Vegas outings

Friday, June 11th: went to Skybar at the top of the Stratosphere with my friend Kelli and a big group of interns.  The view was obviously great, but the bar / area was not crowded at all.  I kind of feel bad for that property because it has been going downhill lately, especially given its location (north Strip).  But the Top of the World restaurant seemed full.  I ate there with a group of girlfriends for our senior prom and it was good!  Very nice experience.  Kelli and I (and most of the interns) got Skybar's signature "Jetfuel" drink that supposedly has 5 shots in it.  It was like $16 so a good deal if you think about the amount of alcohol you're getting vs. buying drinks elsewhere or in a nightclub.  We then proceeded to the Venetian to go to Tao nightclub.  I had my name on the guest list so I thought we would get in no problems, but 3 of the guys in our group of 14 were not adhering to the club's dress code (note to gentlemen: plan on wearing a button down dress shirt and leather dress shoes if you are planning on going to an upscale Vegas nightclub such as Tao).  I do not make the rules, and even though I had a "hook up" at Tao, that doesn't mean you can wear tennis shoes and a t-shirt inside there or any upscale clubs like that.  Needless to say, the 3 guys getting denied by a bouncer caused a bit of drama and the majority of the group decided not to go in.  Kelli, myself, and 3 interns decided to go in because we hadn't been to Tao yet and we were perfectly in compliance with the dress code.  But by the time we got inside, it was super crowded.  The club is HUGE.  It was interesting seeing their famous dancers/models who sit/dance in bathtubs with only flower petals covering their chests.  We danced a little bit in the middle of the floor, but it was just too crowded.  We didn't stay that long but it was still cool to see it.  I will be back this summer for sure. 

Sunday, June 13th: I played tourist with my friend from Louisiana, Robbie, and her cousin Lindsey.  They were in town for a week with their grandparents.  We went to the Sunday brunch buffet at the Palms, which was small but good, and spent like 30 minutes at the Rio pool (which is where they were staying) because we went out there when it was almost closing.  We took the Rio shuttle to Harrah's at the Strip and then started walking.  We were going to try to go to Diablo's at the Monte Carlo, but then figured it would be more fun to just see where the night takes us.  So we stopped into this new bar called Rockhouse because the promoter outside offered us free shots.  But then when we went in they said we can play a free game of beer pong.  That meant we had to stay in there longer... which is obviously what they want so their place looks like it's fun.  It wasn't that fun and we eventually just drank the beer instead of finishing the game.  Then we stumbled upon Bill's, which has $1 margaritas advertised outside.  Got some of those, contemplated eating in their coffee shop since we hadn't eaten dinner yet and it was about 10pm, but then decided to go to Margarittaville for a more fun experience.  We ordered margaritas on the top floor outside before getting seated and then split a couple appetizers.  I think the food is kind of overpriced there (as well as the drinks), but that's the Vegas strip for you.  We had a really good time.  A couple of Robbie's friends from Louisiana who were in town joined us and at one point we all got up and danced to the live band they had in there.  Then it was more wondering the Strip like tourists.  We went back to Bill's to get more $1 margaritas, then to Bellagio to check out what The Bank nightclub could do for us.  The guys would have had to pay cover and it was about 1am at this point and I didn't think it was worth it.  So we went inside their Caramel bar instead and it was pretty cool and swanky.  Then went outside in hopes of seeing the fountain show, but it didn't happen since it was so late.  Then we went inside CityCenter for a minute and saw some of the cool decor inside of Crystals, the upscale mall in there.  We all ended up cabbing it back to the Rio and hanging out at a casino bar there for a while before calling it a (very late) night.

Thursday, June 17th:  I planned to be somewhat of a tourist again this night because my best friend from high school, Angelica, was in town with her cousin Sharilyn.  Angelica isn't here for most of the summer, so obviously we had to live it up.  We got a room at Excalibur for the night (so cheap- about $55 total) so we wouldn't have to worry about driving.  We started off our evening by having dinner at Firefly with our friends Jamie and Alyssa.  We got a pitcher of sangria (1/2 off!) and different tapas.  I had been there a couple times before, but now that restaurant is a little more special to me after my time in Madrid.  It is based off of the Spanish concept of tapas- different dishes meant for sharing.  I ate patatas bravas (probably my favorite Spanish tapa) and calamari.  Later that night Angelica, Shar, and I went to Cabo Wabo at Planet Hollywood.  It's a Mexican restaurant/ bar with margaritas and it was really good!  I got a mango marg (new fav) and we split some appetizers and bomb tortilla chips (eating again, I know, but the tapas at Firefly were pretty light).  To top it all off, Angelica's dad knows the owner of Cabo Wabo so it was comped.  We just paid tip.  Then we went to the Bank nightclub at Bellagio.  We made it just in time to get in under my name on the guest list without paying.  (Side note: On Sunday night when I went out with Robbie we met this random promoter on the street for the Bank.  Thought it was kind of sketchy at first, but then I thought.. he can only help me / hook me up.  I gave him my number and the Friday after I get about 5 texts from numbers I don't know who are promoting all different clubs pools including at the Palms, LAX at Luxor, Surrender at Encore, and Bare pool at the Mirage.  I was kind of annoyed, but again, it will be to my benefit in the long run because now I have those contacts that will put me and my group on the guestlist and allow the ladies to always get in for free).  Anyways, this was my second time at the Bank, but I think I enjoyed myself more.  It wasn't nearly as crowded since it was a Thursday, and I danced with a cute German who resembled Robert Pattinson.  ;)  Meeting foreign people always makes the night more exciting.  I actually really like the Bank.  They play good music: a mix of the latest pop, hip-hop, and r&b hits, as well as old ones and some classic rock songs like Journey's "Don't Stop Believin' " and Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline" that everyone loves to sing along to.  We had a really good time.  We went back to "the Castle" and played a couple dollars in slots and went to bed.  Yes, I had work the next morning.  :/    

