To finish off a whole year of travel, Kaleb and I headed to Las Vegas, meeting up with friends from Arizona and Illinois. Kaleb's friend Derek worked for the company that created the new
Fremont Street Experience Viva Vision light canopy, and its employees were invited to Las Vegas for the grand unveiling at
America's Party Downtown. He extended an invitation for us and others to join in the festivities - it would be our first time experiencing Fremont Street on New Year's Eve.
FLIGHTS
We redeemed Delta SkyMiles for roundtrip non-stop coach flights to Las Vegas. The miles were earned a while back from sign-up bonuses on the
American Express Delta SkyMiles Gold credit card.
LODGING
We booked two nights at the
Golden Nugget using
Chase Ultimate Rewards points, less expensive than through the hotel's website. At that time, it was unclear whether booking a cash rate directly with the Golden Nugget would provide free admission (wristbands) to America's Party (previous years were so). A month or so before New Year's Eve, the hotel website advertised free wristbands included with the room, but the rates also went up.
As our booking did not come with wristbands, I purchased them on the America's Party Downtown
website. Printed confirmations were to be redeemed at the gate on New Year's Eve.
We would then stay another two nights at the
Luxor, complimentary as Kaleb received an Mlife players club offer.
TRANSPORT
We planned to get around town using Uber, since I had Uber Cash from the
AMEX Platinum Card to burn.
Now, onto the trip:
After spending Christmas in the Bay Area with my side of the family, Kaleb and I headed to Sin City. The flight was uneventful. I appreciated the larger drinks and snacks that Delta serves.
The Uber set up at the Las Vegas airport was very organized. Riders would make their way to a specific part of the parking garage, where cars were waiting in designated parking stalls.
The Golden Nugget was built in 1946 and renovated a few times, so I wasn't expecting much. As our booking was for the least expensive "run-of-house" king room, we were assigned to a smoking floor as non-smoking was unavailable. It was only going to be two nights so we didn't care. If having a non-smoking room is important to you, best to book that specific category, versus going cheaper with the "run-of-house", where the hotel gives you whatever is left.
Our room was clean and comfortable, aside from a faint smell of stale smoke. Earplugs on the nightstand were a nice touch, especially for rooms adjacent to Fremont Street, as music from the light show and live bands may disturb guests who turn in early. Our location faced away from the main street so we didn't need to use them.
 | two complimentary waters
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There was a
Chick-fil-A just outside our tower elevator lobby, so we purchased dinner there and ate it in our room as the dining area was packed.
We walked outside to view the new light canopy. I hadn't visited Fremont Street in years, but I guessed that the displays shown that night were the "old" ones, as the new Viva Vision would debut tomorrow night. We also stopped by the ABC Store to pick up some booze and soda.
The next day, we met up with Derek and his brother Dustin and walked to
Carson Kitchen for lunch. The food was pretty tasty.
 | tempura green beans
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|  | bacon jam
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 | | cocoa-espresso NY strip |
|  | butter burger with tots
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A good number of people were walking around Fremont Street during the day. At 5pm, the pedestrian area would be closed, barriers and fences put up, swept by security, then re-open for America's Party Downtown.
 | setting up for tonight's queues
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|  | Fremont Street
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Kaleb hung out with the guys in the afternoon while I relaxed in the hotel room. For dinner, we ate at
Red Asian Cuisine, ordering off the happy hour menu. It wasn't the best sushi, but it hit the spot for clean eating.
 |
had the consistency of pre-packaged sushi
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Sherwey and Shelby had arrived in Las Vegas in the afternoon, but were staying at a different hotel. They didn't have wristbands yet; they texted us that they entered the long queue to get into America's Party Downtown. Derek had been given four special wristbands providing admission to the special viewing platform for the Viva Vision grand unveiling; he gave Kaleb and I the two extra he had, so we gave Sherwey and Shelby our original set of wristbands.
Security was posted at all hotel exits onto the closed-off portion of Fremont Street; everyone was wanded and purses were checked. We got our first look at the new Viva Vision canopy graphics...wow! The animation had a lot of depth, vivid colors and crisp lines. The first light show started at 7pm, featuring music from the Chainsmokers; however, it still had the old graphics. At 10pm, the new Mixology show would debut.
 |
nice graphics
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16-second clip of the Chainsmokers light show: (click
here if you cannot see the preview below)
There were three live music stages featuring different genres plus an EDM stage pumping beats. They were all positioned perfectly so none of the music overlapped.
We got hungry so we popped into
322 Pizza Bar. The pizza was unexpectedly good, the cheesy breadsticks not so much. If you show your food receipt at the bar, you can get a discount on certain drinks and jello shots.
