5 Travel Tips For Las Vegas

Oh Vegas… it has been a year and a half too long.

I recently went on a long weekend trip to Las Vegas with one of my best friends to celebrate her 25th birthday! And after the reflecting on the trip, I thought to myself, man, I have experienced many different times here and have enjoyed/learned so much, I gotta help someone out who may be planning their trip here. This past time I was there for 4 fun days and I gotta say, after 4 long days, I was ready to get my ass back to Los Angeles. The Vegas exhaustion is REAL from the crazy heat, walking, alcohol, and food.. But I guess that’s just part of it all because during those days… you have a BLAST. And if you have never been to Vegas, or would like a do-over from your last blow-out trip, this post is for YOU to have the absolute best time. I got you, boo.

Side note – Leading up to the trip when we were planning out the weekend we kept in mind the rules and procedures for staying cautious and aware of the global climate that we have been in and are transitioning to. For all traveling, I still encourage all to remain being self aware while enjoying yourself!

If you’re ready for some Vegas tips.. Below are my top 5 tips to ensure that you have the BEST trip to Vegas!

  1. First thing’s first – you have to take inventory of what YOU want to do in Vegas. There is so much to get into! And especially with the world opening, there are now even more opportunities for you. Do you want to go to shows? Concerts? Day pool parties or night clubs? High end restaurants? Bars? Museums? Tours? Gamble? Do a trip out to the Grand Canyon? There is A LOT – exactly. So once you narrow that down, the fun begins.
  2. Deals, baby. There is absolutely no reason to pay top dollar for hotel stays, flights, etc. Find the deals and utilize sites that are there to bundle flights and stays (that end up saving you money!) My favorite is expedia.com but there are soo many others. Groupon.com is also another great one for all different types of discounted experiences in Vegas! (PS- vegas.com is such a great resource to see what is going on in Vegas. Another random resource is social media!)
  3. Divide and conquer – make plans AND make room for nothing-ness. Trust me on this one. You always end up doing WAY more walking than you ever expect to, and maybe even more eating/drinking, lol. So when you make plans and reservations for things that you want to do as well as time to rest up, you’ll be able to continue going without burning out too fast.
  4. BE. FCKING. SAFE. – I know I sound like an annoying older sister or maybe even mom with this one.. but I just had to add this one in here. Whether it be everyone in your group sharing each other’s location on your phone, keeping close guard on your bag/wallet/phone, the buddy system, etc… I once had a friend get her bag stolen at the pool on the first day in Vegas. Her wallet, phone, ID was gone. Not a good time. And just from hearing/seeing other crazy stories, trust me on this one, being more aware of your surroundings can make a big difference.
  5. Wear comfortable shoes. – I know what you’re thinking… “But what about my cute heels that I just bought for the trip?” What I will say is, GIRL I HEAR YOU, and so do your feet. So bring the heels for dinner/an outfit of the night pic, but do not torture yourself with walking in them all night walking/in a night club. You’ll end up wanting to take them off and walk barefoot and from seeing the Vegas sidewalks .. you don’t wanna do that. (PRO TIP: if you love heels/cute shoes.. invest in a cute pair that is comfortable! The best purchase I ever made were these Rebecca Minkoff heels. I wore them in Vegas at night for drinks and dinner and they were SO comfortable. And not to mention cute AF.)

By this time, I’m sure your yawning with all of these tips because you are eager to just pack your bags and go, I get it! I hope these few basically tips can prep you for a great weekend and that you enjoy yourself! I have had some really awesome trips to Vegas (dare I say 8 times now for fun also for work, to be fair) so I love having these experiences to share to anyone who can take something valuable from them. Whether that be the advice, save some money, or just a good laugh.

Above all – HAVE FUN!! 🙂

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OKAY I’m not done yet.. Below are 3 extra hot tips that I’ve learned during my too many Vegas trips. Let me know if you use these!

HOT TIP #1: Are you a club-scene or day pool party lover, and don’t want to wait in the lines and spend crazy amounts of $$$ to get in? Let me do you in on a hot Vegas tip: club promoters will pass out free entree tickets and give a number for guest list (mainly for girls, so if you are a guy- I am sorry!!) during the day in Vegas. The weird thing, yes, is that they are just chillin’ on the Vegas strip and that’s part of their hustle! So if you are in need of free entree for you and your girls.. try looking out for club promoters on the strip. They need people to fill their guest list, and you need a free entree to the club. There you go! Another thing you can look for/try is look up Vegas promoters on Instagram. My friends and I used to do this back in the day and it worked great! (Side note- though this is a true tip, be safe with who you speak to, always. And if you do not feel comfortable seeking promoters, you can still enter the club for a fee!)

HOT TIP #2: Do you enjoy day drinking, and not paying a crazy fortune? Sounds like you need to stop by the liquor store to buy some drinks for your hotel and then dump into a reusable cup to bring with you while you walk around! It feels so foreign but it’s Vegas, so you’re allowed to do that there. My tip here is stock up on what you enjoy casually drinking, fill up a tumbler cup, get some ice at the ice machine on your floor, and enjoy your walk with that White Claw. That way, you’re not paying a crazy amount at a bar/convenient store just for one, you’ll have a whole case in your room! (PRO TIP: ask your Uber/taxi driver to stop at the liquor store after they pick you up from the airport. My last trip, our taxi driver actually offered to make that stop, and it totally saved us a long walk!)

