Vegan in Vegas

This past weekend I packed myself up in my favorite London Fog weekender and went to Vegas. My favorite weekender used to be a beige houndstooth London Fog, but I pooped in it and it was unfornately a fatal defecation so now my favorite is a replacement weekender, which is a grey sort of lavendar London Fog. ​

It was my first time in Vegas, and despite all the preparations The Hangover afforded me, I still wasn't sure what to expect. Coming from New Orleans and visiting Los Angeles often, 

I quickly realized the Vegas Strip is simply what happened when Bourbon Street and Rodeo Drive had a baby and left it to fend for itself in the desert. ​Bourbon Street doesn't have really any high-end coorporate retail shops, nor does Rodeo Drive have a shop with 32 flavors of alcohol slushies, but together they've made Las Vegas Boulevard which has the best (or worst, depending) of both worlds.

I did think The Strip would be a lot flatter, longer, and more navigable than it turned out to be. I love a good stroll, and I erroneously thought The Strip would be a good place to wander in a straight line and play flaneur for the day. The reality is that you must always have your wits about you to avoid getting lost. Simply trying to follow the sidewalk, you are swept up and down elevated walkways and escalators, soon just giving up and floating over the M.C. Escher drawing that is The Vegas Strip. And there are thousands of

other confused, sock-and-sandal wearing drunkards floating up and down and all around with you. From Paris you can see New York, New York (literally right there!) but the seasoned Vegas walker will know that the road to New York is paved with 4 flights of stairs, 3 trips to the wrong side of the street, and a wicked case of vertigo before finally reaching the M&M Store that apparently embodies the spirit of Manhattan. 

The ping-ponging around aside, the absolute best part of vegas is the secret vegan menus!!! My two favorite things — food and secrets — combine to make Vegas a culinary treat. Sure, everything is overpriced, but it is actually surprisingly good! I went to the Trevi Italian Restaurant in Ceasar's Palace and got an amazing vegan minestrone for $9 and noodles with veggies for $19. And free bread with a selection of seasoned olive oil, red pepper hummus, tapenade, and artichoke. They may have given us the bread by mistake, but after paying $28 before tip for noodles and soup, I wasn't gonna say anything. Several places have vegan menus if you just ask. 

The BEST place for vegans in Vegas has to be the Wynn. Here's a link to the vegan menus at all the Wynn restaurants. I went to The Buffet, $139 for three of us, and it was AMAZING. There are lots of vegan things, including vegan desserts like chocolate chip cookies and mango tapioca pudding and soy cherry chocolate chip ice cream. Of course, it's all you can eat (any drink besides water is an additional charge, however). They also had THE BEST vegan pizza I've ever had. They don't have it by the slice but the person at the pizza oven will be happy to make one for you, covered in vegan mozzarella (I didn't know what brand, but could tell it wasn't daiya) and any other toppings you like. Tell the host you are vegan, and they will introduce you to the chef (Chef Malcolm), who will give you a quick tour of the plentiful options available to vegans at The Buffet!!!
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