I recently got the opportunity to go to Las Vegas and thought I would share a few of my favorite and least favorite things I got to do while there. I went to learn more about aligning teeth, teamwork, and new products in the industry. It also happened to be my 25th birthday while we were there, which was a sweet deal. One of the best parts of the trip was my best friend coming for the last two days to celebrate my birthday. She made certain I felt so loved and celebrated.
I enjoyed my meetings and getting to learn more, but my favorite discussion was about creativity and innovation. One thing that stuck out to me was when the speaker said, "to think different you have to be different", this made me laugh because I've always been the "pink sheep" (as I call it) and am more than happy to be different. He stated that creativity is a skill that is about 33% inherent, the rest is up to you. The speaker discussed several times how you have to think outside the box, well one of my dearest friends and I often joke that our brains don't even register there is a box. Creativity and innovation are about realizing there is a need and finding a way to fix it.
With the meeting, we got to go to the Allegiant Stadium, it was a completely surreal experience. Fun fact I learned - it was also one of the newest stadiums in the NFL. Prior to this, I had only been in Mercedes Benz stadium in ATL. It was a completely different view being on the field than it was to be in the stands. I think it's safe to say I would absolutely have "stage fright" having to play (or perform) in an arena of that magnitude.
Another thing we got to do with the meeting was to go to the Circ du Soliel show "O". Personally, I realized I am not a huge Circ du Soliel person, I prefer a Broadway play or musical. I can appreciate the talent and work that went into the show. Overall, it had me stressed and confused the whole time. It probably didn't help that my biggest fear is heights above water and the whole show was jumps and tricks above water. I think it is a fun thing to do while in Vegas, but before you spend the big bucks, I recommend finding out if it is your vibe, or not.
We got to stay in The Bellagio which was beautiful! We enjoyed the zen garden they had built in the main part of the hotel, some of the best coffee and crepes we had all ever had, "gambling", and a small museum. The coffee shop is actually the Bellagio Patisserie, and they have the largest Chocolate Fountain in the World in the shop. The small museum was a floral-inspired museum, it was very pretty, but it was only two rooms so it was over quite quickly.
On the art track, we did get to go to the immersive Van Gogh art exhibit, which was incredible! If you have the chance to go I absolutely would. I remember learning about Van Gogh in elementary school from my favorite teacher, and it took me right back to that time sitting in the large media gallery. I will try not to share too much so as to not spoil it for you if you decide to go. It travels around so you never know where you might find it.
My favorite thing we got to do was go to the Las Vegas sign and then onto the desert to see Seven Magic Mountains. Typically, there is a large line at the sign and a crowd at Seven Magic Mountains, but we went around 9 and there was only one group there. We were able to go to the side of the sign and get a different angle and get all the photos we wanted. We were also among the only people at Seven Magic Mountains, as we were leaving the crowds started to come so I would recommend going reasonably early to get the best photos. I had seen photos of the Seven Magic Mountains art exhibition for years and had always wanted to go and cross it off my bucket list. While we were out there we ventured into the desert a little bit to get a better view of all that Nevada had to offer, If you choose to walk around more I recommend bringing comfortable shoes.
We ended up going to the Fashion Show Mall, which is one of the biggest malls I have ever been to. You could get lost there for hours. We spent a good 3 or 4 hours in the mall and to everyone's surprise, I walked out with only a Starbucks Las Vegas mug and a body suit. In the mall, they also have a lip lab, where you can create your own personalized lipstick color. Unfortunately, we weren't able to do this, but if I could go back I absolutely would have. Another thing I wish we could've done just for the fun would be to schedule an appointment at one of the Dry Bar blowout bars, because, why not?!
My favorite restaurant we got to go to was Beauty and Essex, which we went to for my 25th birthday dinner! I went to this restaurant with my dad in New York after a Fashion Week show a few years ago and absolutely loved it. It is in the back of a pawn shop, and the point of it is to feel like you're in one of the jewelry boxes from the pawn shop. You feel effortlessly glamourous as if you've been transported to Old Hollywood. You are supposed to order several entrees for the table and share them all, so we ordered 5 to split among us and it was fantastic. We ordered Beef Wellington, Grilled Cheese Smoked Bacon &Tomato Soup Dumpings, Mexican Street Corn Ravioli, Mac and Cheese, Thick Cut Filet, and pizza-style flatbread. Everyone's favorite was the Grilled Cheese and tomato soup dumplings. The piece de resistance was the dessert "Ferris wheel" at the end of the meal, each of the little buckets were filled with a different delicious dessert. From Macarons, brownies, and cookies, to candied fruit, toasted coconut bites, and so many more I can't recall them all. We also tried the bubbles and berries cocktail and can all recommend it enthusiastically.
In the Cosmopolitan Hotel, there were two very cool things of note; one, the chandelier bar which makes you feel like you're inside a chandelier, and the restaurant, Holsteins, with the best boozy milkshakes I've ever tried! The chandelier also has huge heel art pieces at both entrances, which is of course right up my alley!
We went to In-and-Out to try the burgers but soon realized that it was too overhyped. I'm sorry to say but the order goes, Shake Shack, Whataburger, In-and-Out. I would love to hear what you think the order is though. We went straight from In-and-Out to Shake Shake, we may have found ourselves at Shake Shack more than once on this trip. I discovered Shake Shack when I lived in New York and when I see it I can never pass it up now.
Speaking of New York, I always find a way to have a piece of it near me, because we wound up at the "New York New York" Hotel a few times and it was my favorite hotel. I loved that you walked through the inside of the hotel and it felt like you were walking the streets of the Big Apple, you even walked outside and there was a small replica of the Brooklyn Bridge, it made me feel right at home. It's interesting but I feel the most at home when I'm traveling.
To sum it all up, definitely worth the trip to try Las Vegas at least once. Go to every hotel, try all the new foods, see the cheesy tourist landmarks, take every opportunity, and take it from lemons to lemonade or make yourself a nice little cocktail! I did not however enjoy gambling away my $14, not worth the hype.
If I went back I would go to The Neon Museum, the Lip Lab, the DryBar Blowout bar, the Flamingo Hotel, the Wynn Hotel, the restaurant in the Eiffel tower, and Zipline down Fremont street. So, who wants to go back to Las Vegas with me?!
Traveling has my heart, so if you enjoyed reading about my travels and adventures, let me know and I'll continue writing them. Until the next time!
Oh! Also, I learned the hard way, the absolute best way to use an air tag is to put it in your suitcase! The Airline lost our luggage on the way home and left it in Dallas, but thanks to the air tag, I could track it all the way home. I will be keeping an air tag in every suitcase I ever travel with again!
So, here's to always remembering to keep one foot in front of the other, and your heels as high as your standards...xoxo Suzanna Rita
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