On Memorial Day, we drove to Las Vegas for a staycation with Choco’s family. They rented an entire home on AirBnB with plenty of room and a pool which all of us enjoyed despite the heatwave that weekend. It’s both a celebration for his two sisters’ birthday and a much-needed break for everyone as most of his relatives are front liners.
The house is located quite near from The Strip, but before we made our way there, we first stopped by Seven Magic Mountains– an art installation consisting of seven gigantic boulders painted in different colors. Created by Swiss artist Ugo Rondinone, it was supposed to be a temporary exhibit but later on found a permanent fixture in the deserts of Nevada. I’ve been wanting to see it in person but only had the chance now despite a handful of past trips in Las Vegas. There were a lot of people at the time that made it quite tricky to get a decent shot and we couldn’t stay for more than five minutes because of the unbearable heat. It was still a good sight to behold and I definitely recommend it.
Where we stayed:
It’s my first time visiting Las Vegas with Choco and I wanted to experience the revelry with him. We decided to extend our stay for one more day after getting a good hotel deal. MGM Grand was well-worth the price despite our last-minute booking. It’s in a prime location, just right off The Strip, and little did we know that most (if not all) hotel parking spaces are complimentary. I’m not sure if this was already the case before Covid happened but it saved us some bucks after hopping from one casino to another.
I hate the term “new normal” with a passion but there is no better term to describe how Las Vegas has been running amid the pandemic. Its people learned how to adapt in this current environment while practicing safety precautions. Our hotel, for one, has safety stickers for important spots which indicate they were thoroughly disinfected. They also gave us a kit that contains masks, a sanitizer, and a key tool used to avoid touching surfaces like elevator buttons and etc.
Where we ate:
One of the main reasons why we wanted to prolong our vacation was for the food scene in Las Vegas. Most buffets have remained closed but Wicked Spoon inside Cosmopolitan Las Vegas has already reopened. I was so excited to try it, having seen it in the buffet episode of Worth It. It’s one of the higher-end buffets in the area but worthy of the price, in my opinion. We were just supposed to book reservations for the next day but found out they’re closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays so that day was the only chance we have. Luckily enough, we were able to get seats at the last minute.
I know the concept of buffets is not the most doable in a pandemic but Wicked Spoon was able to adjust effectively. It is still divided to different areas such as Asian, southern, seafood, and dessert among many others. We were impressed with how a staff member was assigned to each station who would courteously hand you a serving of your choice. This hampers close contact to the foods while still enjoying the buffet experience.
Typically, restaurants such as this concentrate more on quantity than quality but Wicked Spoon nailed both aspects. The crab legs dipped in butter have to be on top of my favorites, as well as the Texan barbecue platter (that pulled pork and mac and cheese combo was so good.) We also picked a variety of desserts and every single one of them was just amazing. The Thai tea gelato was so flavorful and that meringue-like texture of the passionfruit dome was out of the ordinary.
The next day before leaving for Arizona, we headed back to Cosmopolitan for a favorite of mine. I always say The Strip is like a pocket version of the US that features renowned foods of different states and one of which is Hattie B’s. I’ve been raving about this southern fried chicken spot since the first time I tried it on one of my layovers. I also made sure I’d get to try the original location in Nashville although this Vegas counterpart is already as authentic as it can get.
I went overboard on my first try not knowing how hot southern fried chicken can be. This time, we only went for mild which supposedly only has a “touch of heat,” but it was still so spicy! Just a fair warning for everyone unless your spice tolerance is high. We paired our dark meat chicken with crinkle cut fries and pimiento mac and cheese which easily became Choco’s favorite. All of it was complemented by their Nashville Comeback sauce made with mayonnaise, honey and a signature spice blend. I still dream about that dip up until this day.
I love frequenting Block 16 Urban Food Hall, where Hattie B’s is located, for its wide array of cuisines and good ambience. Across from it, there are other options such as LA-homegrown Eggslut and of course, Milk Bar, a New York classic owned by celebrity chef Christina Tossi. I knew Choco would most likely love their cereal milk soft serve and I didn’t stand corrected. He loves how the simplicity of cereal milk worked well with the additional crunch from the cereal toppings. I also bought some b’day cake truffles, which is a personal favorite of mine, best eaten while still chilled.
What we did:
Choco always says he doesn’t have the good fortune when it comes to gambling but strongly believes that I do. This was caused by my beginner’s luck when we played Roulette in the Bahamas last year where I won over $200. I don’t even know how that happened considering I’m not a big risk-taker. That was my first time ever playing the game and it became our sole option whenever we would find ourselves in a casino. Of course, the new normal requires people to wear masks at all times when inside the casino premises which everyone obliged to. We took our time playing the same game in ARIA and then again in The Venetian when we went out the first night. We strolled along the Grand Canal Shoppes as well but most stores were closed early. There is a certain glum hovering in the atmosphere and I felt it’s not as alive anymore compared to the last time I was there four years ago. It was still such an experience hearing the gondola singers serenade the crowd. That never gets old.
Las Vegas is both thriving and careful at the same time. It’s still a no-brainer weekend getaway especially now that it is within a driving reach from us in San Diego. While it still hasn’t earned back its old splendor, I hope people who will visit would take extra precautions and practice enough distancing while we all traverse through this “new normal.”