My son and I are back from our two-nighter to Vegas. Hey, I've actually gotten used to a non-gambling Vegas experience and it's still fun, altho in a different way.

Our Southwest flight was totally smooth, bags were immediately there and we were in the cab line just a few minutes after landing. I think McCarran is such an efficient airport, especially compared to LAX which is a total disaster every time. On the way to the hotel, I asked the cabbie about the economic situation and he said that business everywhere is 40 percent down. We checked into our room at the Paris, asked for a free upgrade (after all, 40 percent of those rooms are empty), but no luck unless we wanted to pay another $120. I guess that's one downside to taking your kid to Vegas and not gambling.

Our first event was Seinfeld at Caesar's where my friend from high school is a big mucky muck. It was great; he walked us into the theater, stopped by the concession stand and grabbed a bunch of candy bars for us and treated us like we were actually important. He had handselected our seats and it was like Jerry was telling jokes in our living room. Seinfeld was amazing. His comments about cell phones, air conditioning, all the stuff that everyone can relate to. He is so much more talented than any other comedian I've ever seen. We had a great time! Afterwards, we stopped by Spago for some creme brulee and drinks.

Sunday we headed over to the Envy Steakhouse for the jazz brunch at around 11 am. Once again, the cabbie said the business in Vegas was down at least 40 percent. For the first hour of our delicious and musical brunch, Michael and I were the only people in the entire restaurant. The chef came by twice to ask us how we liked our food. I have to say it was top quality, delicious and well-presented. Sort of pricey but I had a $20 coupon from Opentable.com. The music was great, also.

Our next stop was the Liberace Museum. Even my son the skeptic found most of it very interesting. His favorite part was seeing a piano that Liszt actually used, as well as one owned by George Gershwin. We got to the room with the sequined piano that the public can play and signed him up for his 10 minutes of glittery glory. Of course, once he played a Chopin Scherzo, the docents went crazy and asked for more. He launched into Days of Wine and Roses and basically ended up playing a mini-concert for the visitors docents for 45 minutes. Part two coming next.

The museum offers a free shuttle back to ALL hotels so the nice docents there told us to wait just 15 minutes for a free ride. I decided to save the $15 in cabfare. Our free ride back took 1 hour and 15 minutes. This bus driver was very ornery and made stops at Flamingo, Bally's, Mirage, etc. then telling us that he didn't stop at Paris. I guess you get what you pay for.

That night was our Lena Prima show and dinner at the Bootlegger, thanks to JMT. We had the best time!!!! My son occasionally scoffs at my cyberfriend experts but he afterwards commented that he thought TalkVegas was amazing. We had a bit of trouble at the beginning. I had made our reservations in the main room about 2 weeks ago and when we arrived at 8, they stuck us in the bar with no view of the band and said they were full. I calmly discussed it with the receptionist -- some young kid -- who insisted I must have made the reservation just a few hours prior and that's what happens. No, I insisted that I made them 2 weeks ago. Finally, a really great guy named Sean the Manager came over and found us a table in the main room, for which we were really grateful.

When Lena was signing CDs, I walked over to introduce myself and my son to her (thank you again JMT) and Dan Ellis came over to talk with my son. He was great and really took time to talk to him. The show began and they played for almost 2 hours. It was terrific. Lena has a great voice and is truly a wonderful performer. As for her band, they are such awesome musicians! We really had such a great time and the food was tasty as well. While we waited for a cab back to Paris, we chatted for quite some time with Sean who couldn't have been nicer. This evening was definitely a musical highlight for my son (and me). It was so much fun that we couldn't stop smiling and talking about it all the next day. As we came back to the Paris, I stopped by a slot machine for about 15 minutes, became disgusted and left. My son reminded me of a joke Seinfeld had made the prior night, "What's so addicting about losing money?"

The next morning, it was time to say adieu to Paris and to our brief Vegas escape. Back to the real world of homework and broken water heaters. We had lunch with a friend of mine who lives in Vegas at the Town Square Mall, stopped by to check out the lions at MGM Grand (hate that place) and then headed to the airport for our journey home.

Wow Gail, that sounds like a great trip. I really like Envy. It's clean and comfortable and the food is usually top notch. I've been there at brunch for a very short stay one time. I've had an excellent breakfast and dinner there. One time I lunch there and picked something a little too creative for my tastebuds. I could tell it was quality, but I didn't like it.

I'm glad you did well with your son. So many parents don't connect with their children, especially in Las Vegas, and that's dangerous. It's nice to see where you two found so much common ground.

