After three months of watching and waiting, I finally kicked off my 2017 travel plans with a trip to Vegas. It was great to be on the road again, though I’ve decided to visit only the mainland domestic destinations from my travel list.
Over the next month, I’ll be sharing the highlights of my trip: the restaurants I visited, who I saw, where I hiked… how little I slept.
So let’s get started with my first night in Sin City.
Bye Bye Atlanta
I left Atlanta at 9:00 PM EST and arrived in Vegas at 10:00 PM PST. I expected to be drunk on jet lag after crossing time zones, but I was well-rested and ready to get a taste of the sinful Vegas nightlife.
Welcome to Sin City
When I walked off the plane and right into a “mini-casino” of slot machines outside the gate, I knew I had arrived in Vegas. I have never seen an airport with so many flashing lights and such loud music.
Tristan, our Junior Editor at Alexis Chateau PR, picked me up from the airport. We then headed into the heart of downtown.
Las Vegas did not disappoint. I had expected bright lights and a party city vibe, but Vegas brings more city lights than New York and more partying than Jamaica.
“I really want to see Vegas’ light bill,” I told Tristan.
The Plaza Hotel & Casino
I stayed at the very old and somewhat famous Plaza Hotel & Casino. It’s no 5-star hotel, but it was comfortable, affordable, and has an interesting history in pop culture.
As far back as the early 1970s, the hotel had a cameo in the James Bond film, Diamonds are Forever.
It was also featured in Lil Wayne’s music video for No Worries and Iggy Azalea’s video for Change your Life. The Ultimate Poker Challenge has also been filmed at the Plaza Hotel.
The view from my room wasn’t too bad, either.
The cost of the room from check-in on Monday to check-out on Friday was $236.64. As a full disclaimer, I have no idea what the regular rate for the rooms are.
We do receive special rates for the trips we book at Alexis Chateau PR, for anyone, anywhere in the world. And as co-owner of that service, I pay no markup.
Metamorphosis
I had dressed for comfort on the flight, but knew it was time to dress up for the Vegas night life.
After Check-In
15 – 20 Minutes Later
The Taco Bell Cantina
Spirit didn’t feed me on the flight, so I asked Tristan where the nearest Taco Bell was. I wanted something cheap and tasty to gobble down before going to the club.
No wise woman drinks on an empty stomach in a foreign place.
This is fact.
Now, if only someone had warned me that the Taco Bell Cantina in Vegas actually serves beer and wine. I had to see it to believe it.
Unfortunately, they were out of wine, though they did have beer and alcoholic slushies.
Even if you bought non-alcoholic drinks, you could be your own bartender. Doesn’t this remind you of old fashioned beer dispensers?
Quick Tip: I made a mess trying to use that thing. Beware of the circle. That is not where you put the cup. You’re better off just holding it under the nozzle.
After my soda fiasco, we ate upstairs, under the glow of the enormous and elaborate taco bell sign.
Marquee Nightclub
As fun as it was to see the flagship of my favourite restaurant chain, it was time to experience the real nightlife scene in Sin City.
I’ve never gone clubbing in America before, and Vegas seemed like as good a place as any to put an end to that.
At Marquee, there were dancers hoisted up at the back of the DJ’s stage, on a balcony overlooking the club. Every so often when the bass dropped, there was steam and fog and icy confetti falling towards us, too.
We also ran into a Frenchman, who spent the entire night dropping by with comic relief. I forget how friendly Southern Europeans are, and how absolutely comical they can be when they want to be.
It made me a little homesick. I spent a lot of time in Southern European company back home. There aren’t too many of them hanging around Atlanta; not that I’ve seen, anyway.
I didn’t do much dancing that night. I was more focused on taking in the sights and basking in the literal glow of the experience. There was so much to see and such little time to experience it all!
By 3:30 AM, the club started to empty out, so we took the hint. Outside, Vegas was still very much alive, but I knew it was time to head back to my hotel to get some rest.
My Itinerary
I had my entire itinerary planned for the week, and I didn’t want to miss a thing. I can tell you now: I ticked off every last thing on that list.
For the following day, I had 4 main activities planned:
- The Rooftop Pool
- Shopping
- Dinner with 2 online friends I had never met in person before
- The Bellagio Fountains
Have you ever been to Vegas? What did you think of the night life? I’m starting to think Vegas should take New York’s title as “the City that Never Sleeps”.
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My Vegas trip was sponsored by Alexis Chateau PR and booked by our in-house travel agents. Is there a country or city you’ve always dreamed of seeing with your own eyes? Then stop dreaming, and start traveling.
Email us for details!
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Did you get a kick out of all those wedding chapels?
I actually didn’t see as many as I thought I would have. Vegas didn’t capitalize on that stereotype as much as the gambling and sin lol
Um… first off, I’m SUPER jealous of your complexion! Your skin is gorgeous! 😀 Second off, you WORK that purple lipstick! I think it looks awesome on you. 🙂
P.s. I never knew so much went on in Las Vegas. (granted, I was 14 when I went. :p) Sounds like you had a good time!
Haha! Thank you! I’m the colour of one of my favorite drinks!
