Road Trip Diary Day 22 Los Angeles to Las Vegas

We left the hotel this morning and headed out for Sedona, AZ. Kenin was very excited because we were going to drive to the Grand Canyon. Neither of us have ever seen it, and it’s on both of our bucket lists, so this was going to be a real adventure. We had been to Scottsdale earlier this year, and already missed one chance to see it. Who knew our road trip would end up being from Los Angeles to Las Vegas instead?

This was the first day that I actually drove from the starting point to our destination. I have probably driven less than 10 hours on this trip so far and I have been itching to drive for a while now. We left LA and were cruising down “the 15” towards Sedona, when we pass a sign for the Hooters casino in Vegas. I casually point out the sign and I glance over at Kenin. He is giving me the “oh no you don’t” look from behind his sunglasses. “We are going to see the Grand Canyon” he says to me. “We have reservations”. Lucky for me, reservations can be changed with one phone call. :-)

After getting off of the phone with La Quinta Reservations, we “set the course for fun” and were on our way to Las Vegas.The way I see it the Grand Canyon has been around for thousands of years and it will still be there when we take our next trip. Plus, what’s a road trip without a few detours?!

Vegas Baby!

We get to Vegas and check into our hotel. After making the dogs comfortable and getting ourselves ready, we set off for a night on the town. We hit a couple of casinos and walked up and down the strip while tossing back some $1 buy one get one free margaritas. I fully immersed myself in the giant, flashy, gaudiness that is Las Vegas. It really is an oasis in the middle of the desert, an oasis made of cheap, harsh booze. I am pretty sure “What Happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas” is the motto because no one can ever remember it the next day.

Kenin and I walked down to Circus Circus and played some slots. We’ve been to Vegas before but had never made it this far down the strip. I must say that Circus Circus was one of the strangest casinos I’ve ever been in. With it’s odd mix of gambling and carnival style midway games, it has something for everyone. What really makes Circus Circus though, is all the customers. With more weirdos per capita than any other casino, it made for prime people watching. Once we had our fill of oddities we wandered slowly back up the strip to take in the fountains at the Bellagio and the “epic” pirate battle at Treasure Island.

Inevitably we found ourselves back inside a casino and ended the night a few bucks down. We then realized we were so wrapped up in all of the flash and bang of Vegas that we had forgotten to eat and were famished! We went back out on the strip in search of an epic dinner. We walked by restaurant after restaurant picking up few more drinks along the way. After passing what felt like hundreds of restaurants offering Vegas’s finest delicacies and not being able to agree on a single one, we saw a sign that solved our problem for us. We could have an extra classy dinner combo of beer and a hotdog for $2.50.

You can’t beat that offer! Now on any normal night, I would turn my nose up at a hotdog, but this was Vegas Baby, so Kenin and I jumped on this opportunity like a stripper on a dollar bill. We did the classy thing and placed our order to go. Then we took a romantic stroll back to the hotel, each with a beer in one hand and a hotdog in the other. It was pure bliss! After leaving the swanky establishments of Los Angeles the day before, this somehow seemed to put my life back into balance. Slots+margaritas+hotdogs+beer+Kenin= sated Lauren. We went to bed that night with one mission: Tomorrow we win back our dough!