Vegas = Insane

Happy Memorial Day friends.  I usually don't post on holidays but I wanted to recap my Vegas trip last week before I forgot everything.  Thank you for following along on our China/Japan trip.  I'm glad to have it all documented here so when I forget everything, I can look back and relive it.  This is the reason I blog anyway...for Kevin's and my diary.  And because I like you all too! ;)

So Vegas, I go every year for the big commercial real estate conference.  Last year's recap is here.

Sunday:

Pool at Mandalay Bay with Nicole and her BF Julian.

Gambling.  I like to watch Ken play craps and that's about my extent of gambling.  I'd rather go to J.Crew.

Happy Hour at Bellagio with an engineering firm we use.

Fancy dinner for all of our clients at RM Seafood in Mandalay Bay.  We had a private room, ridiculous appetizers and dinner menu, a lot of fancy wine and most importantly, the best clients.  Look at that lobster..it was ginormous.  And the filet - yum.

Afterwards, we went upstairs to Mix for table service and a fabulous view.

Jodie, Nicole and I.

Monday:

Monday morning came early and we all went to the big show at the convention center.  Started out with a breakfast meeting where Jean Chatzky spoke.  What a joy she was and I really enjoyed her keynote address.  She talked about money and how it should be a more public conversation.  She is a correspondent on the Today show.

I told you all last year but the booths that these retailers put together are amazing.  Yogurtland was handing out samples of yogurt, the Bass Pro Booth looked just like their stores, McDonalds had a McCafe, Jimmy Johns had a kitchen and handed out sandwiches.  It's crazy.

After our meetings, I met one of our GC's at Sushi Samba like we did last year.  This is an amazing cucumber martini.

We had a $1,200 lunch for 6 people.  It was INSANE.  Some of the best food I've ever had.  We cooked the meat on the left below on the hot stone on the right.

Crazy sushi.

That night after a fun client happy hour at MGM's Taps, we met up at Mandalay Bay and had a drink at Strip Steak.  Best blue cheese olives ever.  We took this limo to dinner at Tau Asian Bistro in the Venetian.  Hi Nicole's legs haha.

 Inside Tau.

Our contractor took us here and it was so good. The way we usually order at all of these places - the guys tell the waiter - just bring whatever is really good and we'll all split it.  So this was my plate for dinner.  This was after appetizers.  I'm never eating again.  Sake was also involved of course.

Tuesday:

Pool with Wendy.  Dinner out.  That is in a mirror so while it looks like my left hand, it is my right hand so that's where my rings are.  I'm sure you're concerned haha!

We went to Joe's for another ridiculous dinner.  The stone crab was amazing.

Tuna - even better.

And lots of great sides.

The waiter was hilarious and probably the best waiter I've ever had.  

Next stop...limo to old school Vegas.

Freemont East.  On the hunt for Commonwealth and specifically Speakeasy which was the private, secretive bar in the back of Commonwealth that our waiter at Joe's told us about.  Commonwealth ended up being closed.  Bummer.

Wednesday:

Pool with Jodie at MGM.

Then drinks with Jodie and Nicole at Strip Steak.  Those blue cheese olives.  I don't even like blue cheese but I do in a dirty gin martini!

Then dinner at Sushi Samba haha!  We love the place!

Sushi saaaaaaaaamba!

Then Nicole had to go catch her red eye and Jodie and I finished off with a glass of champagne at Tau to toast she and her husband's new home that she was closing on the next day (last Thursday).  Woohoo!

Cab ride back to Mandalay.

Then a 1:15am flight back to Charlotte.  Which was the longest 3.5 hours of my life.  Sushi + alcohol + flying = no bueno.

When I arrived home, I got to see this lil boy and eventually Kevin on Thursday night.

Mills felt the same way I did - exhausted.  I did a lot of recovery this past weekend.  Very necessary.

Another successful Vegas trip!