11 A.M.
HOUDINI'S MAGIC SHOP
A luxurious late morning sleep-in with room service for breakfast gave us enough energy for another day. Wandering through New York New York, we discovered one of many magic shops in town. As we
approached, a magician was beginning a small show. Alexander provided an ID card upon
request that the magician made float, spin and dance through the air. The UFO trick--and all others--include private instruction for that trick, and since we were a family, they let all of us pile into a room the size of an elevator to learn magicians' secrets. Too cool! We refrained, however, from buying Houdini's handcuffs ($9500). New York New York casino and hotel. 3790 Las Vegas Blvd, South. Free. Call 800-693-6763.
12:30 P.M.
RAINFOREST CAFE
For lunch, we headed to the Rainforest Cafe. Much to our delight, we entered the restaurant through an aquarium arch and into a room decked out with panthers, elephants, orangutans, parrots and zillions of leaves covering the walls. We ordered Rasta Pasta, a vegetarian burger with homemade potato chips and kid's chicken nuggets. The nuggets were shaped like animals, which Seiji liked, but Alexander pointed out that there are no dinosaurs in the rainforest. The waitress handled, with aplomb, Alexander's request that the Rumble Jungle pita turkey be devoid of anything resembling fresh produce. As we left, Elvis was performing in the Showbar Lounge. With underage kids, we couldn't enter the lounge area, but we walked by very slowly. The kids, however, didn't really get it. MGM Grand Hotel/Casino; 3799 Las Vegas Blvd, South. Call 800-929-1111.
2:30 P.M.
COURT JESTER'S STAGE
Next, we headed over to the Excalibur for a peek at the Court Jester's Stage where 
various
entertainers perform about every 45 minutes. We just made the end of a comedy violin and cello act on the small stage. The next act was a folk-singing trio. Alexander would have
preferred the juggler, yo-yo'er or magician. Next time, perhaps. Excalibur, 3850 Las Vegas
Blvd, South. Call 800-937-7777.
3:30 P.M.
SNACK TIME
At this point we were ready for a treat--coffee for Alan and me, ice cream for the
kids. We found something for the kids at Cold Stone, where they mix ice cream with your choice of toppings on an icy stone slab. Chloe opted for French vanilla with raspberries
and Heath Bar mixed in. Alexander chose strawberry ice cream with a fresh brownie chopped in. Seiji ordered chocolate and vanilla with peanut butter cups.
What goes better with coffee than donuts? I'd heard about Krispy Kremes, but never tasted them. We ordered a cappuccino and a couple of glazed donuts, nothing fancy, and promptly got hooked. We wanted to eat the whole case, but, sadly, it was time to head home with quite a few sweet memories (if not the case of sweet Krispy Kremes) and the promise to visit Las Vegas again so that we can see more of an area that proved much more interesting, fun and family-friendly than we had anticipated. Cold Stone Ice Cream, Café Espresso, Krispy Kreme at the Excalibur, 3850 Las Vegas Blvd, South. Call 800-937-7777.
To contact the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, you can write to the Visitor Information Center, 3150 Paradise Road, Las Vegas, NV 89109 or call 702-892-7575. For the Hotel/Motel Room Reservations Center, call 800-332-5333. Hours are Monday - Friday, 7 A.M. to 6 P.M. and Saturday and Sunday from 8 A.M. to 5 P.M.
Lynn Goya's guidebook, FUN WITH THE FAMILY IN LAS VEGAS, is due out from Globe-Pequot Press in February, 2001.
Please keep in mind that phone numbers, addresses, and prices are subject to change. Updated August 2005.
