Our last stop before our new home was Las Vegas. I’d never been to Vegas, and it is directly on the way, so it was a natural stop. We initially planned to stay with a friend from high school, but hotels are cheap, so we altered our plan. We stayed at the Riviera on the Strip for 2 nights. $41 a night is not a bad deal for a nice room! It was also good that we had a hotel room since our friend’s apartment was being fumigated!
We couldn’t check in until 4, and we arrived at 11, so we had a few hours to kill. First we drove up and down the Strip. It is definitely a place unlike any other! Then, we headed to Parma by Alec for lunch. It’s in a random strip mall by KMart and Lowes, but we recommend it for a low key place in Vegas. The lasagna was awesome! On top of that, the restaurant was perfect for Clara. There was a section of couches for her to run around and play on, and a whole empty dining room that’s only open for dinner right behind our table. The waitress also loved Clara and brought her some chess pieces to play with.
After lunch, we went downtown to check that off the box. That’s where we learned it’s a sketchy place, and that kids aren’t allowed in casinos. Maybe that’s changed since Chris got kicked out of a casino there when he was a kid?
We also checked out Gold and Silver Pawn. Chris was sad that none of the stars of the show were there, but at least we tried.
Later, we grabbed some Indian food in our hotel (Clara likes Tikki Masala), and then walked across the street to Circus Circus. While we didn’t love it now, Chris reminisced about how awesome it is as a kid! We also caught a free acrobatic act.
On Thursday, we ate way too much food at a breakfast buffet (Clara tried a new combination of chocolate covered doughnut and ketchup) and went to explore the Bellagio. It made us feel cultured that we could recognize the glass installation in the front lobby as Chihuly. We also made friends with a sales lady at Tiffany & Co, and tried to see the fountains. We incorrectly thought they began at 11am instead of 3.
During Clara’s nap I laid at the pool. It was relaxing, and I wanted to feel slightly less pasty in Cali! Unfortunately, I spent $13 on spray sunscreen at the hotel and still cannot adequately cover my entire body. Since there are only so many things to do on a 95 degree day as a family in Vegas, we went to the outlet mall. We wanted to buy Chris jeans, but Clara and I ended up with things instead. For dinner, we joined Steve Morrill (on his birthday) at Lola’s. It was featured on Diners Drive-ins and Dives. I had Shrimp and Grits, and Chris had the Crab Cake Dinner. We’d also recommend this restaurant, but plan ahead and make reservations as it is small. After dinner we grabbed frozen custard and were approached by many homeless people. Good thing Alex Meyer taught us to carry granola bars! We kept Clara up a little late and caught a few shows at the Bellagio with Steve. They were good, but would have been more special if I hadn’t seen them on TV many times before. Chris was excited because he got a picture with Bumblebee.
On Friday morning we packed up and headed for Los Angeles!!
LosAngelesAdventure 