My Las Vegas Holiday Trip

As I mentioned in my story, My 2021, me and the fam went down to Vegas from the 21st to the 24th of December. This trip had been planned since the middle of July, my mom having been unable to resist the good deal presented to her.

In truth, I was excited at the prospect of doing something different. Although, we'd be coming home before Christmas day. Gifts have been getting harder to find for our family, and doing it the same way would be a reminder of my singleness.

Also, I had made a promise to myself to start doing new things, being a bit dissatisfied with my current life.

Day 1

We had to wake up at six am and get ready for our nine am flight. I was both excited and nervous about going on a plane for the first time and all of the security measures that came with it.

We were out of the house by eight am, dropping my dog off at a housing place, 3 Schips and a Girl, on our way to the airport.

Checking in and going through TSA was quicker than I had figured, and we sat in the boarding area for a while before we were able to get on the plane.

The plane was pretty small, with no first-class or coach. Just two long lines of seats on each side, making everything feel cramped. The seats were also small, and my mom had trouble being comfortable.

TV doesn't tell you how loud planes actually are on the inside. So that was kind of annoying. And I tried taking a nap, but my mom put me at an odd angle in my seat, making my right arm sore.

Luckily, the ride was only for two hours, eleven minutes. And soon enough, we were in Las Vegas.

Their airport had shops, restaurants, and slot machines. It was hard not to just wander around. But we had to get our bags. We did eat, though, not having anything on the plane.

After that, we got a taxi and went to our hotel. It was strange seeing palm trees in person and in December, no less. And none of them had Christmas decorations either, not even on their trunks.

But we arrived at the Venetian in no time. And let me tell you, it was an awesome place to stay.

Italian inspired, everything was gorgeous inside. It was like a mini Italy. The ceiling, the floors, the statues and fountains, even the shops were pretty as we made our way to our room on the fifteenth floor.

And our room was awesome. Two Olympic queen-sized beds, two TVs, a mini0fridge, a desk, a couch, chairs, and a bathroom bigger than my room. It had two sinks, a shower, a bathtub, a closed-off area for the toilet, and a makeup area.

We hung out in our room for a while, decompressing and unpacking our suitcases. Then we began wandering around the Grande Canal Shoppe, which is the Venetian's version of a mall.

There was so much to look at and do.

We explored a good amount of the shops, seeing what each had. I did get ushered into a skincare boutique and bought a fantastic peel-off gel that removes the dead skin from your face.

We also got macaroons from a cute place. And they weren't bad either. But we mostly just oohed and ahhed over the things inside of our hotel, not really leaving for the rest of the day.

Then we ended up getting a couple of vouchers for things within the Venetian, and my parents got to take a tour of another hotel early the next day.

And after I played slots for the first time while we waited, we had dinner at the Grande Lux Cafe. I had a citrusy drink and shrimp pasta for my meal.

And after that, we went back up to the room and stayed in for the rest of the night, watching a movie before going to sleep.

Day 2

Having stayed behind, I slept in until about 8:30 am before deciding to get up, exercise, shower, and meander my way to one of the food courts for breakfast.

Their food courts are cooler because after you order from whichever restaurant, they give you a buzzer for when your food is ready, so you don't have to strain yourself trying to hear your order being shouted over the sea of sounds.

I had a breakfast croissant, a blueberry scone, and coffee for breakfast from Cafe Pan. Even though I'm not the most extroverted person, it was nice being surrounded by people. Despite the masks, it almost felt normal.

I then wandered around some more and ended up in the Palazzo side of the Grande Canal Shoppes since the two hotels are connected. I also went outside and across the street to the outside of the Mirage.

I didn't meet up with my parents until early afternoon, going up to our room for some downtime before exploring the strip a little.

There were lots of interesting things to see as we strolled the strip; walk-up bars, since public drinking is allowed in Vegas, and fast food places. And showgirls sprinkled around everywhere.

We eventually found a cool place called I Love Sugar Candy and Martini bar, which is pretty much what it sounds like. They had a candy shop on the first floor and a candy-themed bar on level two.

