It’s kind of wild, but mostly funny to think about my trips to Las Vegas throughout my early twenties – where the only places I’d ever frequent regularly were the Strip or Fremont Street regardless of the size of the crowds or the length of the lines that developed depending on the occasion/event, or holiday. It was just a matter of being patient and, if needed, assertive!
Now, years later – the Strip is typically the last place I go whenever I’m in town – opting to spend most of my time around the Arts District, or Henderson (where my boyfriend, Troy, currently lives) or Summerlin visiting some of my favorite shops, restaurants, bars and attractions.
I got back into Vegas last Friday night, and was greeted at baggage claim by Troy (and, as is tradition, he had roses and mint chocolate chip ice cream in a thermos waiting for me while I collected my suitcase!) before we’d headed to In-N-Out for a Double Double and finally home to his apartment – where there were even more flowers and gifts waiting for me!
If there was ever a superficial perk to being in a long distance relationship where you haven’t seen your significant other in-person since a European trip together in May – the burgers, flowers and thoughtful, spontaneous gifts would definitely be it! I was stunned at how spoiled I was!
Given this past weekend was a long one for many due to Labor Day – we knew right away that we were going to avoid the Strip at all costs until those visiting from California had started to head back and (hopefully) took the traffic with them. Instead, we spent the first few days of my trip hanging around Troy’s apartment and utilizing the amenities while trying to stay cool in the Nevada heat, we cooked a lot, caught up on some television series that had piqued our interest, and when we did venture out – we visited places like downtown where we grabbed tacos at Casa Don Juan or sought out my first Pumpkin Spice Latte of the season at Better Buzz Coffee.
There was also a visit to the local Spirit Halloween because why wouldn’t there be?!
When we decided to eventually head to the Strip this past Monday afternoon, it had been for an unsuccessful attempt to grab lunch at our beloved Peppermill. However, the crowd to get in was out of control (as a lot of people seemed to have the same idea!) – so we headed a little further down the Boulevard to the Cosmopolitan for our favorite breakfast sandwiches and hash browns, followed by a stop at the Bellagio Conservatory before they cycle out their Summer display.
Given that Caesar’s Palace is right next door and I needed to pick up a replacement hand sanitizer for my bag, we walked over to run that errand – which then, SOMEHOW (my bad!) turned into us grabbing a drink and some goat cheese balls at Vanderpump Cocktail Garden, which is very pretty and beautifully lit on the inside! Troy knows I love my trashy little reality TV shows and he didn’t judge me too hard for getting excited that we’d gotten a decent seat right as they opened for the day.
I know I’ve said this in the past – many times, probably – but he’s a keeper, for sure.
I’m staying in town through this coming weekend, and now that the Labor Day crowds have somewhat dispersed, the remainder of this week includes an art exhibit/museum trip, a couple more dining outings, a lot more time by the pool – and whipping up more recipes side-by-side with my love – one of which I’ll be sharing next Monday morning since it’s the perfect snack for the upcoming kick-off to the regular NFL season!
I’ll be taking this coming Friday off from blogging as scheduled so I can begin wrapping up the last couple days of my trip and start packing for my journey home – but I’ll have plenty to talk about when I’m back!
See you all soon!
xo
Coffee & Chiffon 