Inside The Hottest New Hotel On The Strip

The coolest place to see and be seen opened on Saturday, Aug. 23 with bells, whistles, celebrities, fireworks and Iggy Azalea. If this is any indication of what SLS Las Vegas will bring to the Strip throughout its lifetime, we have every reason to be excited beyond belief. We entered SLS's doors and explored what's going on now that this new kid on the block has officially opened.

Pulling up to SLS's valet on a Saturday night was our first clue that we were definitely in the right place. It was pretty packed and had a steady stream of patrons walking in and through this new hotspot. The casino floor that I had so infamously heard about being small, dark and cramped did quite well in the space it was given, in my opinion. The usual slot-toppers were unique sculpted items and very different from any other casino on the Strip. The fact that the casino isn't the main focus really doesn't bother me, or probably much of the rest of my generation, since the main reason we were there was for a cocktail & cuisine.

Scoping the perimeter of SLS's offerings was an awesome way to soak in all their restaurants, Fred Segel shopping, and cool artwork. I mean, it was even on the carpet and all paying tribute to The Sahara's roots in the renovated space. SLS's players club is The Code and their desk was definitely packed with a line of new customers:

Their illuminated floor near the main entrance with mirrors on the entire ceiling immediately brought me back to Chicago's Millennium Park and Cloud Gate.

I'll admit that one of my favorite things about walking around SLS was looking for these little gems on purpose, however, they did not prove difficult to find. A cocktail is usually in order when you walk to somewhere as cool as SLS, so Umami Burger, Beer Garden and Sports Book were our first choices for a pre-game drink. The Beer Garden outside is a good choice for a mild night and had a pretty entertaining view of the Strip. We honestly might need to include it in our 'Best People Watching Spots' article.

The majority of my first SLS experience was at Chef Jose Andres' Bazaar Meat, because I had always wanted to visit the flagship LA location, and here it was in all its glory right in my city. Not only that, it must have been my destiny to eat here because the hostess told me a table of five had just cancelled and she could seat us immediately (thank you, gourmand gods). Those next moments were a blur of smoky, delicious delicacies, expertly made cocktails and a wonderful waitress named Stephanie who put every foot forward to make our meal the perfect smattering of everything Bazaar Meat had to offer. I couldn't recommend it more, besides saying it was one of my favorites meals I've had in a while. Just go.

Wandering back to the car after too many cocktails is the best time to go shopping, in my opinion. However, the only shop at SLS that was still open was selling some pretty opulent jewelry and watches, and my taste was more for bad-decision-clothing-that-I-say-I-shouldn't-have-bought-but-I'm-really-glad-I-drunkenly-did. If you make it to your car after that, just let your sober-driving boyfriend drive you home and reminisce on the awesomeness of the night and plan how soon you can make it back. After all, there are still all those nights at Foxtail, Life and Sayers Club waiting for you...