Mid Winter Sun Break!

[Eagle]

This miserable winter weather is really starting to become annoying, so I've decided it's time for another well needed sun break (for my health, of course).

I'll be leaving tonight to spend several days in Las Vegas, which will include a stop in Seattle for two days on the return trip to attend a travel reunion and conference with a well known U.S. travel writer (won't mention any names, but I'm sure most of you can guess). I'm told by one of my colleagues at work (who is an expert on Vegas) that the weather will likely be warm in the daytime but quite chilly at night (which explains why all the swimming pools are drained in the winter). As long as there's some sunshine, I'll be happy!

I'll do my best to check-in here on a regular basis, but not sure what type of net facilities they have in Vegas? I doubt that Net Cafes will be as available as in Europe, as I suspect the businesses there would prefer to steer the crowds into Casino's. I haven't been there since 1976, so I'm sure this will be quite a shock for me!.

Cheers!

[WillTravel]

Eagle, maybe your hotel will have free Internet in the lobby. I have seen that quite a bit (although I have never been to Las Vegas). Enjoy your break! I can fully understand how this BC weather is getting to you. Warm in the day and chilly at night and perfectly sunny is how the weather was for me in El Paso and Zacatecas.

I had been thinking of going to one or two of those travel sessions, but I'm doubtful that I will actually get away.

[Mikul]

Sounds like you will have a lot of fun Eagle. I try to hit up Vegas once or twice a year and see what is going on. I don't know of any net cafes, possibly some hotels might have a business center available for a fee. Many hotels offer WiFi for a fee in your room.

[madamtrashheap]

Vegas baby! ;D Have a great break Eagle, soak up the warmth and say hi to Rick for me!

[Eagle]

I'm back!!! It was a great trip although I didn't do anything too exciting except enjoy the sun. Even Seattle was sunny and warm on both days that I was there, almost like a spring day. In fact when I drove to the airport, there were a multitude of sailboats with multi-coloured sails in the small inner harbor. What a shock to get home to miserable grey skies and fog!

Of course, I had to see a few shows in Vegas and quite enjoyed Bette Midler (she has quite the repertoire of "off colour" jokes) and also The Beatles LOVE (that was one of the best shows I've ever seen!). I also enjoyed some fine meals including a wonderful (but not inexpensive) dinner at Emeril's Delmonico Restaurant in The Venetian. I was quite impressed by the attention to detail in the Venetian. Everything seemed very accurate, but just on a "smaller" scale (as was the Paris Eiffel Tower). It was almost like being back in Piazza San Marco! I was really impressed with Bellagio, especially the "dancing fountains" in the front, which is co-ordinated with music. The restaurants inside are great and the Conservatory is beautiful.

I spent a few evenings in the Nine Fine Irishmen Pub in the Hotel, and sampled more than a few wee pints of Guinness! I made the "mistake" of closing the place on my last night in Vegas at about 03:00 and had to get up for my flight at 06:00. There was a fantastic crowd in the Pub that night, including a bunch of very rambunctious girls that had just flown in from London (one of them decided to place herself on the stage next to the lead singer, and the security people soon had a word with her). I had been chatting with lead singer during a "break" on one of the other nights that I'd been there, and he gave me a nod that seemed to indicate he was a bit uncomfortable with the situation.

Unfortunately, Net Cafes were NOT an option in Vegas. It seems that the philosophy is to keep customers plugging coins into the slot machines, rather than sitting in front of a computer. I was staying in New York-New York and the "business centre" had computers for US$1.00 per minute! That's acceptable for a business that can deduct the cost, but I'm NOT spending US$60 an hour to surf the net or check my E-mail! There was Wi-Fi and Ethernet in the rooms, but again at a cost. There was a dramatic difference in net services between Vegas and the Hotel I used in Seattle, which offered a FREE computer in the lobby and FREE Wi-Fi in every room.

The travel conference was almost better than Vegas! I was a bit disappointed than no one from my South Italy group returned for the reunion, but I did encounter a few of the people from my Ireland group. It was great to see them again! I attended a number of the Seminars, but almost had more fun visiting with other travellers and learned a lot from them as well. A number of Guides were flown in from Europe (Ireland, Italy, Wales, France, Turkey, Spain, Eastern Europe) and I had a nice visit with most of them. I was really happy to see the Guide from Rome, as she's one of the most knowledgeable and personable people I've ever met in my travels (a real "treasure" in a sense). It was a fantastic opportunity to "network" with not only other travellers but also the Guides and the other staff (some of whom also lead tours). MTH, I did say a brief "Hi" to Rick but he was very busy so didn't have much time to chat (he had several people "filming" all the sessions, so he was a bit preoccupied with that). I also met his Wife this time, which was fantastic.

Of course I also had to enjoy some good food while in Seattle, and I wasn't disappointed. I had discovered a wonderful Italian restaurant on a previous visit to that part of Seattle and just happened to drive by when I was looking for a place to go for dinner on Friday night. I naturally assumed that my discovery was an "epiphany" and that I was supposed to stop there for a nice hot meal. The owner remembered me from my previous visit, so that was also a "reunion" of sorts. When he found out that I've been studying Italian, he graciously dealt with me in Italian as much as possible at my level of proficiency (one of the co-owners is also fluent so she helped too). I really struggled with the language skills on Friday night, as I was still suffering to some extent from a "Guinness-induced mental state". I returned to the restaurant again on Saturday night, and was in MUCH better shape! There was a great Mexican restaurant next to the Hotel, but considering the occasion, I wanted Italian!

Now that I'm back to the "realities" of daily life here (including "work"), it's time to continue planning for the next trip. That will hopefully be taking place this spring, provided one of my colleagues is able to make a few changes in the shifts which will allow me the "window" that I need to get away for 3-4 weeks. My tentative destination this time will be the south of France, with hopefully a short stop in northern Italy (still working on the details).

Cheers!