“I like Vegas for its spontaneity.”
~Tony Curtis
Yep, you read headline that right.
I still can’t believe I did this. On a whim, I got an email for a foodie event, but the event was in Vegas. So I looked at tickets, booked, and a week or two later, took off.
Being in Southern California has its perks sometimes. And accessibility to travel is one of them. So I decided to go. I left work an hour early, drove down to LAX, hopped a Virgin America flight, went to the event, checked in at the hotel, met up with a buddy, went for a night on the town, made it to the airport at 6:30 the next morning for an 8 am flight, landed in LAX, made it in to work by 10ish, and acted like nothing happened.
And IT. WAS. AWESOME.
The Flight
July and August boasted amazing travel deals. Round trips for $80 from cities like Los Angeles to Chicago and Dallas to Atlanta ran rampant. I couldn’t just sit by and let these deals pass me by.
But I didn’t have much of an opportunity to take off work. So when the event email popped up in my inbox, I clicked on over to Google Flights to check out the dates. Sure enough, I could get round-trip to Vegas for $80. Perfect.
I even had a choice of airlines. But since I was going to Vegas for a whirlwind, less-than-24-hour trip, I opted for Virgin America. Its planes are hip, youthful and modern. (Not to mention I love their safety video.) It was exactly the fun touch I was looking for on a trip to Vegas.
All I packed was my purse, and a shoulder tote with undergarments, an outfit for work, toiletries, my phone charger, and the shoes on my feet. It was the perfect jetsetting moment.
So I got in to work early, and ducked out around 2:30 pm. I got down to LAX, parked and whisked right through security and to my gate 30 minutes before boarding. And, I was off.
Rhythm Kitchen’s Food and Wine Dinner
I slept on the flight. I’m not an idiot, I knew it was going to be a long night and an even longer Wednesday. And as soon as we landed, we were en route for Cajun food.
A few years ago, I stumbled upon Rhythm Kitchen, this totally off-the-beaten-path, gem. It is a New Orleans-style Cajun restaurant west of the Strip. And I love it.
The restaurant was hosting a 3-course food and wine dinner with wines pairings, so I thought it a perfect excuse to go. The event menu was amazing, featuring a wine pairing with each course. The first course was a Blackened Chicken Salad with a Pineapple Mango Salsa and White Balsamic Vinaigrette. It was impeccable. The lightness of the dressing paired with the flavors of the blackened chicken and the sweetness of the salsa was perfect for summertime.
Next, we had the Crab Cake topped with Crawfish Etouffee. The Etouffee was spicy and added just the right amount of heat to the dish, coupled with the tender crawfish. The third course was a Lamb Chop drizzled with a Cabernet Demi served with Sweet Potato Fries and Bacon Brussel Sprouts. OMG. It was decadence all around with the tender meat coupled with the sweet and saltiness of the sweet potato fries and the decadent brussel sprouts. It was so good. I was extremely pleased I had attended, and it was the perfect reason to hit Vegas.
For more on Rhythm Kitchen, check out my upcoming post on this non-Strip Vegas gem.
Planet Hollywood
After dinner, I made my way to the Strip to my hotel. Since I was going for fun and excitement, I chose Planet Hollywood to stay at for my quick jaunt. And Planet Hollywood was all of that and more. The hotel had a great vibe to it but also an element of upscale fun. The gorgeous chandelier was the first thing that caught my eye and I spent a good amount of time watching the colors change and photographing it. The casino floor was much more expansive that I imagined, and of course, Planet Hollywood boasts a huge shopping area.
The room was fantastic. And that view! Given how centrally located the hotel and casino is, you have dope views of the Strip. I was fortunate enough to score a top-floor, Strip-View room, and WOW! The view was amazing!
This is definitely a hotel to stay in if you are looking for a good time and to be centrally located. It is right across the street from the Crystal’s complex, along with Aria and Cosmopolitan hotels, and just off to the right is Bellagio. The only thing that made me sad was that I could see the Bellagio Fountains, but the show didn’t happen that late in the evening. They should really work on that.
Check out my full Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino Review coming soon!
The Evening
After being in the room for all of 30 minutes, I was off again. I only had 14 hours, after all.
Another buddy picked me up and we headed to the Encore. We were off to hit Andrea’s, another hip restaurant, named for Steve Wynn’s wife. When we walked in, I was hit by the open layout and hip décor of Andrea’s and, of course, the bar with the eyes. And I wasn’t alone in thinking the restaurant was cool, as a very famous NBA player was also dining there at that moment.
We decided on drinks and to sample the Asian-fusion cuisine (as if I hadn’t already had a delicious meal). We opted for the Rock Shrimp Tempura and the Tuna + Crispy Rice.
Now anyone who knows me knows that I don’t love raw fish. Not even a little bit. But when I tell you that this Tuna + Crispy Rice, with the warmth of the rice, was everything, it was everything. It was fresh and light and felt cooked because of the warm rice. I would definitely have this appie again. And the Rock Shrimp Tempura was huge. Fresh shrimp and the batter was delicious. Nice job by Andrea’s.
