Vegas, Baby

Three Friends, One City

By Melissa Keizer

December 21^st, 2020

BFS ➞ DUB ➞ LDN ➞ LAS

Years ago, two of my best friends and I made a pledge to go on a girls trip to Vegas and live our best lives. We've made plenty of drunken plans that have come to nothing over the years, but thankfully, we made this one happen. In early October 2018, we got a bus to Dublin, flew to London then boarded our 10 hour flight to Las Vegas, Nevada.

For our 5 day trip we booked Paris hotel, complete with Parisien-styled streets inside and a half-size Eiffel Tower.

Casino Candids

Las Vegas is known best for one thing: the wide array of casinos. I'm not usually one to photograph candid portraits, but this trip provided a great opportunity to give it a try.

5000 Miles for Channing

Okay, at this point I'm going to come clean. I didn't mention it before, but when my friends and I conjured up this plan to visit Vegas, we'd just heard about the Magic Mike live shows — our motivation shot to 100 and we got those tickets booked in a flash. (We're only human! 😅)

While I cringed a little when family or colleagues asked if we went to see any of the amazing live concerts or shows Vegas has to offer (and I had to explain what the Magic Mike Experience was), it was one hell of a good night and one our best ideas to date.

Exploring the Strip

When people describe Vegas as adult-Disneyland, they're not wrong. Vegas exceeded my expectations with its outlandish attractions, extravagant architecture, unexpected street entertainment, and the general buzz of the city. Some of my favourite times spent there were when we took the afternoon to explore the boulevard, feeling lightly tipsy with a cocktail slushie in hand, taking everything in and having a laugh. That, and spotting American muscle cars at every turn! I was elated when one of our Uber drivers showed up in a brand new Dodge Charger — we travelled in style that night.

I've never been to Venice, but I took a gondola through the canals of The Venetian while our gondolier sang "That's Amore" to us — that'll do.

I even got my animal fix while I was in Las Vegas — Mandalay Bay Hotel is home to Shark Reef Aquarium, you'll see big cats and dolphins at The Mirage, and Flamingo hotel houses many different bird species.

The City That Comes Alive at Night

Before our 5 day trip came to end, I was determined to get some night-time shots with my camera. While the girls recovered from a busy day in our hotel room, I casually roamed the strip, taking photos as I went. I lost track of time walking through the brightly-lit streets and before I knew it, I had been out for two hours.

At one point, I'd crossed the road and slipped through a fence to shoot from the grass bank separating the flows of traffic to get a different angle. Unfortunately, the traffic lights turned red as a police car approached. The cops reversed their car, lining up with me, before telling me I could be arrested for jay-walking! I apologised and pleaded ignorance in my best Irish accent, and thankfully they left without any further drama. 😄

During our stay, Victoria, Judith and I got to experience clinking our wine glasses over the best view of the city on the world's largest ferris wheel, The High Roller.

Welcome to Fremont Street

While most of Vegas' attractions are located along the 4.2 mile strip, it's worth venturing out a bit further to check out Fremont Street. Like the main strip it's brightly lit with signs everywhere you look, though it has a totally different vibe — it's vibrant and lively, but I wouldn't wander the streets alone.

A giant LCD screen covers part of Fremont street, which has people flying down the Slotzilla zipline overhead. We gave the zipline a go, it was so much fun!

Everywhere you turn there's something to see what will make you smile, laugh, or squeam!

Go Big or Go Home

Before I finish up this post, the food has to get a mention.

You never leave a restaurant in Vegas hungry. The portion sizes are huge! I'd recommend the bottomless brunch at Hexx Kitchen, or breakfast at Hash House A Go Go. Delicious.

Trashcan Nachos Dream

Guy Fieri, you made our day with these nachos.

The ATM We Really Need

We stumbled upon this little delight near The Linq Hotel.

Fabulous Las Vegas

Our trip wouldn't have been complete without the signature photo with this famous Las Vegas landmark! Our Uber driver from Philly gave us some history on our ride over to the southern end of the strip where the sign resides. Apparently the iconic sign was designed by Nevada-based artist and graphic designer, Betty Willis, who didn't trademark her work, allowing the design to be freely printed on souvenirs ever since. She noted, "it was my gift to the city."

Until Next Time

I absolutely loved Las Vegas and the time we spent there. I've heard people say that "5 days is enough in Vegas." In my opinion, they couldn't be more wrong. While we filled our trip with many fun and notable experiences, there's still so much I'd love to see and do there.