As much as I enjoy travelling, it sure does feel good to be home…
… even if it does take me a few days to get back into the swing of everyday life. Case in point: I didn’t get out of my PJs or leave my house until around 7 PM last night, and even then it was only to run (read: drive) to the grocery store to pick up some toilet paper since I was down to a single roll — which is basically begging for disaster to strike. But after a somewhat sleepless weekend followed by a late flight and not getting home until around 2 AM, it was basically all I could muster up the energy to do. Nothing like being reminded that you’re definitely not 21 anymore!
That being said, today’s post is comin’ at ya in point form, since transitional sentences and coherent thought flow are beyond me right now. And in place of a traditional recap post, I’m just going to share some random thoughts from my trip to Vegas a la Thinking Out Loud style, since a) I didn’t take enough pictures to recap 87.5% of the trip, and b) what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas…
1. I made friends with a burro that I affectionally named Jack. And Hollie, he totally made me think of you and your parents’ pet donkey…
2. How the heck did I manage to find a burro in the middle of Vegas, you might ask? By leaving Vegas. We were feeling a little adventurous, so we decided to take a few trips out into the dessert to explore the surrounding area. First up was the Skywalk at the Grand Canyon…
It ended up being a little further than anyone expected (about 2.5 hours), but the views were more than worth it…
3. Trip #2 was considerably shorter — we drove about 30 minutes to get to Red Rock Canyon…
4. … and after both of those trips, I have concluded that I’m definitely not meant for the heat of the desert… or heat in general. I think it was around 42ºC (107ºF) almost every day we were there, which meant that most of our time was spent in one of two places: anywhere that had AC, or out by the pool…
5. It also got dark super early, and by super early I mean around 8:30 PM. I realize that may not seem early to some people, but up here in Edmonton it’s still pretty bright out at 10:30, so the earlier sunsets were something that I definitely noticed. Then again, it’s never really dark in Vegas…
6. It’s also nearly impossible to whip up a batch of coffee maker oats. From my experience, Vegas hotels (or at least the ones I’ve stayed at) are notoriously bad for not having in-room coffee makers… which means that I didn’t have oats for breakfast for 4 whole days. Sad face. I probably could have gone down to ask for a cup of hot water from one of the cafes, buuuuuut it was easier to just whip up a bowl of yogurt, fruit, and cereal — Barbara’s Morning Oat Crunch, in case you were wondering. And I wish I could have brought some home with me, but I finished off the whole box while I was there. I do think we can find them up here in Canadaland, though… I’ll have to look into that.
7. No matter how many times I’ve seen them go off, I’ll probably never get tired of the fountains at the Bellagio…
8. … or the ever-unique displays in their botanical garden…
9. But as much as I enjoyed the trip… I think it might be time to find a new place to visit. This was my 4th trip to Vegas in the past couple of years, and I kind of felt like I was running out of things to do. Maybe it might be time to bite the bullet and finally head on over to the east coast for once? I haven’t been to NYC since I was around 3 or 4 years old, and I’d really love to see it again…
Have you ever been to Vegas? What was one of your favourite things to do?
What’s one of your favourite cities to visit? Or what’s one that you really want to visit?
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I’ve been to Vegas twice, but I was young (elementary/middle school). I would love to go back now that I’m 21! My Grandmother and I love to hit up the slots so I would hope to win some money! I’d also have to see some shows.
My favorite city to visit is Washington, DC! I love all of the museums, monuments, and parks. There is so much to do, and a lot of it is affordable, if not free!
Oh my goodness those gorgeous canyon views! I prefer those over the Vegas views (*ahem* underdressed people) 😉
But I’ve gone to Vegas before and I went indoor skydiving, which was awesome! I also liked the Stratosphere— that skyscraper with the terrifying thriller rides on top. I’m a daredevil apparently?
So glad you had a fun time, girl!
I recommend you visit San Diego in May next year…… 🙂
Love all the pics and sooo jealous of your pool time! I don’t know but I just LOVE laying by the pool all day long.
And those views – gorgeous!! Happy to know you were in such a beautiful place when I was in the Swiss mountains at the same time.
I’m going to have to jump on the NYC vote bandwagon! Primarily because SNAP – it’s also my next trip. My sis is only out there until the end of September so I need to mooch off her while I still can! Well, if you do decide to visit the big apple I’ll look forward to hearing where you plan to sightsee.
*goes to google why it’s called the big apple*…
LOL. This post…besides the fountain, is the most un-Vegas things I have seen…and I love it.
NYC. YES. BEST. PLACE. EVER.
😆 Right?! I figured I already did two Vegas recaps, so it was time for something different.
Vegas is one of the places that look good in pictures but I wouldn’t really like being there and melting in the heat. I’ve always wanted to visit New York and I’m pretty sure I would have by now if I hadn’t stopped being single. I had already warned my mum that I’d go there one Christmas instead of home and now I can’t do it because I must go to England instead. My next chance is probably our honeymoon but I guess that’s not likely *sigh* I’m jealous of everyone who has the chance to travel and see a lot of different places.