Then we doubled down on dessert. We shared two items: One was a shaved ice mountain with fresh fruit, condensed milk, raspberry syrup and a sweet bean. The other was a special, something about Elvis, with chocolate mousse and peanut butter. They were both decadent. The whole meal, paired with delicious drinks, was excellent. I can certainly see why Andrea’s is so popular.
After dinner #2, we swung by the Chandelier Lounge in Cosmopolitan. How had I never seen this place before? It was absolutely exquisite! Three floors of pinkish-hued chandelier, drinks, music, and lounging. It was one of the dopest places I have hung out in Vegas. I will definitely be stopping through here before I have a night on the town next time I am in Vegas. The ambiance was perfect and the scene and crowd was chill. It was a nice way to cap off an evening in Vegas, pre-game before hitting the clubs, or even a great substitute spot to a night of clubbing.
Back to Reality
After about 3 hours of sleep, I got my wake up call. My flight was at 8 am so I got to the airport at around 6:15 even though I had no bags. Good thing I did, because the Vegas airport stays crowded, especially for the early morning flights. I guess everyone had the same thoughts as me, trying to make it in to work because they were missed. I hopped my LAX-bound flight, got my car, and drove in to work. It was back to reality. When a co-worker asked me what I did last night, I casually replied “Oh, I just hung out… on the Strip… in Vegas.”
Perfection.
How awesome! Spontaneous travel is the BEST! I live in Chicago and back in January I won tickets to a live taping of SNL and I had three days to plan, book and travel to NYC. It was one of the BEST experiences ever <3
How cool to have the flexibility to jetset on a whim! Sounds like a great trip & great times with friends. I have to make it to Vegas!
WOW! That is something I would love to do. Looks like an awesome event.
My Mom use to live in Vegas and I’ve never heard of this place at all. Life definitely moves very fast in Vegas that’s for sure. Thanks for sharing.
You really squeezed in as much as you could during those 14 hours! The food alone looks worth the trip!
What a fun spur-of-the-moment trip!! You are so lucky that you can get to Vegas so quickly! For me it would take all day (live in the Southeast).
How cool! I never have taken a spontaneous trip like that before but it looks like you had an amazing time and it was well worth it!
What totally spontaneous fun! I would love to be that close to Vegas. It looks like you had amazing food too!!
What a fun quick trip to Vegas!! That would be an amazing perk to being in California, I love how close I am to New Yorks airports.
Jealous!! I’m going to Vegas for NYE and I can’t wait!! That food look amazing.
Ooooh I love being spontaneous! As a mom I don’t get many opportunities to do things on a whim. But, it’s always a good time when I do!
That felt tiring but good thing you had some sleep in the plane. It always look like an epic time at Vegas.
Now THAT is a hell of a Vegas trip! I’m incredibly jealous…you packed a whole lot of action into a super short trip! Seriously, this is too cool.
I love day trips, but I have never been to Vegas. Looks like you had an awesome time. I need to make plans to see Vegas. Everything looks so nice #BLM
Hmmm I wonder if me and you were in Vegas at the same time??? You are giving me another reason to move to LA…I wish I could book a flight to Vegas for $80! Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson one of the largest airports in the nation would have Virgin America airlines…but we dont!
I also don’t like raw fish, but I got curious with that Tuna + Crispy Rice you had there 🙂
I wish I could visit Vegas this year, I love all of your photos.
I want to go to Vegas so bad but 14 hours….that won’t do for me I need more time so I can play the slot machines and explore
Now that’s what you call a spontaneous trip. I have a little one so I don’t have the luxury of just taking off… even though sometimes I feel that way.
How much fun is that?!?! Just deciding to set off on an adventure, girl, that is amazing…I need more of that in my life.
This sounds AWESOME and fun!! That flight deal was amazing! I will be following your blog more often! Thanks!
That sounds like so much fun. My husband and I always seem to take the family on trips last minute. Looks like you had a great time.
AWESOME! I love spontaneous trips right along with Vegas. I’ll be in both LA and Vegas for the holidays. You gave me some new places to try out while I’m there. I’ve been trying to fly on Virgin for a while, maybe one day I’ll get that chance. Great post!
I so love this, it sounds like a movie. I’m so going to try this one day. I live for adventure/fun on the fly this sounds perfect. Great pictures.
Wow what a super fast trip! I would love to visit Las Vegas one day. It looks like so much fun.
Wow! Sounds like you had an amazing time in Vegas. I love that you just did it and had a great time. I am sure the Vegas airport is crowded at all hours.
I need to make it to the west coast! Sounds like an awesome time. The food looks soooo good.
That sounds like an amazing night in Vegas! It would be well-worth being tired at work the next day!
I absolutely LOVE Vegas! I can’t wait to go back. As many times as I’ve been, I’ve never gotten to ride the New York New York roller coaster so that is first on my list for the next visit. The food looks ah-mazing.
OMG – I love tho! And Vegas is such a good time. Love the spontaneity!
I love how you “acted like nothing happened” upon your return from Vegas. You are my travel super hero!
Dawn, it was so fun! Knowing all day what I was going to do then acting like I just had another normal evening was great! LOL