Christmas Eve

We slept in the next morning. Got ready at leisure and ate breakfast.  Pierson's had loaned me a book on Vegas when we decided to go.  Inside Christi had highlighted a 2 hour Walk around the World. It explained the best way to see each hotel, the attraction inside each one (many free) and where the free trams where. That is what we decided to do Christmas Eve Day.  With Dave's excellent skills we found the free parking and began our journey.  We started in Egypt (Luxor) and traveled to England (Excalibur).  On to New York and MGM Grand.  It was so amazing.  Cora kept wondering who and how you decided to just build a castle in the middle of the desert. 

Everything I read said that there were lions at MGM Grand.  We couldn't find them.  We stopped at M & M World and Hersheyland.  The girls got some souvenirs here.  Cora wanted to stop at a store called Stupidiotic. It was a fun store.  As Cora remarked it was the perfect place to get white elephant gifts.  Blake got his souvenir at that store.

At this point we had already taken 4 hours and we were only half done.  We found a nice spot to eat our lunch and then went back to the hotel for a respite.  We swam.  Everyone kept commenting on how extravagant it all was.  After a few hours we headed back out to the opposite side of the strip. (We forgot the camera in the car this time)  Years and years ago Kita had given me the recipe for the Original BBQ Chicken Pizza from California Pizza Kitchen (now called CPK).  There was a CPK in the Mirage.  I really wanted everyone to try the original so they would know what I was trying to mimic.  There was a big line up, but surprisingly we got in quickly.  Pizza was amazing.  Dave said mine was almost exactly like the original. (I do put a lot of cilantro on mine they only had a little, I like lots:) Outside of the Mirage was an Erupting Volcano show.  We waited for that to start.  It was fantastic.  Next we headed over to Treasure Island.  I was not sure they had a show still, some sites said there was some said no.  We waited a bit, but no show.  Last into the Venetian.  I couldn't wait for them to see this one.  A canal with gondola rides inside the hotel.  On the second floor. The store fronts and tops were made up to look exactly like Venice.  Even the ceiling was painted.  It took a couple of glances before the kids believed us that it really was not the sky.  Back at the hotel we watched a little TV.  Even the kids said no wonder we don't have a TV.  They would just flip and flip and not really find anything.  We were very ready for sleep again.