Viva Las Vegas!

It has been six years since I last went to Las Vegas. I remember the last time I went there; I was only 16. I am 22 years old, so I am old enough to gamble. Returning to Las Vegas made me so excited because I can gamble. That was the only thing that I cared about. After I came back from the trip to D.C. and New York, my mom told me that the whole family would go to Las Vegas a week later. I was like Oh my God, my summer vacation would continue. Only three days in Las Vegas, but it made so many memories, and the most memorable memory that will stay inside me forever is something I will tell you in this post. Now, let’s go to Las Vegas with me.

Me at Bellagio

At 5 a.m. on Friday, we began our trip. Our first stop was Seven Magic Mountains. I had seen many people come to this place to check-in. Seven colorful rocks were stocking on each other, creating a sight for people to visit. It is incredible when those rocks can be kept in such a stable position. It’s impressive. We didn’t stay long because of two reasons. One was that nothing much to do there. And second, the sky was gloomy. We drove to the Lazy Dog restaurant to have lunch there. Lazy Dog is a fancy fast-food restaurant. They served high-quality food in terms of fast food. They also had alcohol. One thing I like about Lazy Dog is the quantity and quality of the food. I can guarantee you that you cannot be able to finish your meal there. It is a lot, but enough to make you whole. I can see that it’s worth the money you paid. Then, we drove to the hotel to check-in. On the way, I saw a hotel that made me feel sad. It’s Mandalay Bay. In 2017, a gun massacre happened here and took away the lives of so many people. It was considered the deadliest gun massacre in modern history. Quite emotional.

The hotel we stayed in was Excalibur. That was the first time I stayed in that hotel. The first time I came to Las Vegas, we stayed in New York, New York. Many of you know what Excalibur looks like. It has a design of a medieval castle. But after Covid-19, the hotel didn’t restore anything. Outside the hotel, the paints looked old. Inside each room, they only had plastic cups, no bottle of water, and no mini fridge. It was a disappointment. I want to tell you a funny story. Las Vegas is such an expensive city. Our family didn’t want to waste money on things it was not worth. So, we brought so many things with us as if we just came out of Costco—instant noodles, Coke, banh mi, water, electric kettle, tea, fruits, etc. We didn’t miss anything. I remember we even brought a rice cooker the last time we visited Las Vegas. That was weird. I believe saving money to gamble is our number 1 priority. Since we had to go at 5 a.m., I went to sleep immediately after checking in. I was so tired. I wanted to stay awake for the whole night to gamble.

At 5 p.m., I woke up, changed my clothes, and got ready for the next scheduled trip. We walked on the street, passed through each hotel, tried Coke worldwide, and stopped at Eiffel Tower at Paris Hotel. I believe it costs $20 per person to get on the top of the tower. However, you should know that the space on the top of the tower was very narrow. So after you spend enough time there, you should get down to save the place for other people. We went up there to watch the sunset. That was all. Then, we came back to the hotel to have dinner. Once again, we had fast food for dinner. It was at Johnny Rockets. The decoration of this place impressed me the most. It had the 50s vibe there. I looked at the menu and didn’t know what to choose. Besides, I am on a diet, so anything that is less calories is welcome. But come on, that was a fast-food restaurant. They will not have any food that has fewer calories or is healthy. Luckily, they have chicken tender, so I ordered one for myself. After dinner, I went to my room to change my clothes again and be ready for the night. Half of my family was tired after the trip, so they stayed at the hotel to gamble. The rest went to Fremont Street Experience. It is the street that has a LED ceiling featuring all kinds of images, a free concert with a different DJ each night, shops that open all day, take flight on the SlotZilla Zipline, and other “exceptional” experiences that are only for adults. It was fun, though.

