What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.
How many reading this been to Las Vegas?
How many of you that are rooted from Southern California, let alone the valley, been to Las Vegas?
Well Las Vegas is national landmark, a symbolic figure of the silver state aka Nevada. It is the largest and well-known city in Nevada, specifically in southern Nevada. Let’s face it guys, Nevada only had really a few known cities, Las Vegas, Reno, and Laughlin (maybe Primm haha) but that’s mainly it.
Las Vegas is known to be sin City, gambling, drinking, smoking, partying, sex, drugs, entertainment, etc. Las Vegas is known for its iconic mobster beginnings, nostalgia of old and modern Vegas, its large hotels, its entertainment, but the best of all, it’s night life! It’s neon lights on the strip and everywhere around it.
It’s the soul of Nevada, the light of southern Nevada.
For me, Las Vegas is one of my top favorite places to go to. I like its entertainment, its night life, I’ve had some shares of my Las Vegas 21+ days. I had my share of going there since I was a kid and teen. I went there almost every summer when I was in middle and high school. I also went to Laughlin, Nevada numerous times but I’ll talk about Laughlin in another post.
PRE- 21+
My parents took me to Vegas frequently periodically in summer time and we just hung out by the pool at the hotel we stayed at which was mostly the Tropicana, once at treasure island and once at Excalibur. Back in Summer 2005, my grandparents re-newed their vows at the RIO and all of us were there, which was fun. Summer 2009, we met up with my grandparents and their friends and had dinner at Planet Hollywood for their anniversariesWe also stayed on Fremont Street one year in summer 2012 while we saw the Osmond bros play at the Orleans and my dad and his best friend went to some pinball thing. We usually would go do some fun things off the strip and go to a show on our last night. I just enjoyed most of Vegas, especially the neon lights at night and the energy around me. In summer 2011, they took me to see Donny & Marie at the Flamingo and it was so much fun!
A little funny story comes to mind. When I was younger like I believe it was maybe middle of high school days or just graduated high school, my parents and I walked the strip a lot at night and went to Fremont Street. I saw a lot of weird shit, stuff that younger innocent ones don’t really know what to think when they see that. Then the last night as were there, I saw fire fighters helping get donations out for a charity or something generous. I said to my parents “wow that was the nicest thing (person wise) I’ve seen here since I’ve been here.” My dad and mom loved what I said and were so proud.
Since then, the last time I went to Vegas with my parents was in June 2014, right after I graduated high school at 18 years old and my parents took me to Counts Kustoms, American Restoration, Pawn Stars Pawn Shop, The Titanic museum at the Luxor, and saw a fun Rat Pack Show.
JANUARY 2019
I didn’t go back until January 2019, when Brandon and I visited his aunt who lives out there. While we were there, I got to meet his grandparents on his dad’s side for the first time. It was so nice spending time with that side of his family, just hanging out and meeting his aunt and uncle’s kitty cats.
We had a few fun adventures while we were there. We met Chumlee from Pawn Stars, spent some time on Fremont Street, and visited the Pinball Hall of Fame. We also had dinner with Brandon’s grandparents, which was special since it was my first time meeting them.
MARCH 2019
The next trip was during Spring Break in March 2019 for his grandpa’s birthday celebration. I got to meet more of Brandon’s dad’s side of the family, and we explored the Strip a little since the weather was perfect for spring. It was another fun trip. Unfortunately, about a month later, his grandpa passed away on April 20. I’m grateful I had the chance to meet him, even if it was only for a short time.
I’m also thankful that I got to meet both of Brandon’s grandparents on his dad’s side, as well as his grandpa on his mom’s side. I never had the chance to meet his grandma on his mom’s side because she passed away before Brandon and I met. Thankfully, Brandon was able to meet three of my four grandparents before they passed away, and I’m grateful for that.
WINTER 2019
Anyways… I kind of went off on a little personal tangent there, but back to Vegas.
The third trip in 2019 was two days before Christmas. We went out to visit his aunt and uncle one last time before they moved to South Carolina. We went with Brandon’s family, and although it was a lot of fun, it was also exhausting. It was cold and raining, but we grabbed In-N-Out on the drive there, had dinner with his dad’s side of the family, and got to spend time with Brandon’s family dog and his aunt and uncle’s cat. That was funny.
