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Celebrating Kim’s Birthday Weekend in Las Vegas

This week’s Travel Tuesday is about Kim’s 3-day birthday weekend in Las Vegas! This weekend trip includes Las Vegas sights like The Sphere and The High Roller, the iconic Magic Mike show (!!), some naughty debauchery you can only find in Vegas, and even a wedding at the Little White Chapel!

On this trip we had rooms at The Bellagio, The Flamingo, and MGM Grand – all of which we would recommend for the location on the strip and robust resort amenities.

If you liked this episode, check out our other episodes:

Las Vegas Birthday Weekend – Episode Transcript

0:35

Welcome to this week’s episode of the Travel Squad Podcast.

Today we are recapping my birthday weekend in Las Vegas.

0:51

But this was just not my birthday weekend.

This was also my best friend Jamie’s birthday weekend and her twin sister Jill’s birthday weekend.

It was also Jamie’s wedding weekend so it was a jam packed weekend, a lot of fun stuff and we had done a lot for all the different celebrations.

1:08

I’m really excited to dig into this episode because we’ve had previous episodes on Vegas before talking about things to do, etcetera.

Because Vegas is Vegas, right?

It’s iconic, world renowned, but so many things change in Vegas of what’s hot, what’s not, etcetera.

1:24

So this time I’m really excited to hear your birthday trip, let alone what seems to be a wedding weekend and another birthday on top of that for some straight debauchery.

So I hope it’s a little bit tame, but I also hope it’s wild and this is a different Vegas episode for you guys.

I feel like it’s going to be wild because I tried to ask him through text.

1:43

How was your trip to Vegas?

And she was like, we’re saving it for the podcast.

And then she writes back, we’re going to title this episode, What Happens in Vegas goes on this podcast.

So she didn’t share anything with us.

I’m really excited to hear it for the first time.

And I know a few of the things that you did, I’ve also done 2 and we’ve done 2.

2:02

So I can’t wait to just chime in and see how your experience differed from ours in the past.

Oh, it’s.

Going to be a good one.

This was a Vegas trip for sure, so I’m really excited to get into it.

Before we do, I just want to start with some tips.

I’m always reminded every time I go to Vegas how long it takes to get anywhere.

2:23

You look across the street and you see the casino that you’re trying to get to and you’re like, it’s right there.

No, it’s not.

It takes like 30, 5 minutes to get there.

So just plan for that.

Even if it looks close, it is not close.

The second tip I have for you is that if you’re trying to get an Uber at any of the hotels, the Uber is going to be picking you up in a different spot than the cabs do, a less convenient spot as well.

2:49

So I think the cabs are easier.

You walk straight out of the casino, you’re in the front area, someone hails you a cab, you stand in line, you get in the cab, it’s easier.

The Ubers are just a little bit more affordable, but the cabs really aren’t that bad.

So I, for convenience purposes, go with the cabs.

3:07

And then my final tip is to download the app for the hotel or resort group that you’re staying with.

I was staying with The MGM resort group.

So download that app.

You’re going to use it as your players club card.

You’re going to use it to get discounts at all the shops and all of The MGM resorts.

3:23

You can use it to make reservations at restaurants, at the spa, order food for pickup.

It’s a super, super convenient app.

Also, you can use it as your hotel room key and I know that Caesar’s and some of the others also have an app, so get that app set up before you get there to check in.

3:39

So set the stage for us, he said.

We’re staying at The MGM Grand.

Did you have a room by yourself rooming with anyone in particular?

Was your friends also staying at the same hotel?

So I got there Friday and I wasn’t staying at MGM, but MGM is a resort group that Bellagio is a part of and that is where I booked.

3:59

At the Bellagio.

Yes go at the Bellagio and I do think the Bellagio is nice.

I flew in by myself and got a Uber to the Bellagio.

Checked in around 8 PMI do think the rooms are really nice.

4:14

It’s of course a beautiful resort.

They have the Bellagio Botanical gardens there.

It’s an amazing place to stay and I mainly chose that place because it’s part of the Marriott family and as a Marriott credit card holder, I am trying to get to gold status for next year and I am going to get it by the way.

4:33

So I wanted to stay at a Marriott part of the family, which is why I chose it.

So it’s good, but I do have some notes.

Tell us about it.

So first of all, I was staying there for three nights.

Some of my friends were going to be moving on the third night over to The MGM.

4:50

They were staying at Flamingo.

I did not want to move all my stuff.

I wanted to be able to settle in.

I like putting my stuff in dressers now.

I was never this person before, but I like to unpack and put my stuff away now if I’m going to be staying somewhere.

I only like to do that if we’re staying for an extended period of time, like if it’s a couple days, No.

5:08

But if I’m on a cruise or when we’re staying somewhere like we’ve done in Hawaii and a couple other places where we’ve gotten the timeshare and we’re there a week, then yeah.

But just a little weekend one, huh?

You decided?

Hey let me unpack it.

Three nights in Vegas feels like a month and I wanted to unpack.

5:24

And I bet you you had multiple outfit changes, so I guess it makes sense that it’s all out because it’s not like you’re wearing one thing for the day, etc, you know?

Yeah.

I hate having to bend over and look through your suitcase and everything’s flying around.

I wanted to unpack and Bellagio does not have a dresser.

