Since we had an idea of what “the new Vegas” is like post-COVID after our trip in July, I think that set the stage for what to expect and also allowed us not to feel underwhelmed as we did on our previous trip. There were still some restaurants/bars that close down mid-week, which was the time we visited. But overall, Vegas was more open in January 2021 than it was in July 2020. That makes me hopeful but also still slightly nervous as the crowds are just so slim right now.
We took advantage of the light crowds and having a car to take in some Vegas we have not done in a while and/or have not done yet. One of the first stops was the Welcome To Las Vegas Sign. We have only visited the sign once as it is on the bus route. When I spotted practically no crowd/line to get a photo, we planned a stop when we were on the southbound direction of Las Vegas Boulevard.
The show girls accept tips and there is a man there offering to take photos, which are completely free. I tipped each of them $5 and was glad they were there for photos. Don’t freight, the showgirls told me I could take off my mask for the photo. I promise, there was no harm done to the showgirls during the taking of these photos.
The new experience was a visit to The Neon Sign Museum. This museum works to restore the old signs of Las Vegas’ past. Since the location is a little harder to get to via the bus, it was a perfect opportunity since we had Kenyon’s car. I didn’t think we would be able to go see this attraction since in the weeks prior, they weren’t showing the guided tour, which is what we really wanted. We checked on tickets early Wednesday morning and saw they had guided tours and the Brilliant extra tour options. They also had not yet sold any ticket in the 8:30pm time slot which meant we could possibly get our own private guided tour.
As luck would have it, there was only two other people in our group, a couple of Mexico City that were very nice. We loved our guide Matt. He was fantastic.
After our guided tour, we were walked over to the “boneyard” section for the Brilliant laser/light show. This was ahhhhhh-mazing! And what was even better is we were the only two people there.
This portion of the tour, which costs extra, is the opportunity to look at Vegas signs that are unable to be restored so they are brought back to life using lasers that also includes a really neat light show with music. It was fantastic and I highly recommend both the guided tour and the Brilliant light show. We might need to make this a stop on future trips. This was one of the attractions that I just could not stop taking photos. I loved it.
We walked around Fremont Street during the daytime, which didn’t feel any safer than the nighttime. I tell ya, Fremont Street is starting to feel a bit sketchy lately. We parked at the new Circa Hotel and Casino which is beautiful. I found out on our tour at The Neon Sign Museum that the photo I took at the hotel is one of their restored signs.
They also have restored signs all along Las Vegas Boulevard. I didn’t even know this. We were able to see the various signs as we braved the very, very, very light traffic returning to our hotel.
Anyway, Circa is beautiful and it is a paradise for a sports enthusiast with three levels of sports viewing/betting and so many beers on tap. If it wasn’t in Fremont Street, I might consider staying there on a future trip. They also have a Swim Stadium. I had to get a photo with this masked guy outside a sandwich shop and as we were leaving, the gal inside asked if she was able to successfully photo bomb me. I love it!
We continued towards the Banger Brewery and next door was Heart Attack Grill. We knew we needed something to tide us over so we shared a burger, fries, and shake. OMG. I had heartburn like you would not believe after that. The food was good and the ambiance was interesting.
The beer at the brewery was just okay. I was super full from Heart Attack Grill and the beers just takes too “hoppy” for my taste.
We played off free play at various casinos and had a few wins to keep us entertained.
Having the car meant we could give our feet a break and drive/park at different hotels along The Strip. We also had resort credit to use for food and some MyKonami and GroupOn deals which meant we didn’t have to spend much on food. On our stop at Walmart for some water and Coke Zero I also picked up some light beer and drink mixers. The mini fridges in the room are now empty due to COVID and we had a car/cooler so we didn’t have to worry about drinking all our fluids before boarding a plane. That also helped cut down on cost.
We rolled out of town with plans to spend the night south of Salt Lake City. Along the route we stopped at Eureka Hotel and Casino in Mesquite, NV where this couple won $12,000 on a slot machine jackpot. Oh man was I jealous! I spotted The Creamery of I15 in Beaver, UT and convinced Kenyon to make the five minute drive into town to get some cheese curds and ice cream. It was delicious.
We spent the night in Lehi, UT so we could hit up the Container Store in Salt Lake City before we headed home. We will be back through SLC in March so I decided not to go to any of the Coach Outlets. It was a tough decision but since I love my current purse, I didn’t figure I should temp myself.
We will not be traveling again until March. It is time to hunker down and focus on my weightless journey.
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