This year I decided to hit up Las Vegas, Nevada to ring in the New Year. But, let me tell you, at the age of 29, almost over that dirty thirty hill, Vegas was rough baby! The fast paced, high rolling, city of sin made me finally give in and admit that I am officially apart of the “Old Lady Gang” #ganggang (SMH). I can no longer adjust to the three hour time difference in a day, proudly rep #teamnosleep, party all day and still drink all night. NOPE! The city that never sleeps had me sneaking in naps at every beat, praying for seats in the club, and basically said, “Bruh, you old !!!”
While Vegas shaded my age, I still found ways to enjoy the city and honestly, had a ball ringing in the New Year and living my life! Let me break the golden rule of “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” and tell you how you can raise a glass and toast it up Vegas Style! Let the countdown begin….
10…. 9… 8…
Float Away…
I’ve always wanted to ride the Gondolas in the Venetian and finally had the opportunity. The romantic experience had me wishing I had a boo for the moment, but nevertheless it was still a cute memory to share with friends. The cost is $29 per person for a shared Gondola, and although the ride is very short I’d still say the trip is worth it. You get serenaded along the way and new views of the shoppes as onlookers watch you float away. My tip is to sign up early because it takes about an hour before you can load into your boat.
Cake, Cake, Cake…
Everywhere you look there’s something sweet and delicious in Vegas. We tried out Cake Boss, Buddy Valastro’s Bakery. I highly recommend the cheesecake, but they can keep them cannoli’s!
Sin a Little…
When living it up in the city of sin you should do a little bit of gambling! Whether it’s cashing out on slots or calling and folding on tables… gambling in Vegas is a must! The casino’s feed the city with the bright lights and energy of gamblers wishing for their pot of gold!
Flashing Lights…
Freemont Street gives you a view of old time Vegas. Bright lights, street entertainers, and the high energy from thousands of visitors. Freemont Street also hosts the Slot Zilla Zip Line. I am literally terrified of heights but faced my fear to have this zip lining experience the last time I visited Vegas. Climbing up 77 feet to stand on a tiny stool and overlook a rock hard ground and sea of people was one of the scariest moments of my life, but that feeling of soaring three blocks under bright lights and over a city of excitement is an adventure I will never forget. The cost to zip line is $25.
Oh La La…
Whether it be from atop the Stratosphere or any of their nestled away rooftop bars or lounges, Las Vegas has some amazing views! We stopped by the Eiffel Tower Restaurant to get fancy, check out the food, and see the city. As expected, the views were amazing, but the food not so much. If I had to recommend an item from the menu I’d say get the lamb (trust me). Also, definitely budget to spend at least $100.
Outchea like Rambo…
ATV’ing was one of the most fun experiences I’ve ever had in Las Vegas. For me, it started off pretty rough! I just couldn’t figure out how to steer that darn ATV. We started the test drive track and I was just a trying my best to hit them curves like the NASCAR driver I am. Instead, I came upon a rock, tried to steer around it switching left, right, left, right, then.. BAM! I ran right over this darn rock and there me and that darn ATV were knocked way off track with everybody passing me by. After that my behind was done! The instructors asked us to hit them with a thumbs up if we were good to go… I immediately was straight thumbs down and no, no, no as the rest of the tour was a thumbs up and ready to go. Even though ATV’ing was my great idea that I’d convinced everyone else to do, I was ready to plead my case as to why I couldn’t continue. I’m sitting there with that darn ATV all panic mode debating do I jump off… do I take the helmet off.. how do I get off.. but somehow the rest of the pack was heading out and somehow that pack included me. I started off super slow staying set at the back of the group and struggling just to drive straight. Then we headed towards a huge hill and my anxiety hit me hard. See, I was fully aware that the instructors were fully unaware of my fear of heights. As I start to ramp up the gas at the base of the hill… GOD CAME THROUGH! One of the instructors advised me to follow him so that I could take the easier routes! Y’all do not understand the relief I felt in that moment… I had a tiny praise break on that darn ATV !!! There I was out in the dunes with my own private tour guide, by the time break came around I had finally gotten control of the darn ATV, and by the end of the two hour tour I was full speed peddle to the meddle rambo style! Through all the anxiety and fear, I would totally do it again!! Our hosts were ATV Tours and we did the Nellis Dunes Tour which cost about $166 with the Groupon Rate. It’s totally worth it! (lvatvtours.com)
Lemme tell y’all… “We like to part-aaaay….”
Ok, I know I complained about my old lady ways, but it’s VEGAS you have to hit up at least one party. Now, you won’t be out as long as you use to, wake up as early as you use to, or not feel your feet like you used to. However, Vegas clubs will leave you with memories for a lifetime. For New Year’s Eve, we hit up TAO nightclub in the Venetian Hotel. The club has multi levels and amazing décor to fit the Asian theme. That night it was super packed and we basically had to fight our way through the venue. While walking around I spotted out Diddy’s Fashion Stylist, Derek Roche, who was extremely nice and friendly. Later, we slipped our way into VIP. We were right next to Kelly Rowland (YES! Thee Kelly Rowland form Destiny’s Child, basically Beyoncé’s sister), Terrence J. (Former host of BET’s 106 & Park and E! News) and his girlfriend Jasmine Sanders (Model known as the Golden Barbie), Lamoure Morris (6 time Oscar Winner who plays Winston on the Television Series The New Girl), Lenny Santiago (Senior Vice President of Roc Nation), Claire Sulmers (The Creator and Brain behind Fashion Bomb Daily), and Miss Diddy (Promoter and Head of The Brand Group).
Photos are from Instagram.
Running into celebrities in real life always makes me realize not everything that glitters is gold and not everyone looks as glamorous in person as they do on TV. Seeing all of them there had me wondering who had hit up Drake’s party that same night… obviously, none of them decided to attend… Nevertheless, it was a dope atmosphere full of energy as hosts DJ Khaled, French Montana, and special guests Diddy and Cassie counted down…
3…. 2… 1.. HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!
