Tam had a wedding to go to, and I was the lucky +1 to come with. Since we were going to be on the mainland anyway, we decided to turn our Vegas trip into a West Coast tour (read: #maxxsburgertour). All adventures start somewhere, so here we go!

Waking up in Vegas

Are you here for EDC, bro?

Tam and I flew overnight to Vegas, and I tried to sleep as much as I could. Unfortunately, there was a guy whose snoring reverberated throughout the whole plane. I was surprised Tam slept at all. I sure didn't. Sleep was important; we had 24 hours to do Vegas right.

Getting Around

Vegas has done a pretty good job of adopting ride-sharing apps into its economy. However, they do put it out of the way so that taxis have the first crack at customers. More frequented spots, like the airport and hotels on the strip have designated pick up zones. The airport one was in the parking garage. Let me tell you that walking to the garage was hot. I embraced the heat. Tam? Not so much; he jokingly hissed at me each time the sun touched his face.

As for which service we used... We primarily used Lyft, since Tam still has some discounts on his rides. The ride was pleasant, but like everything else in Vegas: HOT. Apparently 12pm isn't when it gets hot in Vegas... It's between 4pm and 5pm. Yikes.

MGM Grand

The day of the wedding also preceded EDC. If you don't know, EDC is a huge music festival in the middle of the desert. I went before it was a huge thing, and don't really remember it being so busy. Then again, I went 5 years ago, when EDM was starting to pick up with Avicii's Levels. I'm old now, so I can't keep up with the kiddies. Anyway, we were expecting that the hotel would be busy. The Lyft drivers kept asking if we were here for EDC, so you kind of know it's a big deal.

The lobby was mostly empty, which was a good sign. We were lucky, and the MGM let us check into our hotel room early! Yay! After a quick nap, we headed over to meet our friend and old store manager.

The Linq - Hash-a-Go-Go

Lyft dropped us off at The Linq Promenade, which is basically an outdoor mall. Did I mention it was around 90-100 degrees outside? Because it was. The promenade was interesting because it had a lot of California eateries like In-N-Out, Sprinkles, Yardhouse... Etc. The lamposts and trees also had this misters that sprayed water periodically. This might sound weird, but you can smell the differences in treated water. At the very least, I can. Anyway, we ducked into The Linq Hotel and started our 30 minute wait at Hash-a-Go-Go...

Front: Margie's Crab Cake Benedict and Back: Andy's Sage Fried Chicken

I actually have a hard time eating greasy foods as the first thing in the day, especially when I travel. It's for bathroom reasons. Anyway, here are pictures of things you can get. The servings are huge!

The Cosmopolitan - Wicked Spoon

The wedding was small and beautiful, held in the Forever Grand Wedding Chapel. It was an intimate ceremony, and I didn't take any pictures during it. They had a professional for that anyway!

We took a Lyft to the Cosmopolitan for the reception. The Wicked Spoon is apparently a very popular buffet, and they have private rooms for events! I didn't know that... My brother saw pictures of it and might even steal the idea because it's so good.

Anyway, they had tons of different stuff. Off the top of my head I can remember:

Cheese Station
Meat Station
Asian Food station, complete with make your own pho
Seafood Station, you can get your own pan roast of seafood
Salad Bar
Dessert Bar (yum!)

I ate a little more than I did at lunch, yay! Small weddings are nice because they seem more intimate and you have all your favorite people around.

Palace Station - Oyster Bar

After the wedding reception, we took a nap and headed out again. We walked through the MGM lobby so Tam could see what it means to get into a club in Vegas. If you haven't done it before, it's advisable to get on the guest list for some reason. I think it has to do with entry fees. Also, you should apparently have a good girl to guy ratio. The lines are insanely long, I've done clubbing in Vegas once. It isn't really my thing, so I feel like I'm talking about some alien custom. Haha.

What I can talk about is that we took a Lyft to a hotel off the strip. We came here to eat at the Oyster Bar. DELICIOUS. The cooking is done right in front of you, so the progress of your food isn't ever a question.

The best part is that they have an "early" morning special, where you get 6 oysters/$10. The cocktail sauce they serve with it is the right ratio of all the ingredients. We ate 12... We also ate the Bouill-Roast, which was a combo of their bouillabaisse and pan-roast all in one. I can't compare it to a cioppino, but it was amazing. The seafood was fresh and the sauce/soup was very savory! I would go again for sure!

Just keep in mind that it is a bar, so you have to stand in line to get a seat. Tam and I don't mind waiting for long periods of time, which is a win in my book. Although, if you go at a weird hour like we did... You can more easily eavesdrop on neighboring conversations. One we heard was a guy and girl arguing about how she called him by her ex's name... when they were "in the room." Yikes.

4am Strolling

We took a Lyft to the Bellagio. Tam's never been in there and I wanted to show him my favorite part of Vegas. If you don't know, the Bellagio has this beautiful indoor garden that they change at least monthly? When I came to Vegas last February, it had a Chinese New Year themed setup. This season, it was modeled with an Italian theme. 4am is the best time to see this if you don't want to be jostled around by crowds.

We then took a Lyft back to the hotel. It was 5am, and we only had 5 hours before hopping onto our next plane!

If you're curious about our Lyft Drivers, you should check this post out.