Las Vegas, Nevada

R and I used to debate over whether our travelling days would be over once we had a kid.  He thought they would be and I didn't.  But, we grew up differently in that regard -- his family would use any free time to go to their farm. My family travelled more, even if it was nearby. So, although it is more challenging being away from home with a baby, I'm not ready for our travelling days to be over.  Plus, it's hard to resist taking advantage of babies under two being able to fly for free.  

We decided that E and I would accompany R on a work trip to Las Vegas.  I had never been and it was just a quick flight from LA.  

I can see how going to Las Vegas could be very expensive.  There are a tonne of ways to spend money there (expensive restaurants, designer stores, shows and, of course, gambling).  But, if you want to make sure you don't spend too much money in Vegas, take a baby.  We spent most of our time walking the strip, which is deceiving long, and going through the maze of hotels.    

Paris Las Vegas Hotel and Casino:

Lobby at the Bellagio:

Fountains at the Bellagio

The show at Treasure Island

Caesar's Palace

Forum at Caesar's Palace

Inside the Venetian

The Mirage

New York Hotel and Casino

Inside the M&M store

I would have loved to try out some of the big name restaurants.  But, I feel nervous about bringing E to a fancy restaurant, even though most of the noises she makes are happy noises.  So, we usually opt for somewhere loud, where noise from a baby won't make a dent.  We went to Burgr, one of three of Gordon Ramsay's restaurants in Vegas.  Having your name attached to three restaurants in Las Vegas seems like overkill to me.  But, why say no if it brings in money without requiring much in return?  

Overall, the burgers and fries were good, but overpriced.  The most memorable parts were the cut of the fries (rectangular), the use of iPads to show menu items and the poor waitresses that have to wear the most uncomfortable uniform ever.  There's no way they could hire an average-sized woman to work there.

Aside from that, we also ate at the buffet at the hotel we stayed at, Treasure Island.  By the time R got back from working, we didn't have a lot of time to go out before E's bedtime.  I was hoping that the buffet would be like the images you often see of Vegas buffets, with seafood, fresh assortments of everything, beautifully set up, etc.  Although you won't leave hungry, this buffet would rate around average in any city.  The last night we went to Pho, also at TI.  The food was pretty good.  Though you pay about double what it costs to get pho at a Vietnamese restaurant.  But, the service was off.  I was annoyed when the person who replaced our server (who went home) brought our food and seconds later brought the bill.  Okay...I guess that means that dessert is out of the question. Then, we never saw the server again.  We waited for a long time to pay, which is annoying when you have a baby that is ready to call it a night.