eating his haha. If you go here, I would say for sure try the friend chicken and the short rib.
The coolest ambiance and by far my favorite of the restaurants we went to. Located inside the Cosmopolitan Hotel, Zuma was fantastic! With a Japanese theme, Zuma offers an array of dishes that are just mouth watering. The cooks work on the dishes right in front of you in an open kitchen right in the center of the dining room so we got to see all the dishes they were cooking. I wanted to try so much more because it all seriously looked so good but by day 3 my belly was not able to fit much more. I definitely will be back to try more of the menu.
SHOWS
I’ve seen Blue Man Group before in the past and the show didn’t really seem to change much. What’s interesting is how much I remember since seeing it probably over 10 years ago! Nevertheless it was still a great show. It’s so odd and weird and is very interactive as it involves the audience. It was definitely a great time and the music is on point.
YOU MUST SEE THIS SHOW IF YOU GO TO VEGAS! This show was beyond epic. There is a massive pool in the center of the stage, people flying every direction, singing, dancing, contortionist, EVERYTHING. I honesty can’t even give this show any justice in text, you have to just go see it and thank me later. It’s the priciest of the Cirque du Soleil shows in Vegas but totally worth it.
Overall we had a great time in Vegas, biggest lesson we learned? Don’t gamble! lol
Gorgeous pictures. There’s entirely too much to do in Las Vegas for a single trip!
Ashleigh | Ashleigh Renay