HOT TIP #3: If you’re already tired of walking around the strip and all of the hotels/casinos there… go to Fremont Street / Downtown! They have live music, light shows, zip-lining and then your typical shops, restaurants, and bars/casinos. It’s more of a laid back scene which can be a nice switch up after all of the glitz and glam in the strip hotels. I recently referred to it as a similar place to Hollywood Blvd in the sense of, you never know what kind of people you will see there.. and that really stuck in my mind.

No matter what you end up doing, have fun, be safe, and enjoy yourself. 🙂

Three Years In LA

When I first had the idea of moving to LA, it was all very whimsical and dreamy. I was imagining a colorful life with lots of sunshine, palm trees, livin’ la vida loca on the west coast (which I am still trying to decide which takes the stamp of approval for the best coast.) Don’t get me wrong, I knew the move was going to be hard and not actually whimsical, but when I imagined living in LA I couldn’t help but think of all of the movies and YouTube videos I watched prior to moving that painted the city in such an incredible way. And when I moved, that is the way I wanted to see it. That saying, looking through rose-colored glasses sounds about right.

I was just turning 21, didn’t have a plan, didn’t have a job, no place to live, sold my car back in PA, only knew two people in the city which I was moving with, and had about $5,000 in my bank account specifically for moving expenses that ended up dwindling down to $500 REAL fast. I had a one-way ticket from Philly to LAX with not a god damn idea what I was about to do, but somehow it felt right. When I look back on that day that I jumped on the flight with two of my childhood best friends, I ask myself “how was I so calm?” But I guess that’s just it, something about it felt right. And from there I turned my fear and doubts into determination.

Moving across the country has been the most challenging, most rewarding thing I have done for my life. It’s funny that when I write about it now, the actual moving process feels like it was all a dream because now I just think of LA as home. It took a really long time to feel like home and every now and then I do find myself day dreaming about living other places, but for the past three years I can confidently say that living in LA has changed my life in ways I could have never imagined. These years have given me so much joy while simultaneously shoving my face into the ground. Which, come to think of it, I think that is just the balancing act of life in general, ha!

I would love to share more of my journey of moving cross country, things I would have done differently, ins and outs of LA, but for now, I will share a hand-full of things that I have learned living in LA in my early twenties:

-You may need to lose yourself to find yourself again, and that is totally okay.

-By experimenting, getting adventurous, and trying new things, you learn about yourself and find your own nich in the city.

-The homeless population is unlike anything I have ever seen.

-In-N-Out Burger really is as good as the reviews say. I am forever and always endowed to that place. My order if I really want to get crazy: A number one double-double with grilled onions, animal style fries, and a chocolate shake.

-Just like any place that you move to, it is what you make of it. If you choose to focus on the shitty things, you will have a shitty experience. If you choose to focus on the beautiful things and the things that made you fall in love with the environment, then you will have a wonderful experience. And that is not to say ignore the bad things, it is just to focus on the good rather than the bad but to be aware of it all.

-Expensive AF. Los Angeles is known to be an expensive city, and boy is that true. Doing my research prior to moving helped me be prepared but when you’re living in it, it’s a whole other story.

-The melting pot of people in Los Angeles is unlike anything I have ever seen. The native Angelenos, the transplants, the cultures, the energy… Everyone brings a little something different to the city. We all simultaneously coexist in the same environment while experiencing life differently. That is one of the main reasons why I love living here.

-LA is not for everyone, but if it is something that interests you, then give it a shot! Why not?

After all, I am just an ordinary gal who found a spark in LA, gave it a shot, and here we are three years later. Looking back to where I am today, I would not change a thing.

Love Always,

Jen

Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve

Sometimes life gets a little hectic and you forget to wind down and do thinks that you love. Work/school gets busy, chores pile up, overwhelming situations… Life happens! Personally, most of my time is devoted to work and the rest of the time I don’t always set aside for “me time.” I find that finding “me time” gives me piece of mind after a crazy day/week. And when I am able to, I love to set aside time for exploring, travel, and adventure. I find that I am my absolute happiest when I am exploring and learning.

The other week I did just that: planned a day to venture out of Los Angeles and see the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve for my own eyes. I have been hearing that since there was so much rain fall this year (more than normal) that poppy flowers and wildflowers have been blooming like crazy. I was fascinated with the idea of seeing fields of flowers in bloom, so I just had to make a trip. And I’m so glad I did, this will forever be one of my favorite memories.

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The Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve is a natural state reserve. There are fields of poppy flowers and wildflowers that are typically in bloom from February through May. With eight miles of trails, it’s a great area to take the day to explore. Get out of the city, get into the country side, and breathe a little. And if you plan on visiting, go prepared! Bring sunscreen, walking/hiking shoes, and lots and lots of water. (I forgot my sunscreen and my back turned into a tomato!!)

Since I live in the city, I sometimes forget to appreciate the little things like grass, flowers, trees, etc. But there at the reserve, natures’ beauty was surrounding me. Beautiful flowers, intriguing hills/mountains, and country roads that seem to go on for days.

This experience I will always hold close to. I had a moment of pure bliss. Pure happiness. The feeling where you are completely content with where you are. And in that moment, everything becomes calm.