A Night Out with Rooftop Cinema Club San Diego

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Recently Rooftop Cinema Club invited me for a night out at their San Diego rooftop location at the Manchester Grand Hyatt to watch Raya and the Last Dragon. To sum up the evening in one word, it was PHENOMENAL. But before we get too far in to this blog, I do want to note that this experience isn’t just for San Diegans – Rooftop Cinema Club has locations all over including Los Angeles, Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, New York, Tampa, and London!

San Diego Rooftop Cinema Club at Manchester Grand Hyatt

With the San Diego location being in the heart of Downtown San Diego, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity for a girl’s night out with my friend, Saralyn. Not to mention with it being our first time seeing Raya and the Last Dragon, we also decided to dress for the occasion! A Disney Bound was an absolute must. How did we do?

Raya and Sisu Disney Bound
Rooftop Cinema Club in San Diego at sunset
Rooftop Cinema Club in San Diego cute photo opportunity area

We parked in the Self-Parking for Grand Hyatt and, with RCC validation, was only $11! So much cheaper than trying to park in Seaport Village and walking over.

Everything You Need to Know for Your Visit

Rooftop Cinema Club (RCC) opened their doors an hour before this screening, so in that hour we were able to take part in their “Social Cinema”. They had some games to play like large stacked Jenga, ping pong, and cornhole. We soaked in the views of San Diego, took some cute pictures with the views and their nice photo op they had! Pre-COVID, they normally provide pillows and blankets, but since they are still in their transitional period into being back in full swing, they didn’t have them this time. But they encourage viewers to bring their own!

Tickets are sold exclusively online. Ticket prices vary by seating, guest age as well, and what day you are looking to watch your movie. Booking fees apply. All information above is provided by RCC and may only be the ticket prices for San Diego moviegoers! Be sure to check online to see the location prices for the viewing you want to go to!

Rooftop Cinema Club San Diego food options
Rooftop Cinema Club social hour
Rooftop Cinema Club offers games to play before your movie starts

Rooftop Cinema Club Schedule

Based on the day, RCC shows one or two movies a night and they have themed nights as well for kiddos, teens, and adults! For the first screening (if applicable to the day), you can enter in an hour before, and for the second viewing, you can enter in thirty minutes before. They have all of their upcoming shows on their website which is updated frequently for each month. Keep in mind, they sell out pretty far in advance so if you see a show that you want to see, act quickly so you can have a night out in this amazing place too. I am especially excited for their Christmas in July themed nights when Elf will be playing! It’s my favorite Christmas movie!

Bridesmaid Proposal with Saralyn

What is Provided for a Great Movie Experience

All seats are provided with a sanitized pair of headphones so that you can hear everything in the movie and block out any possible distractions or other conversations going on. And if you need any help at all, the staff there is so friendly and happy to help.

Before we went to our Love Seat, we grabbed our snacks and some drinks. RCC is completely cashless so make sure you bring a debit or credit card. I thought this event would be the perfect place to do a bridesmaid proposal to Saralyn. The staff was able to write “Will you be my bridesmaid?” on her popcorn and oh my gosh it was adorable! She was so happy that she almost forgot to answer the question. But after all of that, we grabbed our seats and we got the perfect view! We had people in front of us but they did not block our view at all.

Once we took our seats, all there was really left to do was enjoy the show. It was so amazing being able to watch a new movie somewhere other than my couch. I can’t even remember the last movie I saw in a theater but this experience was so magical and the perfect reintroduction to watching new movies at a movie theater again. And why wouldn’t I want a great view to go with my movie and popcorn?

An Exclusive Discount!

Lastly, and this is HUGE, The Manchester Grand Hyatt is offering a 30% room discount for guests who would like to stay at the hotel following a night at Rooftop Cinema Club Embarcadero. The discount code is available on the cinema email ticket confirmations for online bookings. This offer cannot be combined with any other offers or promotions. This is an INSANE deal because this hotel is absolutely STUNNING.

Check out my 2 minute YouTube video of this amazing place and views of the hotel as well to get the full scoop on everything there was to see and just the general atmosphere of it all. Be sure to check out Rooftop Cinema Club and find a screening that you will love too!

Things to do in Las Vegas Nevada in Summer

A 3-Day Guide to Las Vegas in Summer 2021

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My friends and me at the Illenium concert at Allegiant Stadium

Last year I wrote the Perfect 4 Day Itinerary to Las Vegas during COVID times. And now a year later as things continue to open up and restrictions are not as severe, Las Vegas is getting back to being the top of the summer getaway list! There is so much to do an experience, and it’s not just about being 21 years old and going clubbing.