STORY TIME: I once went to a cafe in rural Georgia and asked for cappuccino. The lady asked me how much cream I wanted. I had no idea what to tell her, so I stuck out my hand and told her, “Enough to make it this colour!” It was a White lady, and she thought it was hilarious. Sure enough, she got my cappuccino done perfectly. Such a delicious perk it is to be born with the benchmark for cappuccino!
I’m glad you liked the purple lipstick, too! Weren’t we discussing that on Twitter a few months back? I also have Black. *runs to check brands for you* The purple is Malibu Girl, and the good black I have is LA Girl.
Stay tuned for PT 2!
Bahaha! That’s an awesome story! 😂 And it’s a good thing you like that much cream in your cappuccino. 😜
Hee hee! We were discussing a black lipstick on Twitter, but I love any non-traditional color. So much fun. Sadly, not considered professional, though. 😔
Sadly, true, but I think it also depends on the organization. I had an art teacher who wore black lipstick to school every day, in Catholic School. She was dark skinned, but had very thin lips, so I didn’t even notice at first.
Woah. That’s really cool. I’m working my co-workers up to the black. 😉 Babysteps. Hahaha!
LoL.. maybe start with dark red? Then purple… then voila! You’re wearing black lol
Haha! I definitely wore a vibrant purple the other day. People are really bad at hiding that they’re staring. 😂
Maybe they wanted you to know they were staring to make their disapproval obvious lol
😂 Bahaha! I have a feeling it’s more like… bright lip color is so uncommon and BOLD that people are like: “EH?!” 😲
LoL. Is it though? I have always seen that bright scarlet red in the workplace. Purple is definitely not common though.
Hahaha! I feel like I never see women wearing scarlet. It’s all like… nudes and what not. :/ Super boring colors, in my opinion.
But I do think some of them are being judgy. It’s just human nature. (And that’s their problem because I like my bright and dark colors! 😀 )
Really? I see it pretty often, but I’m in Atlanta. I suppose women are a bit more flashy here.
Hahaha! I imagine they are. I live in a college town. Most days women around here are lucky if they even manage to brush their hair. :p
Hahaha. When I was in college, the girls went all out to look good. I was the weird one for choosing t-shirt, jeans and Converse all through.
Hahaha! Maybe it’s a regional thing, because when I was in college, they all wore PJs to class. I was the weird one for dressing up! 😂
LoL. The business students were always flashy at my school. Most people thought I was a computer science kid.
HAHAHA! Maybe that’s it because I was definitely a science major. 😉
That explains it lol
Great report Alexis. I look forward to the rest of your list.
Thank you! I’ll be working on PT 2 tonight, actually. Thanks for dropping by! 🙂
You rock Alexis
Thank you! ^_^
Great adventure. Thank you for taking us along. We have never been there but it sounds electric.
Thanks for joining me, haha! It’s quite the spectacle! Half sprawling city and half sprawling wilderness bordered by mountains.
We can’t wait to hear it all. We’ll be seeing it through your eyes.
In my younger years, I had a blast in Vegas. Talk to the Concierge at your hotel. They have all kinds of free tickets, etc and are more than happy to share them with pretty women! I even got show tix.
I hear ya on the make-up front… I’m lucky to get my lipstick straight 😍
Haha, I haven’t worn lipstick since my black lipstick days in college, but I’m getting there.
They gave me a book full of coupons when I arrived at the hotel, but I wasn’t really interested in what they offered.
Next time I’ll ask the concierge for sure!
Adore your pics!
Thank you! 🙂
I am so pleased you’ve started your travel plans and that you managed to tick off all those items on your list! I must admit I am not a casino/party girl, but it all looks amazing and it looks like you had a wonderful time. I love your metamorphosis too: isn’t it great to doll yourself up every now and then? I hope you’ll continue to enjoy your travels.
Thanks Fatima. I’ve only done Vegas so far, but I have plans for California, Colorado and New Hampshire as well. We shall see!
And thank you. Tristan thought it was hilarious watching me struggle with the lipstick lol. I am a bit of a Tom boy.
It sounds wonderful. Practice makes perfect, so don’t give up on the lipstick just yet!
Haha! I’ll keep working at it. I don’t think light colours fit me very well, so I bought a wine red recently. Haven’t worn it yet though, but perhaps there is a woman tucked away in here somewhere!
You’ll find her!
The slot machines in the arrival hall always gets me. Imagine just getting out of basic training and walking into Reno airport with glitz and glamour, I was a fish out of water!
I’ve never been to Reno, but I’ve heard it’s more of a small city setting. Vegas definitely plays up its stereotypes for the tourists. Jamaica does the same.
When was the last time you visited?
It’s been ages! I was stationed out in the middle of nowhere two lifetimes ago. Although Reno is smaller, it definitely tries its best to play with the big boys. At least it used to. Now I’m wondering what it’s like now.
Oh, in the military? Have you seen Area 51? Haha.
What state are you in now?
Ha! Ha! It wasn’t Area 51, but it was another one of those unknown places. I’d tell you where but ….
I’m now in The Netherlands. I’ve been overseas since 1998.
When I am good and ready to die, I’ll come see you in the Netherlands to hear this information. Haha.
What made you leave?
I joined up for five years to get the GI BIll to pay for law school. They offered me all kinds of cool stuff to stay, but I was DONE.
Good choice. Veterans are so poorly treated. It’s a shame.