They have two side tables that have your typical drawer in each one, but no dresser.

5:44

It was like, what the hell is this?

The rooms are very nice, so we’ll say that.

But the other thing that really pissed me off is the mirror situation.

Did they not have a full length mirror?

Because that is my biggest pet peeve.

Yeah, you cannot call yourself a luxury hotel if you do not have a full length merit.

6:00

That is atrocious.

They did have a full length mirror.

I found it eventually you have to open the two closet doors and it’s the skinny ass full length mirror on both of the doors.

But there’s almost no room to take pictures.

Like it kind of pissed me off because I wasn’t able to get my.

Outfit Outfits.

6:17

Yeah, you’re in Vegas.

You’re obviously going to be dressing up like why don’t they have an accessible huge beautiful full length mirror so you could take your pics?

It should be well lit, 8 foot wide as hell.

Well, let alone at the Bellagio, you would expect that.

6:33

But I have a question for you about the Bellagio, Kim.

Were you in the original tower or the new tower?

I don’t know which one is original or new, but it was the Spa tower and it was OK.

Well, then I think you were in the new one because the original 1 is the one that overlooks the fountains, right?

6:51

And of course, not every room in the original tower overlooks the fountains.

But it’s shaped kind of like AI don’t want to say a triangle, but there’s three extensions of it.

And then off to the side, then there is a side tower that doesn’t really face the strip.

It faces the other casinos and then it faces the original tower.

7:09

So that seems like what you were in then.

Yeah, that is what I was in.

Because there isn’t a good view at night.

But they have an automatic drapery system, so you push a button and the whole drapes open, which is really cool.

But in the morning, the view of the mountains is so pretty.

7:25

Like I always forget that Vegas has mountains first of all, and then how pretty it actually is to see.

Yeah, they were very beautiful Red rock landscape.

So I got settled into my room and I changed and then I went to go meet my friends at the Flamingo.

7:40

I know the Flamingo is right across the street.

I timed it on Google Maps.

It’s like a 10 minute walk.

I was like, OK, perfect.

But casinos in Vegas are amazed to get out of.

They trap you in there.

It’s so hard to get out, first of all.

So I found my way out.

7:56

And then when I did, I had no idea where I was.

And then I started walking.

I saw the Flamingo in the distance.

I was like, OK, it’s right across the street.

I’m just going to walk on over there by myself on the Vegas streets. 30 minutes later.

Well, it would have been, but it wasn’t because as I was walking, I was minding my own business, hustling down.

8:17

And I just hear some guy holler at me from his car and I look over and it’s this like hot rod sports car and like, oh, hello.

Then I was like, no, just keep walking.

Like who is this random hollering at me?

But he said something like, do you want to ride?

8:33

And.

Didn’t your mom tell you not to talk to strangers?

Yeah, but I had good vibes from this one.

So I turned back and I was like, all right, I don’t know exactly what you said, something about wanting a ride.

And I looked and, you know, it’s a nice car.

8:49

It was a long walk, and it was cold in Vegas, too, and there was no traffic on the street.

So I was like, all right, fuck it.

And I ran over there and I got in his car and he took me to the Flamingo and he dropped me right off.

And it was good vibes, All good.

We exchanged Instagram accounts and went on our merry way.

9:06

And so I looked at his Instagram and it turns out he’s a world champion MMA fighter from the UK.

So you can just imagine what this man’s body looks like.

I mean, it’s got to be better than the guy that you made out with with the neck tattoos.

9:22

I knew you were going to bring this up, Brittany.

That was also another Vegas meet up at one point in time, too.

So, you know, Kim in Vegas gets a little bit wild.

You know, we say Kim over 30, she’s lost her edge.

But then it’s like, oh, when I’m international, I’m good.

9:38

We need to add Vegas to the list.

Something about Vegas makes Kim just go a little bit wild.

Well, it’s Vegas, so.

But yeah, Vegas.

Britney will never let me live down the fact that when she picked me up, I was making out with a guy with a neck tattoo.

But Britney, this man’s tattoos.

9:54

I have outdone myself with this one.

Where were his tattoos?

Do you have face tattoos?

No, actually, thank God he doesn’t.

I don’t think he has a face hat and I don’t think he has a net text, but I think that’s the only place on his body he does not have tattoos like everywhere.

He has like faces tattooed on his ass, his very plump muscular ass as of.

10:15

Who and what?

I don’t want to stay here, but I’ll send it to you.

Oh.

OK.

So anyway, that was a fun little adventure getting into Vegas.

And so I got to the Flamingo, went up to our room, and it’s Jamie, Jill, Patrick, which is Jamie’s future husband, and his brother Eric.

10:31

That’s kind of our crew for the moment.

And we kind of just, you know, talking, hanging out, whatever, getting ready, trying to get them all ready so we can get out the room.

Jill, who I have not seen in years, had to try on 400 different outfits before we were finally able to leave the room.

10:48

But we finally did.

And you know, when we originally planning this trip, Friday night was not supposed to be a crazy night.

We were just going to do some things.

And I remember saying this to James and he was all, it’s the first night.

Why wouldn’t you go hard?

Right.

11:04

And I was like, you know what?

You’re right, James, You’re absolutely right.

So we were planning to go get dinner at a little restaurant called Nacho Daddy on the Strip.

