What Happens in Vegas . . .

The Perry family (not to be confused with the Parry family) lived in Vegas for four years (stationed at Nellis AFB) before being transferred to Sacramento in 1988. Let's just say it's not the city we left. When we moved, the Excaliber was just being built. The temple was about to be dedicated. All in all, Vegas was still a pretty family-friendly city (what with Wet N Wild still in business and Circus Circus being a popular venue). Now it's plastered with nudie pics and porn pushers and covered with the scent of smoke and alcohol. Maybe it was always that way, but at 8 years old, I didn't notice. We DID, however, still manage to have a fabulous vacation--my sis and I even got along for a WHOLE WEEK (we get along smashingly now, but it's the first time we'd been in Vegas together without fighting like cats and dogs). All in all, the trip was a hit! Here are some highlights:

SERENDIPITY

The absolute 100% highlight of the trip for me was being able to go to my favorite restaurant (which I thought was only in NYC until this trip). It's not for everyone (it's a bit pricey and the portions are HUGE), but it is my all-time favorite restaurant! WAHOO FOR SERENDIPITY!

BELLAGIO FOUNTAINS

A must-do on the new strip is the fabulous fountain/light show at the Bellagio. We saw three numbers in all during our trip--very fun. For some reason (as you can see from the pics), Laney did NOT like the shows. Everytime we walked past, even during the day, she said, "No water, Dad." Ceste la vie . . .

FLAMINGOS AT THE FLAMINGO

Since Laney has never been to a zoo (I know, poor parenting), we thought we'd take her to see some wildlife in Las Vegas. This was probably her favorite part of the trip--we saw the flamingos at The Flamingo, the fish at Ceaser's Palace, and the lion preserve at the MGM grand. With the exception of having to walk through smoky casinos, it made for a cool first "zoo" experience!