A Day of Sin
Oh how we love our day trips. When we found an opportunity to go to Vegas, my hometown, we couldn’t resist. We brought along a new member of the team and an experienced Day Tripper. As you can see, our flight out of Long Beach left before the sun came up. We flew JetBlue roudtrip for $76.40 per person including taxes and fees. We left Long Beach at 7:00am and landed again at 9:30pm. A nice 14 hour trip to the city of sin; aka…home.
Long Beach is a much calmer airport than LAX. Lines were minimal and parking was easy. It was also 7am on a Saturday to be fair.
My best friend Brandon picked us up from the airport with his daughter Paisley in tow. Our first stop was Bonnie Springs ranch for some breakfast and ridiculous wild west themed props. During the day they have shootouts, hangings, and a melodrama. Everyone is in period specific garb and it’s a place I visited many times when I was young. Smoked my first cigarette at Bonnie Springs. It was made out of sugar.
From the Wild West to the early 1900’s. These are the things that built Las Vegas. Housed in the courthouse that once prosecuted most of the people it now honors, the Mob Museum is a great stop for anyone traveling to Vegas.
They had the original electric chair from Sing Sing prison. They also had this replica so Cat fried her friend!
How many people does it take to finish a Fish Bowl of Moscow Mule at Park on Fremont? We learned that four people is not enough. We kept drinking, and it kept giving. I think we did a pretty good job of finishing it, but honestly who can tell.
Fremont East is the new, hip neighborhood in Vegas. When I went to high school downtown this was a place that you would not want to walk around without a few friends who had your back. Even then you might wish one of them to be armed. Now downtown Vegas is filled with amazing bars and restaurants, many of which reside inside of the Container Park. Here is the gatekeeper; a flame throwing mantis.
As previously mentioned in other posts like this one, staying hydrated is necessary for one day trips. Fortunately, you can get a drink just about anywhere in Vegas. These shots were courtesy of the D Hotel where we gambled a bit.
My dad loved White Castle. He was from Chicago and grew up on them. In my childhood the closest thing I had was the frozen version. With enough ketchup and mustard they’re ok (they taste like ketchup and mustard), but my experience with White Castle hasn’t been perfect. That said, Cat loves White Castle. Loves it. With an opportunity to get some fresh it seemed wrong to deny her. So here we are at the only White Castle west of the Mississippi.
This ridiculous canopy was built while I was a kid in Vegas. There is a big light show that runs the length of Fremont Street between Las Vegas Blvd and Main St. They’ve grown to include zip lines above and street vendors below. Unfortunately, they cut down and removed some of the most iconic Vegas signage such as Vegas Vic and Vicky.
Unfortunately some of our favorite bars on Fremont weren’t open yet, but if you decide to make the trek, be sure to visit the Common Wealth, the Griffith, Beauty Bar, and the Downtown Cocktail Bar.
We do love our day trips, and Vegas was another good example of why they’re so much fun. Cram as much as you can into a short amount of time. Get a small taste of a city before you’re back on a plane and heading home, each time vowing to return. For me, Vegas is still home, but now that LA is my permanent residence it’s fun to come back and be a tourist in my own town. To see the changes that crop up, and we all know Vegas is quite the chameleon.