Rod Stewart was performing in Las Vegas and some friends and I decided to see him. After our Hawaiian Airlines flight, we arrived in Las Vegas at around midnight and checked into our room at Aria. We dropped off our luggage in our room and met for a nightcap until 4:30 a.m.! This is way later than my usual bedtime! The others in my group went off to gamble until 6 a.m., but I went upstairs and went straight to sleep.

Thank goodness we could sleep in on our first full day. We were talking about going to Trader Joe’s in the morning but of course, that didn’t happen. Instead, while slowly getting up in the morning, we checked on the start time for our Rod Stewart concert that evening and found that the concert was not happening because RS got sick. Dang it. Wendy and I went to the gym for a quick workout before lunch at Din Tai Fung where I enjoyed everything! After lunch, I made the pilgrimage to Trader Joe’s and picked up some staples and new items. While shopping, we looked for an alternate activity and found that we could get tickets for Mariah Carey! We got back to Aria, had a late afternoon snack at Posh Burger, and then walked from Aria to Park MGM to see the Celebration of Mimi. Wow. Mariah’s pipes are still amazing! My favorite song of the evening was Hero. After the concert, we met up with more friends at Izakaya Go where we enjoyed good food and great friendship.

The next morning, we got another workout in before walking to Eataly at Park MGM and got a variety of Italian yummies with more friends while catching up on life. We all met for dinner at Carbone for more Italian food in our private dining room and lively conversation and lots of laughs. There was another nightcap with dancing to great live saxophone music I went to bed while others went gambling.

On Friday morning, Sammie arrived and joined us. She took a power nap before we headed to the Fashion Show Mall for some shopping. After shopping, Aaron and I visited the Aria Food Hall and got some bao, tonkotsu ramen, and a burger before getting a quick rest. For the concert, Sammie and I dressed in cowboy boots before heading to Allegiant Stadium to see Morgan Wallen. We had amazing floor seats and could have touched MW as he walked by us! We even saw (on the big screen) Mike Tyson and Tom Brady strut out with MW at the beginning of the concert. Although I didn’t know all the words to all (any of) the MW songs like everyone around me, I still had an amazing time. After the concert, we headed back to Aria and ordered some room service before I went to sleep and while everyone else gambled.

On our last full day in LV, I met up with my brother to deliver some manju, freeze-dried li hing candy, date bars, and lavosh from KTA to him and his family. For lunch, Sammie wanted to eat at Din Tai Fung and I had no objections to going again! The green beans are my fave! Got another power nap in before getting ready for dinner at Peter Luger. I was looking forward to it very much but there were some service mixups and I didn’t get to eat the steak I ordered. I’m not sure if this happens all the time or if it was an unusual happening but it was disappointing especially when there was no apology or acknowledgment from the restaurant even after bringing the error to the attention of one of the servers. Despite the disappointment in service, the food and wine were good and most of all, we enjoyed the time with friends. Living Hilo Style in Las Vegas.