Vegas! (part 4 of 4...conclusion of trip!)
We drove to Minneapolis and had about 2 hours at the Mall of America (aka The Mega Mall), which is bascially a sickening display of the worst America can offer. It makes me ill to think that some people visit the Twin Cities from other COUNTRIES, and spend their 3 days in the Mega Mall and attached hotel, never venturing out to the beautiful Twin Cities of Minneapolis/St. Paul. Having said that, somehow we had fun...the kids enjoyed Camp Snoopy, the amusement park in the center of this massive mall. (no photos of that, sorry, but I'm sure you can only imagine)...some quick shopping (Pam enjoyed the Lego Store), and lunch in one of the multiple food courts housed in the Mega Mall. The truth is, the Mega Mall is just like any other mall...there's just a lot more of it.
We hopped on a flight to Vegas...the 3 hours flight took 5 hours due to thunderstorms, and had to circle Vegas before given clearance to land. Needless to say, we felt ready to get off that flight, and fortunate to have avoided being diverted to California, which the pilot threatened. We ended up landing eventually, and considered ourselves "lucky" even before placing a single bet.
We took the quick cab ride to our hotel, The Hotel at Mandalay Bay, where Papa and Iris were waiting for us! Let the fun begin!
Sorry, no casino photos, but Quinn did of course enjoy the lights and sounds every time we walked through. Iris and I played BlackJack together, and one night we stopped at $185 ahead. We won't talk about how much was lost before that point; let's hope not too much. Other fun things we did: Blue Man Group (the kids LOVED it), Lance Burton Magic Show, Shark Reef Acquarium, M&M and Coca Cola Store, room service, visit to the Venetian Hotel, swimming at Mandalay Bay...and of course gambling.
Quinn looks out at the wave pool at Mandalay Bay...
The Lazy River...Mike and Quinn,center, Madeline in foreground, Iris in black suit, far left.
Quinn at the pool...
At the Venetian Hotel....you can take a gondola ride..all indoors...
Maya and Madeline pose next to a live sculpture...somehow this guy stands there forever and doesn't move a muscle...
Madeline gets her charicature done at the Venetian Hotel...
Vegas is all about "over the top"...
The famous M&M Store....another example of "over the top"...here are all the colors of the M&M's....and you could build your own bag...
Julie, Madeline and Iris at the Coca Cola Store...We bought a bunch of coca cola stuff...not sure why Quinn had to have a coca cola shirt, but he now owns one...amazing how the M&M and Cola Stores are PACKED FULL of idiots like us who pay them money so we can market their product for them!
Phew....THE END! We had a great time! But it's always great to be home....especially after the laundry's done. :)
We hopped on a flight to Vegas...the 3 hours flight took 5 hours due to thunderstorms, and had to circle Vegas before given clearance to land. Needless to say, we felt ready to get off that flight, and fortunate to have avoided being diverted to California, which the pilot threatened. We ended up landing eventually, and considered ourselves "lucky" even before placing a single bet.
We took the quick cab ride to our hotel, The Hotel at Mandalay Bay, where Papa and Iris were waiting for us! Let the fun begin!
Sorry, no casino photos, but Quinn did of course enjoy the lights and sounds every time we walked through. Iris and I played BlackJack together, and one night we stopped at $185 ahead. We won't talk about how much was lost before that point; let's hope not too much. Other fun things we did: Blue Man Group (the kids LOVED it), Lance Burton Magic Show, Shark Reef Acquarium, M&M and Coca Cola Store, room service, visit to the Venetian Hotel, swimming at Mandalay Bay...and of course gambling.
Quinn looks out at the wave pool at Mandalay Bay...
The Lazy River...Mike and Quinn,center, Madeline in foreground, Iris in black suit, far left.
Quinn at the pool...
At the Venetian Hotel....you can take a gondola ride..all indoors...
Maya and Madeline pose next to a live sculpture...somehow this guy stands there forever and doesn't move a muscle...
Madeline gets her charicature done at the Venetian Hotel...
Vegas is all about "over the top"...
The famous M&M Store....another example of "over the top"...here are all the colors of the M&M's....and you could build your own bag...
Julie, Madeline and Iris at the Coca Cola Store...We bought a bunch of coca cola stuff...not sure why Quinn had to have a coca cola shirt, but he now owns one...amazing how the M&M and Cola Stores are PACKED FULL of idiots like us who pay them money so we can market their product for them!
Phew....THE END! We had a great time! But it's always great to be home....especially after the laundry's done. :)
posted by Pam & Mike at 8:33 PM
1 Comments:
Pam -- You have done a marvelous job of photographing and also writing about your trip to Minnesota and Las Vegas. I'd like to hire you to do a photo-essay for our next vacation trip! Thanks for all the wonderful pictures!
Love, Nan Booth
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