Let me guess, they sell nachos?

They sell amazing nachos, these huge nachos, all different kinds of nachos.

11:21

Like, I didn’t even order one.

I just ate other people’s nachos because there was no way in hell I could eat a whole Nacho on my own.

But it was a really cool spot.

And it’s not in a hotel, but it’s still on the strip, so it’s really accessible.

We had Margarita pictures.

Eric got a tequila shot with a little scorpion in it.

11:39

We’re having a good time.

I’ve never heard of Nacho Daddy but there’s so many different restaurants in Vegas.

A long strip off the strips, but I might have to add this one to my list.

Jamal loves a good Nacho.

I love me some nachos, and I feel like nachos are the perfect food to have in Las Vegas.

You’re drinking, hopping from show to show, casino to casino, doing whatever it is, and that is great munchy food along the way.

12:01

After we did that, we were going to walk around, find get ourselves into some trouble and I wanted to go to a dispensary on this trip because I always go to dispensaries in California and I know I’m not going to be back in California for quite a while.

So we stopped into one on the Strip.

12:18

Now, marijuana and apparently mushrooms are legal in Nevada and Las Vegas, and so we went in there and Squatty’s.

If you’re listening and you want to get a good deal on anything at a dispensary, do not go to one on the Strip.

If you’re looking for convenience and to spend a little bit more because of that, go ahead and go to the one on the Strip.

12:38

So we went in and I ended up with 10 items.

I don’t know what got into me.

I was just like give it all to me so I am stocked.

For the next month.

Unless I’m going to be like on one for the next month, I think I’m good for quite a while.

12:55

So we, of course indulge in the product and continue on our journey.

CVS is right next door, that big popular CVS right on the strip.

And we go in there to get a few things.

We’re going to go back to the room and set some stuff down.

And I tested a theory that I brought up on a previous podcast episode not too long ago about lidocaine.

13:15

Do you remember this, Brittany?

Yes, you said that you were gonna put a lidocaine spray on your feet to see if it’ll numb it so that when you wear uncomfortable shoes you won’t feel the pain.

But that doesn’t mean you’re not gonna fuck up your feet.

And so the lidocaine, it works.

13:31

I wore high heels for four days, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday in Vegas.

I didn’t even bring flat shoes.

All I wore was heels.

And I use the lidocaine and I do think that it helps, but it doesn’t help on day four and it doesn’t really numb your feet completely.

13:46

I was expecting more honestly.

How do your feet feel now?

My feet have recovered, it’s a few days now and they were not good on Monday, though they hurt so much.

So, you know, if you’re desperate, get some lidocaine, but it’s not going to save the day forever.

So after we did that, we saw the Bellagio fountains, their water show.

14:06

It does go off every 30 minutes during the day, usually until about 7:30.

And then at night, they amp it up to every 15 minutes until about midnight.

And it’s totally free to see.

You’ve got to see it when you’re in Vegas.

It’s a really cool show.

They have the water shooting up in the sky, two different songs.

14:22

So that was fun.

We pretty much spent the rest of the night kind of walking around casinos.

I actually did not gamble a single dollar on this whole weekend.

Really.

She spent it all in the dispensary.

I mean, what else did she have money for?

Oh, I had more money.

14:38

Well, I know you did, Kim.

I didn’t mean to imply that, but I’m just saying, you know, realistically you were saving it for purchases, not just giveaways.

Yeah, I don’t know why I didn’t, just did not end up gambling.

But after we did all that, it’s coming to be around 2:00 in the morning and we have a big day coming up Saturday.

14:55

So I’m like, all right, I’m going to get an Uber home and I walked down from the Flamingo and I have no idea where the Ubers pick you up.

Still.

I was looking for it, but after using some of the product and enjoying Vegas a little bit, I don’t know, my sense of direction was a little bit off, let’s just say that.

15:13

And so while I was out there, I ended up meeting people as you do in Vegas.

And it’s actually my birthday now because it’s 2:00 AM so.

Happy birthday.

Yeah, well, thank you.

And so I’m, I’m telling this to the people that I’ve met and they’re like, oh, let’s celebrate.

15:29

Let’s get champagne.

And so somehow ended up back at the Bellagio.

I think I said take me back to the Bellagio because that would be helpful in that moment.

So we did.

But if I didn’t go up to my room, went to the Bellagio bar, had champagne for quite a while, made some friends, and then I went and looked to the Bellagio Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, which is right there in the lobby of the Bellagio.

15:52

The day that I arrived was the day that they’d opened their Christmas and holiday themed display and it was really cute.

I love the Bellagio, Bellagio Conservatory.

They always have good theming.

It’s always super beautiful.

I can’t get enough of it.

I have to go every time we’re in Vegas.

16:09

I’d say that’s exactly what we do every time that we’re in Vegas is always go see what the theme is at the Bellagio Conservatory.

So they had a good one.

I feel like who doesn’t get excited for holiday themes, right?

So if that’s already holiday theming, that’s a good one.

You know, I’m not a big Christmas person, but it was cool to see and I do know based on the timestamp on my photos, that it was about 4:00 AM that we were walking about this area.

16:34

So you’re like, oh, I have a big day Saturday, but I’m going to stay up till 4:00 AM.

Yes, but I did go to sleep after that.

