What Made Us Decide to Go to Vegas?
When Carly first brought up the idea of going to Vegas for the first time, it was before the pandemic, and I have to be honest that my instinct was that I didn’t really want to go. It always seemed way too expensive for what you were getting and not something that I would really be into (i.e. shows, gambling, etc.) Fast forward to March 2021, though, and I feel like I have a completely different perspective on things like Vegas. Instead of thinking of all the reasons not to do it, I feel like I have more of a willingness to just go for it and experience things at least once.
Knowing that Carly really wanted to go, I started to look into it and get really excited. The thing I had to realize with Vegas is that it can be anything that you want it to be. Whether that’s night clubs, nice restaurants, the craps tables, roller coasters, concerts — you get the picture. It can be anything. We just had to make our Vegas vacation exactly what we wanted it to be for us, and experience it at least once. With that backdrop in mind, we wanted to make sure that we experienced it all without killing ourselves. We were intent on truly experiencing what Vegas had to offer a young, married couple in their early 30s.
The Many Adventures of the Denver Airport
After a few close calls at the airport with Carly, she is determined to make us get there early enough now that we have plenty of time to get through security without feeling stressed. Little did we know when we got there 2 hours ahead of time that the line for security was going to be twice as long as we’ve ever seen before. The line snaked all the way around the normal queue, but also kept going for another couple hundred people after that.
Who knows if we would’ve been fine waiting in the line, but neither of us felt like it, so we turned to an ace I’ve been holding up my sleeve for some time. If you are at an airport with the little CLEAR terminals that let you skip the line and you’ve never signed up with them before, you can sign up for a two week free trial right then and there and be through security in about 5 minutes flat. You can only do it once, but it felt necessary this time, so just a little pro tip there!
Now that we were two hours early for our flight, we had time to stop at Snooze for quick bite to eat and our first drinks of the Vegas vacation. If you ever get the chance to check out Snooze for breakfast, you should definitely try it! After that, it was smooth sailing all the way to Vegas!
Kellers in Vegas for the First Time!
All week long, Carly was making sure that I was going to be recording as we got off the plane into the airport, something that I was happy to do, but a little confused on why at the time. She also kept bringing up wanting to dress up for some reason, and I convinced her that I’d rather be comfortable, again not understanding the intent. I recorded a few seconds as we got off the plane and put my camera away, not thinking much else of it. As we got to baggage claim, though, Carly was drawing a lot of attention to the limo drivers with the people’s names on the sign, saying how fun it would be if one of them had our name. Well… sure enough, there’s a gentleman waiting with a “Kellers in Vegas” sign at our baggage claim!
I have to admit that with the fatigue from waking up early and traveling, I didn’t immediately realize that it was for us… I was completely surprised by Carly with the limo pickup at the airport for our first arrival in Vegas, which was absolutely perfect. We had the driver take us by the Welcome to Las Vegas sign, but it was 110 degrees and the line was terribly long for a picture, so we ran, took some quick pictures, and ran back to the limo’s air conditioning!
Checking into The Cosmopolitan for the First Time
Arriving like VIPs in our limo when it was time to check-in our hotel room at The Cosmopolitan, the valet was quick to jump out and help us with our bags – clearly we must be somebody if we’re rolling up in a limo, right? Walking into the lobby for the first time was like walking into another world. The Cosmo smelled and looked… sexy… even in the lobby, and I was eager to get checked in and start walking around the casino floor, looking for the first place to throw some money in.
Our choice to stay at the Cosmo was mostly because it is the only hotel on the Strip that had outdoor patios in the rooms (without getting crazy). This was something that would’ve been much more appreciated in cooler temperatures, but it was nice to have that extra space to relax. The Cosmo was also in the perfect location in the middle of a lot of things we wanted to do. The rooms with patios just so happen to face right towards the Bellagio fountains too, which is a pretty good plus.
We checked in, but our room wasn’t quite ready. We stashed our bags with the front desk and hung around the Cosmo casino taking it all in for a little bit. Carly was quick to sit down at the slots that were calling her name, and I discovered bubble craps. In bubble craps, there are giant dice in the middle that are shaken by the machine, while everyone bets electronically. It’s a good way to get introduced to craps that isn’t quite as intimidating! Look it up! Once our room was ready, we headed up to unpack and change.
