Indulgence. Decadence. Entertainment. Debauchery. Welcome to Sin City.
I spent a week in mid-June with my good friends C and S, eating and drinking our way down the South Side of the Strip. All told, we walked 30+ miles from arrival to departure (Sat-Fri), wined and dined at 10+ happy hours and restaurants, enjoyed an invitation-only cover band and beach party, saw a glimpse of Cirque du Soleil talent at an exclusive nightclub, and swam in buckets of beer/wine/spirits. Now I need a vacation from my vacation!
Here are a few glimpses of our traipsing around during this smoldering week (with temperatures soaring to 100+ degrees most days):
Found a shoe that fits in The Cosmopolitan
Got distracted by sparkly things as we ascended the stairs in The Cosmopolitan
Pretended we were Romans at the baths in Caesars Palace
Enjoyed a live opera show at The Venetian
Had a tasting of Mandalay Bay’s restaurant row and got a demo from Aureole’s wine angel
Requested Phoenix to cover songs by Tool and Nine Inch Nails at Mandalay Bay’s Mizuya Lounge
Observed the marine life at The Shark Reef Aquarium (and got indirectly called out by one of the aquarium workers for eating endangered animals because of our cultural background)
Ate a plethora of delicious meals, including this bone marrow from Stripsteak
Relaxed by bodies of water in the mornings
Learned that Prohibition ended and personal barrels of whisky could be purchased online at 1923
Took some reprieve from the heat at BeerHaus
Of course, leaving Vegas is never easy, especially when redeye flights home are the norm. While that was a saga in itself, I’m glad to have spent the time I did with my two favorite travel friends in a place where adults can play.
Here’s the full itinerary of our vacation:
Saturday, June 10
- Check in at Mandalay Bay
- Late dinner at The Noodle Shop
Sunday, June 11
Explored the South Side of the Strip (and walked about 9 miles in the process):
- Brunch at Border Grill in Caesars Forum Shops
- Dinner at Mercato Della Pescheria at The Venetian
Monday, June 12
- Grabbed ourselves some adult beverages at The Big Chill in Excalibur for breakfast
- Lunch at Momofuku in The Cosmopolitan
- Dinner and drinks on Mandalay Bay’s restaurant row at Kumi, Libertine Social, Aureole, and Fleur by Hubert Keller
- Watched the cover band Phoenix at Mizuya Lounge until the wee hours of the morning
Tuesday, June 13
- Breakfast at Sea Breeze Cafe
- Lunch at Citizens Kitchen & Bar
- Happy hour at House of Blues and the Boiler Room
- Dinner at Excalibur’s Camelot
Wednesday, June 14
- Brunch at Delano’s Della’s Kitchen
- Explored Mandalay Bay’s Shark Reef
- More happy hour / dinner at the House of Blues, Red Square, Wolfgang Puck’s Lupo, and Stripsteak
- Exclusive beach party at Mandalay Bay
Thursday, June 15
- Light breakfast from the Sea Breeze Cafe
- Explored Luxor and Excalibur (and gambled for a bit)
- Happy hour at StripSteak
- Exclusive club night at Club Light
- After party cigars and whisky at 1923
Friday, June 16
- Last breakfast at Mandalay’s conference center and check out
- Lunch at Tom Urban’s
- Snack time and beers at BeerHaus (along with Connect Four and Jenga)
- Dinner at Four Seasons bar
We scrambled for the plane home at 8:45PM after a cancellation and multiple delay notices (flight “un-delayed”, to depart at 10;45PM). I then proceeded to sleep for a day.
Til next time!