Well, before we get into the next day on you Kim squad is we want to take this time to let you guys know all about the resources that we have for you on travelsquadpodcast.com.

16:52

We have our itineraries that are fully planned out trips that we have taken.

Some of them are paid, some of them are free.

So go over there and check it out.

You can also sign up for our newsletter.

We have two that come out every month giving you guys information about what’s going on with the podcast, recommendations, etcetera.

17:11

So again, be sure to head over to travelsquadpodcast.com and check it out.

Saturday morning my alarm clock went off at 8:00 AM on the dot, bright and early.

So like less than 4 hours of sleep?

Yeah, it’s a I’ll sleep when I’m dead situation on this Vegas weekend.

17:28

I know we’re asleep when I can.

No, this is I’ll sleep when I’m dead and the reason the alarm clock went off so early was because I had a spa reservation at the Aria Spa.

How did you decide on the Aria spa?

Because before this trip you were talking about a possible other spa to go to.

17:45

So what made you pick Aria specifically?

Well, that’s a good question.

And I have really started to get into spas, so I knew I wanted to do a spa in Vegas.

I also thought, you know, I’m going to do Vegas different this time.

It’s not going to be all nightclubs and pool parties like I want to go to a spa.

18:02

So you’re right, right.

Originally I had thought about going to the Golden Nugget spot only because they had a chakra gemstone massage that would restore your energy and kind of like realign energy within your body.

And you know, I like that woo woo stuff.

But I started looking at the Golden Nugget.

18:19

They also have a steam room of cedar sauna, hot plunge, cold plunge, all that.

But it’s the Golden Nugget, and it’s in downtown Vegas.

Right.

So it just wasn’t the level of luxury that I felt I needed on this day.

So you end up going to for the Aria Spa.

What do they have to offer?

18:35

The Aria Spa, so my reservation for my citrus essential facial and body wrap was at 12:00 PM, but I wanted to get there several hours early because they have other things in the spa.

They have a Himalayan salt room where you lay on these beds and relax.

18:53

These Japanese hot stone beds that are warm so you can lay on and relax on those.

They have indoor in the gender specific areas, they have a super steamy room, a sauna, these therapy pools, cold plunge and then they have an outdoor Coed plunge area and then some chill areas inside.

19:11

I wanted to get the full experience there, spend as much time in a row as possible before I went and did my treatment because you don’t want to rinse off the treatment after you get it done.

And they allow you to go several hours beforehand.

No issues with that.

Or they even recommend that you go several hours for you.

Yes they do recommend it they say.

19:27

I mean, it’s up to you, but they said about 3 hours would be a good amount of time to enjoy it.

And I am gonna do a mini episode for just the tip on this full experience so I can really get into the details of it.

But it was amazing.

I think coming half drunk slash hungover.

19:45

I mean, there’s pros and cons to doing that for sure.

I think one of the pros is that you can nap in all these beautiful, comfortable places with this relaxing spa music and ease yourself back into a new day versus, you know, a harsh wake up some other way.

So hey, squat ease.

20:01

If you’re having a late night, don’t.

Let that keep you away from doing the spa the next day.

You know, it sounds like a perfect way to kind of just rest, take it leisurely and rejuvenate before you continue on your crazy Vegas weekend.

There were a couple other spas that I was looking at.

I really wanted to go to the Lapis Spa at the Fountain Blue.

20:20

Fountain Blue is a new resort that comes from Miami.

It looks so cool.

The Lapis Spa has these two times you can book.

You don’t even need an actual treatment, but one of the times is from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM and you just spend spend the time there.

They have this stargazing lounge with stars above it, vitality pool, steam room, infrared sauna, Himalayan salt room, star and snow showers.

20:44

Literally snow falls down on you.

Oh.

That’s awesome.

I know it looks so cool, but it was sold out every single weekend for the foreseeable future.

Oh wow, very popular then.

Well, it’s a new hotel, so I imagine, let alone that unique experience, of course people want to go.

21:00

And then of course, anything new in Vegas, people are already just clamoring to go to it.

So that makes a lot of sense.

So on the next one, it’ll be there.

And when you know that you’re going to be going, I guess if you know like 3-4 months ahead that Vegas is coming up, you should book ahead for this.

Definitely the other one I was looking at is the Caesar’s Quabaths.

21:19

This one looked pretty cool as well.

It was like Roman baths kind of gave me Hot Springs AR vibes.

It had all these different minerals in it to ease away tensions and melt away aches and pains and it looked really cool.

They had an arc ice room, they had teas and beverages.

21:36

It looked really really cool as well.

I love a hot stone massage and this is on their menu so I was thinking about going there.

But nevertheless, I really did enjoy the Aria spa I’m.

Glad you enjoyed it.

How long would you say you spent there in total?

I got there around 9.

21:51

I left around 14 hours.

OK.

That’s a good amount of time.

Well, I would say a great way to start your birthday morning.

Yeah, a little hungover waking up, very minimal sleep, but the rest and rejuvenation from the spa, easing your way into birthday celebration in the evening that I know is coming.

22:08

So what did you do after spa treatment?

So after that I went over to the Flamingo to meet my friends and get their act together a little bit because we had very big plans this night.

I’ve never done a show in Vegas, and so part of my I want to do Vegas differently was that I wanted to do the spa, eat good food and see a show.

