Submitted by Christine from Melrose, MA, Age 24
Sin City. The City of Lights. The City that Never Sleeps. It doesn’t matter what you call it, it all means Las Vegas and it’s my new favorite place. My name is Christine Chisholm and I am a 24 year old recent college graduate who is preparing to embark on her Master’s. When my friend Shayna asked me if I was interested in a much need vacation, I jumped at the chance. They say what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, however, what happened to me I am sharing with you. Here is the story of eight girls from Boston spending 72 hours in Las Vegas.
TUESDAY- We arrived in Vegas around 1:00pm. When I say WE I mean me and my seven friends: Shayna, Alyssa, Jenna, Kellie, Kelly, Katie, and Erin. As we walked out of the gate, it was easy to determine that we were no longer at Logan due to the fact that the terminal was lined with rows of slot machines. The bright lights and loud bells and music immediately woke me up from my seven hour flight and put me into excite mode. When we booked our vacation, we ended up purchasing a packaged deal that included free shuttle transportation so right after we claimed our luggage we had a ride waiting for us. As I sat on the shuttle, I anxiously awaited the arrival to our hotel and before I knew it we were there. Our hotel, the Excalibur, takes the shape of a giant castle that looked like it was ripped out of the pages of a whimsical fairy tale and placed right on the Vegas strip. The hot Nevada sun was such a nice change from the 40 degree rain in Boston so obviously our first stop after check-in was the pool. The pool area consisted of two side-by-side pools surrounded by lounge chairs and shaded cabanas. We grabbed our mango margaritas and baked in the sun for a few hours until about 6:00pm when we started to get hungry. After getting dressed to the nines, we headed to the Steakhouse at Camelot. Located on the second floor of the Excalibur, this restaurant was fantastic. They accommodated the eight of us with our own private room and two waitresses, who were fabulous. Some of the food was a little pricey, but one thing to always remember is look for the specials! They offered an amazing deal: endless Caesar salad, your choice of one of three entrees, and a delectable triple chocolate mousse dessert for only $25! Most of us, including me, indulged in the sirloin strip but Erin, Alyssa, and Katie decided to try the meatloaf, which was pretty much a giant mountain that could last a week! After totally satisfying our hunger, we hit the casino at the Luxor hotel which connected to ours by an indoor bridge. After watching Alyssa absolutely dominate the craps table, Kelly informed us that she touched base with her friend from Boston who knew a lot of people in Vegas and could treat us to many perks including getting us into Club Lavo VIP style. (Thanks Ryan!) Club Lavo, located inside the Palazzo hotel, is one of the newest and sexiest additions to the Vegas strip. The name Lavo, Latin for “to cleanse or bathe”, sets the theme for the whole establishment which derives inspiration from the bathhouses of ancient Mediterranean cultures. The downstairs is a very relaxed lounge area with warm tones, comfortable couches, and dim candlelight. The upstairs is a whole other story. A bridge of Turkish water basins lead us into a crazy dance party with beautiful women dressed in sexy lingerie dancing on elevated blocks. I was quick to learn that we were definitely not in Boston anymore when while I was dancing something hit me in the face. It was a pile of money! I looked around and realized that a man near us was “making it rain” by throwing dollar bills into the sky. Being the classy girls that we are, me and Jenna hit the floor and started stuffing the money anywhere it would fit. We collected $36! After dancing for a while, Alyssa and I decided to check out the restroom. This was the reason I became fascinated with the different bathrooms in Vegas. Obviously, after you dance for a while you become sweaty, well lining the sink area in this bathroom was every kind of Victoria secret body spray ever invented! Genius! While on the dance floor, one of the guys dancing with us informed Erin that he was part of a Producers Convention and invited us all down to his private reserved table. We absolutely lucked out because he said his table had $200 worth of prepaid drinks so we could order whatever we’d like! Some other producers of various MTV and VH1 shows joined us and one introduced some of us to rap producer Suge Knight, who was ripping up the dance floor. At around 3am, Alyssa, Kellie, and I decided to call it a night and head back to the hotel. On one last side note about Club Lavo, the downstairs bathroom was even more incredible than the upstairs. After using the facilities, I came out to wash my hands and was perplexed by the sink. It was a giant block of marble with no faucet. I saw a metal pedal on the floor so I stepped on it, and to my amazement a stream of water fell from the ceiling!
