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All this sitting at home in quarantine has me pining for the good ol’ days when we could travel whenever and wherever we wanted.
One of my all-time favorite trips was to Las Vegas….with my mom!
That’s right! My little sister and I took my mom to Vegas and we had the BEST time!
I know it sounds lame, but my mom is one of the coolest people I know. She loves to have a good time and she loves to gamble!
These were 3 unexpected things we learned about Vegas during this trip!
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There Is So Much Nudity
I know Vegas is full of the wild and outlandish. (I’ve watched The Hangover.) But I was completely unprepared for all the body parts we saw while walking down the sidewalk.
At one point, we were walking down the street and spotted 2 nuns ahead of us. We could only see them from behind, but it was clear that they were in full habit (in the long black dress and veil) despite the heat.
We couldn’t figure out why they were walking down Fremont Street…until they turned around.
Their BOOBS were OUT!
They might have looked like nuns from behind, but their costumes were completely open-chested!
The look on my mom’s face was PRICELESS!
I still laugh when I think about it. I can bring up those nuns to this day; she still gets that shocked look.
And those weren’t the only ones letting it all hang out. There were people in thongs, girls with pasties/tassels, folks in their undies, anything to shock you and hopefully get some tips posing for pictures.
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Fremont Street > The Strip
Before our trip, I was most excited about the Vegas Strip.
I couldn’t wait to see all the fancy hotels that I had only seen in movies. I couldn’t wait to see all the exotic cars and fancy people. In my mind, the strip was the stuff of legends.
And much to my dismay, the Vegas Strip was a bit of a disappointment.
The hotels were even more amazing than I thought they would be. Their lobbies were straight out of movie scenes. And the Bellagio fountains were worth waiting outside in the heat of the night for.
However, nothing could have prepared me for crowds so dense that we could barely move. I honestly don’t know how to describe it to you.
At one point, we were crossing a bridge over the street and were packed in so close that you couldn’t bend your knee without bumping someone. Plus, it was hot and people were stinky. Add in alcohol and it’s just a recipe for disaster. We saw the beginning of several altercations. It was miserable.
We walked into hotel lobbies and casinos just to get a break from the suffocating wall of people. Trying to stay together with a group bigger than 3 would have been almost impossible.
Fremont Street was busy, but nothing like the strip.
Admittedly, the hotels and casinos on Fremont Street don’t compare to the ones on the strip, but it was a compromise I was willing to make to not deal with the hordes of people.
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In Vegas, Tips Are Not Optional
Another thing I found surprising was the audacity of the ‘street performers’.
I don’t know if ‘street performer’ is even the correct term. While we did see a few actual performers playing instruments, doing tricks, or dancing, the majority of the people out there were just dressed up to take pictures with tourists for ‘tips’.
The moment I spotted my first showgirl on the strip, I wanted a picture. (I mean that’s classic Vegas!) She had on the jeweled bikini with giant tail feathers and the whole shebang. I politely waited my turn and stood next to her for a picture. Only for her to put her hand in her face and ask that I pay her $10 before she would pose with me.
I understand that this is how these people pay their bills or supplement their income, and I was fully prepared to tip. But I’ll be damned if I pay $10 for a cell phone picture!
We walked on until we found a showgirl whose minimum was $5. (She was also much nicer!)
This was another reason I preferred Fremont Street to The Strip. The performers on Fremont Street didn’t demand payment for pictures but simply placed their ‘hat’ on the ground for you to tip as you choose.
Despite the shocking things I learned on this trip, we still had a BLAST!
I would go back in a heartbeat! And my mom would too!
Hands down, it was the best girls’ trip we’ve ever had!
You can see some of our other family travels here!