22:28

And the show that I picked for my birthday was obviously none other than Magic Mike at the Sahara.

Magic Mike is a great show.

It’s great for birthday weekends, Bachelorette parties, but you kind of were on like a Bachelorette party, girls trip weekend.

22:43

It’s so much fun and it can be enjoyed by like everyone.

I actually have done this and Kim had been asking me my opinion on do you have to bring real money, how was it and all of that.

And I kept trying to convince her to not wear a dress because if you wear a dress they won’t pull you up on stage.

22:58

And I really wanted her to go on stage, but she wouldn’t do it.

You wanted me to wear pants so that they would pull me on stage.

Yes.

I’m convinced that everyone is an actress that they pull on stage.

No because we went for my sister in law’s Bachelorette party and it was her, my family and her mom even went and her mom got pulled up on.

23:23

Stage.

Well, you don’t need to be pulled on stage.

I got a lap dance in the chair that I was sitting in the whole time by the most muscular God from I don’t even know it was.

It was a magical magic mic moment, I’ll say that.

I do like that venue because everywhere feels close to the stage and there’s like no bad seat in the house.

23:43

You could literally sit anywhere and enjoy the show.

There really isn’t because all the men come to you.

They’re crawling on ladders, they’re coming to your chairs, they’re dancing in front of you.

Like you’re looking in all these directions like there’s a man, there’s a man, there’s a man.

So truly, there is no bad seat in the house.

23:59

I think the price ranges differ based on where you want to sit.

But like, if you’re trying to save money, it doesn’t even matter where you sit because the men will come straight.

To you so you had a good time you all enjoyed.

It, well, I loved it.

I screamed for 90 minutes straight along with the entire room of women.

24:14

It was so lively.

I would go again, honestly, I’d love to.

And you know what?

It’s not just men dancing.

There’s choreography, there’s storylines.

There’s some women that come up there.

There was a man on this big platform that came down who was playing drums, and then a woman sat on his lap and he played drums.

24:31

As the thing went up, there was like a woman man in the water, sensual like.

A shower scene, almost.

Yeah.

It’s pretty hot.

I love that one.

Jamal, get some ideas over here.

Oh yeah, I know.

She told me all about it when she was done with that show, so I’m I’m well aware of what goes on at Magic Mike.

24:50

You should try Thunder Down Under next time.

Do they get full nude there?

I don’t know the answer to.

That because that.

Show well, I’ve I’ve never been to Thunder down under I just know that’s one of the alternatives and they still have chippendales so you know there’s the shows for the ladies.

Lots of people think oh Vegas shows for men, naked women, etcetera.

25:08

Believe me, the ladies, you guys have your selection now.

There are quite a few, but I know I.

Just want to know why Jamal’s just so well versed based on like the shows offered for the women.

Well, I pay attention all the time to what is happening new in Vegas.

We love to go to shows.

25:25

I mean, I know it’s there.

You go to Vegas, I guarantee you, you’ll see 100 advertisements for all of those shows.

There’s the main ones that always have the main advertisements, and those ones are it.

They’re catering to the women out there who are starved for attention from big bulky men out there.

25:41

I’ll take all the attention from the big bulky men.

What time was your show at?

It was at 7:30, ended around 9:00, so the night is young at 9:00 PM in Vegas and we were off to another adventure at the High Roller.

Finally rode the High Roller.

25:57

Kim finally rode the High Roller.

Now let me just say real quick, you said I want to do Vegas differently.

It’s my birthday.

Maybe it’s Kim over 35 or.

Now over 35.

Whoa, slow it.

Down well, well, you’re 35 now, so that’s over 35, right?

26:14

You know, once you turn 35, it’s over 35.

But you said take it a little bit differently.

No pool parties.

Granted, it’s November, so there aren’t really pool parties.

If it was summer I would have gone to a pool party for sure.

I know you would have, but you’ve been saying for years, every time you go to Vegas, I’m going to ride the High Roller this time and you never you have and then finally you have now that you’ve taken the different mode.

26:36

And what’s your impression of Vegas in the High Roller?

I loved it.

I’m so happy we went on it.

It’s a beautiful view from up there.

Like when you’re in it, it’s kind of underwhelming, but you’re looking out at a beautiful thing.

And I don’t know if you’ve seen this since a recent time that you’ve been, but you have an amazing view of this sphere from the High Roller.

26:58

And the sphere is constantly changing what’s displayed on it.

So it was just like eyes glued like a child looking at the spirit was so cool.

Yeah, we haven’t been in the High Roller since the sphere opened, but we have been in the High Roller both during the day and at night.

27:14

And it sounds like you win at night.

And I think night is the better time to go because all of the city lights are lit up.

It’s just really pretty during the day.

I mean it’s still nice, but I I just prefer it at.

Night, I mean, Vegas has to be seen at night.

That’s exactly why they charge you a different price to do it at night versus the day.

27:30

And it’s more expensive.

At night it’s better, clearly, you know, I mean, if time doesn’t allow for you to do it in the evening, it’s worth the experience to do it.

The views are going to be great, but who doesn’t like to see Vegas at night, like when you’re on the Strip or driving your car?

So the High Roller is just conducive for that.

27:46

Also do it at night.

And I’d heard some misconceptions.

