Nashville, it has been a pleasure. Friendly people, good fun, great music, and good food. I would say it is a pity it was so warm. However, we are moving on to somewhere even hotter. Today we are moving on to Vegas.
Morning
Our flight wasn’t until 2:37 pm, so we got a bit of a sleep-in, followed by breakfast and time in the pool. Before we knew it, we were heading for the airport.
Afternoon
We tend to try and arrive at the airport 3 hours before a flight. We spoke to a few people who told us that 2 hours was enough for Nashville airport. Not wanting to take any risks, we arrived 2.5 hours before our flight. Was this a good idea? Nope, it was a silly idea. We were literally through TSA in 8 minutes! That 8 minutes included getting out of the shuttle, drinking a can of beer, and walking to TSA. While I won’t complain, as I hate waiting in line, it did mean we had a fair bit of time to hang about on our Spirit flight to Vegas.
The flight left on time, and for once, nothing went wrong with the plane, result!
I do like listening to people’s conversations on the plane. Well, if you talk loudly, it isn’t something private, is it? The family behind me was going to watch their kid compete in a race. I have no idea how the child was running outdoors in that weather, as it was 47C. However, the dad had little interest in actually going to support his kid. He was planning his time in the casino and what cocktails to drink. That did make me chuckle, maybe a bit too loud.
Flying over Lake Mead, it was clear the area was having a bit of a dry spell. I later found out they are finding bodies the water is that low. (More conversation listening.)
We landed with very little drama. And before we knew it, we were on our way to the hotel.
Our hotel for this section of the trip is ‘The Excalibur.’ I often tell people it doesn’t matter where you stay in Vegas as you are never in your room.
While our room was grand, the view wasn’t. Our view was of a white wall 2 metres away. We are famed for getting the worst views, but this took the biscuit.
Anyway, bags dropped off, and out we went to explore Vegas in the roasting heat.
Evening
Vegas with a child is different from Vegas without a child. However, there is plenty to do in Vegas as a family, and I have to call that out.
Our 1st port of call for the evening was the roller coaster in ‘New York, New York.’ The walk from our hotel is literally across a walkway, but you felt like someone was holding a hairdryer on full blast to your face. It was 5 pm, and I was already dreading tomorrow.
I’m not a fan of roller coasters, so this was a moment for Nicola and Megan. We got lucky and got the daytime price. Once we paid, they darted off to find the roller coaster, while I was left carrying a handbag and loitering with a beer! Not a good look, to be honest.
It wasn’t long before Megan returned, and she was so excited. “Daddy, it did this, Daddy, it did that, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy.” She had the Vegas bug at this point and wanted to get out and explore more.
Vegas is the sort of place you walk in no real direction. You enjoy the experience and walk wherever your eyes take you.
We visited Paris, Caeser’s Palace, and the Bellagio where we watched the fountains. Before we knew it, the place was lit up and getting livelier.
We decided to call it a night and headed back to our hotel. As we arrived, I noticed a kid’s arcade, so down we went and played a few games and promised Megan she could have a longer go tomorrow.
In the lift, I got asked the question I was dreading. “Daddy, I saw a sign for the pool. What time does it open?” – Looks like that is the plan for tomorrow morning. Although, we do also have a surprise for Megan tomorrow afternoon, so make sure you check back for that.
Anyway, we are in bed at 10 pm in Vegas. Rock and Roll!
Thanks for taking the time to read our ‘Day 12 – Travelling across the USA.’ If you have any questions about our journey so far, please ask.
The Lewis Family.