We returned to the hotel around 11:30 p.m. it was my time, baby. Gamble. At first, we went to New York, New York, to gamble. I sat at a blackjack table with my two aunts for the first time. Oh, before I continue, I want to tell you a fun story. While I was at the casino, some security approached me and asked me for my I.D. They would not believe that I am 22 years old. They thought I was only 16 or 17 years old. I think I am forever young. As we sat at the blackjack table, the minimum bet on that table was $15. I won some rounds, but in the end, I was busted the whole time and lost $100. Then, we came back to Excalibur. By that time, I separated. I sat at a different table to try my luck. But there was no use. I lost again. In total, I lost $200 in blackjack. Of course, $200 was not a significant amount, but it was the money my mom gave me for luck. There was no luck after all. Eventually, I brought $800. I left the table and turned to the slot machine. There were thousands of slot machines at the casino. I didn’t know which one I should choose. My aunt told me that I had to watch out for someone losing money at a slot machine and getting up, then I had to jump in immediately. They believe that after losing, the machine will let others win. And vice versa. I looked around, but no one was standing up. It seemed like everyone was winning. Then, there was a slot machine that caught my attention the most. It was a “Crazy Rich Asians” slot machine, and since I am an Asian, I jumped in immediately. At first, I only bet $20 and won back $141. I was about to stand up, but I saw a lady who sat next to me at the same slot machine stand up, and she looked sad; I jumped in immediately. I put the voucher that I had just cashed out. I drew and won $239. I looked at the time on my phone, it was 3 a.m., and I wanted to rest. However, as I put the voucher inside my wallet and planned to use it the next day, I saw $3. I sat back and put $3 in. I mean, there was no way I could win with only $3. But I was wrong. I won $22 from $3. It was unbelievable. After returning to my room, I showered because my clothes smelled smoky. That was the end of the first day in Las Vegas.

The next day, after having breakfast in our room with instant noodles, we went to Bellagio. This hotel, it has a big garden that, each season, they will decorate differently. This is summer, so they chose a tropical theme to decorate. It always looks creative and beautiful. After spending time in that hotel for about 2 hours, we had lunch at Planet Hollywood. There was a restaurant inside that casino where they served lunch for only $5.99 on every dish. The food was delicious. Then, we went to the Venetian. This is a casino and hotel has an Italy theme. We returned to the hotel at 6 p.m. and drove to the restaurant at 7 p.m. We had a hot pot for dinner. It was such a long line to get into that restaurant. Eventually, at 8 p.m., there was a table for us. After that, we returned to the hotel at 10 p.m. I changed my shirt. I brought with me a T-shirt with detail of $100 bills and a cat. I could never expect the t-shirt to bring me luck for the last night I was in Las Vegas.

I tried the “Crazy Rich Asians” slot machine again. I didn’t put in the $239 voucher I won last night. I put in $100 instead. When I lost about $70, I won back $150 and then $300 and lost again. I am a person who believes in spirituality. I clasped my hands and looked up. There were different prizes. The Grand is $10,000. The Major is $550. The Minor is $20. The Mini is $10. I kept getting the Mini and lost a few. I began to pray to win. The same thing happened to me the night before. There was a lady who lost that machine. I jumped in. In my voucher, I had $211. I put the voucher in to continue the same. I prayed again. After 20 minutes of losing and winning, I drew three diamond rings, which I would get a free game. The machine automatically played 12 free games for me. Suddenly, at the final free game, I won a spinning wheel. It was not the first time I won a spinning wheel. I won one the night before. But it was only the Mini x2, which was $20. I spin. And finally, a miracle happened. The arrow stopped at the Major, which was $550. I screamed out loud that everyone around looked at me. I didn’t feel embarrassed at all. I was so excited, so I screamed. I won $761 from the “Crazy Rich Asians” slot machine. Combined with the $239 I won the night before, I won $1,000. That was unbelievable! While my family lost, I won. I cashed out and had $1,000 in my hand. I ended the night earlier than I expected. I slept well that night.

The next morning, we went home. Three days in Las Vegas is a memorable trip for me. Not only I won $1,000 but also the first time I came back after 6 years. It is a short time, but Las Vegas constantly changes. When the night comes, Las Vegas brightens up with millions of lights. People come in and out of the casino. They can stay there without knowing what time it is. As usual, I will share some tips if you plan to visit Las Vegas.

1. To save money, bringing some food from home with you is best. You will need them. Especially after you come back from the casino, you will feel hungry. If you win, it doesn’t matter. But if you lose, you can return to your room and eat some snacks you had prepared before.

2. The drink at the casino is always free. When I was playing at the slot machine, I could not count how many glasses I took. From dry martini to cosmopolitan, margarita to Long Island iced tea, Mai-tai to the aviator. And so much more. You only sit and order when a waitress passes by. All you have to do is tip the waitress.

3. If you are spiritual like me, you can pray and choose the right time to gamble. Trust me; it will work because it worked the same for me.

4. Never bet under $100. You will never win. The chance to win a game with $1 or $5 is meager.

5. Choose the time between 11 p.m. To 3 a.m or from 6 a.m to 9 a.m. to play because it is the time that the house actually lets you win.

That is all I’d like to share with you. I hope that you will win big. Remember what happened in Vegas? Stay in Vegas.