Saturday, June 19th: Onto another night of clubbing with the girls.  They also went to LAX @ Luxor the previous night and LOVED it.  Said the music was the best.  I'm still dying to try it but haven't been yet.  I was too tired to join them.  This night we decided on Tryst @ Wynn.  The Bank promoter was able to get me on the list there, so we were able to skip right past the line.  :)  Kelli and our friend Thomas also joined us.  Ladies got free cover, but Thomas unfortunately still had to pay $30.  We danced for a while in the middle of the floor, but we weren't really feeling it for some reason.  Kelli's and my feet started hurting after a while due to wearing heels, and I wasn't really into the crowd.  I also noticed that the lighting in there is pretty bright, which is odd for a club.  Nightclubs are usually pretty dark and I prefer that.  The club was nice though.  Someone told me XS is like Tryst on steroids, and I can see that now since I had been to XS before.  There is a cool waterfall that says "Tryst" in lighting right outside near the dance floor.  It seems like they have sooo many tables though.  I'm not a huge fan of that because I like more emphasis to be on the dancing like it was in Madrid, but I guess that's just how it is in Vegas.  Tryst seemed to have a noticeably larger amount.  Tom and I played some slots, and he got lucky sitting next to me I think on pennies!  He turned $20 into like $55 so basically he got his cover charge back!  So then I didn't feel so bad that he had to pay.  We eventually left Wynn and Angelica, Shar, and I went through the drive through at McDonald's (had to hit that up while Angelica was in town).  That was an interesting experience.  THEN we decided to drive to the "Welcome to the Fabulous Las Vegas" sign at the south part of the Strip and take pictures.  That is something, as a local, that I actually have never done so it was fun.

Tuesday, June 22nd: Our internship program had our program day (a day of VP speakers and an amazing 10-course lunch at the Pub) at the Monte Carlo.  A group of us decided to get a drink at the Pub for happy hour afterwards.  I must say that they have a great happy hour.  They do 2-for-1 drinks from 5 to 7pm I think and ladies drink free from 6 to 7 and later 10 to 11!  I had a really good time catching up with some of the interns and talking to some new ones for the first time.  I met Hugo, who is Mexican, and we spoke some Spanish.  Speaking Spanish honestly makes me so happy, especially since I haven't really had a chance to do it much lately.  So I was very happy and had a great time.  :)  Then we went to Bar Louie in Town Square for their $1 burger night.  It's pretty cool: you just have to order any beverage (alcoholic or non-alcoholic) and you get a burger for $1.  A lot of the interns got $3 margaritas, which is also a good deal.

Thursday, June 24th:  "Sake Sessions" @ the Tropicana pool.  This was an awesome event with FREE Sake tastings.  It was really nice to have more of a low key/ bar type setting than a nightclub for a change.  I tried a lot of different kinds of Sake for the first time, and some Sake bombs, and I really liked them!  I think I may have found my new favorite drink.  ;)  After it ended at 10pm, we headed to McFadden's bar at the Rio.  They do $1 drinks for ladies after a certain time.  I think ladies even drink free at one point in the night.  The bar was pretty fun and they had a DJ so we danced a little.

Friday, June 25th: Stoney's, a country bar that is really popular with locals.  It was $5 cover charge but free beer until midnight.  It was pretty different from any bar I had experienced.  They do all different kinds of line and country dancing (most of which is choreographed) as well as some more well-known dances like the cha-cha slide and cupid shuffle.  Toward the end of the night they played some top 40 and hip hop that we were able to dance to without knowing the moves.  I had a really good time. 

Saturday, June 26th: Fantasy strip show @ Luxor.  A lot of us interns got free tickets.  I brought my friend Kyle and went to dinner with him and his family beforehand.  The show honestly was pretty terrible.  It was my first time to that type of show, so again, interesting experience.  There were some good parts though, like this black co-host comedian who was hilarious and one of the dancers who did some crazy Cirque du Soleil ribbon acrobatics.  Then I went to ARIA to see my friend Andres who was in town for bachelor party.  Got to practice some Spanish with him and we went to the nightclub, HAZE, with Bart, Samantha, and her friend.  I had a really good time at HAZE this night- moreso than the first time I went.  I danced a little on the platform and there was this crazy good dancer doing gymnastics on the pole.  As I was experiencing HAZE I thought that it kind of reminded me of the club Joy Esclava in Madrid, or at least the closest thing I have come to it so far in the States.  It's funny, I kind of hated that club at the time, even though I ended up going like 4 times, but now I kind of miss it.  AND, HAZE played "When Love Takes Over" which was pretty much the epitome of my clubbing nights in Madrid, so that also brought back memories.  Fun, eventful night overall. 

