What Happens in Vegas…

Fri. June 12, 2020 - Mon. June 15, 2020
After being under very strict quarantine a few states began opening up. We were so ready to start traveling, and were looking to be as careful as possible. Spirit Airlines once again came through with a great deal, and off we were on our first adventure after living history - no planes in the sky for a few months. 
Funny fact about Spirit Airlines, and really probably most budget carriers. Their luggage weight limit is 40 lbs. (18 Kg) instead of 50 lbs. (22 Kg). We were sharing a suitcase to cut down cost and had to scramble as we were about 4 lbs. over. UGH! Makeup bag, hair straightener and shoes immediately went into our personal bags. We did have a layover in Kansas City - stocked up on bbq sauce - and then just like that we had arrived in Vegas. 

This was Anthony’s first time in Vegas. With his amazing skills he found us a fantabulous room at the MGM Grand, where we were greeted with lots of hand sanitizer, body temperature checks and kits with masks in our room. 

We wandered up and down the strip exploring some of the close by hotel casinos and doing a little gambling. That night we got all dolled up and went to our first dinner reservation of the weekend: Crush, before hitting the town at night. 

Saturday, June 13th:
Pool day!!! Neither one of us are big beach/pool goers, but trust me when I tell you - we had a friggin’ blast that morning at the pool. Many adult beverages were had, we made friends with folks around us and we just enjoyed each other’s company. Life was great! If you have the opportunity to stay at MGM, do not miss out on spending time at one of their many pools. 

After showering and getting dressed we went out for more exploring. That’s when we got suckered into experiencing an Oxygen Bar. One thing you will quickly learn about us… we are all about the gimmicks. Total suckers for gimmicks actually. There we were, hooked up to oxygen machines and then into some aqua massage chambers we went. I’m not going to lie - we were totally scammed. I did not feel any different after. 
That night Anthony made dinner reservations at Gordon Ramsay’s Hell’s Kitchen where we had one of the most epic meals ever. Appetizers, wine, salads, delicious entrees and of course dessert. I’m surprised we were able to move after all that food. We walked my absolute favorite hotel there: the Bellagio where by some crazy luck I won $54 on the Buffalo slot machine. 

Sunday, June 14th: 
Next morning I waited in the craziest Starbucks before starting our day and seeing more of what Vegas had to offer. Before wandering into Old Vegas for part of the day we did have lunch at Gordon Ramsay’s Fish & Chips (can you tell we are fans yet?). I highly recommend this place if you are a fan of fried fish. There are so many delicious dipping sauces to choose from and the vibrant red and blue colors screamed England. 

Old Vegas during the day is an experience. Since travel had just opened up there was not the usual crowd all over. There were also super strict precautions going into each casino, including temperature checks through forehead reads or other fancy methods. We walked up and down Fremont Street and boy was it hot! For dinner that night we chose to stick to our tradition: Hard Rock Cafe. Before heading back to our hotel that night we stopped by the Fountains of Bellagio to take in one last show before making our way home the next morning. 

Some of our quirky takeaways from this weekend trip:

• There was plenty of hand sanitizer available throughout the casinos - they all smelled like tequila. 

• Not all the gambling tables were open, and those that were had the plexiglass between players 

• Very few hotel/casinos were open - Paris for example was still closed when we went

• We came across our first forehead and body temp check machines

Oh Vegas! It was cool to check you out and experience you during such interesting times. 

Tell us in the comments: what was your first trip after the pandemic quarantine ended?

Google List: Las Vegas