I thought that by this time of the year I could walk to class without wearing a parka, enjoy the smell of fresh rain and see newly budding flowers peeking through the dirt. Alas, I live in Wisconsin, and I walked to class in the freezing hail this week.
Looking out my window at the snow-covered rooftops, I escaped the never-ending winter by recalling the time I visited sunny Las Vegas for spring break with my dad last year.
Last year, my dad and I decided to take a trip to Sin City to get away from the late winter blues. The whole trip was so fun, but it was so funny at the same time.
Imagine me, a high schooler at the time, and my wholesome dad wearing khakis and a button up shirt, rolling up to The Strip. It’s filled with women wearing fairy wings and only glitter to cover their boobs, and drunk people happily stumbling from casino to casino.
We stroll past the hilarious absurdity to admire the gorgeous Bellagio fountain and the fake Eiffel Tower. My dad and I were having a great week visiting all of the classic sights, such as the Venetian and even eating dinner at one of the only seven Hofbrauhauses, a famous German biergarten, in the United States (my German dad is trying to hit all seven of them).
The trip truly reached its peak when we decided on a whim to see the Britney Spears Vegas show after seeing it advertised on a billboard. My dad and I are both big Britney fans (although he won’t openly admit it).
To get to the venue, we walk through the Planet Hollywood casino, passing women in bikinis and high heels doing their thing on stripper poles. We didn’t care, as we only had one mission — see our girl Britney on stage.
We almost couldn't even see her because my dad had the tickets online on his phone, but his phone died right as we arrived at the gates. The worst possible thing that could happen at a concert. We had to hunt down an administrator and have her retrieve our tickets for us.
During the performance, my dad stood cross-armed and straight-faced while drunk people screamed and danced around us. I was having a great time, despite the awkwardness when Britney pulled a man from the crowd, put a dog collar around him and walked him like a dog around stage while singing “I’m A Slave 4 U.”
My dad kept asking throughout the concert if she was going to sing “Circus,” because he “really liked that one” (Sorry for exposing you, Dad).
Although he looked like he wasn’t having fun, he told me after the show was over that he thought Britney’s show was very entertaining. Overall, both my dad and I had a really fun time bonding in Vegas, and the trip made for some funny memories.