She's Going to Need a New Memory Card
Last weekend, Matt and I took Kayla to Las Vegas for her inaugural trip. The trip was conceived due to the Criss Angel Cirque du Soleil show. Kayla is a big fan of Criss’ and we thought she would love the show. And we love her and Vegas. So why not combine the three? It was almost not meant to be, as that Kayla girl is a very busy girl. But we finally picked a good weekend to go.
We arrive on Friday, hop in a cab to the Palazzo. Which continues to delight. Kayla reacted to the room pretty much the same way I did in March … complete with open jaw and giddy over the remote controlled blinds and curtains.
After we checked in to our room (that is 2 for 2 on the Palazzo having our room ready at 12:00), headed out for lunch. We went informal to the Cyprus Market at Caesars. Its maybe a half mile away, but it took us half an hour to get there. It was so incredible to watch Kayla looking at everything. She looked, she took a picture, she took a picture with her phone, texted it to someone, repeat. It was funny. That was pretty much the pattern of the weekend. But it was okay, it was funny. It took us five hours to go three miles down the strip. Hey, you have a better way? Didn’t think so! 
We did the “Eiffel Tower Experience”. I have always wanted to go up there. It wasn’t that thrilling, but at least I can say I did it. Dinner was at The Rainforest Cafe. They seated us in the bar, despite being with a drinking minor, and after asking us if everyone was over the age of 21. I was disappointed in that. I really wanted Kayla to see the animals get upset when the thunderstorms started.
Criss Angel show was just okay. Needed more music, less dancy artsy fartsy diabolical bunnies. I suppose if you are a die-hard Criss Angel fan, then its the show for you. I thought it was better than KA though.
Saturday was rides day. We headed to the Stratosphere. The first thing we rode was “Speed: The Ride” at the Saraha, as that is where the monorail drops you off. That is the second best coaster in Vegas. A short walk to the Stratosphere. Kayla and I rode the Big Shot. I really like that ride, I wish it held us up there longer so that we could see Vegas better. That is the highest view to see Vegas from, and its over in an instant. Matt and Kayla rode X-Scream, which I opted to skip this time, as the first time was enough for me. It really, honestly gave me a panic attack and made me cry when we rode it the first time. Matt, my hero, didn’t chicken out and went on there with Kay. He was close to not doing it, but he was very brave. Insanity is not that scary, its actually pleasant, but since I get motion sickness and didn’t feel like spending the day nauseated, I opted out of this one too.
For the first time ever, we visited “The World’s Largest Gift Shop” so Kayla could do some shopping. Headed to Circus, Circus to show Kayla that amusement park and Matt and Kayla rode the best coaster on the strip. Too bad its in the worst casino/hotel. Too many people, too many kids. Inconvenient location. I would probably battle the kids and ride the coaster every time we went if this was more centrally located.
Dinner at Stripburger. My favorite place in Vegas. Where they make homemade veggie burgers and the fries come in such a large portion that you need to share. They used to have “Cakes in a Shake” but they don’t anymore. A shame. It was fun to be drinking a shake and have a chunk of cake get stuck at the bottom of your straw.
Mystere was the show of the evening. The best Cirque du Soliel show that I have ever seen. Matt agrees. It was just as good, if not, better than the first time. Kayla said “wow” at least 50 times in the first 45 minutes. After that, I lost track. It is highly acrobatic, and I always want to join them on the trampolines. That just looks like fun. I would have to say if you have time/funding for just one show during your stay in Vegas, this is the one to see. Really. It’s that good.
Sunday came too fast. We ate at Grand Lux Cafe in the Palazzo, where I get this unique breakfast thing that I can’t remember the name of, but also has awesome pancakes, and we’ve here, French Toast. Visited the Secret Garden (baby animals yay!), Madame Taussad’s Wax Museum, which we walked through twice, because we were at the end when Kayla realized she left her sunglasses with Hugh Hefner. Nobody stopped us from walking back in there and going through backwards. We were able to recover the sunglasses. And you’d be surprised how long it takes to get through there if you stop and take pictures of three people at even half of the statues.
Kayla made a new friend of the Coca-Cola bear. We didn’t buy any M&M’s at M&M’s World (yes, really). Kayla and I rode the coaster at NY NY, which is just okay. Its too rough to be good. Headed over to the Rio, which is a really really fun casino over in Carnival World or whatever they call it …except for when the shows are dark. 
We ate at the buffet, which we were told by one of the chefs is THE largest in the world. It really is big! And it has gelato on the buffet. Since that stuff cost $10 a scoop elsewhere, you’d better get some while you’re there. Penn and Teller were, as always, great. They changed the opening. I liked the older one better. And Penn missed one of the psychic jokes.
At the Rio buffet, I asked Kayla how many pictures she took. She was at 477. I had nicknamed her Snappy the day before. That is why. And also why she’ll need a new memory card. 
Matt and I have about 47 pictures. And they are mostly of us at the wax museum. Ha ha.
So that was basically our trip. We look forward to our return in December when we will be running the marathon. We are deciding between staying at Planet Hollywood, our original plan, and Mandalay Bay, which is the host hotel. Normally, we wouldn’t consider Mandalay, as its at the far end of the strip, and we’ve been trying to stay central, but seeing that it is actually the finish line of the race, that makes it a big contender! We’ll keep you posted!
Matt’s take: http://matt.riffle.org/2009/08/11/las-vegas-trip-august-2009/