Where else, but Vegas again! Day 1

My friend Eden was coming in from Hong Kong for a wedding. While he was here he wanted to visit Las Vegas. When I was in HK visiting him he took me to Macau. I couldn't miss this opportunity to go with him to Vegas. Plus its another reason to go back to Vegas.

I took a late flight out on Thursday. I haven't been to Vegas on a weekend in a very long time. I didn't know what to expect. I was used to going on the weekdays when it was a little bit slower.

Waiting at the airport.


I can never go on a trip without checking what the latest Skymall has to offer.




I fell asleep on the plane but woke up a few times just to snap a quick pic.

We started to descend. So

A sight for sore eyes. Vegas here I come.

I never get board of the Vegas baggage claim area.

Hopped on the cab and took a quick ride to MGM. Taxi guy did not try to hustle me this time like my previous trip. It cost about $12 bucks to get to MGM from the airport. Unlike the last time I was here the guy tried to take me for $20 bucks.


My friends had arrived earlier in the day and were waiting for me to arrive.


MGM is going through a big renovation and so this is their new look. They were also having some pretty big promotions for their new rooms. I was able to book a room on Thursday for $39 and Friday for $79 using my promotion as a player. I don't like the fact that pretty much all hotels are now charging you a resort fee that covers the gym, wifi, and a few other amenities. I don't use the amenities, but now I'm forced to pay it. At the MGM its $25 per day.

Here is my friend waiting for me. Not what I was expecting as a welcoming arrival. LOL

The new renovated rooms are a nice look from the previous and they gave me a pretty good view for what I paid.

After settling in for a bit we headed out for some food. I took them to the usual spot that my friends and I frequent often. Ichiza. It's off the strip a little, but totally worth a visit.

Very good food without the Vegas price.

Let the drinking commence.

A little complementary dish. Seaweed and tentacles.

I think this was roasted eggplant.

Salmon sashimi

Sauteed spinach and mushrooms

I think this was stewed pork belly.

Yellow Tail Tuna tartar

Jalapeno fried rice. One of my favorite dishes.

Potato croquettes

Spider Roll. (Fried softshell crab)

Udon

We had a few other repeat dishes, another beer, and finished it with the Honey Toast. All of that food ended up only costing us $105 with tip included. There is a lot of good food off the strip if you're not afraid to venture off from the strip. You can get a lot more for your money.

by the time we were done eating it was around 11:30. We didn't have any plans for that night. I had a friend that was in Vegas the same time I was for his bachelor party. I tried to meet up with him, but he was at TAO and we were not dressed for the occasion. We decided to just head back to the hotel for some drinks and gambling.

By the time we started drinking my friends were tired and headed off to bed around 3am. I was wide awake and decided to continue gambling and drinking solo. Called it a night around 6:30am. It was very chill day. Not what I'm used to at all. Hopefully we can make up for it tomorrow.