leaving las vegas

the next morning, we met the family for brunch at the orleans.

it was the first time the bean would set foot inside a casino, and she was pretty mesmerized by all the lights and sounds and machines.

and although we were running ever so slightly behind, we stopped at the wheel of fortune slots...because why not?  

the bean was beyond bummed to learn that she wasn't allowed to touch the machines.  we told her she was lucky we hadn't been approached by security yet, because kids aren't even supposed to be on the casino floor.  and so we cashed out and headed to the restaurant - the copper whisk cafe.  it was mother's day, and so i decided i was entitled to at least one mimosa.  my girls, champagne, vegas...these are a few of my favorite things.

they decided to split this gigantic cinnamon roll.

and i was amused to read their description of a bloody mary.  healthy start, indeed.

the hub and i both opted for the hawaiian breakfast plate - spam, eggs, rice.  the macaroni salad went untouched by both of us, though - it looked super gross.

i found that i had some extra champagne in the bottle, and we can't let that go to waste, can we?

the bean loves her uncle.  and who knows when we'll get to see brother wan again?  but we were super happy for him and his new bride and wished them well before we parted ways.

on the way out, we stopped at the slots again.  i was pretty stoked when i hit a nice payout, and i cashed out while i was ahead.  gotta love the little hand in the background.

the hub was standing at one of the britney spears machines, totally bewildered but happy not to be losing.

and then it finally happened - security came by with a sheepish smile and said "i hate to break the party up, but the little one's not allowed to be anywhere near the machines."  and so we headed outta there and exchanged our vouchers for cash.  she was so sad, and i explained to her that that was why we had always avoided taking her to vegas - it's really just not a place for kids.  at least, not the strip.  sorry, kid.  give it another dozen years.

for the drive home, we had the bean ride with the ILs - so they could spend some extra time together and also to give us a little extra room in the car since the hub was coming home with us.  everyone was happy with the switch-up, and got into their cars and headed off.

come on, you didn't think we were going to go to vegas and not stop at bouchon, did you?

the hub dropped us off while he waited in the car, and we even snuck a couple of pictures before we met back up with him, treats in hand.

mmmm, macarons.  look at how big these suckers are!

since we weren't in a big rush to get outta there, we drove out towards the old downtown area.  i hadn't been to this area since i was a kid, and it was interesting to see it through grown-up eyes.  it's kind of crazy to imagine bungee jumping off the top of the stratosphere, or ride the roller coaster at the top.

and then we stumbled upon the store that's been made famous by the show "pawn stars."  and of course, we stopped to take a look.

it was crowded in there, with lots of other lookyloos and curious tourists checking things out.  i don't think i'd ever seen a real pablo picasso before, and they had a whole wall of his art.

just a little further down the street and we came upon fremont street, where they've attempted to refurbish the old classic casinos, closing down part of the area to vehicles and making it pedestrian-friendly.  it would've been cool to see this stuff at night, all lit up.

you can do the zipline that has you flying from one end of the street to the other, if you can stand in the long line and cough up $40.

this is the las vegas i remember from when i was a kid.  classic shit right here.

 
the heart attack cafe...where they have customers wear hospital gowns and offer to serve patrons who weigh 350+ pounds for free.  you can weigh in at the entrance.

we decided to skip that and start making our way home.  it was already 1:00, and the traffic was in full effect.  at stateline, we decided to stop and grab some delicious lunch here:

home sweet home.  well, not quite.  we still had quite a ways to go from here.  still, it was a start.

till next time, las vegas.  be ready for us.