So, we decided to try some of their cocktails. I had a peach candy one, which was tart and not very boozy flavored, which I prefer. It was strong too and I felt slight tipsy when I finished it (I don't have a high tolerance.)

Afterward, we went to Ghirardelli's chocolate shop (yes, the famous chocolate brand), where I bought a bag of double chocolate hot cocoa mix.

Then we went on the Highroller, which is like a Ferris wheel, but on steroids. Unfortunately, however, I wasn't able to enjoy the above city view.

See, the security lady found my pepper spray in my travel purse and told me I had to throw it away since, for some reason, they wouldn't let me keep it or hold on to it until I was off of the Highroller and return it to me.

Let's just say I had a small, quiet meltdown as we ascended. It wasn't fun.

As a 22-year-old female, having pepper spray in a city I wasn't really familiar with gave me a sense of safety.

We returned to our room, where I had some time to calm down before doing anything else. Although, my mom did write a bad review about our experience on yelp, and she never writes reviews.

After a while, we went back down to have dinner at Casanova, a higher-end Italian restaurant we had a $100 voucher for. I had lobster ravioli with a different martini, then tiramisu for dessert.

Then my stepdad and I went to find more pepper spray. But no one had any, and after wandering around outside a little frustrated, I decided just to call it a night and took a bath.

And since our tub at home doesn't deserve the name, I savored every minute, letting the warm water soothe me.

Day 3

The next morning, the three of us went down to have breakfast at the Grande Lux. I had a breakfast quesadilla, which was delicious.

Afterward, I went to Treasure Island, which is across and a little bit down the street from the Venetian. I had to endure the rain because, of course, it had to rain while we were there, and the slick walkways it created, and got to experience Avengers Station.

For those who don't know what that is, it's an interactive museum housing many of the props and costumes from Marvel movies, along with information about the characters, places, and events.

And while it isn't current to the newest movies yet, it was awesome. I took many pictures and got to sit on Captain America's motorcycle. Yes, the real deal too.

At the end of the tour, a group of us got to play a video game, each of us being a different avenger. I got to be Hawkeye, which was cool, but I didn't get to do much.

Oh well, it was still fun.

I'd show more pictures, but then this story would be more of a scrapbook than a Vocal piece.

Then I wandered around the gift shop for a bit before buying a couple of shirts, heading back to my room afterward.

After chilling in the room for a while and having dinner, we went on an indoor gondola ride. Their version of a gondola are those boats you would associate with Venice.

It was fine, but we weren't allowed to touch the water. Plus, I was anxious to go out and do my own thing again.

Unfortunately, going to a bar or club isn't as fun by yourself. So, I ended up joining my parents, riding the Deuce. It's a double-decker tourist bus that goes up and down the strip.

Too bad the windows had that weird bubble film on them. We could barely see where we were. Not to mention how cramped it was.

And as someone who takes public transit regularly, that's saying something. It was mainly due to its internal layout, which wasn't very conducive for large volumes, and partly because people were everywhere.

We eventually made it to the Bellagio, watching the spectacular fountain show that goes off every fifteen minutes. (Sorry, I took a video but can't show you)

Then we went inside, seeing some amazing glass pieces displayed on the lobby ceiling. and their Christmas exhibit.

Pretty, isn't it?

Day 4

We had to wake up around 5 am the next day so we would miss our 9:30 am flight back home.

I was surprisingly functional since it took me a while to fall asleep the night before. We had coffee and breakfast sandwiches before taking a taxi to the airport.

TSA was okay, although they made my mom throw her water bottle away due to the small amount of water left. She wasn't happy. And I almost lost my hot chocolate.

We managed to get on the cramped Allegiant plane again. And soon enough, we were back in Bellingham, Washington, where it was much colder, we got my dog, and went home.

So, that was my Vegas vacation. I know, it looks nothing like most people's, but I don't care. It suited me, and I plan to return and experience other aspects of sin city.

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