Vegas: Cosmopolitan and Aria

Given that summertime temperatures in Vegas are regularly soaring well over 105 degrees Fahrenheit (or a cool 40 degrees Celsius), it should come as no surprise that one of our city's largest attractions are the obligatory hotel pools at each resort. There are more pools than there are casinos, by far, as most have multiple places to swim or play with beach and pool clubs running alongside their usual family-friendly offerings all along the Strip, not to mention our suburban waterparks like Cowabunga Bay. Each pool is going to invariably be as unique as the individual casino hosting it, and it's well worth staying at different hotels or paying for a day pass to explore the different offerings available all throughout the city! Another way to keep cool, between relaxing swims, is to explore the nicely air-conditioned interiors of the hotels themselves and dabble in some real or window shopping. There's a lot of connections and bridges making it exceptionally easy to get from one to the next without having to risk traffic, though you might get accosted by a "monk" who demands a donation in exchange for a cheap bracelet or fancy golden card they try to push on you. Don't let them dupe you, though- they aren't allowed to demand money from you, no matter how aggressive they get. They make me really mad and I've shouted obscene things to them in the past when they tried to get hands on. There's a lot of buskers and hecklers out there on the public streets, but they're kept out of casinos due to private property laws and security, so don't worry. 

My good friend Blaze and I found ourselves here to see a movie. Originally Antho had gotten tickets to the event for us to go, but he ended up having to work, so I invited Blaze out in his stead and we had a blast! We spent most of the early evening sipping on Fat Tuesday drinks and exploring the Cosmopolitan and the Aria. I'd never really been to either resort before, so it was a lot of fun to see how extravagant and fancy they are! We'll be going to at least a couple more movies throughout the summer, so hopefully I'll get to make a side quest to try the Secret Pizza restaurant, or Momofuku and Milk Bar. If the inclusion of options like Michelin-star award winner Momofuku don't clue you in, the Cosmopolitan fancies itself one bougie bitch. She's not wrong, mind you. The air is pumped full of a dense rich vanilla scent that made me feel a bit like I was trying to snort vanilla pudding. For someone who's not used to smelling much of anything at all, I found the smell cloying and overwhelming and was really relieved to get up to the roof and into the fresh air.