We arrived at the special view platform before the 10pm grand unveiling and debut of "Mixology" light show. Derek was able to get all of us in. The platform was being used tonight by police with binoculars and sniper rifles, looking for any trouble brewing. We were free to take pictures and stand anywhere away from the officers. The new light show was vivid, multi-layered, quick-moving, and sharp!
 | view from the platform
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| Mixology light show |
21-second clip of Mixology light show: (click here if you cannot see the preview below)
After the show ended, everyone was shooed off the platform so the police could go about their business. One of the company's senior staff wanted to buy everyone drinks, so we all ducked into the Four Queens for some beverages and gambling.
21-second clip of another show: (click
here if you cannot see the preview below)
30-second clip of another show: (click
here if you cannot see the preview below)
Then it was time to ring in the New Year!
1:09 clip counting down to 2020: (click
here if you cannot see the preview below)
Happy New Year! Besides the simulated fireworks display on the canopy, there were actual fireworks lit on the ground in front of the Plaza Hotel at the end of Fremont Street.
I didn't know what to expect from America's Party Downtown. I had been on the Las Vegas Strip for New Year's Eve twice before, with traffic blocked on both ends so people can stand on the street to celebrate. In some years, fireworks were launched from the rooftops of select Strip hotels. I remember getting sprayed with champagne from nearby revelers and it had been so crowded that people couldn't even
make it out of the Excalibur before midnight. I found the party on Fremont Street a surprisingly better experience, even though we didn't have real fireworks in the sky. Crowd size was controlled by virtue of paid admission (age 21+), security presence was evident, and certain items were not allowed inside such as metal, glass, and large bags. Partygoers were wanded and checked at each entrance. The weather was still cold, but it didn't seem as chilly due to the canopy and the surrounding bars, restaurants and casinos. After this experience, I would tend towards another America's Party Downtown for future Vegas New Year's Eves.
For lunch, five of us met up for Thai food at
Siam Square, as Sherwey wasn't feeling well. Kaleb and I had already checked out of the Golden Nugget, carrying our backpacks with us.
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basil pork
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Afterwards, we all rode together in an Uber XL minivan to the Luxor. Our room was in the main building- cool! I had never stayed in the pyramid before, so I got to experience riding the "inclinator" (inclined elevator) to our floor. Moving at an angle plays tricks on the mind as one is used to going straight up or down.
 | looking down from our floor hallway
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 | just a rod for a closet
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|  | angled window
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I wasn't feeling well today (same bug as Sherwey perhaps), so I turned in early while Kaleb hung out with the rest of the group.
The next day, Kaleb and I took Uber downtown to meet up with everyone for brunch at
Hash House A Go Go located inside the Plaza Hotel. The portion sizes were so big, we could have shared one easily.
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|  | chilaquiles
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 | ham/spinach/cheddar egg scramble
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|  | chicken and waffles
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That evening, after saying goodbye to everyone, Kaleb and I took a Lyft to Caesars Palace. We each had $100 to spend on a "celebration dinner", thanks to having
Caesars Rewards Diamond status, obtained during our
first and
second visit to Atlantic City.
Nobu was one of the participating restaurants so we splurged on the signature omakase tasting menu - a lot of food! At the end of the meal, we received a box of chocolates. Overall, it was an efficient service and the dishes were flavorful.
 | sashimi starter
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|  | sashimi salad
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 | assorted nigiri
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|  | yellowtail, salmon tartare, dry miso sashimi
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 | rock shrimp tempura
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|  | miso cod
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 | beef tenderloin
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|  | miso soup came late
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 | flourless chocolate cake and matcha ice cream
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|  | box of chocolates
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Kaleb and I walked back to the Luxor, passing through Bellagio's conservatory, decorated for the holidays.
The next day, Kaleb and I checked out of the hotel and we took a
Lyft to the airport as I received a discount code. With a bit of free time, we stopped by the
American Express Centurion Lounge in Concourse D for some refreshments. The return flight was uneventful.
And that was the end of our NYE trip to Vegas! We had a great time celebrating the New Year on Fremont Street and would gladly do it again in the future.
Continuing the travel-every-month trend (so far...) - a day in Napa with friends in February...stay tuned!
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Another disclaimer: The intention of this blog was to remind Future Me in full detail about where I went and what I did. I could have made it private, but I frequently get questions from family, friends and internet folks about how I planned things, got deals, etc., so instead of repeating the story over and over, I direct them here. If you are offended by anything I say or do, save yourself the discomfort and kindly click away from my blog. Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day!
