Alright, so this is going to be the first of a bunch of travel posts! As mentioned in this post, I took a break from blogging for a few months there, but I continued to take a bunch of pictures, and now I am sort of overflowing with content. Specifically travel content. So my plan is just start sharing the trips I’ve been on over the last year. I have been all over, and I am really excited to start sharing my travels with you guys!
So here is the first of a bunch of travel posts that I have lined up!
In January, Nick and I went to Las Vegas with five of some of my closest friends, and it was such a great trip! I have been to Vegas twice before, but I think this was my favorite trip (minus the pools being closed). We hit up some of our favorite places on the strip, and got to soak up some much needed sunny weather (which luckily makes this post seasonally relevant in a fashion sense!).
We not only hung out on the strip, but also got a chance to get out of the city, and explore Death Valley National Park. I’ll cover Death Valley in its own post though, it was incredible, and I have so many amazing photos to share!
We ended up staying at the Hard Rock Hotel, my favorite of the hotels I’ve stayed at in Vegas. Its off the strip, but only a short walk, or cheap cab ride to everything you want to see. Its got great restaurants, shops, and the rooms make you feel like a rock star! I stayed there the first time I was in Las Vegas as well, and we got upgraded to a suite…which was pretty sweet (I’ll see myself out)! No such luck this time, but that’s ok!
For the first day, Nick and I killed a bunch of time on the strip before my friends landed. We took some photos, ate some delicious brunch, and visited some of our favorite spots on the strip. We even got roped in to a time share presentation, hooray (ugh, we’re such suckers)! It ended up being the only day we took pictures in the city though. I love sharing my travels on the blog, but I am always torn between getting photos, and just letting myself experience a trip. The photographer in me always wants to document, document, document. At the same time though, I don’t take trips specifically because I think they would be good for my blog. So I like to keep a good balance, and make sure that I experience a place with my eyes, and not just with my lens.
I know Las Vegas is a different kind of vacation for everyone who goes. I actually love visiting this city. If you know me (which I feel like you guys probably do by now), you would probably think that Las Vegas is not a place that I would enjoy. I’m not a clubber, and when I travel, I generally prefer somewhere that is rich in history and culture (Vegas definitely has its own culture though) that I haven’t been to yet.
However, I actually love Las Vegas. Its dirt cheap to travel to (at least from the west coast), and depending on how you do the trip, it can be a really inexpensive quick getaway. There are several ways to save on drinks, which ends up being a huge expense for people in Vegas. You can get free drinks in the casinos if you look like you’re gambling, my favorite machine is the horse races. If you find yourself at the MGM Grand, do yourself a favor and play some horse races. Basically its a machine the size of a pool table, and its just a bunch of people betting quarters, and yelling at a bunch of plastic horses, its amazing. Also, due to liquor laws in Vegas, you can have open containers on the street! This might be my favorite part, I love being able to walk around and explore with a cold beer in my hand. My friends and I usually just buy a couple packs of beer for our hotel rooms, and load up the ladies’ purses for the day. Its a great way to save money, and I still get a kick out of being able to just crack open a beer wherever I want!
One of my very favorite things about Vegas that makes it a fun getaway in my opinion, is that its almost always warm there! Or at least it always seems warm to a Seattleite. People in Seattle whip out their shorts once it hits 60 degrees, so even if you visit Sin City in the winter, its like walking in to summer! Since our trip was in January, I took full advantage of their warm weather, and packed all my favorite tank tops, and spring/summer clothes that I had been missing so much.
Lastly, the third thing that makes me love Las Vegas, is that I am always ready to leave after three or four days! Does anyone else get a little depressed towards the end of a vacation? I just hate knowing that the fun is going to end soon. However, with Vegas I am always ready to go home, to my normal, quiet, non flashy lights life. I love all the things to do and see, but everything is so over stimulating that by the end of the trip, I am always ready for about a week of curling up on the couch with reruns of Criminal Minds!
In this look:
Top: My top is from Anthropologie, purchased on Poshmark | Similar: one, two
Jeans: My jeans are the Super High Rise True Skinny Jeans from Gap
Bag: My bag (which I LOVE) is the Medium Transport Tote from Madewell
Hat: My hat is from Free People and sold out | Similar: one, two
Boots: My boots are the Leslie Boots by The Frye Company
Photo credit goes to my husband, Nick.
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