They're from Houston. T hese people, and thousands like them, have transformed Las Vegas from sin-city to a place a busload of visiting Baptists could enjoy. Sure, people still smoke and drink and stay up all night long gambling, but somehow this decadence has managed to become as American as Apple Pie. You see young couples struggling with baby strollers as they attempt to negotiate the steps to their upstairs table at Planet Hollywood. There are almost as many listings now for baby sitters in the Las Vegas yellow pages are there are for escort services.
Kids are everywhere.
G ranted, this hasn't all happened overnight. It's been coming for a long time. But on this particular visit, the transformation seems complete. For the first time in recent memory, the gauntlet of street people passing out brochures for the downtown titty bars is gone. The ankle deep piles of discarded flyers on the sidewalks are gone.