Making our Way to Hell’s Kitchen
Carly made dinner reservations for us at Gordon Ramsay’s Hell’s Kitchen months in advance. We decided to walk it, as Caesar’s Palace was only two hotels down from the Cosmo. We went through the Bellagio on our way because it was so hot it felt like we were in hell already, and not just the kitchen. I would’ve loved to walk out front of the Bellagio and see the fountains up close, but it wasn’t worth it.
We did a lot of walking through the Bellagio and Caesar’s Palace, trying to take everything in. I thought we would be doing a lot more gambling, but I think we were both a little overwhelmed with all the options of what to do. It was good to get the lay of the land, though. Eventually, we made our way over to Hell’s Kitchen, arriving as the envy of folks that hadn’t thought to make reservations like Carly!
Entering Hell’s Kitchen… and Freezing?
When we checked in, the hostess promptly brought us to our table… all the way in the back… as far away from Hell’s Kitchen as possible. I stole a few glances as we walked back, and made a mental note to make sure I walked past the kitchen on the way out. It was still really cool to see where they competed on the show! As soon as we sat down, it became obvious that sitting underneath the AC vent when it’s 110 degrees outside wasn’t going to make for the most comfortable dining experience. We were there, though, and weren’t going to pass up on this opportunity.
Ordering the Classic Hell’s Kitchen Favorites and Then Some
We’re fairly new fans of the show, but we watched the last season of Hell’s Kitchen before coming and we were intent on trying all of the dishes we had been dreaming of! Even though I love scallops, I knew I had to get the signature lobster risotto for appetizer. It is featured prominently on the show, and was the first time I had ever eaten risotto. Turns out it tastes just as good as it looks. Even though it started to get a little cold from the AC, I managed to eat almost all of it.
For our entrees, as anyone that watches Gordon Ramsey knows, we had to get the Beef Wellington. We decided to go with the salmon that someone described as the best salmon they’d ever had, as our second entree. We complimented both with the prosciutto and smoked gouda mac & cheese. While everything was masterfully cooked and beautifully presented, I will say that beef Wellington probably isn’t something I’ll order again. I’m glad I got it and tried it, but it just didn’t do anything for me.
The salmon and mac and cheese were incredible, but the problem was that everything, almost immediately, was freezing cold underneath the AC. I’m sure we would’ve enjoyed it more if the food stayed warm longer than a couple minutes. It certainly put a damper on our dinner we were anticipating for months, but overall, it was still an incredible experience. Oh.. and I made sure to walk by the kitchen on the way out!
Entering the Magical Bellagio Conservatory for the First Time
Our original plan was to check out the Bellagio Conservatory on our walk to Hell’s Kitchen, but there were way too many people packed in at the time. We decided that we’d try to stop back by some other time, when hopefully it was less busy. On our way back from Hell’s Kitchen, we walked back through the Bellagio and there were significantly less people in the conservatory. Time to go in!
This was another place in Vegas where it felt like you transported to another world as soon as you stepped in. The high glass ceilings of the conservatory made you forget that you were in a casino or hotel. The designers expertly picked out the theme’s decor, with the centerpiece a giant… forest fairy? That’s my interpretation at least. It was even more incredible in person than the pictures capture.
The surprises around every corner kept us guessing and made us want to explore everywhere that we could! The conservatory changes the decor every season – Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter. We caught the Summer display being there over the 4th of July. I’m excited to come back in a different season and see how it changes!
Visiting the Taco Bell Cantina Late Night
After Hell’s Kitchen, the plan was to walk back to the Cosmo and go to the chandelier bar there, but we ended up taking a slight detour by the Taco Bell Cantina across the street. There’s just something a little funny about going from Gordon Ramsey to Taco Bell! Don’t tell Gordon, but Carly liked Taco Bell better than Hell’s Kitchen. Really though, the highlight for her was the hard cherry slushy.
Enough Fun for One Day!
With our long day of traveling and walking to dinner and back, neither one of us had a ton of energy left in the tank. We decided that we’d cancel our reservation at the chandelier bar and make sure that we got a good night’s sleep for our many activities the next day. We sat on the balcony of our room, taking in the Vegas lights at night, with all the people bustling about below us, before retiring to bed. Normally, we would keep our curtains closed at night, but laying in bed, we had a view of the Paris Eiffel Tower and the Ferris wheel. We slept with the curtains open falling asleep to the spectacular view. How was this only Day 1?
Stay tuned for Day 2!