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...