Las Vegas for Summer 2016

Vegas!

Chandelier bar at the Cosmopolitan Hotel

Every summer I'm off to Las Vegas for the WSOP events to accompany the boyfriend while he plays poker. This year, however, with the move and gaming events added to our schedule we decided to shorten the trip from the usual 7 weeks to just over 2 weeks. I absolutely love coming to Vegas for everything it has to offer; the dry desert climate, atmosphere, food, parties, and constant bustle of people.

Dinner outfit

While it is possible to walk and taxi everywhere, I usually rent a car. Most valet in Vegas is free and taxi is an unpleasant experience where the drivers try to scam you to visit this strip club or take that prostitute. Last time I took a taxi alone he wouldn't stop trying to convince me to get paid to be topless at a pool party in broad daylight!

Plus it's difficult to find an opportunity to drive outside of the US while on constant travel. So in the US unless I'm in New York or it's a short trip, I will find an excuse to drive around myself. And being a female Asian (I'm frequently praised on my smooth driving skills and accurate sense of direction, I swear!) I'd like to continue practice driving just to surprise people against the stereotype.

So what's it like being on the Las Vegas strip for more than just one crazy weekend?

At the Aria

Actually, it's possible to 'feel at home' in even a tourist city like Vegas. I usually stay at hotels like Vdara with a fully equipped kitchen and laundry facility to cook and take care of dirty clothes. The surrounding areas 'off strip,' in fact, are mostly family oriented suburban neighborhoods that live high quality lifestyles at a fraction of the price. For those who live in Las Vegas, the Vegas Strip is as exotic as those who visit as tourists.

On my free time I'll take advantage of the many hotel attractions just around the corner, like the Aria and Cosmopolitan or further off at the Wynn/Encore. Just walking around and taking photos take up so much time thanks to the unlimited number of sculptures, decorations, and even just people watching. Sometimes you'll spot a celebrity or two who are visiting for a performance or even living in the city. My dry cleaner unknowingly had a customer who happened to be a family member of Britney Spears that eventually brought Britney in to stop by and say hello.

An entire scenary made from chocolate.

Chandelier Bar

 

Entrance at the Wynn

Sculpture made entirely out of flowers

Some days I'll catch up with friends over food, drinks, or shows. This year we missed the insanity that is EDC and July 4th celebrations, but even on the calmer weeks there's no shortage of activities to do.

Lunch at Milos

Fresh lobster pasta from Milos! 

At the bar

Drunken limo rides

Inside the Chandelier Bar

Instead of the usual physics-defying Cirque du Soleil shows, I opted for a Britney Spears show when a friend suggested it last minute. Though I was never a huge Britney fan, I grew up listening to her songs and drama so I figured I'd at least enjoy it. What I didn't expect was to be absolutely blown away by the performance. She apparently ditched the drama, got super fit, and delivered an awesome show.

Audience dressed up in fun Britney customs, the stage props were jaw dropping. With the wave of nostalgia, everyone ended up standing up and dancing with neighbors as if in a concert even though we all had assigned seats.

I mean, if this isn't Britney enough...

Last but not least, a fancy dinner.
SW Steakhouse, named after Steve Wynn, seems to be on everyone's favorite restaurant list so we often choose this steakhouse for special occasions. It's also got a delicious vegan friendly menu since the owner Steve Wynn is a vegan.

In my opinion, most high end steakhouses serve similar steaks. Food wise they are all prepared to perfection and what distinguishes 'one of the best' to 'best' is so minimal that most diners cannot tell the difference. However, SW Steakhouse's main selling point is that it offers the entire restaurant an outdoor view of their beautiful artificial waterfall with Snapchat-worthy shows every 30 minutes.

They also have umbrellas that move up and down at the restaurant entrance.

SW restaurant door

Bar at the entrance of restaurant

Restaurant interior

Wynn's official restaurant photo

Taken from Tripadvisor, view from the waterfall into the building

Crab soup

Foie gras

My diet friendly 250 calorie New York Strip steak, rubbed with chili and coffee

Medium rare, please.

The 20oz bone-in Tomahawk, which is actually my favorite

Topped with some onions and herbs

The boys with their Tomahawks for size comparison

Full table

I will end the post with some photos from Wynn that night. If you ever visit Vegas by yourself or with a date, make sure to come here. Its 'jungles' are made entirely of fresh flowers that not only look mesmerizing, but smell wonderful as well.