48 hrs in Vegas: Twin Stroller Edition

Tagging along with Husband’s work trips has its perks, however it also means I solo parent by day. That leaves me with a six year old and two 10month old babies to entertain for 48 hrs in Vegas. So what do you do when you’re let loose in Vice City with three kids, comfortable shoes and a twin stroller (oh the glamour)?

Eat

The twins are of an age where between bottles and food they are pretty much always eating, or sleeping off a food coma. So days out are planned around mealtimes… to the minute. Yes, babies that have only just discovered real food do not wait, and therefore us parents need to stay ahead of the game. Mealtimes need to be perfectly calculated, adjusted to take into account sitting down, faffing with high chairs, ordering and allowing food to cool down. I suggest going for lunch at 11am to comfortably avoid restaurant rage and child meltdowns. And do note: it never looks good drinking a beer while you have two hungry kids screaming and banging the table while the other has her hands over her ears.

Vegas has some fantastic restaurants, and while you may be dreaming of fine dining in the Joël Robuchon Restaurant, your 6 year old is probably going to persuade you that The Rainforest Café is worthy of a Michelin Star. But who can resist their animated kiddie faces when the place starts rumbling with thunder, and the slightly creepy animals hanging from the ceiling come alive. Who wants ‘Oscetra caviar served atop of king crab and a crustacean gelée’ anyway, when you can finish the remnants of Kraft mac n cheese from a Formica tray?

Walk

I keep meaning to measure how many steps I clock up on a trip to Vegas. For a city that was built for cars, you do a ridiculous amount of walking. The resorts themselves are so huge, just walking from the entrance through to the pool can take 20mins. And when you look at the map and think ‘we can walk from New York to Paris’, for a six year-old it literally feels like you’ve crossed the Atlantic. My little girl was an absolute trooper, because when we came home my feet were throbbing, so how she did it with only mild moaning I do not know.

Become a Tourist Attraction

As I have mentioned in previous posts, people are obsessed with twins. I am usually stopped multiple times on a trip out, for a double foot grab and the standard list of questions. Vegas however took it to a whole other level. Maybe it’s the cocktail buzz people have going; maybe it’s the chit-chat in the street with salespeople and street performers. Or maybe its the high proportion of retirees spending their pensions that just love babies. Either way it was insane. If only my daughter could walk faster I might have had a chance, but alas I spent most my day displaying my offspring to the world as a living museum. Honestly, I’m going to start charging.

Highlights from the trip:

Walking through Luxor… one of the hotels I’ve been meaning to check out for a while. For those that don’t know, I was an Architect in my former life so I love a bit of geeky building porn.

Riding the monorail. My daughter has a slight obsession with public transport and watching her gaze out the window and follow the map through the stations was adorable.

The twin’s first trip to an aquarium. Watching them stare at the fish with that innocent inquisitive gaze almost made up for the 4hrs sleep I got the night before. 

Low Points:

Walking into the kitchen at Denny’s and loudly enquiring “how long does it take to make a pancake?” while the boys screamed hungry at the table.

Losing $20 to the ‘Great Owl’ slot machine when I was sure it was giving me the win vibe.

Desperately singing ‘If you’re happy and you know it’ on repeat in the third row of the minivan while the boys ignore me and continue crying.

Summary:

• We spent two days walking from one family friendly restaurant to another while being mobbed by touchy-feely grandparents.
• Both adults managed to drink a beer and play a slot machine. (#wildinvegas)
• The children were successfully kept alive and even enjoyed themselves at times.
• Overall, the trip is getting a thumbs up.