A Glamorous Las Vegas Goodbye to the Old Year
When we said goodbye to the old year in Las Vegas, little did we know that we were also saying goodbye to the last “normal” trip we would go on.
But the time for regretting the actions I didn’t take is done. It’s time for me to step forward and embrace the New Year and new opportunities!
NOTE: This is a post inspired by #FlashbackFriday, where I reminisce about my past experiences for nostalgia, and also to practice my (rusty) writing skills. The events, prices, and other details mentioned are not necessarily accurate when reading. It’s best to assume the events, prices, and other details are from my previous personal experience unless I state otherwise that it is accurate at the time of writing.
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Goodbye, 2018 2023
In December 2018, going to Las Vegas with my then-fiance and a couple of friends didn’t seem like such a big deal. I mean sure, we were going there to celebrate a friend’s birthday and right before New Year’s Eve.
It wasn’t even my first time in Las Vegas (or even the Luxor Hotel for that matter), but what made that trip stand out were 2 things:
#1 – It was my first time being there during the holiday season, as opposed to during summer.
#2 – Though I didn’t know it at the time, it would be the closest thing to a honeymoon I would get until 2023 (thanks, Covid!)
Full disclosure, this post is mainly about my first bullet point. The second one is rather self-explanatory and has been discussed at (agonizing) depth. The only good thing about it is that it eventually has a happy conclusion! Eventually.
Las Vegas in December was a little magical in a glitzy, glamorous kind of way. It might not have the same charm I imagine a snowy landscape during December would have, but my indoorsy nature enjoyed the temperature control.
I’m not sure why it took so long before I got around to checking out Las Vegas in December since it looked so pretty and fascinating, all decked out in Christmas glitz and glamour. Which in retrospect, seemed like such a “duh” moment given Las Vegas’ overall showpiece-y nature. But regardless of the why, I got there eventually!
Waking up in Las Vegas
That trip in particular ended up feeling more romantic than I anticipated. Maybe because of the charming Christmas decor? Or maybe the fact that it was my first (and last) Christmas being engaged to my fiance before we got married?
Either way: it was already a fun and memorable trip to begin with, for a multitude of reasons. But my memories only got fonder over time, looking back on that semi-last-minute trip to Vegas, on a long-ago winter. Mainly thanks to the 5 years that quarantine certainly felt like…
But nostalgia aside, the trip hit upon the marks I look for in a great trip: a relaxed vacation vibe, great food, a fun activity, and the accessibility & availability of matcha.
The matcha is particularly important if I’m in situations where I have to be social.
Since we were visiting Las Vegas with friends, we could relax a lot more than we normally would, hence the relaxed vacation vibes. The only real plan once we were there was to go to a club on our final night. Otherwise, we had nothing in particular to do, or somewhere to be. This meant we had a lot of chances to figure out how to entertain ourselves…
Which is how we somehow ended up on a race track somewhere. For a (high) fee, you can get driven around the race track by a professional driver. Of course, seeing as this was Vegas after all, for a (higher) fee, you can drive around the race track for a couple of laps, as the professional driver coaches you.
Seeing as I’m not even that into rollercoasters, I declined both options myself. While I normally don’t mind participating in activities that are new to me, or not even my thing, the price point just did not make sense for something I was apathetic about.
Instead, I enjoyed watching my then-fiancé enjoy zooming around the track. He and his friend had a great time driving recklessly fast (for non-professional drivers), while still staying relatively safe.
It’s a weird take, but I don’t need to participate in a fun activity myself, for the trip to qualify as a great one. If the people I care about – and especially my significant other – are having a clearly marvelous time, I count that as a win!
I stuck to scrolling through food reviews, picking out restaurants, and exploring buffet options for my version of fun, thank you.
All in all, my now-husband and I lamented that our little winter trip to Las Vegas was the closest thing we had to a honeymoon. At least if we put aside the fact that we weren’t married yet, and we happened to go with another couple, and timed it the way we did to celebrate his friend’s birthday… Yeah, it wasn’t a honeymoon at all, nor was it meant to be in the first place.
Still, the fond memories from that Las Vegas trip helped me be slightly less sad through the worst of the pandemic years. At least until we were able to finally go on our intended honeymoon, back in May 2023.
Finally, while I did take some photos (and surprisingly, a video or two), the pandemic made me regret not taking more. Granted, I didn’t know back then that these would be our last pre-pandemic trip and that those few photos & videos would barely tide me over when regret and wanderlust hit hard.
Hello, 2024!
Hence the (continuing) resolution to document our travels, and embrace future travel opportunities! Whether it’s to new destinations, or returning to old favorites: the goal is to enjoy it fully and document more (in that order).
If the pandemic has taught me anything (good), it’s that it’s to my detriment that I take traveling & similar experiences for granted.
Although a lot of things are in flux for us in 2024, I’m hopeful that I can try to squeeze in some new experiences for myself and my husband. I don’t know yet what they are, but just as we’re getting ready to celebrate the New Year, I’ve been ready for new destinations, experiences, and of course, new food to look forward to!
Just because I don’t know what surprises this year has for me yet, doesn’t mean I can’t be excited for them. Until then, fingers crossed for more traveling (and writing) opportunities this year!
Happy 2024, everyone!!!
