36 Hours In Las Vegas: My Last Minute Trip

Prior Thoughts on Las Vegas

If you know me, you know there are two cities in the United States where I’ve always said that I need to make way more money before visiting. Those cities are Miami and Las Vegas.

I have nothing against either city. However, each city has a reputation of being very luxurious and expensive. I’ve always believed that to have a proper experience, you must be willing to shell out some cash. Which I am currently unwilling to do.

Last December this changed when work told me at the last minute that I needed to fly to Vegas to cover a meeting.

Conflicting Trips: Las Vegas and Aruba

Now, by no means was this trip to Vegas a vacation. I flew in on a Thursday morning around 10 am and had to Uber straight to the hotel for a day full of meetings.

However, this presented me with a unique opportunity. I would be able to visit Las Vegas and see all that the city has to offer. While at the same time, be able to expense my flight, lodging, and food while visiting the city.

The caveat of this whole trip is that I already had a trip booked to Aruba to go on vacation with my sister, Aunt, and Grandfather, with my flight leaving from JFK airport on Sunday morning. Meaning I would only be spending about 36 hours in Las Vegas. I would arrive in Vegas on Friday at 10 am and leave the following day on Saturday at 11 pm. Take a red-eye flight from Las Vegas to JFK and then hop on a second flight, which would take me from JFK to Aruba.

Now, while this may sound daunting for most, I am one of those weird people who love everything about traveling. I love the airport, the plane, the flight, and everything associated with travel.

This blog will detail the 36 hours I spent in Las Vegas and my travel journey from Vegas to Aruba!

Leaving for Las Vegas

With two very different trips ahead and not wanting to check two bags on the plane, I had to be very strategic with what I packed. I would go from a work trip in Las Vegas where I would need to bring dress clothes, including a full suit and casual dinner clothes. While also needing to pack clothes to enjoy Island life. Including shorts, t-shirts, bathing suits, and nice dinner outfits. The temperatures would not be remotely similar, and if anyone knows me, I am a very last-second and terrible packer.

With my flight to Las Vegas leaving Philly around 7 am, I decided it would be a good idea to wake up extra early to pack and then head straight to the airport for my flight. Lucky for me, I had a 5-hour flight with no wifi to work from, so I was able to sleep during my flight.

Packed and ready to leave, I took an Uber to the airport around 4:45 and was ready to start my 36 hours visiting Las Vegas!

Arriving in Las Vegas

My flight arrived in Las Vegas around 10 am PDT, and I took an Uber straight to the conference center where my meetings were.

With my flight arriving an hour after the meetings had already started, I wore my full suit on the flight and brought my luggage straight to the table with me. Before I could even take a full breath in Las Vegas, I was getting straight to work!

My first event was only two hours long and was over before I knew it! The event we were sponsoring had a weird schedule, meaning I would have a lot of free time on my hands during my short trip to Vegas.

Exploring Vegas: Day 1

After my first event finished, I checked into my hotel room and needed to find some food. I was staying at the Hotel/Casino where the event was held, The Orleans. The check-in was quick, and with around 3 hours of free time before my last meeting of the day, I headed out to explore the town!

I walked down the Las Vegas strip, explored the MGM Grand, and got food at one of the bars/restaurants within it. The Orleans is a little bit off of the main strip in Vegas. So, to be on time for my next meeting, I decided to head back to The Orleans to prepare for the last meeting of that day.

After a brief hour-and-a-half meeting to end the day, I had the rest of the night ahead of me. Our meeting ended at around 730, and my next event was not until the next day at 8 am. My whole reason for being in Vegas was for these meetings, so I knew I wanted to be in bed early to be well-rested for my second and final day in Las Vegas.

Dinner

Being from the Northeast, I have never had In and Out Burger, and the only thing to check off my bucket list when visiting Las Vegas was to try it for the first time! The closest In and Out Burger to my hotel was roughly a one-mile walk each way toward the strip. And not wanting to have to explain Uber rides back and forth from In and Out Burger on my expense report, I decided it would be nice to have an evening walk.

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I was very excited to arrive at In and Out Burger for the first time, and my eyes were bigger than my stomach. I eagerly ordered combo #2, which consisted of a cheeseburger, fries, and a drink, as well as getting a double-double cheeseburger.

However, I made a crucial mistake, taking my order to go and did not eat at the In and Out location. The burgers and fries were still phenomenal. Once I decided to eat, most of the food was cold.