I’ll admit, I was a little moody that night because I was nervous about getting home so late, but everything worked out. Brandon’s brother drove us all the way back to West Hills from Las Vegas. It was about a four-hour drive. His brother and mom stayed awake the whole drive, while Brandon, his dad, Daniela (Our sister-in-law), and I all dozed off at different times. We finally got home around 3:00 or 4:00 in the morning, and then spent Christmas with our families back home in California.
JUNE 2024
The next time Brandon and I went to Las Vegas was in June 2024 with our friend Alex. That trip was especially fun because we were finally over 21 and could experience Vegas the way we wanted to. We did a little gambling, had a few drinks, and enjoyed ourselves. We also met up with our good friend Rebecca, who lives in Vegas now but used to live in West Hills. She was Brandon’s neighbor growing up, and they went to El Camino together. It was so nice catching up with her and meeting her dog.
During that trip, we visited the Hoover Dam, explored the Strip, and checked out Red Rock Casino. The last two nights, it was just Brandon and me. We relaxed by the pool with margaritas, and then we went to see Penn & Teller at the Rio. That ended up being one of the coolest experiences I’ve ever had because we were invited on stage during the final part of the show. It was truly a night to remember and the highlight of the trip. Looking back, I think that was our first Vegas trip where we really got to experience the city exactly the way we wanted.
SEPTEMBER 2025
The next trip was in September 2025, right around my 30th birthday, because that’s how I wanted to celebrate. Alex joined us again, and we stayed with our friend Rebecca and her boyfriend for a couple of nights before spending the last two nights at the Rio since my birthday fell near the end of the trip. We explored the Strip, visited places off the Strip like Bass Pro Shops and Silverton Casino, and had breakfast at Snooze A.M. Eatery. Every evening, we’d hang out with Rebecca and her boyfriend, relax, enjoy some jazz cabbage, have a beer, and just catch up. On Alex’s last night, we all went to Ole Red and grabbed drinks on the rooftop. Between the country music, the glowing neon lights, and being there with friends, it was exactly my kind of birthday celebration.
The next night, Brandon and I stayed around the Rio, listened to some live music, and just enjoyed a slower evening together. The following day was my actual birthday, and we kept things relaxed. We ended up visiting a brewery in Henderson that I’d been wanting to check out. Honestly, one of the reasons I wanted to head that way was because a huge monsoon storm was rolling in. Funny enough, the storm eventually made its way to the Strip too, so we probably didn’t have to drive all the way to Henderson, but I’m glad we did. We discovered a fantastic brewery and got to experience one of the coolest monsoon storms I’ve ever seen. It lasted about an hour, and I absolutely loved every second of it. I don’t know what it is, but I just love monsoon weather. As if that wasn’t enough, there were dogs everywhere at the brewery. They were all so friendly, and honestly, that made turning 30 even better.
The next morning, we had breakfast with Becca and her boyfriend before heading back to California. There were still a few rain showers on the drive home since Vegas was wrapping up its monsoon season, and before we knew it, October had arrived.
SUMMER 2026
I’m not even done yet. We squeezed in one more Las Vegas trip, and that was just two weeks ago! Once again, we went with Alex, along with our friends Adam, Josh, and Arno, and we met up with our friend Rebecca while we were there. This trip was a little shorter, but we still packed a lot into a few days.
Here’s how it went.
Brandon and I left a day early or technically, a night early right after work. We drove straight from our apartment to Las Vegas in about four to five hours and spent that first night at the Excalibur. Since it was a Tuesday night going into Wednesday morning, the Strip was surprisingly quiet. It was kind of nice seeing Vegas when it wasn’t packed. As the weekend got closer, though, it got busy fast.
On Wednesday, Alex, Adam, and Josh arrived. It was Adam’s and Josh’s first time ever visiting Las Vegas, which made it even more exciting. They stayed at the same hotel as us, and our rooms were only a few doors apart. While we waited for them to arrive, Brandon and I explored a local coffee shop, visited two breweries, and grabbed lunch at one of them. It was also incredibly hot—around 111 degrees most days—so we made sure to drink plenty of water.
