We were up early to catch a 7 AM flight. We watched Argo on the plane (which was excellent) and landed in Vegas around 8:15 AM vegas time. ....I was hungry for second breakfast by the time we landed. MGM had a room available for us (phew!), so we were able to drop our stop and then headed out to get the lay of the land (and find a snack). We stopped at NYNY, Tropicana and eventually headed to the pool.Sometime in the late afternoon, we went in search of a good craft beer and lunch. Pour 24 (in NYNY) offered a couple good craft IPAs - Flying Dog 60 Minute IPA was best. We grabbed some mexican food in NYNY -- tableside guac was yummy!
One the way back from NYNY, we had fun with taking some pictures. Look at all the traffic on Las Vegas Blvd behind us! Crazy traffic there.
With a full belly, I thought it would be best to take nap. So I did just that. T spent some time on the casino floor before trying to get a quick nap before Matt & Ally arrived. We met up with them late on Saturday (they drove from CA).
Thanks to a great bartender at the Monte Carlo, we were directed to The Pub, which had a most excellent selection of craft beer. We caught up for a bit with Matt & Ally, drank a few west coast beers that we can't get in MN, then decided to call it a night. .....well, we stopped to get a soft pretzel at NYNY before we actually called in a night.
Day 2: the classic Vegas experience
We started with breakfast on the patio at the Tropicana. Service wasn't great, but sitting outside was priceless and the food hit the spot.
We boarded the monorail from MGM and made our way to the opposite end of the strip. On the way, we saw a new hotel being built that appears will have a ferris wheel?!? The Stratosphere is only a few blocks from the monorail and what an interesting walk that is. We saw a Cadillac pulled off on the side of the road next to a vacant lot with the windows open and no one in it ...very The Hangover-esque.Due to high winds, some of the rides were closed. We bought tickets for the one open ride, X Scream, and headed up the elevator. The views were amazing. The Vegas Strip looked so small! And the ride, oh boy, the ride. It was scary and fun. and scary. Totally worth it.
Matt & Ally picked us up from the Stratosphere and we headed to old town or downtown Vegas. I'm not sure which it is actually called. It was cool. Funny. So different than what the Vegas Strip is like now.
Sunday night we went back to The Pub for dinner. After a long couple of days, we called it an early night.
Day 3: Work, then Carrie
The real business of the conference started first thing Monday morning. General sessions, breakout sessions, client presentations, happy hour with my team.
I did meet up with the Smiths for dinner (sushi) at The Grand Wok. Matt and T had spent many hours at the craps table that day.
Then I dashed off for the evening entertainment - Carrie Underwood. I started out about row 12, then row 5. By the end, I was front row. I think some of the conference goers weren't Carrie fans, so they eventually made their way out. The concert was awesome.
Day 4: the end
More work stuff. I tried to catch as many rays of sunshine before I left as I could. Great views on the way home. I watched Pitch Perfect.
We arrived home to 10 inches of fresh snow. Luckily our neighbors cleared our driveway and our walk (in front and up to the back door). It was awesome. It felt like a whirlwind trip. We were happy to see T's family, get some sun, and have some fun.