I’d heard they pack you in like sardines.

I don’t know if you guys were the ones that told me that, but we were not packed in like sardines at all.

I don’t think we told you that.

I don’t think any time that we’ve been in there, we were like super, super packed or anything.

28:02

I think where they may pack you like sardines is they only have like 1 bar car available and it’s an open bar for the one way around.

So since that’s very, very limited, I’ve heard that they do that, but I don’t think we told you that, though.

I did not do the open bar and I always thought I would going on the High Roller because of course, why wouldn’t you like it’s an open bar.

28:23

But maybe this is Kim over 3035 now.

I didn’t want to do the open bar.

I can’t.

Really do it.

Like open bar fucks me up these days.

Well I did hear somewhere that it is crowded in the open bar and so you can only get like one or two drink snacks really.

28:40

My hair stylist told me she did the open bar and then she ended up so wasted when she got off she like fell into a fountain.

So I guess it depends.

Depends on who you are.

But there is a bar right before you get on to the High Roller, so we got a drink and then drink it on the 30 minute spin around.

28:58

Well, I know when you’re on the High Roller, of course you’re looking at everything.

And I know you said you were captivated by the sphere, which rightfully so.

I mean, what a unique, awesome building that is.

But did you catch it?

Because of course, you know, they have the video and the guy kind of narrating as you go up a little bit.

29:15

And once you hit a certain height at 420 feet, he goes, hey, we’re at 420 feet.

We’re really high right now.

If you catch that little innuendo.

Did you see when they did that?

I didn’t even notice any narration.

Oh, really?

They have a guy on the screen who does a little bit of a narration, so I thought maybe you would have caught that.

29:35

I remember doing that and thinking that was pretty funny.

Clever.

Funny.

So at this point, it’s got to be around midnight and when in Vegas you walk around.

That is one of the things to do in Vegas, walk the Strip.

So we’re walking, we’re going into casinos.

Some of us are gambling.

29:50

Not me, I’m just along for the ride kind of.

And then we end up kind of getting to the point where we go back to the Flamingo, where they’re staying.

And honestly, now that I think about, I should have just stayed at the Flamingo because it would have been a lot easier to just be near my friends.

But whatever.

30:06

We end up going back there, hanging out in the room for a little while, resting our feet, reapplying the lidocaine.

And then it comes to be around 2:00-ish and everyone’s kind of winding down.

And so I’m like, all right, I should probably head out of here.

30:22

We have another big day tomorrow, but I just happened to, you know, see a message on my Instagram from.

OK, OK, let me back this up for a minute because Jamal and I both sent you happy birthday texts separately.

I did not respond to anybody on my birthday.

30:39

And we did not receive a response.

I’m sorry but here you are checking your Instagram, probably from the guy that gave you a ride to the Flamingo.

She obviously had more important things to do.

Yeah, sorry guys, I didn’t get back to anyone’s message and I did respond to some people like three days later, but.

31:00

And we were not one of them.

We’re not those people.

Sorry, I love you guys.

So anyway, I had said to him, I think I’m going to be going back to my room and he’s like, I’ll be at the Flamingo in 10 minutes where I dropped you off.

Oh, was he a local or was he just staying in Vegas for the weekend himself?

31:22

What’s going on?

No, he’s from the UK, so he had some business in Vegas that he was just there for the weekend too, or I don’t know how long he’d been there, but he was not a local.

He was actually staying at the Trump Tower.

And I got to see the Trump Tower.

So I go down to the Flamingo where he had dropped me off the night before and lo and behold, the hotties there, the hot rods there.

31:45

And like, I only saw him in the hard before.

Now I’m seeing him standing up and I’m like, Oh my God, It’s like a little gift from the gods for my birthday, saying you’ve been a good girl this year.

So what did you guys do?

You know, he just took me home and then that was it.

32:01

No, I don’t believe that.

Yeah, you do know me well.

So we went to the Trump Tower and got some champagne, and then I saw what the Trump Tower rooms look like.

They’re very nice rooms.

Oh, you made it up to the room.

The jacuzzis are also very nice in the room.

32:18

Took a little bubble bath.

Wow, he’s got a nice room.

Might have had a swimsuit, might not have had a swimsuit, I don’t know.

I don’t think you packed one on you.

I was wearing my birthday suit and we had a beautiful time and we had another beautiful time and another beautiful time and another beautiful time.

32:39

And I finally did go back to the Bellagio at about 10:00 AM on Sunday morning.

Oh.

My gosh.

What is with me in hotels and not sleeping in the hotels?

Yeah, you book all of these hotels.

I mean, this happened in Cusco.

This has happened already in Vegas.

32:56

It’s happening another time in Vegas.

Could save a lot of money on those hotels if I just.

Well, she needed to hit gold status on this trip, so that’s why she did that gold status with Marriott.

It was a gold status kind of night, I’ll say that.

Sounds like it.

So it’s 10:00 AM, you finally make it back to your hotel on Sunday morning.

33:16

What did you guys have planned then?

Did you sleep at all?

I’ve been micro dosing sleep this whole weekend.

OK OK so Sunday morning all of my friends were planning to move to the MGMI, didn’t want to move my stuff so they came over to my room and I was still getting ready.

33:32

They were not looking good.

They were in shambles.

