Our perfect little traveler.

I’m not a “Vegas every year” guy. I have plenty of friends who have to get to Vegas every March or whatever, but that has never been me. In my life I’ve probably spent 12-14 nights in Vegas (but who remembers EVERY night). That said, we happened to spend a four day weekend in Vegas for Sara’s birthday last February. I thought it would be fun to do a quick comparison of what that weekend was like, compared to the trip we just took.

What was the same: We stayed at the Bellagio

What was different: Everything else.

Our 2013 trip was the second part of a week-long vacation out west. We started in Kingman, Arizona, visiting my sister and our newest niece Claire. Kingman is about two hours from Vegas, and that is the closest airport, so there was no choice but to get a Vegas trip in. We convinced eight friends to meet us out there. They arrived on different days throughout the weekend, with the highlight being Saturday night when all ten of us went out to dinner to celebrate Sara’s birthday. We snuck in some spa time, spent every morning by the pool, gambled and a even took a couple of limo rides for our Friday night version of Sara’s birthday dinner. Most of us learned how to play craps on this trip, and after that Saturday dinner we essentially took over a craps table for two hours and made a LOT of money. We are pretty sure they called in a Cooler, and it worked. It was quintessential Vegas. The kind of weekend that makes you want to book another trip before you leave the hotel. Late nights, made some money, had a ton of fun.  For a co-ed Vegas trip, it couldn’t be topped.

The 2014 version of Vegas looked almost nothing like the 2013 version. It started as we were getting settled in our hotel room and it took three tries for us to get a pack and play that worked. This allowed me time to wonder what percentage of Bellagio guests ever even ask for a pack and play? Where were these even coming from? Spoiler alert, Cam didn’t even like it, he slept in his car seat the whole time. That delay cut into my late night gambling plans, but I managed to sneak out and win a quick 100 bucks on the roulette table. Roulette would treat me well over the course of the weekend. I never had enough time to get into craps. I’d hate to get on another hot streak and have to leave!

Sara was on a pretty tight schedule most of our time there, so I would mostly be on Cam-watching duty. My birthday was a few weeks ago and “Cam” got me a massage at the Bellagio spa. Sara had some free time Thursday morning so I was able to sneak off to paradise. The spa at the Bellagio reminds me a lot of the Albert Brooks/Meryl Streep movie Defending Your Life. Everyone walks around in white robes and you can pretty much get anything you want to eat or drink. It was heaven. I’m not ashamed to admit I am now a huge fan of hot stone massages (white robe and all). I guess after a man signs up for Amazon Mom, it’s pretty easy to be comfortable with all the rest.

Friday was Sara’s busiest day. Her poster presentation was that night, but she had a full day of lectures to attend. Lucky for me, it was 90 degrees and my sister was bringing three of her kids down from Kingman for a pool day and a cousin meet and greet. I acted as the pool raft for my niece and nephews. A great afternoon and Sara was even able to join in on the fun by the end of the day. It was during our pool time that I finally managed to secure my first alcoholic beverage while in Vegas. What used to take me less than an hour, had taken me almost two days. A different Vegas experience for sure.

Sara did a great job with her poster and we went out to a late dinner with some of her colleagues at the hotel. Cam came along and luckily slept the whole time. Before the dinner I finally left the comforts of the Bellagio for the first time since we arrived. I walked down to the strip to run an errand before our trip back on Saturday. The biggest Walgreens store you’ve ever seen is on the Las Vegas strip. Just a half a block from our hotel. A year ago I went to this Walgreens to get last minute cards for Sara’s birthday and Valentine’s day. And booze and snacks for our room. This year I was sent out on our last night in Vegas to get baby formula. We needed more of those travel size two-ounce bottles to get us all home in one piece. Walking thru that store and seeing the circus that is a Friday night in Vegas, I’m pretty sure I was the only person all weekend who would ask where the baby formula was located.

We left Vegas on Saturday. A big boxing match was happening that night and so was the Kentucky Derby. The temperature was expected to get up to 99 degrees. I think we got out at just the right time. Our flight out of Vegas left on time. The only one of our four flights that managed that feat. If Cam got an A+ for the trip out, he gets a B+ for the return flights. He was great for the most part, but too many messy diapers on the trip back to get a perfect grade. One on our way back to Chicago (again right as we pushed back from the gate. He was just toying with us now), and twice on our final flight. We were again delayed in Chicago. This time by over an hour. Our flight was also overbooked, so they kept asking for volunteers to get bumped. In our former life we might have jumped at the chance. A random night in Chicago where we have family and friends would be fun. Plus the voucher money is nice. But when you are one two hour flight from completing a trip as crazy as this one, we didn’t even consider it.

I think it’s time to see everything that Rhode Island has to offer. Because I don’t plan on leaving the state again for a while!