Mercedes in the Morning talks radio show and early mornings

She’s Mercedes in the Morning, although some might say that she wakes up in the middle of the night. What is it like to drive to work at 4 a.m.?

“I have these surreal moments. I’m on the 215 on the way to the station and the lights from the Strip come up,” Mercedes says. “I’ll think, ‘Do I really live here? People from all over the world come to Vegas or want to come here. And here I am going to work.’ ”

She hosts the mega-popular morning radio show on KMXB, Mix 94.1, one of the top morning radio shows in Las Vegas. At home in Summerlin, she’s a mom of two and Denver Broncos fan who makes a mean cheese enchilada.

Review-Journal: What do you do on Sunday?

Mercedes in the Morning: It’s one of the days I can sleep in. But since I usually wake up at 3:30 in the morning, sleeping in to me is waking up at 6:30 a.m. I’ll get up and do some spinning to keep fit. Then I watch my political shows. Usually in the afternoons this time of year, I’m watching football or walking around Downtown Summerlin.

Denver Broncos vs. Raiders?

I’m a lifelong Denver Broncos fan, so it’s going to be interesting now that the Raiders are coming here. It’s a rule in the Bronco fan book that you cannot root for the Raiders. It’s funny because we applied to buy season tickets and everyone is like, ‘What!’ I’m doing it so I can watch the Broncos play the Raiders.

Do you have a favorite hangout in Downtown Summerlin?

There are so many good ones, but the store I really like is Lululemon. I want everything in that store. I’m also excited about the new Crate &Barrel.

Question from a non-cook, do you cook on Sundays?

I do cook from time to time. I have six or seven recipes I’m really good at, and I just rotate them. I think my kids would probably say my best is my lasagna or baked ziti. Wait, my best is anything Mexican. I come from a Hispanic family, so I do a mean enchilada.

You were a pharmacy student at the University of Colorado. How did you end up in radio?

I was a pharmacy major my first two years, but I wasn’t doing well in my science classes, so I started taking some electives, and public speaking was one of them. I nailed that class and thought it was fun. This led to more communication classes and an internship at a radio station in Denver. Someone at the station said, ‘Hey, there is a radio station in Vegas looking to hire.’ I heard free trip to Vegas and thought, ‘Let’s go.’ I came out to the desert and loved it. Then I went home and faced the music. My dad was not pleased at first because he liked the idea of me being a pharmacy major. But, I begged him to let me try radio. Can you imagine how risky that sounded? I was shocked when he said, ‘Give it a shot.’

Where did you live when you first moved to Vegas? And was it a hard transition?

I lived in an apartment on Charleston and Fort Apache. It was literally the edge of town. I was really lonely because I didn’t know many people at the time, plus I was homesick. There were a few times when I questioned if I made the right decision. Then I met my husband and we dated for a long time. He had been in Vegas for a couple of years and showed me everything Vegas has to offer. I learned about the wonderful community here. Now, I can’t imagine living anywhere else.

Where do you take your out-of-town friends who want to see everything Vegas?

We take them to Scarpetta at the Cosmopolitan. Oh my gosh, just get the spaghetti. It sounds so simple, but this spaghetti will change your life. Each time my mom comes out, I have to take her to Mount Charleston. She loves it up there. We sit out at the deck, have lunch and just look up at the mountains. There is nothing like it.

Do your daughters think their mom is cool because she’s on the radio and interviews celebs?

Cool? I don’t know. They do know I don’t care about being a cool mom at all. I’m just mom. And yes, I did catch an eye roll the other day and thought, ‘No, no, no.’ But, it’s coming. One of my daughters is almost a teenager.

You have so many celebrity guests on the show. Any favorites?

My No. 1 celeb favorite is Ice Cube. I talk about him all the time. I just interviewed him in person and I did everything I could not to fangirl. I acted normal, but inside I was screaming. I also really enjoyed Lady Gaga. There is just something so magical about her. She’s so invested in the person she’s talking to and it’s not that ‘oh, I gotta do an interview.’ It’s not fake nice. It’s genuine.

How in the world do you wake up that early? It sounds painful.

I’ve gotten used to it. After I do wake up, I drink a lot of coffee. I don’t take naps in the afternoon. I can’t or I’ll be up all night. When I go to bed, I just crash hard. We had a little quake in the middle of the night not so long ago. I was sleeping and I didn’t even feel it. As for my bedtime, I still go to bed at 10, which I know is horrible. What can I say? I like to watch my shows.

Ever wonder about who is ending their night while you’re beginning a new day?

It’s so calm and still in the desert at 4 in the morning. Just beautiful. I do look at the Strip and think, ‘What’s going on right now?’ I figure someone just won a bunch of money; someone just lost money. Someone just met their future husband; someone just lost one. The day is dawning and Vegas just goes on and on.