June 14: Las Vegas, Nevada

The next day was a very relaxing one for us. We slept in later than normal, and after breakfast we headed into downtown Pasadena. One of our first stops was 21 Choices, a delicious frozen yogurt shop with huge servings – and the beginning of an incredibly unhealthy day for us. At least we got in some walking, since we also stopped in Johnny Rocket’s for some onion rings.

Our next stop was In and Out, which we had been told over and over we needed to visit before we left the state. Since their vegetarian option was a hamburger without the meat (in other words, bun, lettuce, and tomato with the special sauce), we opted for just French fries instead (don’t worry, parents, we usually eat better than this).

We did have some fruit back at the house before we headed off in the late afternoon for Las Vegas. For the first time on the trip, we would be staying in a hotel. Well, a motel actually – a Howard Johnson’s to be specific. It was advertised as only one block off the Strip, but we would soon find that blocks on the Strip are a lot longer than they should be.

First, however, we took a half-hour break in our room to channel surf and relax. It was nice to be on our own for once, but we were eager to hit the town.

It was a long walk into town, however. Once we made our way from the small-time wedding chapels and nude clubs to the big casinos, though, it was worth it. Though both of us are twenty and not quite old enough to gamble, we walked through some of the casino floors and watched people chain-smoking at the slot machines and were kind of glad not to be a part of that. The blackjack tables, however, did tempt us, as we both had read Bringing Down the House and wish we could count cards.

Fortunately, we were able to partake at Chipotle (it was Emily’s first time there and Louisa’s second – neither was disappointed). It was delicious, of course, and made us desperately wish for a location in Providence.

Afterwards, we watched the fountain show at the Bellagio and started our long walk home. There was apparently a wedding going on in the chapel in our hotel when we got back, which ruined our plans to do the one thing we actually were of legal age to do in Vegas (there was also the slight problem that we didn’t meet anyone we really wanted to marry). Instead, we went straight to bed.