Once everyone got there, we explored the Strip and ended up having Olive Garden for dinner since it was one of the places still open. Later that night, while Alex was taking Josh back to the hotel, Brandon, Adam, and I headed over to New York-New York to ride the roller coaster. Believe it or not, even after all the times we’ve been to Vegas, it was Brandon’s and my first time riding it. It was so worth it, especially at night with all the neon lights shining across the Strip.
Later that night, another one of Alex’s friends, Arno, decided to join us at the last minute. He didn’t arrive until around 1:00 a.m. and parked over at Circus Circus, where he shared a room with Alex and Adam. While Brandon and Alex went to pick him up, I stayed behind with Adam, and we spent the time talking and getting to know each other better. He’s from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Josh is from Tucson, Arizona. Once everyone got back, we hung out for a little while before calling it a night, so we’d be ready for the next day.
The following day was a little confusing because of some miscommunication with everyone’s plans, but we still had a great time. Brandon, Adam, and I spent the day together while Alex, Josh, and Arno did their own thing.
We took Adam to Topgolf at the MGM Grand, which was something Brandon and I had never done before either. The MGM Grand was packed because there was a convention going on, but Topgolf was so much fun. Later, we checked out a cool retro arcade filled with classic games. As someone who loves nostalgia, I absolutely loved it. I honestly wish I had taken more pictures, but that’ll just give me another reason to go back.
After that, we rode the monorail back to the hotel, relaxed for a bit, and later all six of us met up to watch the Bellagio fountain show. Josh headed back early to get some sleep, and eventually the rest of us did the same.
One moment from that night really stuck with me. We met a homeless couple who had two dogs with them. We don’t usually hand out money, but we spent a little time talking with them, and their dogs were incredibly sweet. We decided to help them out, and honestly, that interaction stayed with me. It felt good knowing we could brighten someone’s day, even in a small way.
The next morning, Brandon and I spent some time relaxing by the pool before the six of us met Rebecca at a brewery. It was nice catching up with her again and introducing her to everyone else. After that, we headed over to Fremont Street for lunch. That’s when Josh left to head back to San Diego, where he was spending a few extra days before going home.
That night, Alex, Brandon, and I wandered around the Venetian and Harrah’s, just doing classic Vegas things. Adam and Arno decided to head back to their hotel early to pack and get some rest since Arno had an early drive the next morning, and Adam was tired too.
The three of us grabbed In-N-Out from the Flamingo, took it back to our hotel room, hung out for a while, and eventually called it a night.
The next morning, everyone headed home. Brandon and I made a couple of fun stops on the drive back, including the Alien Fresh Jerky store in Baker and our usual stop in Barstow. We made it home safely, and the following day we got to see Adam and Josh one more time, along with three of Josh’s friends, before everyone went their separate ways. It was a nice way to wrap up the trip.
So, as you can probably tell, I’ve been to Las Vegas more than a few times, and every trip has left me with different memories. I’m sure there will be plenty more in the future.
Las Vegas is one of those places where there’s always something new to discover. Whether you’re into nightlife, shows, relaxing by the pool, trying new restaurants and breweries, or simply exploring the desert, there’s never a shortage of things to do. Even after all my visits, I still haven’t experienced everything Vegas has to offer.
Brandon and I plan on going back again soon. It’s close enough for a road trip and arriving at night never gets old. Seeing those neon lights glowing as you drive into the city is still one of my favorite parts of every trip.
Sure, Vegas has its flaws. It’s not a perfect city, and some areas can be rough. After all, it’s called Sin City for a reason. But beyond all of that, there’s so much entertainment, history, and excitement packed into one place that it’s hard not to have a good time.
I also think Vegas becomes even more enjoyable once you’re over 21. When I was younger, my trips were mostly about hanging out with my parents, relaxing by the pool, seeing shows, and exploring. Now I get to experience a completely different side of the city, and it’s been fun making new memories with Brandon and our friends.
Anyways… what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.
Viva Las Vegas! And if you ever get the chance to go, I hope you have as much fun there as I always do.
PS
Coffee & Breweries to check out we’ve been to there:
· Able Baker Brewing Company
· Evolve Brewing by Aces & Ales
· Hop Nuts Brewing
· Bad Beat Brewing
. Snooze AM Eatery
· Dutch Bros Coffee
· Broken Coffee
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