Happy to Share What Happened in Vegas!

What would possess a Christian parent with 8 and 10 year old children to want to take his family to Las Vegas? My son is a future engineer, and we thought it would be neat to see Hoover Dam. And since it was a 5 hour drive from Sedona, staying overnight in Vegas seemed like a good idea. We took our time getting there (no matter what my father-in-law will tell you), and enjoyed going on the Dam Tour, taking all the Dam pictures we wanted. So we decided to go straight to dinner once we got into town, at the Hofbrauhaus (http://www.hofbrauhauslasvegas.com/).

The Hofbrauhaus is an authentic German bier hall run by Hofbrauhaus Munich, and served German food, their own beer, by women in the classic outfits (at first a bit risqué, but mild compared to the rest of the visit in Vegas) and accompanied by an oompah band. I had the Schweinebraten with a half liter of their Dunkel, and for dessert I had a liter of their bier special, an unfiltered lager. Everything was excellent, although pricy, and it was a great way to start our evening in “Sin City.”

We stayed at the Luxor (nice rooms on the Strip at a good price), and then walked up to the Bellagio to see the fountains. We had to go through several casinos, and since they are designed to get patrons lost, it was really starting to piss me off trying to get from Point A to Point B. However, it turned out this was one of the highlights of the trip for the kids with the monorails (2 of them), the elevators, escalators, moving sidewalks, and even an inclinator. Jenn loved the fountains (and the inside) of the Bellagio, and I was thankful that my in-laws offered to put the kids to sleep while Jenn and I went out to explore. I won a little, she loss a little, and then we went off the strip to the Yard House (http://www.yardhouse.com/flash/default.asp) to relax. The Yard House boasted over a hundred drafts, and I was able try several from the Lost Coast and Sin City breweries while Jenn enjoyed a brownie sundae. I know what I like for dessert, and so does she.

The next morning we checked out and had breakfast at Margaritaville, sitting on a 3rd store balcony overlooking the Strip. The Lone Palm washed down a so-so corned beef hash (should have gone with the California omelet with lots of avocado), and we enjoyed the beautiful weather out on the deck. The ladies went shopping (mostly pickup/put down), while I checked out the Monte Carlo Brewpub. I was disappointed to find out that they had stopped brewing their own beer, but I was able to enjoy a Sin City Stout.

Before heading out of town, we stopped by downtown Vegas. I liked this area better than the Strip; smaller, cozier (reminded me of Reno), and with an actual working brewpub. The Triple 7 in the Main Street Station (http://www.mainstreetcasino.com/) a sampler at a fair price, and the bartender even threw a sample of their Barleywine.

All in all I would go back again (I missed the Ghost Bar, Big Dog Brewing and the Freaking Frog), but it would be more enjoyable to spend some time at shows without the kids. - 5013

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