Getting from Burlington to Vegas was quite the adventure. I worked remotely from home all morning, got to the airport at 2:00 and boarded my flight by 2:30 (my airport is small, so I can show up 30 minutes before my flight). I had a two hour flight from Burlington to Detroit, then a four hour flight from Detroit to Vegas. This was my first time flying Delta domestic and i had high expectations considering they’re international flights are amazing. But it was honestly the most uncomfortable flight I’ve ever been on. The head rest on the seat is thick and pushes out, so my head and neck are pushed in an upright uncomfortable position. It made me regret not booking with American Airlines… I read Michelle Obama’s Becoming for 2 straight hours, got off the plane in Detroit at 4:15, at gate A55 with my connecting flight departing at 4:45 at gate A18….. I ran for 37 gates straight because boarding ends 15 minutes prior to departure! I boarded my flight just in time and completed my workout for the week. 4 hours later after watching Bohemian Rhapsody and Crazy Rich Asians, I arrived in Las Vegas! The first thing I noticed was a gold tower near the strip and a huge Ferris Wheel followed by 20 other huge towers. Inside the airport were rows and rows of coin slots and other machines and people gambling; It legit felt like Disney World.
Getting out of the airport, I had to catch a monorail within my terminal to get to the Uber and Lyft pickup sections in the parking garage. It was a quick and simple 10 minute walk. I stayed at the Elara By Hilton Grand Vacations, and let me tell you! This hotel is not only HUGE, it’s freaking BEAUTIFUL. Walking into the hotel room the first thing I noticed were the floor to ceiling windows with the perfect view of the skyline. I’d recommend everyone visiting Vegas to book a room at this hotel, it is worth EVERY penny!
Once I dropped off my luggage and met my family in the lobby, we packed into the van we rented for the weekend and went straight to a weed dispensary called REEF. It was my first time at a dispensary, so I was intrigued. I originally thought it would be more like a restaurant or cafe inside, but it was literally just a long line with a wait time of about 30 minutes. We first had to wait outside before we were allowed to go inside, and it was COLD. Think of Vegas like a desert, hot and dry when the sun is at its peak but freezing at night and in the mornings. So if you’re planning a trip for spring break, pack your clothes accordingly!
When we finally got inside the dispensary, we saw CBD oils, hemp lotion and bah bombs. The weed was at the check-out counters, packed into cylinder containers and then into blue totes. They had some containers that we could smell as a sample but weren’t allowed to touch. There was also a limit on how much we could buy at time. There were strands named “Roze, “Smore’z,”Mimosa,” and “Tropicana Cookies.” I didn’t want to buy anything because I have mixed feelings about dispensaries, but that’s another story for a different time.
Our next stop was a bakery called Sprinkles. If you’ve ever heard about cupcake ATM’s in LA, the’re from Sprinkles. The bakery was small and cute and offered cupcakes of all sizes, personalized cakes, ice cream and cookies. They also had their famous ATM outside the store next to In N’ Out Burger. After getting some cupcakes, we all decided to buy tickets for the High Roller. It’s the hugeeeeee Ferris wheel I saw when I flew in to the city, and we heard they served drinks while you’re on the ride for about $50. We bought our tickets for Saturday night and went to a pizza restaurant for dinner before heading back to the hotel.
In the morning, we ate breakfast at a restaurant, inside a mall, inside our hotel that had a three for $10 deal on drinks. The best thing on the menu was this smoked salon bagel that I devoured. We then proceeded to walk the strip. The strip is connected by some walk way bridges above ground so it’s easier for you to get from place to place but the mall inside out hotel connected to the strip as well. Almost every building was connected.
We first went to the “Shops at Crystals” which has nothing but luxury brands like Louis Vuitton, Louboutin, Fendi, Gucci, Prada, Coach, Dolce and Gabbanna, everything your heart desires. Then we ventured over to to Caesars Palace, looked inside the casino, stopped by Hell’s Kitchen and took a few photos. Then we went over to Paris Drive and saw the Eiffel tower, and stopped by the Flamingo hotel that had actual flamingos inside.
