As for the anti-youth diatribes, we’ve touched on this subject before, and I agree with you to a point. It’s weird to bring little kids to Las Vegas, i.e. single digits, and I didn’t and wouldn’t. However, around the mid-teens the creatures morph into entirely different beings and you would be surprised how many of them are able to dial in pretty well and get the point of the place. There always were plenty of things to do for people outside of excessive drinkery and X-ratery. The vast majority of shows, great variety of all possible foods, Ethel M. Cactus Garden, Strat, cheeseball resorts like Ex and Luxor and Circus, and much more are perfectly fine for the later adolescents learning how to adult and where to vacation when they have their own money. And because they are so daggone lazy they harmlessly lie around in the room gaming and Discording for hours when you need to go downstairs to you sip and gamble. Meanwhile they are forcing their parents, i.e. me, to drop more $$ while in town, more tickets, more meals, more shop purchases, more gratuities, so you are welcome sir! Then on the plane home they are already talking about going back.
I can assure you the kid had ample pre-Vegas travel earlier, Disney World, Carnival Cruises, pilgrimage to the Statue of Liberty after seeing it on Wonder Pets, but we ain’t six years old over here anymore. My kid’s not going to cry and whine and be offended by half naked buskers on Fremont Street or any of the other sins and vices; they’re not going to get in anyone’s way or try to kill anyone’s buzz and they will behave themselves.
In fact they are likely more polite and treating workers better than a lot of what’s been coming through the city, given the overwhelming commentary about the loss of civility. We don’t scream at people when we don’t get our way, or for any other reason except being assaulted. We understand tipping and courtesy and saying please and thank you. In fact my kid is really great at complimenting servers with an “I love your (hair, necklace, tat, name)” and I have been proud to see many weary faces brighten for a moment. They didn’t get that from me.
So with all respect and I really do respect you Scott, I wish there were a little separation between toddlers and drivers in the conversation about bringing kids to Las Vegas rather than anyone under 21 lumped in to one should-be-forbidden bucket.
]]>