Now, it might have been a little chaotic going on the July 4th weekend, but my friends and I wanted to go to the Illenium concert and that just so happened to fall on one of the busiest holiday weekends of the year. But we had a great time obviously, and here is everything we did to give you some ideas for your next trip.

And before I get started on this guide, a lot of what I am going to talk about were rewards I got FOR FREE by playing the myVEGAS apps, which you can read about HERE.

Day 0 – July 2nd

The reason I say Day 0 is because we actually decided to leave the night before we had originally planned to get there. We left San Diego around 9:30pm, bought a room at the OYO for about $141, and arrived at the hotel around 1:50am. When we checked in, they said they had run out of the standard rooms that we had booked and gave us an upgrade! Although that was really nice of them to do, none of us were impressed by the OYO.

The garage was cramped, the elevators were dirty, the hallways smelled of cigarette smoke, and the rooms were extremely outdated. My friends that I was staying with said their sheets made them itchy and that there was hair left over in the shower. Also as we were checking out (on Day 1 of our trip), the fire alarm went out three seconds after we had gotten off of the elevator and none of the staff reacted to it. So, overall not a fan.

Day 1 – July 3rd

Free drinks with myVEGAS rewards

PHEW! Made it out of the OYO in one piece and time to check in to our room at the Excalibur! Our room for our two night stay was $410 – now keep in mind this was on a holiday weekend so the prices were more expensive! If you have followed me for a while or read my other Vegas blogs, then you know that usually I stay at the Bellagio for free because of those fun rewards that I get from the myVEGAS apps. But we weren’t able to redeem free rooms because of the holiday weekend.

After checking in, we decided to use our free drink rewards that we got through those apps and started our casino bar hopping to redeem the rewards! We went to New York New York, MGM Grand, Luxor, and Mandalay Bay to redeem these free drinks. So if you want some cheap or free alcohol, be sure to the download those apps to start playing. It’s also a great way to explore the casinos! One of my most favorite activities is just wandering around the casinos since they are so big and there’s always something new to do or experience.

Once we had redeemed all the rewards and explored the casinos, it was time for us to get ready for the Illenium concert! Since it was at the Allegiant Stadium, we were able to just walk right on across the street to it! And that activity led us from Day 1 into Day 2. My body was not prepared for a second night in a row staying up until 2am.

Day 2 – July 4th

Area 15

Because we are not as spry as we used to be, we slept until noon on Day 2 – no regrets! My friends decided to go to the Zak Bagans Haunted Museum, which cost them $47 a person, while I took the time to relax by the pool. They said it was interesting but also really creepy. But I actually really enjoyed poolside at the Excalibur! It was very relaxing and just the perfect day off. After my friends finished up at the museum, we went to Omega Mart at Area 15, and honestly it was AMAZING! It’s a Meow Wolf exhibit that mimics a supermarket, but deeper inside is something completely else! Complete with slides, secret tunnels, and amazing graphics, effects, and interactive rooms. We spent about an hour and a half in here and cost us $55 a person. If you want a closer look at what you can see in here, check out my IGTV HERE!

After that, we had worked up quite an appetite and we had been craving sushi all day! So we decided to got to Revolving Sushi which was only about a ten minute drive from Area 15. Now, my friends had been there on a previous trip so this was my first time but oh my gosh!! It was so cool! As soon as we were seated, we could start eating immediately. How? Because the sushi revolves around on a conveyor belt between the booths and you can pick and choose what you want! They put all the fan favorites of sushi on the conveyor belt, each plate has 3 pieces on it, and you pay by the plate which is $2.75 a plate. I got STUFFED on sushi with 5 whole plates for $13.75!!! Not including tip and tax obviously. That’s 15 pieces of sushi, literally almost two full rolls, for the price of ONE whole roll at literally any other sushi place. And don’t worry, if you want to order something a little more personalized, you can order on the tablet and once it’s done, it get’s delivered by a little Roomba-type cart above of the conveyor belt. If you want to see what this looks like, check out my Tik Tok HERE!

Finally to end the day, we walked down to the Strip to watch the fireworks light up the sky. Although it was really busy, we still got a great view of the fireworks that stretched from the Aria all the way down to the Stratosphere.

