11 Nov 06 – Back from Las Vegas

This is the first update I have posted in a week due to a business trip to Las Vegas.  I had intended to do a mid-week update while in Las Vegas, but the hotel did not have high speed internet access.  I guess they wanted you to spend your time in the casino vice in the room on the internet!   

I departed for Las Vegas early Sunday morning, the 5th of Nov.  I was excited to get there and look around since I had not been there in about 10 years.  The flight was uneventful and on time…in fact, we landed about 20 minutes early.  I was fortunate enough to get upgraded to First Class on all legs to and from Las Vegas.  Once there, I picked up a rental car and drove to the older, northern Strip to check in to the hotel.  Even though the conference was physically being held at Nellis AFB, the conference hotel was the Riviera.

Now a word about the hotel….  The Riviera is an older hotel.  I had tried to get into the Las Vegas Hilton or Hilton Grand Vacations Club resort which are both within short walking distance of the Riviera, but they didn’t have a room available at the Government rate.  In my opinion, the Riviera should follow the lead of many older Vegas hotels and be imploded and rebuilt.  The hotel rooms were very worn and uninviting.  I have stayed at a Motel 6 that was in better condition than this place.  Furthermore, the casino was equally as worn and uninviting.  It was much less appealing than the revitalized, higher-end casinos such as Treasure Island, Bellagio, the Venetian, Caesar’s Palace, etc.  I could have found a silver lining if they had offered lower minimums on their gaming tables, but alas, they did not!  So, I spent as little time in the hotel and casino as possible. 

As far as the rest of Las Vegas, the city continues to thrive.  The entertainment choices are endless and the fine dining opportunities present a big challenge when it comes to deciding where you want to eat.  During the week, we ate at two restaurants that deserve mention.  First, we ate at Jasmine at the Bellagio, which served up gourmet oriental food in a very posh, chadeliered setting.  Our group of 10 had a window seat which overlooked the world famous Fountains at the Bellagio (click HERE for a short video clip of the fountains).  The fountains are choreographed to music and come to life every 15 minutes to a different song.  It made for a very exquisite dining experience.  The service and food were excellent.  I made the mistake of ordering two whiskey sours (which were very small, yet cost $11 each).  My tablemates opted for the $20 glass of wine.  We also went to the Austin Steakhouse inside of the Texas Casino.  The food and service there was absolutely great!  I had the Filet Poivre which was excellent.  I have never seen a filet this large before….it must have been at least 2.5″ thick!  The peppercorn sauce was really good.  I didn’t go to any shows, but I did go to the top of the Stratosphere and see the Vegas Skyline at night from 109 stories high…it was by far the highlight of the trip!  We did see a few celebrities….George Hamilton (at the Playboy Club), former ‘N Sync singer Lance Bass and his former Air Force “friend” (at Club Tao) and Robin Leach (also at Club Tao). 

The disappointing side of the Las Vegas trip was the ever-present, in-your-face explicit images that pushed and advertised the uglier side of Las Vegas.  All along the strip were people trying to hand you playing card advertisements for strip clubs which were far too explicit.   I would NOT bring my kids to this place!  In recent years Las Vegas has been advertised as a “family place”…..it clearly isn’t! 

As far as the conference, it was very informative and was very useful for continuing to get me up to speed in my new job.  It was held at Nellis Air Force Base in the Red Flag auditorium.  Red Flag is an Air Force exercise that offers US and Allied fighter pilots immersive training in a very realistic wartime environment in which they fly scenarios against our adversaries.  The auditorium is kind of like a fighter pilot mecca, with thousands of plaques lining the walls that have been presented on behalf of the units that have particiapted in Red Flag over the years.  In the hallways outside of the auditorium are thousands more pictures that have been signed by US and Allied pilots.  It was an awesome display.  Nellis AFB is also the home of the USAF Thuderbirds.  On Tuesday we were treated to a Thunderbird aerial demonstration as they practiced their complete show in advance of this weekend’s airshow.  We also stopped by the Thuderbird museum and walked around inside the hangar for an up close and personal view of the 10 Thunderbird F-16s, and a chat with some of the maintainers.  Lastly, we got to visit the Threat Training Facility…..a collection of enemy weapons systems that have been tested by the US military.  The “petting zoo” provides hands on familiarity with the enemy weapon systems.  Note the SA-2 missiles, the Sukhoi SU-7 and MiG-17 out front, and the Mi-14 and Mi-24 helicopters out back along with dozens of other missiles, tanks and anti-aircraft batteries.  Some of you may recognize some of the other systems on display there. 

All in all, a long week away from home and family….but with some fun things included to make it an enjoyable week.  I got home late last night (after midnight).  Now that I am home, I should be able to resume my more regular posting schedule!