In and Out Burger Ratings

Double Double Cheeseburger: 7.3/10

Cheeseburger: 6.7/10

Fries: 7.2/10

Soda (coca-cola): 7.5/10

While, in my opinion, In and Out Burger may be a tad overrated, I can only imagine how good everything would have tasted if it was fresh and still hot!

With an early morning of meetings, I decided to head to bed early to be well-rested and fresh for my second day in Las Vegas.

Las Vegas: Day 2

My meetings finished around noon on my second and final day in Las Vegas. However, my flight out was not until 11 pm, meaning I would have a lot of free time.

My first meeting of the day started around 730. Not being a morning person, I pressed for time and did not have time to go anywhere to get breakfast. Lucky for me, there was a Chick-fil-A grab-and-go station set up. I picked up a coffee and a breakfast sandwich and headed to my morning meetings.

The morning meetings flew by, and before I knew it, all of my meetings and work that I needed to do while in Las Vegas was over with!

I now had 8 hours of free time on a Saturday in Las Vegas!!

I grabbed lunch with one of my colleagues at a brunch spot in the hotel. Following brunch, we decided to play a few table games at the casino since it was a Saturday and we no longer had any work to do.

Not wanting to spend all my free time in Vegas sitting in a casino, we decided to hit the strip and walk around to explore for a bit. We saw different casinos and highlights of Vegas before heading to a Japanese, Ondori Asian Kitchen restaurant for dinner.

The Japanese restaurant was phenomenal. I ordered chicken teriyaki, and we split a sushi appetizer. By no means was it the best sushi or chicken teriyaki I have ever had. However, It was very good and surprisingly affordable for Las Vegas.

Before I knew it, it was time to head back to the hotel, check out, and head to the airport.

This would start my long journey from Las Vegas to JFK airport to Aruba!!

Las Vegas to Aruba

My journey to Aruba was not quite what I thought it would be when my Aunt invited my sister and me to visit with her. For context, my Aunt recently bought land in Aruba following her extended stay on the island during COVID-19.

She owns a phenomenal piece of land in an amazing neighborhood just a short walk from the beach. The goal of going to Aruba was to meet with different contractors to start planning her house build. When we originally planned the trip, I did not know of my work trip to Vegas.With my work trip coming at the last minute I was forced to change my flights. Instead of flying directly from Philadelphia to Aruba. I would now fly from Las Vegas to JFK and then to Aruba.

Heading to the Airport

My flight departed from Las Vegas at 1130 pm. On the way to the airport, we passed the Sphere. It was all lit up at night. I arrived at the airport a bit early, so I decided to grab a drink and call my mom to catch her up on how my trip was going.

The airport was still all set for the F1 race that Vegas hosted a few weeks before so I went through the shops checking out the F1 gear and before I knew it, it was time to head to my gate to board my flight.

I took a redeye from Las Vegas to JFK airport and after sleeping the whole time on the plane I landed around 6:30 am in New York. Very tired I made my way off the plane and over to H&H Bagels to grab breakfast and a coffee.

I ordered bacon, egg, and cheese, then found a spot to sit and eat before heading to my gate to board my flight to Aruba!!

Arriving In Aruba

My Aunt and Grandfather were waiting for me at the airport as soon as I landed. They arrived in Aruba one day prior and had already picked up our rental car, checked into the house, and went grocery shopping.

We stopped at Bugaloe’s for a quick lunch before heading to the house. Bugaloe’s is a small beach bar and grill right on the water. Which was an amazing introduction to Aruba and much needed after a long travel day!

We ordered some amazing jalapeno peppers and grilled grouper sandwiches.

Bugaloe Beach Bar and Grill Ratings

Jalapeno Peppers: 9.2/10

Grilled Grouper Sandwich: 8.9/10

After lunch, we made one last quick stop before going to the house. We stopped at a local grocery store to grab more rum and juice to make cocktails.

In less than 24 hours, I went from attending work meetings in Las Vegas to sitting poolside at our house drinking rum cocktails. As soon as I arrived in Aruba, I knew I was in for an amazing and relaxing trip. To make it even better, my sister joins us in 2 days!

I will be writing a few blogs detailing the rest of our time in Aruba!

Be sure to check out our other blog posts! While you’re there check out our photo gallery with all of our unposted shots we have taken on our trips.

Till next time – Josh 🙂