Land in Las Vegas
James and Tracy touch down in Sin City. Jon and Nikki have already put their livers through pre-season; now the birthday trip can properly begin.
The joint 40th Vegas itinerary
James Tracy hit forty
Two fortieths. Four nights.
One very bright Strip.
01
Touchdown
The Venetian
Are we in Venice? Not quite. Check into the Venetian and accept that, for the next four nights, a painted ceiling counts as weather.
Casino Royale + LINQ
Start with a cheap pint at Casino Royale, then grab one for the walk to the LINQ Promenade. Vegas sightseeing, properly hydrated.
Frozen Baileys
A frozen Baileys on the LINQ Promenade: part drink, part dessert and a very confident start to the evening.
In-N-Out Burger
Burgers, fries and the sort of sensible food decision that briefly suggests the night is under control.
High Roller
Thirty minutes, 550 feet and all you can drink. James has a record to chase; Tracy has one drink to make last the full rotation.
Ole Red
A post-wheel drink with live music at Ole Red. Cowboy hats are optional; the volume is not.
Caesars Palace
Wander around Caesars Palace and confidently pretend everyone knows which way the exit is.
Harrah’s duelling pianos
Proper sing-along duelling pianos at Harrah’s, where knowing the words has never been compulsory.
Bed!
A heroic attempt to call it a night before Day Two starts making demands.
02
All in
Take a Zoox
Would you trust your life to Jeff Bezos’s driverless robotaxi? Apparently all four of us would, so seatbelts on.
Brunch at Primrose
A booked American “French-ish” brunch at Park MGM. Their words, not ours.
MGM slot challenge
The $110 MGM slot challenge runs all day and night, leaving plenty of time to make losing feel organised—and hopefully get some of it back.
Cocktails + Conservatory
BOGOF cocktails at Vice Versa, then over to Bellagio’s Conservatory. I bet this is Tracy’s favourite part of Vegas.
Tom’s Watch Bar
Sports on every screen and BOGOF drinks at Tom’s Watch Bar. Soft drinks are technically available—but this is Vegas, right?
Big Apple Coaster
A fast lap above New York-New York, providing immediate feedback on brunch.
Rí Rá happy hour?
An optional happy hour at Rí Rá, because apparently the drinks need a warm-up before the Royal Crawl.
Mandalay Royal Crawl
Five bars across Mandalay Bay and Luxor; Tracy may still be nursing one heroic Kopparberg at bar five.
03
Downtown
Venetian pool + relax
Pool, shade and a slow recovery day at the Venetian—the sort of reset turning forty apparently requires.
Downtown bound
Taxi to Fremont at 5:00, subject to the usual James-is-still-in-the-bath delay.
Match Play + Legacy
Circa’s match-play chip puts some house money beside your own: win and Vegas has bought a round; lose and the casino has explained its business model. Skyline drinks at Legacy Club afterwards.
Oscar’s Steakhouse
Named for former mob lawyer and Las Vegas mayor Oscar Goodman: prime steaks, seafood and strong martinis inside the Plaza’s glass dome overlooking Fremont Street.
Cartzilla
Cruise the Strip in the world’s only street-legal giant shopping cart. Everyone gets one song, so choose carefully—your taste is about to become public evidence.
Wynn after dark
Front-row cocktails at Aft while the Lake of Dreams handles the theatrics.
04
One more night
North Outlets
A final shopping run, followed by Cheesecake Factory portions nobody has ever finished elegantly.
Taxi to Mandalay Bay
Taxi to Mandalay Bay at 5:30, leaving enough time to find the theatre without turning the Strip into a sprint.
Michael Jackson ONE
Cirque acrobatics, urban dance and cinematic visuals set to Michael Jackson at Mandalay Bay.
LAGO
A final farewell meal of modern Italian beside the Bellagio fountains. The show fills the windows every few minutes—a proper last-night memory, even if nobody agrees later which song played.
Close Company
A hidden ’90s throwback inside Via Via Food Hall—music from when forty felt theoretical.
05
The long goodbye
Leave the Venetian
Check out at 11 and say goodbye to indoor canals, painted skies and everything else that has somehow become normal over the last four days.
Grand Lux Café
One last feed at Grand Lux Café, the Cheesecake Factory’s better-dressed cousin. Its menu should delay thinking about the airport for another hour.
Airport bound
James and Tracy leave for the airport at 1:30. Jon and Nikki wave them off and begin the official audit of what actually happened.
Two fortieths · one Vegas
Forty looks good
on both of you.
James, Tracy, Jon and Nikki made it through four nights under the neon. The group chat can decide who behaved worst.
Relive the itinerary