Apparently after I left they stayed up till like 5:00 in the morning gambling at the Flamingo all night.

Wow, all night for them.

So we pulled our shit together and we had brunch plans at the Pepper Club in downtown Vegas.

33:48

This is a new brunch place in Vegas that was actually very good and very cute.

It’s in a very quiet neighborhood so you probably wouldn’t really see it unless you were looking for a brunch place ahead of time.

And then it popped up.

But the food was amazing.

They had bottomless mimosas for 35 bucks and she insisted on giving us to go mimosas.

34:08

Beautiful.

Loved it.

I got a fried chicken sandwich that had this delicious Asian sauce on it with like a slaw and it came with truffle parmesan fries.

It was perfect.

You’re making me hungry.

Yes, it was really, really good.

And then from there, the Fremont Street Experience is not too far.

34:25

It was about a 15 minute walk.

So we walked over there, saw all the crazy sights that are to be seen there, you know, people in costumes and the zip line with the light show above you.

And we were trying to kill enough time for the sun to go down so we can go to the neon sign museum.

34:44

Probably going to have to wait until like six or seven.

But we didn’t quite make it because some people, not me, but some people, went a little too hard at the bottomless mimosas and they needed to go home.

Sounds like me and Napa.

No one revisited their mimosas like you and Napa.

35:01

OK.

It was a close call, so we headed back to The MGM, put that person to take a little nap and then we went down in The MGM.

They had this really cool arcade paid bar that had a live band playing and kind of just stayed down there and played some games and drank a little bit for a while.

35:17

But this night we really did say it has to be an early night because tomorrow is the wedding and we can’t be looking in shambles looking like we were today at the wedding tomorrow.

In fact, you’d be proud of me.

Jill kept trying to get me to go down and gamble.

She’s like just come with me, come with me.

35:33

And I’m like, absolutely not.

I’m so tired and no.

So what time do you guys call it a night?

Actually, midnight.

I called it a night at midnight and I went home back to the Bellagio and I actually did go back to my room and go to sleep.

Till what time?

I woke up at 8:00 so I got 8.

35:50

OK, OK. 8 hours of sleep.

That’s good.

That’s good.

So you did put your Bellagio room to use, Brittany.

You can’t say you didn’t.

Yeah, I got one good night out of it.

Beds are really, really comfortable.

And those shades, it’s just so dark.

Loved it.

36:05

The Robes 10 out of 10.

So Monday is a wedding day.

What time was the wedding at?

Wedding is going to be at 1:30 PM, so there’s plenty of time to get ready.

I know that Jamie’s getting her hair and makeup done in The MGM room.

And the guys were supposed to go off and like, go to this punk rock museum and do things with themselves.

36:23

But they were just hanging around.

And I was like, you guys, we’re supposed to have a grand reveal.

But this is a Vegas wedding.

They’ve been together for 12 years, so they did not do anything traditional.

So anyway, I go up to The MGM Week, go get breakfast at the Avenue Cafe in The MGM, which I wouldn’t say is anything to write home about, but if you’re staying there, it’s a fine place for breakfast.

36:45

We get ready and we head down to get a cab because it’s getting close to the time.

And the cab guy who hails the cab for you, we had a bigger group.

There were six of us, so we wouldn’t fit in a normal cab.

And he’s like, do you want to take the limo?

And he directs his hands over to this large, like, suburban vehicle.

37:05

I’m like, that’s not a fucking limo.

Do you actually have a limo?

I was ready to buy a limo, but he said there were no limos.

So we went in this Denali suburban looking thing.

And she was getting married at the iconic Little White Chapel in downtown.

37:21

Oh wow, the little white Chapel.

Jennifer Lopez has been married there.

Britney Spears, Frank Sinatra I think got buried there way back in the day.

That wedding Chapel is an iconic Vegas staple.

And it was really cool to see there’s so many people getting married there and they have different places on the property you can get married.

37:39

So there’s marriages happening concurrently.

And it was cool to see all the different people, what they were wearing.

Some people went traditional, some people went Super Vegas.

I saw Elvis there.

Elvis.

Huh, Elvis?

Elvis can marry you.

I was going to say, did he officiate their wedding or who officiated?

They just have a normal person do it or did they have somebody dress up it?

37:58

Was not Elvis, it was a guy that could have been Elvis age if he was still alive.

OK.

So did you bring your UK man as your plus one?

No, he had to go home.

We had to send him back.

That’s a shame.

I was rooting for him to be there.

38:14

I know, I know.

Maybe one day we’ll see each other again.

Maybe we’ll never see each other again.

Or maybe we’ll end up on 90 Day Fiance.

Who knows, Maybe we’ll be at the Little White Chapel.

So anyway, the wedding has carried on.

Photographer comes.

38:29

The wedding itself was 4 minutes.

I filmed the entire thing like a mom at a soccer club.

It was 4 minutes long.

It was a beautiful wedding, very exciting.

What did you guys do after the wedding?

After the wedding, we went to the Bonanza souvenir shop, which is right down the street.

38:45

It’s like the largest souvenir shop you’ve ever seen.

They wanted to go there, the wedding couple, and we had some time to kill before the reservation for the dinner, so we went there.

It was cool.

OK, Do you guys Remember Me in Costa Rica at that one souvenir shop?

39:02

Where you went and bought 5 different purchases?

