Viva Las Vegas

We made it through the Mojave again without any issue. There is something so strange about driving through a desert where you go miles and miles without seeing signs of life or other vehicles. It also makes getting into Las Vegas all the more jarring since this place is packed with life.

We ended up being in Vegas on days that overlapped my Dad and Diana so they hooked us up with rooms at Planet Hollywood. We had a lovely view. I love the mountains in the distance. 

A room with a view

We were so happy to be out of the car that we just walked the Strip that evening, grabbed dinner and watched the people. I consider Vegas to be like a human zoo. You see all kinds.

Again, we were still on Eastern time so we were up early to grab breakfast at a popular spot: Pantry, in The Mirage. It was SO good.

We love breakfast! 

I was excited to see that there was a DryBar in the Planet Hollywood mall so I made an appointment for a blowout while Jackson was picking up Dad and Diana from the airport. Win!

They had a selfie station that Jackson enjoyed while I was
making my appointment for that evening

Jackson picked up the crew and we all visited for a bit before it was time for us to go to our dinner. Jackson loves a restaurant in Vegas called Joe's Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab which is more expensive than any restaurant should be so we called it an early birthday dinner. It was the only way for me to stomach a $170 meal for two.

Petefish

Please note that my hair will never look that good again. The girl at DryBar had a magic touch.

Jackson's salad.
Not pictured: the gold they must have put in it to justify the price.

Jackson's steak and potatoes
Not pictured: the entire cow I must have purchased to justify the cost of this steak

Jackson's birthday dessert
This was actually "free"

Our dinner was lovely and the service was great, I'm just very cheap. :)

We spent our time not gambling much, trying to hang by the pool when it was open and just walking the Strip.

This guy had a little too much to drink and was sleeping it off at 11:30 a.m.

We did find some fun new restaurants during our stay, including Holstein's, but we were shocked at how high Vegas prices have gotten. This meal of burgers, fries and one shared malt was $66. You guys!!!

WHERE IS THE GOLD IN THIS PHOTO??

Jackson turned $8 into $21 and I made him quit
 gambling at that point.

This machine felt right and I turned $13 into $41 and quit.

Dad and Diana got us tickets to see Legends in Concert and get got upgraded to the front row. It was a ton of fun even though I didn't know all of the songs. They had Sting, Aretha Franklin, young Michael Jackson and, of course, Elvis.

Petefish

Sting impersonator 

Elvis impersantor

Young Michael Jackson getting excited 

We had a great time in Vegas. Thanks again to Dad and Diana for sharing all of their perks with us. This was a perfect trip that mixed in some hiking and outdoors time with time spent hanging out in Vegas. I could not have asked for a better way to recover from a long tax season!