Is Dining at the Top of the World Worth It?
Fancy doesn’t equal quality
We’ve already been waiting for the elevator for 11 minutes when Megan jokingly asks if we should take the stairs.
“I’ll give it another 4 and then I’ll start climbing,” I respond. (I’m only half-joking.)
Our destination is on the 106th floor and we’re all in heels, but I’m rather impatient and I am hungry.
Thankfully, only 3 minutes later, the elevator arrives and the crowd of people waiting for their reservations pile in like sardines.
We stand in awkward silence as we ascend, feeling the pressure change in our ears.
I should use this time to tell you that I have relatively low expectations for the food. I’ve been to enough restaurants to know when the ✨razzle-dazzle✨ is meant to distract from the details; however, I am excited for the overall experience. We spent two hours getting ready and this is the first night of our Girls Trip. We have 8pm dinner reservations at Top of the World, a rotating room with views of the Las Vegas skyline, and then plan to hit the town.
When we arrive at floor 106, we’re met with a tiny waiting room that leads up to the hostess stand. No windows, but I can appreciate them saving the view for the dining room.
Little did we know, we wouldn’t get to see the dining room for another half hour. Apparently, the $75 reservation fee was only to hold us accountable, not the restaurant.
The hostess tells us we can go to the bar upstairs while we wait. Except…the upstairs bar is closed for a private party.
The elevator attendant tells us we can go to the observation deck instead. This was both the best and worst decision for the dining experience.
On the one hand, the views from the deck are what we came for. The sun has dipped below the horizon, we have unobstructed views of the city, and Megan and I got to watch Madison attempt to hide her fear of heights.
On the other hand, when you give me the main event as an appetizer, I don’t have as much to look forward to.
We spend as much time as we can on the deck before the wind and the heat become too much, and mosey back down to the (tiny) waiting room.
It’s almost 8:40pm by the time we’re seated at the table (that we PAID to be at at 8pm!)
No apology. No fanfare. Just a standard welcome and some menus.
The view is nice, but as I mentioned, I just saw said view and I saw it unobstructed by tables and windows. Also, maybe I’m growing a little cynical, but looking out at all of the lights and the giant Sphere, I can’t help but wonder how much energy this city is using.
All I remember about the service was that our waiter brought out our food as promised.
All I remember about the food was it was fine and it was expensive. Oh, and they didn’t even have the decency to serve my salmon with a veggie. I know it’s trendy for fancy restaurants to sell the main dish separately from any sides, but if you think I’m going to pay $16 for a side of carrots, you are sorely mistaken.
I know I’m walking a delicate line here. I don’t want this to be a complaint piece about an objectively privileged experience, it’s meant to set up a commentary about the travel/tourism industry as a whole using fancy labels to throw unnecessary price tags on experiences that, in reality, are lackluster.
Social media doesn’t help this dilemma either. We see everyone posting curated images and photos of well-styled food, but we don’t know anything about the stories behind those photos or if the elegance actually equated to something meaningful.
I’m not against luxury experiences as a whole (I happen to love nice things), I’m simply against people treating expensive and quality as synonyms. They are NOT SYNONYMS! (Said with emphasis).
Anything can be expensive, not everything can add value to your trip.
I want the emphasis to be on EXPERIENCE, not adjectives.
The best part of the entire dining experience was the time I got to spend with my friends, which could have taken place anywhere else.
Often, when talking about travel, people (including me) talk about getting out of their comfort zone and trying new experiences because you never know what will spontaneously change your life.
Unless you have an unlimited budget and time though, it is important to consider what you already value in life and use those principles to help guide your itinerary.
Think back to the last time you were truly happy - what were the circumstances that led you to feel that way? Can you find activities that mirror that situation?
How do you like to spend your money at home? On food? On clothes? On novelties?
Maybe you do want that perfect photo op (and that’s okay!)
Maybe you want to focus on culture or dancing or resting.
There isn’t a wrong answer, it’s simply a matter of preference.
Fair warning, sometimes even the best plans don’t work out, that’s just a fact of life. We can’t plan for everything, but we can minimize the risk of over-paying for disappointment.
It’s our responsibility to look past marketing and labels and the “top travel guides” and seek out experiences that truly speak to us.
Food-related experiences that cost me less than Top of the World that were 10x better
Sitting on any patio in 75 degree (F) weather with no wind and no bugs
Lunch on an olive oil farm
A vibrant tomato topped with feta
Literally any meal eaten within earshot of the ocean
A turkey sandwich on a lake
A granola bar eaten at the top of a hiking trail
Japanese-style small plates at a counter-top restaurant that only seats 20 people
The fourth glass at a wine tasting