It’s our first full day in Vegas and I’m still marveling at how calmly I’ve approached getting around.
This morning we were both up early due to the time difference from home. We went down to breakfast, then decided to try out the hot tub here at the hotel. Before we knew it, it was ten o’clock.
My sister wanted to go to lunch at Wahlburgers and started to look up how long it would take to walk vs. how much it would cost for a Lyft. I asked her if she had looked into public transit (I’d seen a monorail outside our hotel). She looked at me like she had no idea what I meant. So I pulled up my maps app and selected the public transit route. The monorail had a station a few blocks north and we could get off at the Paris/Horseshoe station close by where we wanted to be. Not only that, but there is a hotel shuttle that drops off right outside the monorail station.
I don’t know that she ever thought about public transportation, having always relied on cars. I wouldn’t have thought of it either if I hadn’t done so much traveling with my husband this year. Between visiting DC and Dublin, we used a lot of public transportation and it was actually quite easy. Not only that, but cheaper.
When we got off the monorail, I pulled up my map to figure out how to walk to Wahlburgers. We were walking through a hotel casino and I think that it started to overwhelm her (overstimulation is their whole vibe) and she started to feel turned around. Having been to Wahlburgers before, she had a vague memory of where it should be and kept insisting we weren’t going the right way. We finally figured out that the reason she didn’t recognize everything was because they are setting up the strip for the Grand Prix and a lot of things are blocked off.
We did finally make it to Wahlburgers, we just didn’t go the most direct route. At least she recognized that fact and that if we’d followed the directions I was using it would have been faster.
Following our meal, we decided to walk around a bit and found ourselves in the Bellagio. My sister has stayed there for a convention before, so she told me that they have seasonal flower displays that change throughout the year. When she said “flower display” I was thinking like a flower arrangement. But that is not at all what she meant. As we walked down the hall toward the lobby area, we saw that there were crews setting up for the holidays. I still didn’t get that this was the display she was referring to. Most of the area was blocked off for the crews, but we tried our best to look around. It was amazing and it’s a shame we won’t be able to see the entire display.
So gorgeous! We also went down to the chocolate factory where the display reminded me of Willy Wonka.
We decided to head back to the hotel to rest and change before the concert. But on the way, she wanted to stop and get a chair massage because she’s been fighting off a migraine and her shoulders were tight. She didn’t want me to just stand around waiting for her for the 20 minute massage, so she offered to pay for me. I wish I’d told her not to bother and I could just wander around the cassino.
I’ve never been a huge fan of massage, honestly. Plus I was sweaty from all the walking. I didn’t say anything though, and I feel like a giant bruise after all the digging the woman did with her elbows. When the woman asked if I wanted ten more minutes, I was very quick to say, “No thank you.”
From there we got back on the monorail and took it north to the convention center. Easy peasy. Instead of calling the shuttle to pick us up, we walked to the hotel to get an idea of how bad it would be for after the concert (the shuttle doesn’t run that late). It was not bad at all!
Now we’re resting at the hotel and will be taking the shuttle to the convention center around 4:30 to take the monorail to the MGM, which is right by the Dolby, which is where we will be seeing NKOTB. We’ve been told that the monorail is much easier than cars, especially right now, because so much of the strip has been blocked off for the Grand Prix.
I made sure to text my husband to thank him for his tutelage regarding traveling and public transit. He told me he’s proud of me. He recognized how much anxiety I have had in the past and how huge it is that I’ve been relatively calm throughout this trip, despite my sister’s anxiety. I told him I’m proud of me too.
The concert was FANTASTIC! We were sitting on the third level, but could still see really well. And the best part? When they got into their little pod things, they were RIGHT THERE!
We were right between Jordan and Jonathan. I was close enough to Jordan to see the dimple in his cheek. It was incredible. But Joey (my fav) was on the other side. So we decided to see if we could go again tomorrow night and sit on the other side. Yes, we’re crazy. But yes, we’re going again.
The only slight negative is that my feet are killing me and I have a big ol’ blister on my pinky toe. I’ll be limping tomorrow, but oh well. We’re thinking we’ll go to the Friends Experience, then we’ve got tickets to see The Wizard of Oz at the Sphere, then we’ll book it to the Dolby to see NKOTB again from a slightly different vantage point. It’s going to be a busy day, but I’m looking forward to it.
Now to go to sleep so I can make it through tomorrow!
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