How to Fall in Love with Las Vegas

In 2020, I went to Las Vegas twice within five months. I. Love. Las. Vegas.

We all know what it looks like: the iconic sign welcoming you to the Strip, the Eiffel Tower at Paris LV, the world’s largest ferris wheel, the Bellagio fountain show and of course, enough casino floors to fully fund a U.S. state’s entire economy. 

But one doesn’t truly understand Las Vegas until you actually set foot in Sin City. The visuals are like no place I’ve ever been to with enough neon lights and unique architecture to make you feel like the world’s great surrealist artists gathered together to paint a new city. Wrapped in a 360° fortress of distant mountains, Vegas truly feels like you’re on a different planet. On top of it, the energy and lifeblood in the city centers on constant entertainment.

They say New York is the city that never sleeps, but LV is her first cousin.

I want to preface by saying that I was born and raised in Central Florida. I’m no stranger to the likes of Disney World and Universal Studios, yet Vegas still manages to captivate me like a third-grader at Magic Kingdom. Maybe it’s because I visited after I turned 21 and it truly is an adult’s playground. Or, maybe it’s because Vegas has a quality about it - whether real or synthetic - that’s actually magical.

Now don’t get me wrong, the place isn’t perfect by any stretch of the word. As with all major cities, Vegas has its fair share of poverty, crime, and mischief. In fact, a city run on gambling is certain to have more of those things and at greater levels. But even so, there’s something about that veil that’s just so Vegas. You think back to movies like Leaving Las Vegas, Showgirls, 21, and more, and what do they all have in common? A perceived reality and an actual one.

And human condition definitely draws us towards the perceived one - something so easy when in Vegas. 

Let’s start with your gateway - McCarran International Airport. You step foot off your plane, from wherever your place of origin is, and you’re immediately brought into the Vegan (not ‘vegan’) dimension. Casio motifs and ‘Welcome to Fabulous LV’ T-shirts line the terminals. The sounds of slot machines seem to clash with the overhead voices of gateway attendants announcing the next boarding class.

Nothing about McCarran feels like a normal airport welcoming you into a ‘normal’ city. Instead, this airport feels more like the walkway from the parking garage at Disney ushering you into your vacation with displays for the Luxor, the Mandalay Bay, and more of Vegas’ iconic hotels.

And of course, what could be more inviting than the “Welcome to Las Vegas” sign greeting you before baggage claim.

My first trip to Vegas was actually to visit a friend who lived there at the time. While I didn’t have the hotel-stay experience, I was treated to the full Strip package.

My first night we took a ride down Las Vegas Boulevard, aka ‘the Strip,’ and I saw firsthand what it was all about. Seeing the “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign - along with the tourists lined up for a picture - made me giggle. Such a distinctive part of this city’s identity and yet, it was smaller than I’d imagined. Iconic nonetheless. 

Seeing the Mandalay Bay for the first time was a bit somber. Nearly three years before, a gunman had used the hotel to murder over 60 people at the music festival across the street. Being that this was the first hotel on the Strip, I was taken aback immediately.

And strikingly, across the street a memorial existed for the victims and their families. ‘Vegas Strong’ was the message and indeed, the city was stronger and more united in the wake of tragedy. 

The Luxor was next, another Vegas classic, and I admired the black pyramid with its unique Egyptian theme. ‘Themes’ ended up being the theme of the city as I later learned.

Then came Excalibur, New York-New York, MGM across the street, Park MGM (I knew Gaga’s Enigma residency was there), Flamingo, Paris, the Cosmopolitan, the Bellagio (grandma’s favorite), the Linq, Caesar’s… it was never ending. 

Awe-inspiring and never ending. Until well, we reached the end. 

But nonetheless, the Strip had me hooked. I wanted to tour every single hotel on the street and we would in the days I was there.

Pro-Tip: If you’re anything like me and enjoy walking/sightseeing, then a Strip crawl is one of the best ways to enjoy Vegas without spending a ton of money. After all, the sights are free, people-watching is free, and food and drink (while not free) can be budgeted by hopping around resorts.

