Who wouldn't want to go to Vegas
with their parents?! It is clearly the first thing that comes to my mind when I
think of Vegas. Okay, probably not
normally, but after our trip there last week it is definitely no longer unheard
of or unthinkable.
To back up, last year my dad and
I had an epic night at the AC/DC concert in San Francisco. And after that night we began compiling the
concert bucket list for us to check off.
Elton John was at the top of that list and next to take down
So a year and a half later, I
landed in Vegas to meet my parents on a Wednesday afternoon for dinner and a show. After a half day at work and a quick flight
down, I met them at Caesar’s Casino and Hotel; our home base for the
night. It was parents first time to
Vegas so I was excited to introduce them to the City of Sin and see how they
liked it so far: my dad’s the initial reaction: “this place is nuts, I need a
nap.”
And nap my dad did while my mom
and I took a hot lap through the forum shops and a quick stroll outside for
some fresh air.
I dropped my mom off at her hotel
room to get changed and check in on work.
We met up just an hour later for appetizers and drinks before the
show. We spent a few minutes figuring
out the game plan and trying to decide where to go among all of the various
restaurants in Caesars. My dad was extra
excited about Rao’s, the famous restaurant in New York City that is impossible
to get a reservation for, especially since we could get a table for the three
of us, no waiting in Vegas… it might have also been because it was 5 pm on a
Wednesday night. However my dad
commented that he didn't want to eat there and be full and tired for the
show. But further remarked “man if I
come back I would do dinner at a nice restaurant one night and then a concert
or show the second night.”
We opted for Mr Chows where we
enjoyed the fancy Chinese dumplings and sipped on expensive champagne.
With the show starting at 7:30,
we wrapped up our pre-show drinks and made our way over to the Coliseum for
Elton John’s Million Dollar Piano show.
We arrived early enough to find our seats, grabs some drinks and take in
the fact that the place was packed even though Elton John plays there at least four
nights a week and has been for over two years.
We enjoyed the show (me singing along to the few songs I knew) and both me
and my dad drinking our massive Vegas sized beers….I was not secretly pregnant
like the last concert and neither my dad nor I were afraid to miss a song with
a bathroom break. When leaving the show
my dad commented “That show was awesome.
I can see how this place grows on you.”
After the show we stopped by the Old
Homestead Steakhouse for after dinner drinks and dessert. We talked about the show, the family, and
life in general while enjoying our decadent apple crisp and berry tart and 15
year port (or Don Julio tequila for my mom).
It was during this dessert, while talking about Oskar, that my dad
started rummaging around in his wallet looking for something. A few seconds later he pulled out this
amazing gem. It was taken over 33 years
ago and he has carried it with him since.
It was also during this time that
my dad started making plans on whom would join him and my mom on their next
trip to Vegas. I think they settled on
getting the cousins together for a few nights in Sin City. His exact words to
my mom “Do you think your cousins would like this place? We should get a weekend planned with them.”
We said good night and good bye
that night around 11:30. Unfortunately I
had a 6 am flight to catch the next morning to make it to work while my parents
had the day to explore some more of the Strip.
It was less than 24 hours in
Vegas but it was perfect. We had a
proper meal, saw a great show and I had some serious bonding time with my
parents.
As a side note: I love how my
dad's first experience of Vegas went from cold to hot with him not sure about
the place at first to planning his next trip before the night was even over. Conversely my first time went from hot to
cold…with me thinking it was the most amazing place in the world to oh man,
this place is crazy, followed by I can only manage two nights, and wrapping up
with the need for a shower and my own bed and vowing to never return.
