Today we woke up leisurely.
Then we leisurely did a little work on the computer.
Then we leisurely made our way down to the pool, where we leisurely lounged for a couple of hours.
Are you sensing a theme here?
Leisurely.
And it felt so freakin' good.
After the pace of life lately—and especially after arriving in Vegas already exhausted—today was exactly what I needed.
There were no reservations we had to race to. No alarm telling us when to get up. No carefully planned itinerary telling us where we needed to be next.
And maybe most importantly, for an extended period of time, I wasn't responsible for anything or anyone.
I could just decide what I wanted to do in that exact moment.
Pool?
Sure.
Sit here a little longer?
Absolutely.
Hungry?
Let's go find something.
It sounds incredibly simple, but I don't think I realized how much I needed a day like this until I was actually living it.
Leisurely Lunch
We headed over to Earl of Sandwich inside the Miracle Mile Shops, where I ordered a Caesar salad and broccoli cheese soup.
My official review:
Average.
Not terrible.
Not delicious.
Not something I'm going to dream about when I get home.
Just... food.
And sometimes that's all lunch needs to be.
Then We Grabbed the Camera
After lunch, we grabbed the camera and decided to go exploring.
No real agenda.
Just wandering around and seeing what we could find.
And this is where the day got really fun.
Vegas has this whole other layer hiding behind the giant casinos and flashing signs. Once you start paying attention, there are strange little things tucked everywhere.
We found two secret speakeasy doors. And honestly I'm glad it was too early for them to be open because I don't want to know what kind of crazy 'Eyes Wide Shut' Sh$t goes on here.
We found a secret pizza place.
We wandered into the ridiculously bougie Shops at Crystals, where I briefly felt like my bank account should probably wait outside.
We found a giant typewriter eraser, because apparently that's a thing.
And at some point we casually walked through New York City.
Only in Vegas can you wander around for an afternoon and somehow encounter secret doors, hidden pizza, super strange art installations, luxury shopping and Manhattan without ever actually leaving Nevada.
This is exactly the kind of exploring I love.
Not necessarily the things you're supposed to see.
The weird stuff.
The tucked-away stuff.
The things that make you stop and say:
Wait. What is THAT?
Our Leisurely Day Hit 13,000 Steps
Here's the funny part.
Despite spending the entire day committed to doing absolutely nothing in a hurry...
we somehow walked 13,000 steps.
Apparently leisurely and stationary are not the same thing.
By dinner, we had definitely earned the right to sit down.
We went to Pampas Steakhouse, where Lucia got her steak fix and we met fabulous new friends.
Sometimes a random conversation with people you've never met ends up being one of the things you remember most about a trip.
And Then Vegas Got Its Freak On
After dinner, we headed back outside for another walk.
Because apparently 13,000 steps weren't enough punishment for our legs.
But I wanted to see Vegas after dark.
During the day, Vegas is impressive.
At night?
Vegas gets its lights on... and its freak on.
😂
Everything changes.
The signs glow. The buildings light up. The streets get busier. The characters come out. The energy shifts completely.
It's loud and colorful and weird and fascinating and unapologetically Vegas.
So we walked.
And looked.
And took it all in.
Until our legs finally submitted their formal resignation.
By about 8:30 p.m., they were basically Jell-O.
We were done.
Maybe This Is What Rest Actually Looks Like
It's funny because if you looked at today's step count, you probably wouldn't call this a restful day.
But it was.
Because maybe rest isn't always sitting still.
Maybe sometimes rest is simply not being rushed.
It's waking up when you wake up.
Doing a little work because you can.
Floating in a pool for a couple of hours.
Eating when you're hungry.
Grabbing your camera and wandering around without knowing exactly what you're looking for.
Meeting new people.
Walking until your legs turn to Jell-O.
And stopping when you've had enough.
No schedule.
No pressure.
No responsibility for what comes next.
Day 2 complete. ❤️
Tomorrow, we continue our very serious investigation into whether Las Vegas can actually be considered a relaxing vacation.
