Going to Vegas after turning 21 is a rite of passage so many people look forward to in their lifetime, but I ended up finding myself spending that birthday on a once in a lifetime trip to Cuba. Since then making the trip to Sin City always intrigued me it just always seemed so far fetched.
At about the same amount of flight time as me heading to Spain I never revisited planning a trip because I can never say no to international travel. Add in the fact of now being in grad school where I've had to eliminate excessive traveling from my lifestyle I never thought I'd find myself on a trip anytime soon. To my surprise after only living in Boston for a total of 24 hours I found myself being invited on a trip to Vegas to attend the iHeartRadio Music Festival. In high school I was known as the girl who was always at concerts so I was pumped to head out to catch some of my favorite artists while also getting to check another city off my travel bucket list.
McCarran International Airport
Every time I travel somewhere new I love getting to compare and contrast different airport layouts. Vegas didn't disappoint with the fun getting started right away as I passed slot machines and stores selling bedazzled everything. Getting to the designated ride share pick up spot was the most confusing thing ever and the amount of people waiting for Uber/Lyft was dreadful. While there's definitely an attempt to keep the area organized with designated rows for drivers to park in so riders can find them by a row and spot number it left a lot to be desired at the start of the trip. One thing's for sure make sure to bring your patience with you because we waited for
almost an hour just to get picked up. Keep in mind, we also flew in on a Friday afternoon with two music festivals in town so that may have impacted our wait time.
Park MGM
Staying on the strip is an absolute must and will save you a lot of money in transportation depending on your hotel's location. Park MGM didn't disappoint especially since it was located directly in front of the T-Mobile Arena which gave us a little extra time to get ready before the concert. The check-in process was a bit annoying as they've eliminated checking in with hotel employees for touch-screen kiosks. You'd think this would expedite the process, but because our room wasn't ready when we arrived we signed up to be notified via text message when they were available and ended up having to make the line all over again just to pick up our keys.
Other than that the hotel was nicely decorated and has everything a person could need without even having to leave the hotel. We did end up dining at Eataly multiple times during our stay which was so convenient and if you've never been here before its set up into different food stations based on Italian traditional recipes. We ended up having the salmon two nights in a row, but if you're not a fish person there's a meat station as well as pasta and pizza options. You also can't forget about the gelato and charcuterie stations. We are guilty of taking advantage of both of these after a night out on the town.
Another great spot you have to check out is Primrose which we went to for brunch and I'd highly recommend sitting outside on the patio if there's availability. The decor reminded me of Alice and Wonderland and the pancakes were delicious. My mom paired her meal with some tea, but if you're more of a smoothie person like myself you can actually order Pressed Juicery drinks here.
Marquee Dayclub
Although we were only in Vegas for a weekend I knew I had to check out one of the pool parties Vegas is infamous for. The closest one to our hotel happened to be the Marquee Dayclub, but I honestly wasn't impressed especially after all the hype surrounding Vegas pool parties. The DJ was lacking and the crowd was extremely mixed between people in their early 20's and some in their early 40's. Despite this it did seem like people were making their own kind of fun here which is the Vegas thing to do and it did have a nice rooftop view feeling of Aria which happened to be next door. Promoters do invite a lot of people here, but if you don't happen to score an invite through them there's a $20 cover for girls, $50 for guys.
iHeartRadio Music Festival
This is definitely not your typical music festival and I loved the eclectic mix of artists from so many different genres. There's an artist for everyone here and the combination between the day village and the night time concerts is perfect. I personally hate being on top of people at concerts so GA festivals are my worst nightmare especially when you bring standing in the hot sun. The Day Village really exceeded my expectations because I got all the Coachella vibes with a ferris wheel and everything, but I didn't have to be miserable in the sun because one of the sponsors of the event, T-Mobile, had a tent with AC, free popsicles, and bean bag chairs to sit in which allowed me to enjoy the performances in the shade. My favorite performances of the weekend were Billie Ellish, Old Dominion, Miley Cyrus, and Backstreet Boys.
Christina Aguilera | The Xperience
To close out this amazing trip I had to make a visit to Planet Hollywood for Christina Aguilera's residency. She's been one of my favorite artists since I was a child and it's always been on my bucket list to see her live in concert. The theater is actually pretty small so I can assure you no seat in the room is a bad one, but I opted for the GA tickets because there's actually a lot of space in the pit. You don't feel like you're breathing other people's air and it's the best view in the house because you're right next to the stage so if you can manage standing up for the whole show I highly recommend it. One thing I heard happens often which did happen for my show is she's always at least 40 minutes late so I wouldn't rush to the theater to stand in the pit unless you absolutely must be front-row. The show lasts approximately an hour and 40 minutes which features Christina showcasing some of her greatest hits while also tapping into some of her most recent releases as well. The outfits are full of glitz, glam, and sparkles which is undoubtedly what she's always been known for. While I won't say her dancing is as up to par as it used to be she makes up for it with her powerhouse vocals.
I hope you guys enjoyed hearing about my first trip to Vegas and let me know in the comments below what your first trip to Vegas was like. Until next time...
xoxo,
Sam ♡
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