When we were planning the next stop on our route, Nora asked why we were going to Las Vegas. What was there to see or do? We described it as “Disneyland for grownups.” However, I think that the girls, Nora especially, like Vegas as much as they liked Disneyland.
When we rolled into town late Tuesday night, they were awed by the lights and the over-the-top facades on the casinos and the fact that there is a rollercoaster coming out of a hotel that looks like New York City. They were stunned when they saw our hotel: a brightly lit castle called the Excalibur.
You gotta love cheap Vegas hotel rooms. $61 per night, and they threw in a $25 dining credit. Our room has been recently renovated, and it’s very nice and comfortable. We decided to stay three nights. Eric is still sick, and we are all feeling a little run down, so we are calling it our ‘sabbatical from our sabbatical.’
When we were planning our cross-country vacation, Nora was very excited about going to California; but Ellie was insistent that she wanted to go to France. Today she got her wish. (OK, it’s Paris the casino, but it’s close enough for a 5 year old).
b
The rest here has been good for us. The girls love the hotel pool, and have been spending the mornings there, playing on the water slide. In the afternoon and evening, we explore some of the “fantasy” casinos (though we still haven’t gambled a penny), play some video games, and just take in the sights and the lights. We’ve succeeded in keeping the kids away from the less savory aspects of Vegas, though the girls can’t understand why there are billboards of women in their underwear. We are saving the topic of ‘showgirls’ for another time.
Eric is still trying to beat his illness, whatever it is, but I think it’s getting better. Tomorrow we’re heading off to Utah, and more National Parks. We’ll update when we can. We’ve discovered that hotel internet access does not always work as advertised.
Postscript: We couldn’t leave Vegas without a little bit of gambling, so I sent Eric downstairs with $40. He came back an hour later with $50. Not bad for someone on cold medicine.
Leave a comment