Las Vegas

Feb 26 - 29, 2016

Viva Las Vegas! I joined my friends, Elle and Dasha, in Vegas before heading to Anaheim for work later in the week. We always have a blast traveling together and it's so amazing to have friends you can travel the world with :) 

I haven't visited Vegas since 5th grade, and Elle had never visited Vegas at all, so Dasha served as our guide. We absolutely loved our stay at the Trump Hotel (not to be associated with supporting him as a presidential candidate), which was a welcome escape from the busy hotels directly on the Strip. 

To kick off our Vegas adventure, we decided to embark on a not so typical activity: a hike through the Valley of Fire! Love Hikes is an awesome hiking company that provided pick up and drop off right at our hotel and we actually got our own private 3-person tour through the Valley with two amazing guides.

It lasted 6 hours in total, with 4 hours of straight hiking through the beautiful red rocks, leaping into sand dunes, and feeling on top of the world. I would highly recommend the Moderate level hike we took!

Our hiking guide recommended we check out Carnaval Court for nightlife that night. The music? Great. The people and overall experience? Not so great. However, twas nothing that a delicious brunch at Hash House a go go couldn't remedy! Known for their delicious Bloody Mary's and long lines, the food at Hash House a go go wow-ed us with its humungous portions and hometown cooking. 

We walked off the wonderful meal by strolling through all of the famous hotels along the Strip, like the Venetian, Wynn, Caesar's Palace, and my favorite, the Bellagio :)

Do you believe in magic? Jan Rouven weaved a night of Illusions during his magic show at the Tropicana Hotel. He's a German illusionist who pulled off a flawless show. I absolutely loved it. His crew danced amazingly as well! Afterwards, we even had the chance to meet him and take pictures :)

On our last night, Elle and I had the brilliant idea of ending the night with Taiwanese shaved ice -- one of our favorite desserts. We found the Snowflake Shavery. Their website describes it as "...when ice cream and shaved ice fell in love, got married & had a baby." It is all of that and more :) Elle relished the cookie butter while I savored the green tea. Another great win in the food department! 

Before departing Vegas on Tuesday, we enjoyed the best brunch yet at Eat. Bright colors adorn the restaurant, making it a trendy and hip location for any meal! A+ for value and delicious-ness. I enjoyed an amazing reuben sandwich with their homemade potato salad before we set off to explore Fremont Street, the "original" Las Vegas before the advent of the Strip.

All in all, I loved our time in Vegas. There's much more to the city than just gambling and partying - it's a city of beautiful nature and magical entertainment as well!