That night, we had dinner at Gordon’s Pub in Caesar’s Palace. Now I lived in the UK for three months and experienced the best of British food firsthand. While most Brit delicacies fail to make it in America, this was the exception. 

We’d spend the next couple of days walking from hotel to hotel, experiencing some of the best visuals, food, drinks, and entertainment I’ve had in my life. My friend and I would limit our playing - of course, when in Vegas, you should play a little bit. But $10 here and there at any given machine is perfectly fine. 

I wasn’t expecting to win big or lose big. Though if I did, then my perception of Vegas might be different from what I’m writing today.

Losing all your money on vacation is no joke. And a gambling addiction is even worse. So make sure you have a sensible buddy around to keep you from getting hooked and burning all your cash at the slots. Trust me, there are much better ways to spend your dollars in Vegas.

We got to see Le Reve at the Wynn and what an experience that was. I’ve heard about Vegas entertainment for years. “You’ll never see a bad show in Vegas,” they would say. And based off of Le Reve, I’d agree that the shows in Vegas are surreal. Acrobatics, stunning visuals, live music - it was incredible.

I’m a huge history fan and I love things that have stood the test of time. Vegas to me, is one of those examples. I mean, how awesome is it that you have hotels like Caesar’s and Treasure Island that are still around. So many of the places that Liberace, Sigfriend & Roy, and Elvis made famous are still there and it’s pretty cool to think about when you’re walking those halls.

My favorite hotel on the Strip is the Venetian. As someone who’s been to Venice and fallen in love with the actual city I’ll admit, it’s a kitschy comparison. Nothing beats the real deal in that regard. 

But to me, the Venetian feels like the perfect product of Las Vegas. 

• It’s a themed hotel. Check.

• It’s uniquely and easily set up. Check.

• 5-Star restaurants. Check.

• Exceptional nightlife/pool scene. Check.

• Dozens of shopping options. Check.

• It literally has Venetian waterways and gondolas. Check.

Clearly I’m biased. But whatever makes a favorite your favorite is something you can’t always articulate. But don’t take my word for it - experience the Venetian yourself! Trust me, you’ll enjoy all that it has to offer. And luckily if you don’t, I guarantee there’s a Vegas hotel for you.

One of the best discoveries I had in Vegas was Giada DeLaurentiis’ self-titled restaurant at the Cromwell hotel, Giada. This is one of the only restaurants on the Strip with a view as most of them are usually buried under casino floors. But not Giada. Giada doesn’t just have a view, it has a front-row seat to the Bellagio fountains, so you can enjoy brunch or dinner with a world-renowned vantage point. 

My first experience at Giada was for brunch and I indulged in the Book Club Brunch tasting menu that included something sweet from the pastry cart (cheesecake espresso brownie), a ‘shaker salad’ (mixed cleverly in a mason jar), and a chicken milanese with mascarpone that literally is one of the best things I’ve ever tasted. And after all of that, there was still dessert. 

Chianti Affogato.

Vanilla bean ice cream drowned in mulled Italian red wine. Enough said.

And in all honesty, there’s dozens of Giada-like dining experiences in Vegas. It all depends on what kind of atmosphere you want and what you’re feeling hungry for. If you can afford to splurge on a nice meal while in Sin City, I highly recommend Giada.

I love Las Vegas and I’m not ashamed to admit it. It’s a place perfectly set up for any type of vacation experience you want. If you’re into the party scene, there’s plenty of that available. And if you’re not, then a resort off the Strip is just as luxurious with a more tranquil, relaxing vibe. You’ll get the same level of fine dining, entertainment, and quality of stay at dozens of Vegas resorts - it just depends on how you want to experience it.

Now all good things must eventually come to an end, and depending on how much you lost/spent in Vegas, you may be thankful to get the hell out of there.

If home for you is back East like me, then you might want to consider grabbing one of those awful red-eye flights. Yes, you’ll be exhausted from partying all night and yes, you’ll be surrounded by drunken passengers. But you won’t lose all of your day back in the EST, so it’s a small price to pay in my opinion. 

And honestly, it’s not that bad. If you’re anything like me you’ll grab a window seat, get real comfy for the five-hour flight home, and stare out for one last view of the brightly-lit Strip thinking, “God, I can’t wait to come back.”