Grace D. Plunk: Las Vegas Food and Paris Hotel Photos from the Half Marathon Weekend

Hello! I just ran the Rock N Roll Las Vegas Half Marathon and have so many tips, pics and fun to recap! I’m going to start with the race expo and hotel – and I’ll be back soon with the run, what I ate and other thoughts on the race known as Strip At Night. Did you run it? Let me know! [ This post is about the travel side of my race weekend. Running and nutrition ifo is coming soon – plus a video. If you want more on that now check out my insta @RunEatRepeat ]

Okay… now let’s talk travel, hotel, logistics and food in Las Vegas.

I flew from Orange County to Las Vegas no problemo. It’s a 1 hour flight! (Or a 4 hour drive.) I’ve done both the drive and flights before – going to Vegas is a common road trip when you live in Southern California. Flying vs. Driving depend on who I’m traveling with. There are pros and cons to both.

Packing for Las Vegas and packing for a half marathon… since it was trip for RUN and FUN stuff I had to make sure I had everything I needed for the race PLUS stuff to go out. Usually when I travel for a race I keep it simple with comfy, casual clothes. Vegas sometimes requires un-comfy shoes and 4 different kinds of eyeliner.

In my suitcase (clockwise):

Brooks Happy Pace bag – used as my purse for the plane // floral body suit // belt // comfy jacket // gallon sized bag with running essentials // running shoes // comfy clothes // nude heels // all packed in my pink carry on for short trips.

* Check out my Race Day Packing List for more on how to pack for a destination race *

When I got to Las Vegas I went to the hotel to drop off my stuff before hitting up the expo.

I stayed at the Paris Hotel & Casino on the Strip. It’s a super fun hotel right in the center of the strip – prime location for almost anything you want to do! The room was standard – big bed, desk, sitting area, mini-fridge, iron, hair dryer, shower & tub (my last few hotels have only had a shower and I brought Epson salts for a bath – this time I didn’t bring them).

Pro Tip: Unpack when you get to where you’re staying BEFORE going to the expo. Lay out what you’ll wear for the run and from head to toe check that you have everything. This way if you forgot anything you can try to get it at the expo.

A lot of people lay out their “Flat Runner” before a race and share it on Facebook and / or Instagram. You don’t have to wait until the night before to do this and it gives you the chance to make sure you have everything…

The Rock N Roll Race expos are always pretty big and exciting!

And Brooks is a main sponsor of the RnR Race Series so they have an entire store of running shoes, running gear and stuff with the race location/name on it. I’m a big fan of Brooks so I loved this!

The tie-die rainbow shoes are still one of my favorites and I saw them everywhere!

Hello and the Night-Life Gear! Make sure you have running gear that’s visible in low light and dark conditions – be safe!

After the expo I took my stuff back to the hotel then it was time to enjoy Las Vegas! There’s so much to do and see and EAT in Vegas!!

The Paris Hotel has a ton of amazing food and drink options. (So many of the hotels do – there are tons of options!) You can sit outside for dinner and watch tons of people pass by – everyone’s in a fun mood. I’ve had a lot of delicious food in Las Vegas on past trips – it’s definitely another reason to visit.

Love when the garnish is edible! My fancy drink had an edible flower in it!!

There’s a restaurant in the Eifel Tower too! They have fancy cocktails and an amazing view of the strip.

This cocktail has egg white in it – I figured that meant it’s healthy… Winking smile

Fun fact: I’ve never been to a big Las Vegas show like Cirque de Sole or Britney Spears or J Lo… I’ve visited Vegas so many times I’m kinda surprised.

Next time. Maybe. Tell me if there’s a MUST SEE show I have to get tickets for next time.

Speaking of next time…

The race and what I ate on race day before the half marathon post is coming up next!