I also enjoy the Bootlegger a great deal, especially on Sunday nights. I don't know if you met Kelly Clinton. She usually hosts the Sunday night shows. If you ever get a chance to see her show, don't miss it. I'm kind of a sucker on Italian food. I like Olive Garden and I like the expensive stuff. People say Bootlegger food is good, especially the pizza.

I talked to Lena about last Sundays show and she had a blast. The trumpet player wasn't really part of the master plan although they play together often. I think Lena's music sounds better with a horn section and she likes playing with one. Lena can sing those old standards, she can sing pop, and when she sings White Rabbit, she does it better than Grace Slick. Too bad you couldn't make it to the meet. It's fun to sit down and talk to Lena. She is a great story teller.

Thanks again for a great trip report. Hurry back!

Gail - sounds like you had a great time. Glad you had such great seats for Jerry Seinfeld and enjoyed Lena Prima so much. I wish I had been there to hear your son play at the Liberace museum. Sounds like a wonderful experience!

Since my husband passed away and my daughter left for college, it is just my son and I in our house and luckily, we get along beautifully. He is very mature after everything we have been through and goes with the flow. We both enjoy good music so that common bond helps to let us enjoy various adventures together. Honestly, I'm really dreading the day when he leaves for college in 3 1/2 years but of course, I'll be thrilled for him to start on his own exciting life.

Gail..... Thanks for the GREAT report!
Isn't Vegas amazing? I tell all my friends, you don't "need to gamble" to enjoy this town. Your proof of that fact!
Lena is such a nice person, she has been very kind to Talkvegas with her time.
So, I must ask...... are you looking at any future travel dates to Vegas????

Lee, I'd like to take my daughter (she's in college but not 21) maybe during the middle of December to sort of make things equal between the 2 kids. She's would like to see Phantom and maybe another show. However, there's not a lot to do with her during the day so I have to figure out how we would work it. I don't want to spend the trip shopping or having her bored.

Hey, don't put Las vegas shopping down! <s>
There is plenty of that as well in Las Vegas, but it can get expensive!
Lets see, a 20 yr old girl in Vegas, there is always the pools of Las Vegas! Maybe a mother daughter concert or even a hip comedian (someone maybe not as squeaky clean as Seinfeild?) Could be a great adult bonding time.
M2C

I don't what tastes your daughter has. If she wants to see Phantom, that shows her head is on straight. Remember that this show is Phantom, The Vegas Spectacular or something like that. It is not Phantom of the Opera. Hard core Phantom of the Opera fans can easily be misled. Casual Broadway fans who know the basic story and the most popular songs often never know the difference.

You may already know this, but there are currently two "deals" on the show that caught my eye. The first is a $50 discount plus good fine dining discounts at the Venetian. You can find details at http://www.phantomlasvegas.com/dine/ if you want more info.

The other deal is relative because it is pretty expensive. It includes the best seating, a backstage tour, and meet the cast after the show. I don't remember where I read about it. If you are interested, I'm sure it's on the web somewhere or you could call the Phantom box office. I think it's over $200 per seat.

The younger generations seem to connect well with Blue Man Group and Stomp Out Loud. Stomp Out Loud does have a strong Broadway connection and is closing soon, so I recommend it before it is gone for good. Also, it is not near as irritating as the name implies. It could easily be enjoyed by most anyone.

Donnie and Marie is a show that spans a few decades and might be mother/daughter compatible. I think that it will be the "feel good" show, once Mama Mia leaves. Which reminds me, Mama Mia is mother/daughter feel good show.

I am a first class sissy when it comes to December weather out here, so my thinking cap is focused indoors. Since Las Vegas is a town of excess, you could do your shopping in the more expensive places where you only window shop and aren't likely to buy a thing. Places like the Venetian and Forum shops come to mind.

I've seen a lot of mother/daughter bonding at Madame Tussaud's interactive wax museum. It can be a lot of fun posing and taking pictures with various figures. I owe Lee for a camera because it wasn't his idea of fun. Therefore, I am a little shy about recommending the museum or the camera.

The National Finals Rodeo is coming to town. If you are here during that time frame, people watching be a premium for you. The cowboys will struttin' their stuff in the best outfits which seems to drive a lot of women crazy.

Finally, I go a lot comedy clubs around town. As Lee mentioned, that could be a great time. None of them seem to have that ideal comedy club seating and atmosphere. The Riviera is probably the cheapest, The Trop is kinda old dirty but it generally has a good lineup coming through, Harrah's is very basic and expensive with a good tour of comedians, and the one at Trader Vics has a great view of the strip and Bellagio fountains and usually has pretty good comedians.

I hope you have a good time, whatever you decide.