WEDNESDAY- At 9:00am, we awoke to head down to the pool in order to go back to sleep in the hot sun until noon. After that, we got up and decided to explore the Vegas strip for the remainder of the day. It would be absolutely impossible to cover everything that I saw, I would be writing forever so I’ll try to touch upon the highlights. Just remember this is nowhere near everything I experienced. The first stop was the New York New York casino. Kellie, Erin, Alyssa, Katie, and Jenna rode the giant outdoor rollercoaster that circles the hotel, while Shayna, Kelly, and I hung out in the Big Apple themed casino. I decided to opt out of the amusement park ride experience due to the fact that I had previously spent a ridiculous amount of time getting my hair perfect. I also have to mention the bathroom here. It was all metal resembling an urban subway station and each stall had two cup holders! The next stop was the MGM Grand where we saw actual wild lions in the lobby, followed by M&M world. After getting a quick bite to each, we continued to the Planet Hollywood Resort, which has an array of different shops known collectively as the Miracle Mile. ABC Stores is located within the “mile” and if you are looking to buy touristy souvenirs than this is your place. They definitely had the best assortment and had the most reasonable prices. After buying multiple shot glasses, postcards, and even a Las Vegas piggy bank we were on to the Paris casino. This had to be one of my favorite casinos because walking through you felt as if you were outside. The path was lined in trees, the ceilings painted blue with clouds, and in between the slots machines and poker tables was the base of the Eiffel Tower, which jets out onto the strip. The Bellagio came next and featured its incredible glass flower ceiling, which is a must see. While walking to our last and final stop, we noticed Serendipity3, which is famous for its frozen hot chocolate so we had to try it. (By the way, it’s unbelievable!) We finished up our exploration at Caesar’s Palace. I loved the giant wooden Trojan horse outside of FAO Schwartz. It was now 7:00pm so we decided to take cabs back to the Excalibur. Kelly (and Ryan) came through again by getting us onto the guest list at the famous LAX at the Luxor so we knew we had to rest up for the upcoming night. After getting some room service and taking power naps, we once again got dolled up and headed out. We arrived at LAX Nightclub at around 11:30pm. The atmosphere inside had a dark gothic feel of black with highlights of red. A giant staircase led to a bar and huge dance floor. Overlooking the dance floor were exclusive VIP rooms that were complete with couches and dark velvet curtains for privacy. After dancing for a while, we headed back out to the Luxor casino for a little bit of gambling and headed to bed at about 3:00am.
THURSDAY- We started the day similar to the day before, wake up at 9:00am and head to the pool. At around 11:00am, Alyssa and I left the group to walk down to Half Price Tickets next to M&M World on the strip. We all decided that while in Vegas we wanted to see some type of show, with no preference in mind, so Half Price Tickets was perfect. They sell tickets to the day of shows at half the price of the regular tickets. We got tickets to Vinnie Favorito, whose tickets usually go for over $60 and we got them for a little over $30. The only thing I recommend is to go early in the day to get the most options! After purchasing eight tickets, we met the rest of the girls and headed to the room to get changed. Shayna’s cousin works at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and got us free tickets to the Shark Reef Aquarium so that was our next stop. This aquarium is the only predator based exhibit in North America so we were able to see all kinds of sharks, piranhas, and rare golden crocodiles just to name a few. I think the most incredible feature is that you are in a glass tunnel so it feels as if you are actually in the tank. After exploring the reef for a while, we returned to the room to get beautified for our last night out on the town. We headed to the Flamingo Casino at around 7:00pm to experience the casino buffet and then went to the Vinnie Favorito show. Favorito is an insult comic, who originated in Boston. He is absolutely hilarious, but be warned if you are sensitive this is not the place to be. You must have pretty tough skin because he makes fun of basically the whole audience. Somehow I got picked on quite a lot during the show and for being a good sport he called me up on stage and even gave me a t-shirt. It was an absolute blast! The show is actually recorded so you have the option of purchasing it, which Shayna did, so we can relieve the embarrassment over and over again. Next, we headed across the street to the Bellagio water show, which is definitely a must see. It’s free and plays continuously every 20minutes so you have multiple chances to experience it. After the water show, we walked to the Venetian Hotel where we grabbed a cab to the Palms Hotel. Kelly’s friend got us on the VIP guest list of the famous Ghost Bar. Located on the 55th floor of the hotel, Ghost Bar is a futuristic ultra lounge with a trendy atmosphere. The giant windows and outdoor patio offer spectacular views of the entire city from hundreds of feet above it. Seating is very limited inside but Shayna and I made friends with some guys who had a reserved table. They were part of a bachelor party and quickly offered their seats and supplied us with drinks. After some good conversation, it was time to say goodbye to the Palms and head back to the hotel. After a ten minute power nap, we grabbed our luggage, checked-out of our rooms, and hopped into our shuttle which took us back to the Las Vegas Airport.
Know when you get so excited about something and try to take as many pictures as possible to try to capture everything even if the pictures are horrible? I think that’s how I would describe Las Vegas. It’s a place that is so unbelievable that you need proof to backup what you’re trying to explain. It’s a place that is so tacky, over-glamorized, and stunning all at the same time. Even though we only spent 72hours in Vegas, I feel that we really packed a lot into it and can’t wait to go back
