A Pandemic Vacation: Part One
- Patrice Sutton
- Dec 25, 2020
- 5 min read
Updated: Jan 1, 2021
What I Did and Ate in Las Vegas
After months of talking about going to Las Vegas, my best friend and I finally booked our tickets in late October. Neither of us had ever been to Las Vegas and it was on our bucket lists. It was actually one of my travel destinations on my vision board for 2020. Let’s look at what I did and ate while in Las Vegas.
What to do:
Visit the Casinos
Las Vegas is the most populous city in Nevada and is considered as the best gambling city in the United States. Casinos are all around Las Vegas. They can be found in every nook and cranny. From the moment you step off the plane you are greeted with slot machines. Most major hotels have casinos. Most restaurants also have slot machines for patrons to play as well. Even if you’re not the gambling type like me, visiting a casino is a must do activity while visiting Las Vegas.
Visit the Outlets
Love shopping? Las Vegas North Premium Outlets is the place for you. There is also a Las Vegas South Premium Outlets but I only visited the north location. It located on over 40 acres and is home to over 120 stores. Some popular stores include ALDO, Burberry, Polo Ralph Lauren and Tory Burch just to name a few. It’s a wonderful location if you’re looking for some retail therapy while on vacation.
Stop by the Iconic Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas Sign
If you visit Las Vegas you must get a photo at the iconic Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign. This landmark was constructed in 1959 and is located on Las Vegas Boulevard. Tourists flock daily to the sign. There is usually a line but it moves pretty quickly. There is no charge to visit or take a photo. There are, however, locals who can assist you with taking a photo if you need to. Whether or not you tip them is totally up to you.
Fremont Street
Fremont Street, located in downtown Las Vegas, is the most famous street in Las Vegas and dates back to 1905. It was the first paved street in Las Vegas and is named after explorer John Charles Fremont. It is only 0.8 miles but it is packed with stores, casinos and activities for tourists to do. One popular activity done on Fremont Street is zip lining. Visiting Freemont Street is free of charge. You will have to pay for some activities like zip lining though.
Madame Tussauds Wax Museum
Are you a fan of celebrities? Madame Tussauds Wax Museum in Las Vegas features life size wax figures of popular celebrities. Wax figures of celebrities such as Jamie Fox, Beyonce, Hugh Hefner and Johnny Depp among others are the located in the first room, Club Tussauds. Other rooms host sports icons such as Mike Tyson and Shaquille O’Neal. Music icons such as Bob Marley, Drake, Rihanna, 2Pac and Notorious B.I.G are also features. Legends such as home great Elvis Presley, Celine Dion and MARVEL superheroes are present as well. The museum also features a bar that centers around the ‘Hangover’ film and a Virtual Room for a virtual reality experience. There is a charge attached to visiting this location.
Where to Eat:
Ellis Island Hotel, Casino and Brewery
This was our breakfast spot. We arrived Saturday afternoon and had breakfast there on Sunday morning. Breakfast was so good we returned Monday morning. Their menu featured the typical breakfast items, eggs, pancakes, bacon and sausages just to name a few. They had a steak and eggs breakfast special for $6.99 while we were there. I had never had steak and eggs and was not about to pass up a deal. Let me tell you! It was to die for. I thoroughly enjoyed it and could not eat the entire serving. It was filling breakfast. Members of my party also had pancakes. The serving sizes were huge and they lamented that they would have ordered less had they known the servings were so filling. I was pleased with breakfast on Sunday that I had the same thing for breakfast when I returned on Monday. It is a busy breakfast spot and reservations are highly recommended.
Top of the World Restaurant
Top of the World restaurant is located in The Strat Hotel, Casino and Skypod. It is located at over 800 feet above Las Vegas. The restaurant revolves 360 degrees every 80 minutes as a result you are able to view all of Las Vegas whilst dining. It is an elegant restaurant. For dinner, I had the Scottish Salmon with Baked Potato. The salmon was prepared with fennel soubise, citrus segments and lemon butter. The salmon was moist and was cooked perfectly. The lemon butter and citrus segment added a hint of tanginess to the salmon. The baked potato was served with cheese, sour cream and chives, and bacon. Others in the party ordered the Shellfish Linguini with lobster, shrimp, crab and tomato diavolo sauce and the Half Roasted Chicken in a Rosemary Garlic Marinade. They thoroughly enjoyed their meals as well. The service was excellent. Dining here can be quite pricey but the service, food and experience are worth it. Reservations are highly recommended.
Gordon Ramsay’s Hell’s Kitchen
Located in Caesar's Place Las Vegas, Gordon Ramsay’s Hell’s Kitchen draws inspiration from the likewise named reality television show that starred Chef Gordon Ramsay. Hell's Kitchen was a series that I watched religiously in its early years and I would have been remiss if I went to Las Vegas and did not dine there. It is a popular spot in Las Vegas and it was not very easy to get reservations. Another elegant restaurant, but I struggled with deciding on an entrée as I found the menu offerings to be very limited. It was so limited that some members of my party simply settled for Caesar Salad with Grilled Chicken. I had a Jidori Chicken Scallopini with roasted pee wee potatoes, artichokes and lacinato kale. The chicken was very moist. The artichokes were cooked crisped and reminded me of plantain chips. Dining here was also quite pricey. I believe the money spent was more for the experience than the food.
Fat Burger
This was actually the first meal I ate in Las Vegas. Right after checking in to our hotel room my girl friend and I went on a hunt for food. We walked Las Vega Boulevard and grabbed a quick bite to eat at Fat Burger. The burgers are sold by weight, the patty weight not the entire burger. I enjoyed my meal. The burgers were quite stacked. You're able to do add-ons like cheese, bacon, egg and chili scoop for an additional cost. It was different though as this location did not offer combos and menu items had to purchased individually.
The Cupcakery
If you know me you know my love for pastries! I love everything! Cakes, cupcakes, cookies, I love them all. All credit for this location goes to my girl friend. The cupcakery is a quaint, lil cupcake shop serving up all flavors, from the regular flavors to unique ones. Cupcakes start at $2.50 I believe and they are oh so good! The owner is also so sweet and welcoming. If you have a sweet tooth, then The Cupcakery should be on your list of places to visit when in Las Vegas.
Cocolini
Cocolini serves over 30 flavors of homemade Italian gelato. There are locations scattered all over Las Vegas and I dined at the one located in The Venetian. It's a little pricey with a single scoop starting at $6. I had the butter pecan flavor but I was able to try a few before deciding on the flavor I wanted to purchase. This is another one to try if you have a sweet tooth!
This was my first official vacation, vacation! I'm already thinking about the next one! Have you taken any vacations or breaks during this pandemic? Do you plan to? Let me know in the comments below.
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