It was 4 years and 9 months ago, in August of 2007.  That’s when my wife, Elizabeth, and I last made the trip to Las Vegas together.  We weren’t married.  No kids.  Just younger twenty-something adults enjoying what Sin City had to offer. The place was filled with numerous casinos, and nowadays, you can even experience casino games from the comfort of your home through platforms like เกมโต๊ะพิเศษจาก UFABET.

Fast forward a little more than 4½ years…we were back.  This time, we were back for a Brad Paisley concert at Mandalay Bay.  The concert was awesome…but that’s not what I’m writing about.

We were back to Las Vegas with two kids under the age of 3.  Not to mention, my wife was nearing the end of the second trimester of her third pregnancy.  We had heard all the “kid friendly” enhancements Las Vegas had introduced over the last few years.  More hotels were building roller coasters, kids shows being showcased…you know, stuff like that.  But with all that, traveling with kids couldn’t be that different…could it?

Famed media mogul and game show creator, Merv Griffin, once said:

 “Las Vegas without Wayne Newton is like Disneyland without Mickey Mouse.”

Well what if Disneyland was without Mickey Mouse, because he went to Las Vegas?  (Who cares about Wayne Newton.)

Walking down the Strip, what is one of the first things my 2-year old, Owen, sees?  Yes, it’s Mickey Mouse!!!  And look who’s with him?  It couldn’t be.  Yes, it is…it’s Minnie!!!  How fantastic is this?   Kids, this is your lucky day.

You would think this is some sort of official Disney business in Las Vegas, right?  Perhaps they were opening a store or introducing Las Vegas Disneyland?  And of course, you would think the kids saw the Mickey & Minnie they have been used to seeing at Disneyland, like here…

Nope.  This Mickey & Minnie Mouse were different.  They were drunk.  America’s favorite rodents were drunk out of their minds, passed out under one of the pedestrian bridges on a Las Vegas Strip corner, Jack Daniels in their hands and asking for money.

Word has it drunk Garfield, drunk Spongebob Squarepants and drunk Mario & Luigi make appearances there as well.  What were we subjecting our kids to?  But alas, they didn’t seem to care or even notice the intoxicated state they were in.  We went on…

…and Elizabeth got to none other than Elmo.  Lucky for us, this Elmo was in a sober state of mind.  Little did we know he was still working, posing for pictures.  After getting a picture, an Elmo voice unfamiliar to Elizabeth said in a low, male tone, “You know, I work for tips.”  Yep, Elmo was asking for cash instead of asking to be tickled.

And with that, we begin the comparisons of visiting Vegas Before kids versus With kids……

  • Before Kids: We walk by any semblance of a Sesame Street or Disney character.  We do not notice them.  We do not stop.  We notice all the smut peddlers instead.
  • With Kids: We are forced to stop and see the Sesame Street and Disney characters.  The smut peddlers seem to avoid children.
  • Before Kids: Let’s head to the Flamingo to play blackjack on their pink felt tables and learn all things fantasy baseball
  • With Kids: Let’s head to the Flamingo to see the pink flamingos.
  • Before Kids: Try to get away to get an hour’s rest.
  • With Kids: Try to get away to get an hour’s worth of gambling at one of Siti Scommesse recommended casinos. My favorite one is 샌즈카지노.
  • Before Kids: Hotel room bathtub is used for ice and keeping beer cold.
  • With Kids: Hotel room bathtub is used for bathing kids (what a concept!)
  • Before Kids: Tell our parents we’ll be back home Sunday afternoon.
  • With Kids: Tell our parents we’ll be back to the room at 11 PM (because they came along to watch the kids.)
  • Before Kids: Let’s use that cooler full of ice to dump on our friend while he’s sleeping.
  • With Kids: Let’s use that cooler full of ice to keep the fruit, string cheese & milk cold for the drive.
  • Before Kids: After a long day & night, we get back to the room at 5 AM.  Sleep.
  • With Kids: Sleep.  Wake up for the day at 5 AM.
  • Before Kids: Spend countless hours in the casinos and playing at online casinos like https://nyecasino.dk.
  • With Kids:  Pregnant wife (holding her breath) & kids speed walk through the casinos to avoid all the cigarette smoke, looking forward to the safe betting sites you can play some slots on back in the hotel room.
  • Before Kids: Open my wallet.  First card I pull out to pay for dinner is the Visa credit card.
  • With Kids: Open my wallet.  First card I pull out to pay for dinner is my annual Disneyland pass.  Eventually, I get to the Visa.
  • Before Kids: Roll an extra bed into the room because there are 8 people sleeping in the room already.
  • With Kids: Pull out the sofa bed because my 2½-foot tall, 16-month old son has somehow occupied the entire other side of the king size bed, next to my wife.

Obviously, traveling takes on a whole new feel and experience when doing it with a family of your own.  Can you hit up Vegas with your own kids?  Absolutely.  Can you still have fun?  Definitely, you can even gamble online in sites like aposta casa if you’re really in Las Vegas for this.  Having someone there to assist with the kids helps, and is necessary if you & your spouse are going out for an event, or going bet on the Casino, or you can even play online at a pay n play kasinot.
¡Viva Las Vegas!


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