We spent about an hour inside Sephora trying on and buying makeup. I bought my first Pat McGrath Product that I absolutely LOVE, and then split up to eat lunch. I went to In N’ Out Burger which honestly wasn’t worth it. I waited for about 30 minutes to get my lunch, there was no where to sit and eat because of how crowded the restaurant was and my burger wasn’t good. I also got a a fruity pebbles milkshake from Milk Bar that wasn’t too bad. I was excited to try their products after learning about them via Instagram. For the night, we got on the High Roller, got Tipsy in the sky for about 30 minutes and had soooo much fun. The wait is literally 15 minutes, and every other cart has a bar inside. You’re basically in a bubble with about 20 other people. There’s not a huge amount of room, but there’s a stool for you to sit on and the walls are glass. At night it’s really relaxing and you will have so much gratitude after you witness a beautiful city/skyline from 500 feet in the air. Once the ride was over, we went back to the hotel to change our clothes and get to Drias Night Club to see French Montana!
We had to get to the venue before 11pm if we wanted to get in for free, but we got there 15 minutes late and the cover charge was $30 for women and $50 for men. We were about to jump out of line until a guy in front of us asked if we wanted to join his group of friends and get in for free! So we said hell yes! We got inside around 12am and it was pretty crowded with no standing room, but we found a spot with a good view of the main stage. The music was good, and the atmosphere was fun, but as hours went on our feet started to hurt and there was no French Montana…. We ended up taking our shoes off to dance and socialize. We didn’t realize how many people from Philly were in the club until the DJ started playing Dreams and Nightmares. There was a group of us from Philly and Pittsburgh in a circle singing and dancing and It was pure fun. We ended up leaving around 2:30am because our feet hurt so bad, and in the morning, we found out French Montana didn’t show up until 4am… none of us had the energy to party that long, but it was fun!
Sunday morning, my last day in Vegas, we went to breakfast at the same restaurant in the mall, had the same amazing smoked salmon bagels and three for $10 drinks, then immediately went to a rooftop pool party at Drias again. This time we got a section for $300 after negotiating the price for 15 minutes (a promoter tried to charge us $1,600 originally). If you’re interested in renting a section of a club for a large group of people, be mindful that you aren’t actually paying for the section, you’re paying for the drinks and food and sometimes only for a certain amount of time. We had to spend a minimum of $300 on drinks and food if we decided to rent a small section of the rooftop. They had cabanas, lounges with personal hot tubs, beach beds and couches so prices could vary from $300 to $1,600 especially depending on which celebrities will be there. We ordered margarita pitchers, french fries, nachos, chicken fingers and wings. We got free shots from the DJ, the music was perfect and the crowd was filled with girls from Pittsburgh! So again, when the DJ played Meek, per our request, we all danced and rapped the words together, then got more free shots. We partied for at least three or four hours in 80 degree weather with not one cloud in the sky!
Right after the pool party, we went back to the hotel to change and then to dinner. Dinner was at a Hibachi restaurant inside of a casino that was also a horse racing track. I was only there for about an hour before I had to leave to catch my flight. I ordered my food to go, took some pictures, called an Uber and got to the airport within 45 minutes. I was was still wearing my heels and makeup when I arrived. I changed my clothes and took off my makeup in the bathroom, (I know, I’m dirty for doing that) then sat at my gate for about an hour. It was St. Patrick’s day and I thought there’d traffic and crowded TSA, but I was wrong. My flight was deporting at 11:45pm on Sunday, and I got to the airport at 10pm. On the flight I slept, uncomfortably, for 4 hours until I arrived in Detroit at 6am Monday, (Nevada is three hours ahead of the east coast), and my flight to Burlington didn’t depart until about 9:30am. So I worked remotely from the airport for a few hours, boarded my flight, ordered food, and then went straight to work at 12pm. I have a meeting every Monday around 2:00pm and because I didn’t request Paid Time Off, I had to go work and get shit done! Next time I’ll request paid time off because that time difference is no joke! Trying to stay wide awake at 2pm while you’re body thinks in 11am, Vegas time, is an extreme sport and I do not recommend!
To be honest, you really only need a full weekend in Vegas and about $500 sending money, unless you plan on shopping. All we really did was eat, drink, party and sleep. I plan on returning soon because I didn’t get a chance to ride to the top of the Eiffel Tower, eat at Hell’s Kitchen, take a picture in front of the “Welcome to Vegas” sign, go zip lining and most importantly, go to a show! This trip was everything I didn’t expect, and everyone should experience it!
Traveling While Black 