Author: F C

Objects Are Farther Than They Appear

The billboards in Vegas make it seem that each casino is right there right where you can grab it. But that is not true – it is always a struggle to get from one to the other, or even to find the exit. A property that is “on the other side of the block” can be a mile away. This is the lesson of the conference I attended here in Las Vegas.

Event recap:
Thursday: dinner with P- at Mario Bateli’s Enoteca di San Marco in the Venician. Food on par with the dishes served in Otto, etc. However, they needed more waitstaff, because they were obviously slammed.

Cirque du Soliel Love: excellent show. They weaved a selection of famous and not so famous Beatles songs, plus some choice studio outtakes with the famed acrobatic performers to create a truly psychadellic experience. Recommended.

Friday: I played a judge, first in moot court, then in a historical reinactment of a Japanese internment trial. Both experiences were fantastic. Our alma mater’s moot team did well, placing as a semifinalist and 2nd best brief. Finally, got to meet Survivor winner and conference speaker Yul Kwon. What a nice guy in person, and caused a lot of the women to swoon!

Other Strip events: rode the NY-NY rollercoaster, drank slurpees while walking through the Bellagio, and watched the free water light show at the Wynn while sipping port wine. Awesome!

Connecting Flight here at DFW has a one hour ground delay. Will be home by 6.

Groundwork, or Why Costo for Travel

Made it into Vegas early Wednesday. Perfect 3 point on-time landing with American Airlines.  New for Vegas this year – all of the car rental companies are now in a new Rent-A-Car mall. There is only one bus for all rental car companies that take you there. Literally, it is a mall in reverse – each rental company has a store, and then you go to the parking garage and pick up your car.  NY should do  that

Once in the rental car, I really had to make a pit stop and get some supplies for the room. I remembered that there was a Costco nearby. If you do a lot of driving travel, you should really have a Costco card along with AAA. First, Costcos usually have cheap gas (here, 11 cents cheaper per gallon). Second, cheap food – their quarter pound hot dog and 20 oz refillable soda combo is only $1.50. Third, if you need extra clothes (as I did in Seattle), drinks (the one in Vegas has perfect selections of wines or liquors for that room party), or medications, you can pick up cheap quantities. Fifth, in addition to their national Kirkland products, there are also local items that work well as souvenirs (this was most applicable in Hawaii).  Finally, clean restrooms are always available. For an driving oasis, this is it.

Staying at the Suncoast. Dropped off at the Marriott, got shanghaied into helping out shopping with bags. Buffet was pretty good at $13 – totally broke the bank on them with their ox tail stew, which usually retails for $8 -$10 a serving. P– drove in at about 10 PM, and we had a late supper. Then we totally crashed out.

Viva Mas Vegas

I’m waiting here at LaGuardia Airport at 5 in the morning, waiting for my flight to Las Vegas. P- just touched down about an hour ago in Los Angeles with a crucial transplant shipment, and then is going to make the 4 hour drive to be reunited with me sometime tonight. I’m here for a conference and just for some down time.