La La Las Vegas

When I told a coworker it topped 117 degrees in Las Vegas last weekend while I was there for a bachelorette party, I mentioned that it broke records. "The bachelorette party?" he asked. Ha ha. Well, you know what they say, but what happened in Vegas has no need to stay there, so here's what we did while trying to avoid our shoes melting on the sidewalk of the strip (a true fate encountered by a girl we met in an elevator).

We rented a cabana by the pool where thankfully it was shady enough to hang out comfortably despite the furnace-level temps.

We ate a delicious brunch at the Wicked Spoon in the Cosmopolitan. I believe I was quoted as saying "Your plate isn't done until you feel like a monster." Above: rice pudding with dulce de leche, strawberry cream puff, carrot cake, pistachio gelato in mini waffle cone bowl, raspberry rice crispy treat.

We traipsed around the Cosmopolitan admiring pictures of the vintage Vegas days and performers of yore. People just don't dress up like they used to.

We stayed at the Tropicana, which people tended to grimace at when I mentioned, but it's been recently renovated. It may have “...this image as the place where my grandparents used to go,” but I love that about it. Mending is better than ending, and there are plenty of tacky new mega-resorts. Why not keep a place around that has some history but update it in a similar style? It did seem updated, and it was a great choice for a bunch of girls who wanted to hang out by the (giant, five-acre) pool.


Of course, some of the newer resorts are pretty nice, particularly the Wynn, where we went in search of vegan food — did you know Steve Wynn is vegan? There are vegan options at all of the Wynn's numerous restaurants (including vegan room service!). I'm not vegan but I am pescetarian, and I'm always excited to find restaurants with healthier, meatless options in places that typically don't cater to vegans or vegetarians. Viva Las Vegan!

We also checked out several of the Wynn's impressive water features, which helped to make the outdoor heat bearable. Usually people are so over Vegas by the time the trip is over, and while the heat and constant fun-times were exhausting, I definitely would have spent another night and couple hours by the pool. I'm ready to go again — what are your favorite places in Vegas?