For a college athlete, traveling across the country every weekend is nothing out of the norm. This weekend my team ventured off to Las Vegas, Nevada. Being a native from New Jersey, things were a lot different then home. Here's a list of the crazy-fun things I got the opportunity to experience, places I was fortunate enough to go, and things I've never seen before.
1. The Bellagio Hotel and Casino
Gabrielle Ciancio
This AAA Five Diamond Resort and Casino was magnificent. I don't understand how people staying in this hotel didn't get lost trying to find their room. There were thousands of slot machines, hundreds of restaurants, so many luxury stores, at time I forgot people even lived there. I can't even imagine how much this place is worth and how long it took to build.
2. Slot machines EVERYWHERE
Gabrielle Ciancio
Whether you're in the airport, a restaurant, a hotel, even in the street, you're surrounded by a maze of thousands of slot machines. Too bad the age to gamble is twenty-one... and the NCAA put a ban on it for all athletes.
3. The "Eiffel Tower"
Gabrielle Ciancio
I was sitting in the back of an Uber when I hear "Gab, look! It's the Eiffel Tower!" That was quite a shock to hear and I didn't believe it at first, but after getting over my suspicions and looking out the window, there it was, a replica restaurant of the famous Paris attraction.
4. Beautiful Vegas sunrises
Gabrielle Ciancio
Bright pink and vibrant yellow and orange, what a beautiful mixture of colors. Waking up at five o'clock in the morning for four days straight was one hundred percent worth if for a view like this. Since it's winter on the East Coast, it's nice to experience the West Coast sunrises and all of it's glory.
5. Mountains, palm trees, and cacti
Gabrielle Ciancio
Never have I ever played a softball game with scenery this beautiful. The hot Vegas sun, huge mountains, some palm trees and cacti, that's definitely something you do not see in Jersey.
6. Chinese New Year
Gabrielle Ciancio
A ginormous statue to commemorate the year of the pig; yup, it's Chinese New Year in Vegas. There was a huge section of the Bellagio dedicated solely to Chinese New Year. This giant animatronic pig was surround by a huge waterfall and dozens of murals and statues honoring the holiday.
7. Time-zone changes
Gabrielle Ciancio
Nevada time is three hours behind New Jersey time. For the last three hours of the flight, it was very weird to see the time change from nine o'clock to eight o'clock three different times. To make matters worse, I was exhausted by nine o'clock West Coast time every single night...maybe because it was twelve in the morning back home.
Hope you enjoyed my first travel blog! Stay tuned for many more to come; it's going to be a very long season.
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