Vegas Days 6-8

Ryan enjoying the view of New York New York from our room at the Excalibur.

We just spent three fun-filled days packed with child-friendly activities in one of the most entertaining cities on the planet.  Would you like to guess what my son loved best?  Was it the nightly walks to look at the spectacular lights?  Coasting around on his beloved monorail? Our hotel that resembled a castle? Playing game after game with Uncle Joey? Being serenaded on a gondola ride? Watching a medieval knight show?

No. It was riding the escalators.  Oh, and shocking himself from walking on the carpet and then pressing the (metal) elevator buttons.  He loved that too. ;-)  A few pics from our trip:

Every night there we walked around for hours...but the first night there after exhaustively plopping himself in my arms and laying his head on my shoulder, Ryan muttered, "I want to go back to my castle..."

The hotel I look forward to visiting most every time I go to Vegas is hands down- the Bellagio.  I love their nightly water show and award winning arboretum.  However, there is now an official second place hotel that has captured my heart...the Cosmopolitan!  Think pink and draped sparkly faux diamonds everywhere...love it!  Even though I felt like an intrusive Beverly Hillbilly whenever we walked in, I also felt like I was just coming home, people...coming home.

Ryan and Uncle Joey took a gondola ride at the Venetian together...and I don't think I've ever seen Ryan so uninterested in something.  :-)  Yawn.  I'm on a gondola.  In Vegas.  Yawn.  And this man dressed in funny clothes is singing an aria to me in Italian.  Yawn.  Hey!  Is that an escalator over there?!!!

Someone was a little late coming down to dinner with us and our cousin Chris at Bucca di Bepo one night, so he paid the price.  We told our server it was his FORTIETH birthday (heh heh) and he got loudly serenaded by the entire restaurant.  Sorry for the little white lie Bucca...he's not quite forty, but he looks it. 

Okay, so I lied.  Ryan did love this place as much as riding the escalators...the Lied Children's Discovery Museum.  Specifically, he loved piloting the airplane there and going through security check again....and again.  Apparently he LOVES emulating the friendly folks at TSA.  Who knew they had a fan?

He also loved going 'shopping' at their grocery store...

Working as a car mechanic...

And then experiencing the hurricane simulator multiple times with mommy and daddy....

And later, at Uncle Joey's insistence of course, stripping down for a billboard photo shoot with his hunky Thunder from Down Under cast mates...  Naomi, Nina & Alyssa...this one is for you!

Here's what he was NOT a fan of...the Tournament of the Kings show (Vegas' version of Medieval Times).  Whenever the villain appeared the room would go dark, fireworks would go off, and an evil sounding voice would fill the room.  Ryan wasn't keen on it.  I liked the show, but for $70 pp I expected a little better than the cold ravioli and uncooked broccoli I got (I opted for the vegetarian option since I wasn't about to manhandle a whole chicken with my bare hands).

And after three nights of hanging out with Uncle Joey in Vegas, they bid each other a sad adieu...