Day 3 – July 5th

I know this sounds like we did a lot, but honestly I feel like we did barely anything. So to end the trip, we woke up around 9am to get our things together, put them in the car, and head to the pool one last time. Now we had to use our room key to get in so the trick for that is to enter the pool before your check out time, and then once you’re inside, do Mobile Check-Out via the MGM Resorts app! Using their app is also a great way to check-in and skip the line at the beginning of your trip. Once we had our fill at the pool, my friend went in to the casino to redeem his $50 FREEPLAY reward that he got through the app. He was able to win some money, and we left without having lost any money to gambling!

Overall, this was a pretty tame trip to Vegas and was more about doing a few big things that we really wanted to do instead of jam packing our stay with lots of small things. I hope you found something fun to do in this blog that can help shape your next trip to Las Vegas this summer!

Taking beautifully bright picture of the spring spots in Carlsbad San Diego

Things to Do in Spring in Carlsbad, San Diego County

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Let’s craft your perfect Spring day here in San Diego shall we? {Also don’t worry, these are not San Diego specific things – so use this as inspiration for things to do in your own hometown too!}

Go to Brunch @ The Shorehouse Kitchen

I have lived in San Diego my entire life, and it wasn’t until about a month ago that I learned… Carlsbad is kind of cool! It’s got some small town, beach vibes and there is beautiful architecture everywhere you turn. My friends, Ashley, and I visited the Shorehouse Kitchen as our first stop on our spring day adventures. It featured a great menu selection, multiple options for coffee and mimosas (so of course I got both), and great areas just outside of the restaurant for impromptu pictures! I would definitely go back here for breakfast because they had some of the best Eggs Benedict that I have ever had!

Go Pick Flowers @ The Flower Fields

It’s every spring fairy’s dream to dance around the flowers so our next stop was the Flower Fields! Many areas for photos and the flowers there were unbelievable! They offered multiple stops more “in” the fields where you could get pictures, but just be mindful that there are lines to wait in to get pictures. For every line we waited in, it was about a 20-30 minute wait. You can only spend 10 minutes max in each spot but some people were not following that rule. So just be mindful of your time and make sure that when it’s your turn that you already know what you want to do! These spots are amongst different colored flowers so if there is only a certain color you want pictures with, then you only have to wait in the line for the flowers you want! Entry is $20 a person.

Go Pick Strawberries @ Carlsbad Strawberry Company

Just a short five minute drive from the Flower Fields was our last stop of the day! And after having so much fun amongst the flowers, I needed a little snack – the Carlsbad Strawberry Company! This place offers you the opportunity to go out into the strawberry fields to pick your own strawberries (or just eat them like I was). You will have to pay for your entry as well as any little bucket you buy to pick the berries. They also had a free sunflower maze which we didn’t have time to do but I would recommend getting there with enough time to do it!

Overall, bring your camera for all the cute pictures or just enjoy all the sites and the smells of spring!

The Perfect Las Vegas Itinerary for a 4-Day Trip

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There is so much to do in Las Vegas. With every trip you can find something new to do every time you go. If you’re looking for the perfect lLas Vegas itinerary for a four day trip there

Woman posing at the Seven Magic Mountains outside of Las Vegas
Seven Magic Mountains

Most of what we did during our stay was driven by the rewards we received by playing the various myVEGAS apps. If you want a full detailed blog about all of those apps and how it works, click here to read that blog! By playing the games on these apps, we were able to save a total of $200 on our trip!

Day 1

Our first unofficial stop was the Seven Magic Mountains which is right outside of Las Vegas! This is such a tourist hotspot so be sure to get there early. We arrived around 7am to take pictures and there was only one other group present.

Woman posing with the flowers at the Bellagio Conservatory and Botanical Garden
Conservatory and Botanical Garden at Bellagio

Once we checked in to our room at the Bellagio, we went to redeem our first reward! To redeem your rewards from the app, you have to first stop by a M-Life Reward Desk (located in MOST MGM Grand Resorts) to pick up your membership card. Membership is free! Then depending on the resort, you then have to redeem your rewards for that specific location at each desk in the resort. I think the only resort that didn’t have a desk was Vdara. So we stopped by the Aria to redeem our free cocktail from Aria and our free breakfast at Vdara!

After that, we came back to the Bellagio to explore a little bit more! It was our first time at a fancy-schmancy hotel anyway. They have a beautiful indoor garden with some of the most incredible flower arrangements. It’s free to walk through, but it can get crowded from other visitors wanting to take a look. Most of our Day 1 was just walking around to the casinos closest to us like Caesar’s Palace, Paris, and the Cosmopolitan. Hotel wandering truly is an activity in Vegas. Every hotel has a unique theme and they’ll have fun activities to match!

