Traveling with the Kids to Las Vegas: Getting There and Getting Around

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Recently I took my kids on a 3 day adventure to Las Vegas to meet up with their grandma and give their mom a break back home. My challenge: How to have a fun mini-vacation with my 5 and 8 year old boys while maintaining my sanity on this ultimate bachelor weekend in Vegas.


Since I only rarely get out to Las Vegas, I had to do some research and soul searching on the best way to get there, get around, where to stay and what to do. So while it's still fresh on my mind, how about if I share some of my experiences with you.

This will be done in 2 parts: Getting There and Getting Around (Part I) and Things to See and Do (Part II). This article is really long compared to most posted here on CVG, but perhaps some of this detailed information and ramblings will be useful to you in your own travels. Or maybe it will just make you feel better, knowing we all go through some travel challenges, moreso when kids are in tow.

Drive or Fly?

Living in Southern California, the first question is, how do I get there....do I drive or do I fly? From a financial perspective, it generally is cheaper to drive if you have 2 or more people. From Thousand Oaks to Las Vegas is about 600 miles round trip, which is about $120 in gas at today's prices, ignoring wear and tear on the car.

But then you think about do you really want to spend 5 hours in a car driving through the desert and do you want to deal with traffic jams, etc.  Road trips can be fun and all, but my rear end and back aren't big into long drives.  So I checked out flights on Southwest via Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, seeking inexpensive options several weeks in advanc

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Dramatic Picture of Sailboat Washed Ashore Point Dume Last December

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Late last year around Christmas time, we posted some pictures of a sailboat that washed ashore at Point Dume in Malibu. The owner of the boat was not hurt and it was reported that the Zeus would be salvaged.

In February we stopped by the boat and pretty much everything previously attached to the boat was pilfered.

Well the other day, photographer Craig Barry took this dramatic shot of the Zeus surrounded by the tide coming in. Yes, the Zeus is still there! Notice the lovely grafitti on the boat. Sheesh, why can't people just leave things alone. In any case, this is a great shot.

Local Conejo Valley Scenes From Landscape Artist Karen Winters

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Recently I caught up with landscape artist Karen Winters at ArtWalk in Thousand Oaks, where her most recent work was on display. I particularly enjoyed a colorful Catalina Island piece on display but of course her local Conejo Valley work is always great to see. Visit her website at www.KarenWinters.com and visit her blog at www.karensblog.com  CLICK HERE for previous work displayed here on Conejo Valley Guide.

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Moving Out of Your Comfort Zone - "Snow Daze" by Chuck Trunks

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The latest work of Camarillo artist Chuck Trunks entitled "Snow Daze" depicts a snow man looking frazzled over the transition from winter to summer. We all feel some degree of discomfort when moving out of our own comfort zones; and sometime all we need is a little push. See Trunks' other work on Conejo Valley Guide by clicking here.

Interesting and Amazing Facts and Tidbits About LEGO® Blocks

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My kids are LEGO® fanatics and I'm constantly being nagged for new LEGO sets. Our house must have thousands of dollars of them. So recently we visited the only LEGO store within an hour range of the Conejo Valley, at the Glendale Galleria. To make it a full day, we stopped by the Los Angeles Zoo and Griffith Park for mini-train rides. Needless to say, they loved the LEGO store and we spent quite a bit of time exploring.

Some amazing facts about LEGO bricks and products (Source: Lego.com):

  • There are over 915 million ways to combine 6 8-stud LEGO bricks. Go try it for yourself! The exact number of combinations is 915,103,765.
  • The LEGO Group made over 31 billion LEGO elements in 2010, or 1,000 per second.
  • There are over 3,900 LEGO elements and 58 different LEGO colors.
  • Over 400 million children and adults will play with LEGO bricks this year.
  • Laid end to end, the LEGO bricks sold in one year would circle the earth 10 times.
  • With over 300 million tires produced each year, LEGO is the world's largest tire maker.
  • Nearly half a TRILLION LEGO elements have been manufactured over the years.
  • Over the years, an estimated 4 BILLION LEGO minifigures have been produced, making them the world's largest population group!
  • There are 4 LEGOLAND® parks in the world, including Denmark, England, California and Germany. A new LEGOLAND, the largest ever, will open in Florida (midway between Tampa and Orlando) in mid-October 2011! A 6th park is planned in Malaysia in 2012.
  • Our "local" LEGOLAND here in Carlsbad, California opened in 1999 using 35 million LEGO brocks in the park's 15,000 LEGO models.

The name LEGO originated in 1934 when Ole Kirk Kristiansen took the Danish words LEG GODT "play well" and created the name that has become a household word. The LEGO Group is very protective of its brand...they require the following:

  • LEGO should always be written in capital letters.
  • LEGO must not be used as a generic term or in the plural (e.g. LEGOs).
  • When used as part of a noun, LEGO must not appear on its own (e.g. LEGO bricks).

ROCK ON, LEGO!

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From Ojai with Love: Joplin Tornado Victims to be Sent Care Packages on Monday

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From Ojai with Love: Joplin Tornado Victims To be Sent Care Packages on Monday

In the late 1890's a congressman from Missouri said, "Frothy eloquence neither convinces nor satisfies me. I am from Missouri. You have got to show me." With that riveting statement, Missouri became known as the 'Show Me' state. Now some 120 years later amidst the deadliest tornado in recorded U.S. history, Missouri is needing others now to show them — care and assurance that their cries of despair and urgent needs after being hit by a killer twister are not falling on deaf ears.

Several Ojai residents, stirred by compassion at seeing the massive destruction that struck the Joplin, Missouri area last Sunday killing at least 124 people and destroying more than 8,000 buildings, are rallying to the cause.

Diane Silvester, owner of Soul Centered, at 311 North Montgomery Street, will be accepting donations for area Joplin tornado victims through Sunday, May 29 and numerous intuitives will also be donating 10% of sales from readings during Soul Centered's weekend Psychic Faire. Sequoia Hamilton, founder of Ojai Writers Conference whose hometown area is Joplin, will ship the donations to families she personally knows who "lost everything," including a high school classmate who emerged from the rubble with only one shoe.

"In a crisis of this enormous scale with about 1,500 people still unaccounted for, it's important not to overlook the stories and lives of individual persons," adds Hamilton. "So we'll be collecting items for Sheryl Gorman (age 48, shoe size 9, shirt size medium, and pants size 8 tall) a high school classmate of mine who lost her house, cars, barn, pets, horses, all her belongings .... everything. We can only imagine her grief and shock. By keeping our eyes focused on Sheryl and her famil

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Caesar Grilled Artichokes

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Originally published Sept 2010: Here's the latest recipe from chef Jill Fisher! Jill, a licensed Personal Chef, teaches cooking classes at Conejo Valley Adult School and Williams Sonoma in Thousand Oaks and has written articles for local food magazines such as 805 Living. In December 2009, Jill and her friend released their cookbook "i found my sanity in...My Best Friend's Kitchen."

CLICK HERE for Jill's other recipes published in Conejo Valley Guide!

My family just returned from a summer trip to northern California.  We stayed in a beach house near Aptos and to get there, you drive through acres and acres of artichoke fields.  It is a beautiful site!  Did you know if you leave an artichoke alone, they will bloom into a lovely purple flower (as shown)?  It has a light, sweet fragrance and will last several weeks when picked.  This recipe for a grilled artichoke is fun to try – it has a classic artichoke flavor with the Caesar but gets a nice edgy flavor as well from the grilling.  This can be served as an appetizer or a side dish – Enjoy! -Jill

Caesar Grilled Artichokes

Large artichokes

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