viva las vegas 2025 chapter 1, day 2

LINK: viva las vegas 2025 chapter 1, day 2

Currently listening to: I’ll Never Break Your Heart – Backstreet Boys

I’ll never break your heart
I’ll never make you cry
I’d rather die than live without you
I’ll give you all of me (give you all of me)
Honey, that’s no lie (that’s no lie)

I slept like a damn log and didn’t wake up until almost 1030. I didn’t realize how wiped out I was, but clearly my body needed the rest. By the time I rolled out of bed, Five Star was already up, showered, and ready to go. I hopped in the shower with a quickness so I could catch up. She mentioned wanting to gamble her $20 credit before heading over to the Palms to check out their pool, and then eventually make her way home.

While I was packing, she went to Starbucks to use up her $50 food credit. I left a tip for housekeeping, finished packing my belongings, and texted her, asking if she wanted me to bring her things and just meet her at Starbs. She thought that was a good plan.

Vegas is a melting pot, but I couldn’t help notice hella Filipinos on the strip. I always thought Koreans had a reputation for loving to gamble, but I think Filipinos and Vietnamese folks might give them a run for their money.

At Starbucks, Five Star handed me a bottled water, some egg bites, and an Americano. I’m never one to turn down free coffee or a free hotel room, for that matter. She was in one of those talkative moods, so we ended up talking longer than we planned. Before she knew it, she was already late getting to the Palms. I gave her a quick hug goodbye and headed toward the rideshare pickup.

Of course I got lost inside the casino hotel. After some wandering, I finally figured out the right direction, only to bump into Five Star again. She was tempted to sit down at a slot machine, but since she already had people waiting on her, she forced herself to keep moving.

The Uber driver to the airport ended up having the same name as Zaddy. Awkward. He kept saying my name, so I’d say his, and the whole thing was triggering. He was loquacious, telling me about all the tipsy millennials and MILFs heading to the BSB concert, swearing that Kevin was theirs. Oh Jesus. I mean, I love those singers too, but fantasizing about being with them is a whole different level. To change the subject, I asked him about his favorite food spots. He recommended Edo, a tapas and wine place, though he mentioned they’d recently opened a sister spot called Anima by EDO that he also thought was worth trying. I mentally bookmarked it, maybe I’ll ask Buddy H to try it out first?

I’d originally planned to hang out at the Centurion Lounge, but since I already had an Americano and egg bites, I decided to skip it. That turned out to be the right choice anyway, because the lounge was in another terminal that required a tram ride. Meanwhile, my gate got switched five times. I swear, I got all my steps in just running back and forth to different gates.

Once I boarded, I kicked off my shoes (don’t worry, the socks stayed on) and settled in by the window. A Filipino guy with a Pop Mart bag sat next to me. Naturally, I had to ask what he bought because I was curious if they had different things in Vegas versus in SoCal. Turned out he got a Cry Baby plush, which was stupid cute. We ended up talking about plushies for a solid ten minutes until I started to feel drowsy.

The flight was barely 40 minutes, so service was minimal. Just water. I slept most of the way home, thanks to the Dramamine.

Landing was a harsh return to reality. I rushed home to unpack, do laundry, and jump back into work mode. Le sigh. It was such a short trip, but so much fun.

Can’t wait till I go back again…