Laughlin, NV with Mom and Grandma

Life is a funny thing–just think about it. When we think the same hum drum happenings couldn’t get any worse, they do; and when we decide life is peachy as a whipped trifle on a sweet summer day, it sometimes is. I love that I’m not talking about worse gets better and better gets worse, because we can focus on those terrible things every second of every minute of our lives and everything is somehow cyclical, but I’d like to think about the beautiful moments in life and the wonderful pieces of happiness that freshly follow me around. The rest we’ll figure out later.

I’ve just come off a great set of adventures. A lovely, interestingly strange and a tad bit awkward trip to Laughlin, Nevada with my Mom and Grandma, as well as a breathtakingly gorgeous and extremely whirlwind catering adventure to Lake Tahoe for a wedding with my good friend and old co-worker, Brandon. Both of these trips were very impromptu, but much needed. As you know, I have a terrible travel bug that is awesomely running my life as we speak. I’m so fortunate and grateful for all these amazing experiences and also to be able to share them all with you as well!

Laughlin was a Sunday through Thursday trip of interesting happenings. I love my mom, but it seems we have never really been able to get away on a vacation with just the girls. Being so much alike definitely puts a couple of bulls in a china shop at times, but we love each other fiercely and would do anything for one another. My mom is my love, my heart and has shown me how to care for people beyond the normal parameters of what love can contain.   My Grandma Ruthie is an amazing person, at 78 years young, she’s so full of life and love for everything she does. Grandma Ruthie is one of my great inspirations. This woman is the person I get my flighty, witty and sometimes unruly attributes from, but don’t tell her I told you. So finally, I was able to make it on the road with these two wonderful women and share some cocktails, food, a couple of pennies in the slots and a good time.

 

Laughlin is Las Vegas without the glitz and glamor for mature adults. I’m not trying to understate it, but we were staying during the week and I’d say the majority of people in the casinos were in the high 50s and above, which there is absolutely nothing wrong with, but I found it hilarious and fun. Food in Laughlin is a bit on the turn your head the other way and eat because you’re starving side, which is tolerable for vacations to the desert. Laughlin is on the border of California, Arizona and Nevada. I think it’s pretty awesome to be in three states  within the hour. Also, the road to Laughlin on the Arizona side is pretty intense, like a mini roller coaster that my grandma and I had more fun on than my poor mom, who suffers from motion sickness; however, she was definitely a trooper.

We stayed at the Tropicana Express, free of charge for four nights, so who can complain. The rooms were nice. We had a view of the pool and of course my favorite feature of hotels is air conditioning. Boy did we need it! During the entire trip the weather was in the 100s–talk about melting.

We ate at coffee shops/diner-type places, where the food was pretty much the same on each menu; everywhere serving simple American classics and seeing which place could get the better deal on flap jacks and eggs for $3.99.  I had a Cobb Salad at the Riverside Riverview Restaurant our first night, where, even in the dark, you could see the moon beaming off the Colorado River. Gorgeous. Grandma Ruthie and Mom both had hot turkey sandwiches with mashed potatoes and gravy, which was stick to your ribs good. As for my salad, well let’s just say I could have passed on it, but the turkey my mom had was juicy and delicious.

We had breakfast at the Colorado Belle overlooking the Colorado River; dinner at the Pioneers restaurant Boarding House ; buffet at Harrahs; and popped into a place in the Golden Nugget called Harlows. I had a Cesar salad, my mom had fish and chips, and grandma had chicken fried chicken which was interesting and good. The food here was amongst the best offerings of the area with very pleasant service.

 

I’d say the Fresh Market Fair Buffet at Harrahs is a lavish display or mismatched globally traveled foods for any pallet even better after a few good rounds of cocktails of course, which are the best and most well-served along the entire row of Casinos.

Laughlin is a great place for a little poolside, hotel side relaxation getaway. I enjoyed my time with my Mom and Grandma immensely–times we can never get back and will always cherish. I love you Mom and Grandma!

Cheers

-Unrivaledkitch