My partner and two of our closest friends decided to spend a week in Vegas, and I was more than happy to start planning the trip.

Between the four of us, it wouldn’t be hard to fill a week’s itinerary with things to do, see, and eat.

When I told others that we’d be there for a week, they thought that sounded like a lot of time. But we didn’t plan to do Vegas the way most people think when they think of Vegas. No Hangover scenario for us. Just sunshine, good food, and some fun (mostly family-friendly) activities – a solid vacation.

Before we knew it, we were getting on a plane!

Two Polaroids. One of two people looking over a balcony at the Vegas Strip at night. One of a hotel lobby with colourful glass art pieces on the ceiling. — *Late night exploring the Bellagio (Aug 2024)*

We landed around 10:30 p.m. Nevada time, so we checked into our stay at the Paris Las Vegas and decided to do a little walk around our hotel and the Bellagio across the street before heading to bed.

Two people smiling and laughing over a table full of breakfast foods. — *Delicious brunch at Paris Las Vegas (Aug 2024)*

Waking up on the morning of Day One, I was full of energy and ready for a long day of exploring. We grabbed brunch at the hotel, and then almost immediately started the party.

I’m not a big drinker. But my friend and I were set on getting an iconic super giant Fat Tuesday drink to carry with us around the Vegas Strip. The drink container was almost as tall as me! Honestly, it was just nice to have a cold slushie beverage with us to sip as we walked around in the desert heat.

Two Polaroids. One of four people taking a selfie with a large plastic tube full of slushie. The other photo is a person drinking the slushie from the 5-foot tube. — *Giant Fat Tuesday drinks (Aug 2024)*

The goal for the day was to walk south from our Paris hotel and check out all of the themed hotels on that side of the Strip.

So we went to Park MGM and wandered the Haus of Gaga, which is a small museum of sorts where you can see a lot of Lady Gaga’s iconic Looks on display. Then honestly just continued our journey to explore New York, New York, the medieval Excalibur and the Luxor’s Egyptian theme.

Three Polaroids. One of a sign that reads "Haus of Gaga Las Vegas". One of a bust wearing a blue hat and blonde wig. One of a meat dress on a mannequin. — *Haus of Gaga (Aug 2024)*

Everything on Google Maps looks quite close, but Vegas is deceptively big. We spent so much time walking around and between hotels, it was exhausting but totally worth it.

Two Polaroids. One of a curtained door labelled "1923 Prohibition Bar". The other of two Old Fashioned cocktails. — *Old Fashioned’s at 1923 (Aug 2024)*

Once we reached Mandalay Bay, one of the hotels closer to the south end of the Strip, we visited 1923 Prohibition, a speakeasy where we each had a different type of Old Fashioned. I love whiskey that tastes like a campfire.

After a day of walking, we were absolutely spent and left so excited for our dinner reservation that evening at Best Friend.

Two Polaroids. One of a sign that reads "Best Friend. BBQ, Food, Snacks". The other is a plate filled with rice and beef. — *Best Friend restaurant (Aug 2024)*

Best Friend is a Korean restaurant at Park MGM with rave reviews, so we knew we had to go. We ordered a few types of dishes and shared everything family style, and barely talked, we were so caught up in how delicious everything tasted!

It was a jam-packed day, and I think we were all ready to lay down and rest. The next day we’d walk in the other direction and explore the north side of the Strip!