Like you would get one thing and then go back and then find another thing.

I’d go back up to the register.

Yes, this was me at the Bonanza.

I bought a little magnet and then I saw this pen and then there was a T-shirt and then there was a dice shaped lollipop.

39:19

I was like Get Me Out of here.

I’ve only been through half of this store.

I can’t Get Me Out of here.

So after that we went to dinner.

Jamie and Patrick picked the dinner spot.

This is not where I would have picked for my wedding reception, but they picked it based on vibes, which it did have vibes in.

39:36

The menu, which was a good menu was called the El Dorado Cantina.

It’s a Mexican restaurant and Squatty’s.

If you’re interested in A2 Fer, this is a good place for you to go because it shared the building literally right next door to the Sapphire strip club.

39:53

Oh, look at that ambiance.

I know, right?

So we had a beautiful dinner here.

We had many, many pictures of margaritas celebrating this union and the newlyweds.

And then when it wrapped up around 4:30, we were going to go to the strip club.

We walked over there, but they didn’t open until 5:00.

40:10

Five, did you stick around to finally go inside or did you guys leave?

We didn’t and I was ready.

I pulled out cash.

I was going to get a lap dance.

Eric, Patrick’s brother that was with us, he’d never been in one before, so we were going to get him a lap dance.

It was going to be an amazing time.

40:26

And I’m just like Vegas, what are you doing?

It’s 430 on a Monday.

Why isn’t the Strip club open?

4:30 on a Monday, yeah.

And you know, that was kind of the end of the night.

We went back to the MGMI had left my stuff in their room.

So it’s only about another hour until I had to go to the airport and call this a weekend.

40:46

Yeah, I was going to say, when did you fly home?

So you flew home Monday evening?

I did look at flights to change my flight till the next day.

I was like one more night, but they didn’t have any good time.

So I was like all right, I’ll go home and I am glad I went home.

There was like no one on the plane.

41:01

I had the whole road to myself.

I slept the entire plane ride home.

I remember seeing your Instagram story and you were just spread out and I did notice the opposing rose that you caught on camera and filmed there.

There was nobody.

So I was like, oh, Kim is like living luxury on this flight.

41:17

Or they really told you to spread out.

And before I’d got on the plane, I went to the lounge in the Las Vegas airport, got a little glass of wine, little nightcap to help me sleep.

And it was 10 out of 10.

Very soon the Sapphire Lounge is opening in Vegas.

They’re building it right now.

It’s not open yet so they have the other lounge which I know exactly which one you’re talking talking about, but I cannot wait for the the Sapphire lounge to open.

41:38

Oh yeah, I saw the signs on the walls they have.

It’s like under construction.

So very soon.

We’ll see.

Coming soon.

So obviously there’s a lot to do in Vegas.

Was there anything on your list that you guys wanted to do, but you didn’t get to do while you were there?

There is so much to do and it just takes forever to get anywhere.

41:56

And when you’re with a group, that makes things harder too.

But there’s a ton of stuff.

I wanted to go to the Alley Lounge 66.

It’s a new rooftop bar at Resorts World, which is another new resort that I haven’t been to.

I would have loved to go there.

The Lake of Dream show and restaurant at the Wynn Toca Madero, this really cool looking restaurant that has like fire dancers and just amazing decor.

42:18

They actually have one in Houston.

So the next time I’m there I’m going to try to go.

We were going to go play mini golf at Pop Stroke.

Never made it.

We were going to go to play playground, which is kind of like this big adult playground couldn’t quite make it, neon sign museum, punk rock museum, the Arte Museum, which is this really cool new place.

42:35

And then lastly, Area 15, which is kind of as you’re driving your way out to downtown, it’s a huge like warehouse looking place that has all these like interactive like psychedelic type things that looked really cool too.

But like with Vegas, you really have to choose like one or two things per day because you just can’t get to it all.

42:55

Or like you’re literally spending half your day in taxis just trying to get there.

Yeah, we’ve been to Vegas so many times.

I feel like it’s been our most visited city outside of like anywhere in California.

And there’s still just so much to do that you’ll never be able to hit it all.

And that’s what I was saying kind of at the beginning of this episode.

43:12

Every time you go there, there’s something new.

You listed all these things that you wanted to get to.

And I guarantee you the next time you go to Vegas, maybe one or two of these is still going to be on that list ’cause there’s going to be something like newer and better.

But that’s the beautiful thing.

There’s no end of options of what you can actually do.

43:29

The other thing that made it a little bit harder for us is they were setting up for the Formula One, which was going to be the following weekend, so they had construction everywhere.

They’re building all the seating and like, why do you have a racetrack going through the strip?

Oh yeah, we were there while they were building that too.

43:45

It just makes it such a big mess even.

More so, yeah, but I loved it.

I had not been to Vegas in five years, since before COVID, so I thought it was well over BC.

Yeah, five years BC.

Last time you were there, you were probably making out with the guy with the neck tattoo, no?

44:02

Actually different guy who I’m still friends with to this day, but that’s beside the point.

It was a really, really good trip.

Vegas is one of those places where I love it, but I also hate it.

Like, I could go another five years without showing my face there again, but we will see.

44:21

And with that, thank you, Squatty so much for tuning in to this week’s episode.

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44:37

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