Btw, I just noticed the ads on your page. There’s the good ol’ “Food advertising by GourmetAds” but all ads I see are of American Airlines 😀
It’s SO pretty there. I want to go. I still can’t believe I’m 23 and haven’t yet been to Vegas! It’s seriously a dream. Did you hit up any casinos? It’s not really my thing but I think in Vegas it could be fun, just to experiment with it once.
Like those botanical gardens are absolutely insanity. Love.
I’m not huge on gambling either, but we did end up spending a lot of time in casinos mostly because every single hotel has a casino in the lobby 😆
I have never been out there!!! I am dying to go!
COME TO PHILLY!!!! That’s all I have to say right meow ;o)
Your vegas trip looks like a blast!! I absolutely love all the rock formations! that interests me more than the strip! 🙂
I have never been to vegas, so far my favorite us city has to be New Orleans! The fooooooooooooood omg the fooooooooooood, yum yumm yum
speaking of food, i saw this ice cream sandwich cake recipe and thought of YOU! 🙂
Enjoy!
http://www.abeautifulmess.com/2014/07/easiest-ever-ice-cream-cake.html
New Orleans is another city on my list of places that I need to visit! And that ice cream cake 😯 Oh.em.GEE.
Your new pet donkey reminded me of Shrek. Did ya name him? Did ya? Did ya? C’mon tell me.* *Sorry that was my Donkey impression.
Vegas hotels do not have in room coffee pots, which makes me crazy because nobody needs to see my hot mess-ed-ness before I’ve had my morning coffee and yet I have to go out into the general public, generally next to the casino where people are wide awake or really glassy eyed just to get a cup of coffee. Harumph.
Love the desert shots, the pool shot and the funky botanical artwork.
P.S. I’ll put a coffee pot in your room in Cleveland. We’re way cooler than NYC and much cheaper.
I’ve only been to Vegas once but it wasn’t anything impressive for me, but that’s just because I’m not into the night life and whatnot, but man oh mannnn I’m digging the grand canyon and that view! I think I’d go just for that. 😛 I think east coast sounds like sooo much fun! It’s probably the most exciting area in the states to read about, so hopefully you’ll have one in the near future? Hehe, love to live vicariously (at least).
I loveeeee Vegas which is funny because I really don’t like to gamble 😉 I love the pools and the shopping and the shows and the food though! And one place I would really like to visit is Portland – I’ve never been to the northwest!
I’m not huge on gambling either — it’s the atmosphere of the city that I adore. That and the people watching is pretty epic 😉
I went once with my family and we also did Red Rock Canyon. So beautiful! You definitely need to get to NYC though. Best city in the world! I also love San Francisco.
Never been to Vegas but it’s definitely on my list! Your Grand Canyon pics are gorgeousssss and now I want to go even more than I did before reading this post..
Come to Washington DC…I would love to read your review…BUT avoid mid-late summer if you hate heat and humidity.
I love that you got out of Vegas on a Vegas trip! Those images from the canyons are gorgeous. I need to go to the GC one of these days…I don’t really have an excuse!
You know where’s an AWESOME place to visit? Toronto. 😉
Haha kidding (not really). It looks like you had a fun trip! Even though you’ve been there a bunch of times, I bet getting out of the city made things more interesting. Those shots of the Grand Canyon are gorgeous! And slightly terrifying…
I’ve heard good things about TO 😉 Still planning on taking a trip out there later this summer!
Looks like you had fun in Vegas but YESSSS, I highly recommend checking out NYC! And have you been to LA?
It’s great that you decided to visit the Grand Canyon too while you were there. Isn’t it amazing?!
Yup! I’ve been to LA a handful of times. Love it there, but it’s definitely a tonne to take in!
vegas makes me hot and tired. LOL! but i’d totally be up for the canyons, maybe when it’s cooler. I mean 100F is probably cool to them, right? hehe, rest up!
It stays light out until 10:30 where you are?? That is so fantastic!! Is it similar in the Winter time or does it get darker much quicker like it does here in the states?
It sounds fantastic, but it can be a pain in the butt when you’re trying to go to sleep early and don’t have any blackout curtains 😆 And no… in the winter it gets dark around 4 or 4:30. Boo.
Whoa, that sounds crazy! 4:00 is SUPER early… even worse than the 5:00 darkness here.
The last time I was in Vegas was last Halloween for my bachelorette party. Vegas sure goes all out on Halloween and I had an amazing time! I’ve never been anywhere off the strip but I heard there are some great places to visit. Love your pictures!
I’ve not yet been to Vegas, but I want to go for the people watching, mostly. No shame! I would also love to go and see the Grand Canyon again–where you haven’t been to NYC since you were about 5, I haven’t been to Arizona since I was 5, and I have fleeting memories. I love and adore NYC, especially having lived there for 2 years. I also had a great time visiting San Fran, and would love to go there again, for sure.
Amazing pictures! And yes to NYC! It’s such a fun experience and there is so much to do and see. I would love to vicariously go through your posts and pictures 🙂