In search of coffee...

Vegas coffee and espresso has been seriously lacking flavor and character so far... So we decided to try a little Wolfgang Puck organic coffee place, Pods, in the Crystals "mall" (can it really be a mall if it has Prada, Gucci, Fendi, etc?).

The famous man wasn't here, but the espresso was excellent, best so far.




By the way, they also have the largest cinnamon rolls I have ever seen!



The whole Crystals mall was designed by the World Trade Center architect, very airy and open...

Morning after...

Last night was incredible! Steve Martin is in town for two nights, playing in a decently small theatre at the Mirage. Bonnie and I and fellow Siemens PLM employee Rick Smith spent two hours listening to bluegrass and jokes from Mr. Martin. I've never considered myself a banjo or bluegrass fan, but that was quite enjoyable.

Photography was forbidden, of course, so the people in the picture below are whited out.

First day in Vegas

Wow. It is windy here. 35mph gusts... Makes one think paradise at the pool isn't quite what I want to do today. Add to that Bonnie was horribly ill and I was wondering the streets of Vegas looking for drugs, it seemed best to hang out in the room.

While seeking migraine drugs, I did run across a damn big typewriter eraser. Made me think of my grandfather and his insistence I learn to type way back when. He would not have appreciated a large public artwork like this, but the thought was still good.

Finally... Viva Las Vegas!

The same day we were expecting to arrive in Las Vegas, here we are! A few hours later, to be sure, and it is late, even by Vegas standards (the kitchen is on the late night after party menu), but we are settled into our hotel room. Food would be nice though, it has been forever since we ate...





So we try to order some food through in-suite dining... The phone always rings busy, no matter what number is dialed. Finally, we trek 47 floors down to the front desk to ask what is going on! Turns out the phone system is busted and they are working on it. While this all occurred, it is now too late to order real food and we ate off the "so you are drunk and hungry at 2am" menu. At 2:30am they cannot always find the wine you are looking for, however, and we got a Jordan Cab instead of the Sterling we ordered. We are happy and content and off to sleep. Its 4am in Vegas.

New bat plane, new bat time

A new plane has been found, but we leave an hour later. Luckily, Vegas never sleeps, right?

Hydraulic fluid redux

So the trip to Milano started with a plane failure, resulting in a 36 hour fun ride through Atlanta and Paris and no clothes for three days. Guess what? Mechanical failure tonight on the plane to Vegas... Hydraulic fluid leak... Need to find a new plane... Oh boy.

We're Off...

A few pre-flight glasses of wine at Vino Volo at DTW... Then off to Las Vegas!