Cajuns in Vegas!!

John and Brenda called while we were in Tucson. They had just driven to Idaho to baby-sit for their oldest son while he and his wife were looking for their new house. Amazingly, John and Brenda drove in their car all the way from Louisiana to Boise, Idaho (about 2300 miles!) to baby-sit for 3 days. So, not wanting to waste all those miles and days of driving, they decided to stop in Las Vegas- so we left Tucson a day early and joined them in Sin City.

Cajuns love to gamble - and John and Brenda played tour guide to "The Strip". I put $20 in a quarter slot machine at Bellagio--and walked away with over $150! I wanted to keep going, but John said "Absolutely not--take the money and run". (We did figure out the system however-- at $7 for a glass of wine at the bar, all you need to do is sit at the slots, put in $20 -and suck down free drinks. Worst case, you're out $20 -but you save yourself mega bucks in drinks....)

Las Vegas was an experience not to be missed.. Our original thought was "too tacky, too gaudy, too horrible" for a visit--and it's all that and more. WIth the Cajuns as guides, we saw it all - from the giant gold lion at MGM, theEgyptian pyramid and a sphinx at Luxor, the Statue of Liberty/Brooklyn Bridge/Ellis Island at NY/NY, the Eifel Tower, Champs de Elyse at Paris LasVegas, the Forum, the Colliseum at Caesar's Palace, St Mark's Square, the canals at The Venetian....it goes on and on.

We stopped to see the fountains at the Bellagio that do a "water ballet" every hour and watched the roller coaster flying through the lobby at NY/NY. The gaming rooms are beyond belief--they stretch for what seems like miles-with the sound and flashing lights of the slot machines going 24 hours a day. It's a shrine to greed and extravagance and the best people watching you'll ever find!

And, of course, with Brenda at the helm, we met EVERYONE! As we often say, "Brenda will talk to a rock" and we met people wherever we went.

When John and Brenda left, we continued the exploration- stopping at the Little White Chapel (where you can opt for a wedding in the chapel- or at the drive-thru window. They've married Michael Jordan, Joan Collins- and Brittany Spears (her first, but abbreviated marriage). You can even renew your vows...

We took a tour of the city - which ended at the "Elvis-a-Rama Museum" complete with Elvis impersonator!.

We loved Old Las Vegas-Fremont Street is truly tacky!

John even managed to get his face on a magazine cover!