LOVERS AND FRIENDS FESTIVAL

The Lovers and Friends music festival is one that has been several years in the making. Due to our period in quarentine the festival has been moved from its original location of Los Angeles back in 2020 to Las Vegas now in 2022. It went thru a cancellation as a result of Covid only to comback stronger than ever with two sold out days. Some of the headliners include; Ms. Lauren Hill, Usher, Ludacris, TLC, Nelly, Monica, Brandy, Too Short, Foxy Brown, SWV, Fat Joe and so many more. The lineup so jam packed that rumors of another Fyre Fest situation quickly began to circulate.

The Gen X'ers (myself included) are not about to stand for the shady millenial styled trappings of the Fyre Fest situation and are more than ready to excape the horrors the past few yeears brought and take a few steps back in time when life was about friends and fun without all the trappings and pressures of adulthood. R&B jams just hit the soul differently making your body sway from side to side as if by their own volition. Not to mention the effects it has on my mood, like a huge lithium pill of chill.

It goes without saying that proper road trip prep is essential. From packing, vehicles, and hotels the process should occur well in advance to avoid as many hiccups as humanly possible because as we all well know by now, life is unpredictable all on its own.

There are five going on this trip. Four of us are in our fourties and one twenty year old. Two men and three women, my brother, a girlfriend, patner and his cousin. My partner and I are tend to roadtrip to Vegas more than the rest so we pretty much took the wheel of the planning and organizing.

We took advantage of the payment plan and had our passes secure for some time now, and my partner won a pair of tickets on the radio and thats how my girlfriend and his cousin were able to join us as well.

As far as a place to stay to best accomadate us all was something that took thought. In our younger days, sleeping on a hotel floor, or cuddled up in the tub are no big deal. The more people in the room the more to pitch in and the less to have to pay. Fast forward twenty years and we all need a bed and the mere thought of one bathroom for fuve people is practically an apocolyptic nightmare. Not to mention the small detail that four if us live a keto to low carb lifestyle and are planning to throw that whole playbook out the window because theres no dieting Vegas as a rule. One can easily see why more than one bathroom is absolutely necessary for those tummy tornados that will hit four ways.

Our current options are; The Alexis Park Resort, The Bluegreen Vacations Club 36, and a friends Airbnb. Both the Alexis and the Bluegreen are apartment styled resorts with two bedrooms each, a livingroom area and sometype of kitchen. They also have pools and of course 2-3 bathrooms each which is perfect for our needs. the drawback is that neither has a casino. However, the Virgin hotel and casino is directly across the street from Alexis Park and the Bluegreen is a short distance from the OYO, MGM and Tropicana.

We will be driving out there and plan to rent from Turo. If you follow me then you know i use the rental app often to procure vehicle to go out of town in. Despite having gone through a majority of these trips hassel free, recent trips have come with a few hiccups. All of which has been me with a hefty travel credit that will make this pending trip as close to free as possible. Once in Vegas we will ride share or use another mode of transportation to get around. Since we like to drink we will absolutely under no circumstances be driving. The Monorail runs the length of the majority of the strip from the MGM to the Sahara and practically to the entrance of the festival. There is also a free tram that runs in three different sections across the street from the monorail and also along Las Vegas Blvd. The Duece can also take you anywhere along the strip and to Fremont if so desired.

Since there are so many of us going, our usual packing list is cut significantly and we decided to just hit a grocery store the day after the festival. There isnt much to worry about in terms of supplies on Sunday other than snacks and something to munch on once back from the festival. we have opted to fill the two back pack coolers with 3 cases of 24 Ultras which should keep us well stocked a case of water and a few packets of electrolytes. Drinking can take a toll, but day drinking at a festival in Vegas as the climate begins to climb back up can be extremely dehydrating and have you falling out and missing most of the festival. Walmart sells a box holding about ten packets. Drop one in your water bottle and you're all set. As long as you try to remember to drink a few bottles here and there it avoids dehydration on a hot day drinking kind of day. Also not to be missed would be ibprofen or asprin whichever you prefer. Two to three over the counter pills at the start of the activities and if (and this is a big if) you can remember to take two more before going to sleep at the end of the night. This just serves to add a little padding of comfort for the following day.

It is also important to consider the next day and all that it entails. I am not the bounce back kid I once was. Now I sleep in and am not in any kind of hurry to go anywhere. Once I am up I require a shot (or two) of whiskey and that is when I am as right as rain and ready for continued debauchery in sin city. Grab yourself a michelada or bloody mary and just like that you're brand new.

Our plans for the following day at the moment are to keep it simple and think of the long game. The day will include; micheladas or bloody marys, beers, pizza from Grimaldis and lounging poolside for a good part of the morning and early afternoon.

The evening will lead us to the Tropicana hotel and casino where we have tickets to see MJ Live. Afterwards we will wander around to however many casinos and do some gambling. This is where the backpack coolers come in handy. Walking up and down the strip, we never have a reason to run out of an alcohol beverage with a handy dandy cooler on your person. Should we run out of our drinks we can easily go to CVS, Walgreens or the Target on the strip. Just reload and ready to keep the party going.

The following day, which will be our last day will have us exploring Area 15 and the Arts District nearby. The past few years have really made it a must stop experience. Not far from there is Downtown Vegas, giving us yet another option to walk around eating, drinking and gambling.

Lovers and Friends Festival will kick off a couple of much needed vacation days hanging out with people I love and enjoy spending time with. Although we are not staying as many days as we normally do it is still keyed up to be a pheominal time.

If there is anyone heading out there for the festival remember to soak in and enjoy the entire day of music and nostalgia. Keep your trip simple and stay safe. Trust no one. If we came together, we leave together. Thats that old school thinking that kept me in one piece all those decades ago and will do the same for you. Cheers!