Day 2 of the perfect Las Vegas itinerary

Glass of champagne at PRIME Steakhouse at the Bellagio
PRIME Steakhouse at Bellagio

We stopped by New York New York because, surprise surprise, we had a reward to redeem for a free beer. But first – breakfast! Because New York New York is a MGM Grand Resort, we were able to use part of our food and beverage credit at the Starbucks inside of the casino and they just charged it to our room at the Bellagio!

Next, we stopped by Luxor to redeem our reward for a free shot. A lot of the rewards you can redeem deal with food and beverage. On our walk back to the Bellagio, we just decided to casino hop our way there. I really recommend casino hopping just because it’s something to do and it’s fun to see the different themes of all of these hotels and casinos! Plus the rewards really helped motivate us to see them all.

After getting back to the Bellagio, we lounged by the pool for a little bit. We soaked in a few rays, got way too hot with dealing with that, and then left. The rest of the day was spent trying to get lucky on some slots because I had a reward for $150 in free play on slots. Later that night my husband and I used another reward at the Bellagio restaurant, PRIME Steakhouse, for two free glasses of champagne with a purchase of an appetizer. So we dressed up all fancy to get our appetizer and left. We saw the other prices on the menu and that was way more than we wanted to spend. The two free glasses of champagne alone were regularly priced at $54!! We did however get McDonald’s afterwards. That’s how you ball on a budget.

Woman lounging poolside at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas
Poolside at the MGM Grand Lazy River

Day 3

We used a reward to get a free room at the MGM Grand because I wanted to experience their epic lazy river! At the time, we could not just buy a day pass to the pool. We had to be a hotel guest. So using that reward to get a free room allowed us to have a nice pool day and experience a new hotel!

After we did some laps around the lazy river, we made our way to the Minus 5 Ice Bar at the Venetian! It’s a really cool experience and a great relief from the heat of the desert. It is also highly recommended to dress accordingly! Wear closed toed shoes, long pants, and layer up. Many people who don’t dress accordingly can only last a few minutes inside and there is no re-entry. Don’t let your money go to waste!

Afterwards, we used our myVEGAS rewards to go to the Mandalay Bay Shark Reef. In full honesty, do not pay for this experience. Regularly, tickets would have been $29 a person, but we walked through the whole thing in 20 minutes. This place is TINY. Do not expect a lot. It was cool seeing the shark room, but other than that we got to the end and we both looked at each other like “that was it..?” Knowing that now, I probably won’t spend my reward points to go again either.

View of the Bellagio fountains from the Paris Eiffel Tower in Las Vegas
The Top of the Paris Eiffel Tower Las Vegas

At night, we walked around the strip and stopped to watch the fountain show at the Bellagio. The show occurs around every 15-30 minutes depending on the time of day. Be sure to check their online schedule so you don’t have to guess when the next show is! Then we got dinner at the Tilted Kilt because they had a great happy hour deal. After dinner we decided to explore the Paris hotel some more. We saw that you could take an elevator up to the top of it and we were sold. Tickets were around $30 a person and the view from the top was gorgeous! You can even watch the fountain show from the top too! You can’t really hear the music but you can see the fountains from a different angle and you can see just how high the water gets.

Avengers mural at the AVENGERS Station in Las Vegas
Avengers STATION

Day 4

As our final day, the only thing we had planned was going to the Avengers STATION! Me being a Marvel nerd, I was so happy. This amazing exhibit can be found at Treasure Island. It was pretty freaking badass seeing all the props from the movie and getting to interact with the exhibit itself. The website that we bought the tickets from was holding a sale and we got a great deal. We were both able to go for $60. Usually tickets are $41 per adult. Also we both got an exclusive pin from the exhibit for free when we checked in! I highly, highly, HIGHLY recommend this experience! It was a blast and my little Avengers heart was so full.

Final words on the perfect Las Vegas itinerary

Overall, we got a lot done! Every group’s itinerary will be different, but we couldn’t have asked for a better schedule! If you plan on going to Vegas any time soon or even in the future, definitely check out my other blog to help you save some money and give you some motivation to try some new things! They are always adding new experiences and I can’t wait to rack up some more point and head back there ASAP!

Check out this interactive map for an easier way to view all that I discussed in this blog more easily!

Map created using Wanderlog, a trip planner app on iOS and Android