Rewind: Las Vegas…

I’ve been a bit travel-weary lately, but I’m finally getting caught up a bit. As much as I enjoy visiting Las Vegas, the days really are quite long…particularly since its so easy to lose track of time in the casinos. (The shot above is my coworker and friend Ellis attempting to win big and throw off the shackles of the working world…unfortunately, we’re both still working…sigh.)

For the first part of the trip, I stayed at the Mirage…the original Vegas “theme” hotel/casino. This was my first stay at the Mirage. I requested a room with a view of the Strip, which included looking out over the fiery Mirage volcano, which erupts periodically at night.

The rooms at the Mirage are nothing special, but the casino and restaurants have been significantly updated recently, including the Beatles’ Cirque do Soleil show and lounge. The Mirage is definitely still one of the hot spots on the Strip.

Of course, the purpose for my trip was to attend a government conference attached to the international Consumer Electronics Show…the largest show in Las Vegas. Once again this year, I was able to visit the main CES show floor to ogle technology for a couple of hours. What did I learn? Its all about bigger, flatter TVs…including Panasonic’s “world’s biggest” plasma screen…in at 150 inches, and requiring a small nuclear plant to power.

One quick oddity…walking past the Flamingo, wrapped in a Toni Braxton advertisement, I wondered how hotel guests must feel if their room peers out through one of Ms. Braxton’s boobs. Yes, I’m a child.

On Thursday, Jeff joined me for the weekend, and on Friday we moved to the Wynn hotel. Highlights of the weekend, include sipping drinks along the Wynn’s colorful “Pool of Dreams”, watching the amazing Le Reve show, and listening to fantastic music in the Wynn’s nightclub Blush.