Just as we were about to leave for the Strip, we got a phone call from one of the girls who left early to inform us that there was an active shooter situation near the casinos. Someone had shot two people (killing one) before barricading himself inside a bus on the Strip. Thus began a four-hour standoff with the police...and a whole lot of hanging out at the house for us. I'm not complaining - this was our situation.
Once the shooter was finally taken into custody, we hightailed it to the famous Welcome sign for a quick group picture before stopping at New York, New York for some gambling. We did, however, run into Elvis at the Welcome sign, which is always a treat. What's a trip to Vegas without running into someone who gets paid to look absolutely nothing like Elvis?
Due to the incident earlier in the day, we found ourselves in a bit of a time crunch, so we rushed home to change before heading back down to the Linq for our last night out. As an incredible thank you to us, Hannah bought us tickets to ride the High Roller, the massive ferris wheel on the Strip, before dinner. Even better, we were in a pod with a bartender and an open bar, so we spent the next half-hour drooling over the stunning views of the city with drinks in-hand. Oddly enough, many of the casinos turned off their lights midway through our ride in honor of "Earth Hour," but that actually made for some even prettier, very unusual Vegas views.
After the ride, we hustled through the Linq Promenade to get to Caesar's Palace in time for our dinner reservations at Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill. The southwestern fare was absolutely delicious and I was able to try some red chile barbecue duck and goat cheese queso fundido before tearing into my chicken and black bean quesadilla. I know what I like, guys...and what I like is quesadillas. After dinner, we ventured over to the Bellagio in hopes of seeing the fountains, but they had already finished for the night. Instead, we meandered around the ever-changing, breathtaking lobby, which had a Japanese spring theme this time around. Thanks to our antics the night before, we decided to call it an early night. So early, in fact, that our Uber driver made fun of us. Another sign I'm getting old.
The next morning, several of the girls had to leave early, so those of us with later flights decided to get brunch on the Strip. This also gave us the opportunity to see the Bellagio fountains before heading home, which is always okay in my book. With our luggage in tow, we watched the fountains dance to "Singin' in the Rain" before heading across the street to Mon Ami Gabi at the Paris. My phone was dying, so I wasn't able to get any pictures of the place or the food, but I assure you - it was wonderful. Also, the room had a perfect view of the fountains across the street, so I was in my Vegas happy place. I did, however, manage to snap a picture of a Trump impersonator on the street...or maybe it was the real Trump. Who knows at this point?
Hannah, her sister, and I went to the airport together, so we spent about an hour rehashing the trip before going our separate ways. I've been to Vegas many times before, but there's just something about going with best friends that makes it even better. I can't wait to celebrate with this pretty girl next month when she ties the knot!
You had a SICK...NIGHT!
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