Friday, July 2nd: BACKSTREET BOYS concert @ Mandalay Bay beach.  I had never been to a concert out at this venue before, but it's really cool and unique!  They have a stage on the left side of the wave pool.  If you want to be in the 'standing room only' section, you stand in front of the stage in about a foot of water.  The ambiance is really pretty out there at night with the different lighting and tropical feel.  The concert was great!  I had trouble finding friends that were willing to throw down $50 for a ticket, but I honestly would have paid up to $80 for the Backstreet Boys.  They are one of my favorite bands of all time!  :)  I met up with Rachel and Lisa, who are crazy BSB fans.  They were in line for like 2 hours before the show, so we were able to be really close to the stage.  It was the closest I had ever been to BSB in person, so I was stoked!  There are only 4 still rockin' (Kevin quit like 2 albums ago), but they still got it 'goin' on!'  They came out singing "Everybody (Backstreet's back)," and sang quite a few songs from the latest album, This Is Us, as well as medleys of older hits.  After the concert I went to meet up with Kelli & friends at Ellis Island, this off-Strip casino.  They have a karaoke bar and lots of good food/drink specials that are popular with the locals.  Compared other venues I have been frequenting this summer, I thought it was pretty ghetto, but definitely an interesting experience.  And honestly I would go back for the specials and maybe to do some karaoke.      

experiencing Vegas

Since I’ve turned 21 I’ve enjoyed really experiencing what my hometown has to offer. I especially like trying out the different Las Vegas nightclubs. My first Vegas club experience was XS as the Encore and I have to say it was amazing! The atmosphere is beautiful and you can look out to the pool and waterfall. The dance floor is pretty big. I was floored though when I ordered a drink (sex on the beach) and it was $14 (+tip). That’s just how it goes in Vegas though and now I usually don’t buy drinks at clubs. The Vegas club scene took some getting used to since my first real club experiences were in Madrid, and that’s what I became accustomed to when I studied there for a semester. The major difference I would say is that there is more of an emphasis on dancing in the European “discotecas” and more of an emphasis on expensive bottle service here in Vegas. There is nowhere to sit in the clubs unless you reserved a table and shelled out at least $300 per bottle. In Madrid there is bottle service but not as much, and there are “public” couches, seating, etc. In January I went to HAZE at ARIA (one of the newest clubs here) for John Legend’s birthday. It was a really cool club with a good-sized dance floor. I don’t know what I was thinking when I had hopes of maybe meeting him or getting anywhere near him, but I learned that those places keep the celebrities’ areas/tables very private. He did go up on the stage area to sing “Ordinary People” a cappella and then “Greenlight,” which is his club hit. In April when I was home for Easter Break, it was my best friend’s 21st birthday. We went to Margaritaville and then Lavo nightclub at the Palazzo. Margaritaville is a fun atmosphere. They have music video screens that play the latest hits and also live bands. The food is ok; I think it’s overpriced, but I guess average for anywhere you eat on the Strip. We weren’t inside Lavo that long, but the dance floor seemed small to me.

And now, summer has rolled around and I am home for 3 full months, doing an internship with a big hotel-casino company! I will be interacting with consumers on social media websites, often writing about what I experience, so I’m trying to go out and experience a few different places each weekend (or use my job as an excuse for doing so..?). The internship program is really cool; there are about 35 other interns and most are not local so they go out all the time. I started going out with them the weekend after my first full week of work. On Friday, June 4th, we went to Blue Hour at the Signature and The Bank nightclub at Bellagio. Blue Hour is like a cocktail party in the evening at the hotel pool. It wasn’t crowded at all, which was nice. Also, locals get ½ off drinks so I only paid $5 + tip for my favorite. (And yes, only one since I had to drive home later that night. That’s the one thing that kind of sucks about living here). Then, since one of the interns had a connection at the Bank, 14 of us just strolled on in passed the line without paying cover (which would have been $30 for guys). I thought the club was really nice, but was surprised at how small the dance floor is. It was great being able to go in before the bulk of the crowd because we all had plenty of room to dance. After the evening went on, it started getting really crowded with people pushing their way to get passed you (including service staff delivering bottle service), to the point that there was barely room to dance and it wasn’t fun anymore. On Sunday, June 6th, I went to Mandalay Bay Beach with the same group. It was my first time there and I had heard nothing but good things about it. We frequented the lazy river and the wave pool, which are fun. This day was already really hot and it is impossible to walk on the sand without burning your feet. For some reason I wasn’t blown away by Mandalay Bay Beach, maybe my expectations were too high? It is really big though so I can’t complain and we spent about 4 good hours out there.  I don't mean to sound negative, I'm just giving my honest opinions/critiques.  And I've been having a blast so far!  More posts to follow on more Vegas nightlife experiences...