Skip to main content

Viva Las Vegas (Again!) - Part 4


Well, it's my last day here in this place, and as I said last night, I am pretty much itching to get out of here. Whether that is from the smoke in the air or the sin-filled filth that is everywhere in this city, I'm not sure, but heading back East is something I can't wait to do. 

I miss New York City. And, yeah, I miss my wife. 

So with that said, here some other tidbits from my days here:

Viva Las Vegas (Again!) - Part 1
Viva Las Vegas (Again!) - Part 2
Viva Las Vegas (Again!) - Part 3

Hotel

Outside of Planet Hollywood

I enjoyed four days and three nights here at Planet Hollywood in a room that was not as luxurious as my room was my room at the Venetian during my first trip, but it was still pretty sweet. No scenic view hovering over the city with the Vegas mountains in the backdrop, but having a king-sized bed and a huge television in my bathroom was pretty sweet. 

And yes, I totally watched SportsCenter every morning while showering. 

Food


Gordon Ramsey Steak

The food, probably my favorite part about Las Vegas, was awesome. I tried and ate at a variety of places ranging in health and price. From the awesome Chicken Cordon Blue sandwich at Le Burger Brassieri, to trying Pink's hotdogs for the first time, to the Sugar Facory's signature club sandwich, to lunch at Todd English's Olive, to the complete awesomeness that is Gordon Ramsey Steak, and finally, my favorite, all you can eat pancakes at Cheeseburger Las Vegas, everything was great. Except now, I need to run about forty miles to offset the four day splurge.

Travel

Verrrrrrrry little leg room. Thanks Delta!

I hate Delta airlines. Second time I've flown with them, and both times have been terrible. The cabins are super small, seats uncomfortable, and the overall experience is just annoying. Maybe I'm just used to the awesomeness that is JetBlue.

Only person not in a full row. Made sure to let everyone know.
On my flight out here, I sat in a middle seat that was too small for me. I had to endure watching a man who had an entire row to himself lay in the fetal position and constantly and consistently rang for the attendant. In fact, before we even got to the runway for take off, he called for a pillow and blanket. To add to the nightmarish flight, a man in the seat behind me snored like he was trying to be heard back in New York. Yes, Delta, not a fan at all.

Conference

Finally, the NIRSA conference was great. I sat in on many sessions that are sure to help me in the present and the future. I also was able to make many connections and contacts from the other schools in our conference, as well as many other schools from around the nation. I came away from it with a high sense of knowledge on where I would like to my intramural program, and a ton of ways and ideas on how I can do it.

---

All in all, this is why I was here among many of the other occurrences. Therefore, a successful conference means a successful trip. I plan on checking out in the next five minutes...I won't miss Vegas, but, because of what Vegas has meant so far to my career professionally, I'll never forget my trips out here. 

Recent Favorites

AEW All IN: London (2023) Review: "This large of a crowd for an event that wasn't the WWE!"

I'm obviously registering these thoughts incredibly late, but such is the current state of pro wrestling right now - there is just so much going on, and so much to enjoy. It's a great time to be a fan, regardless of where your tribalism fandom falls - if you carry such allegiances.  I'm sure no matter what product you find entertaining, you circled AEW's All In event from Wembley Stadium as a must-watch. I don't care about someone else's "take" on the attendance total - I couldn't care less if it was the record for a pro wrestling event or not - what AEW was able to accomplish is absolutely amazing! Four years in, and the company produced an event on the levels of Wrestlemania in terms of attendance and business - that's damn impressive! Tony Khan and the entire company deserve loads of credit for taking that leap because it very much could have failed. They took a chance, and absolutely delivered (and so much more), and proved there is a subs

Sunday Sundown Rundown - 9/10/23

3 Up 1. Coco Gauf & Novak Djokovic - The US Open wrapped up this weekend and tennis crowned some deserving champions. Djokovic continues to add to a remarkable career with his 24th (!!) grand slam title win. And of course, Coco Gauff won over America with her win. It's impressive to see the effect that the Williams sisters have had on tennis - wow. Looking forward to seeing the star Gauff will become.  2. Olivia Rodrigo - Her first album was fire. Even this late-thirties male enjoyed it. The sophomore album is always the toughest and Rodrigo apparently (haven't listened to it myself, yet) dropped an absolute banger in "Guts". So much so, that it broke records for debut stream with over 60 million streams!  3. Deion Sanders - There's way to much dialogue around Sanders that isn't needed. Here is what it boils down to for me - Sanders took over a program that was 1-11. He brought in 80+ players. His team is currently 2-0, including victories over a ranked op

Sunday Sundown Rundown - 9/3/23

3 Up  1. Labor Day Weekend - It's the weekend where we mark the unofficial end of summer. However, the weather this upcoming week says otherwise. Nonetheless, I hope you all had an opportunity to reflect, restore, and give some gratitude on this weekend.  2. College Sports - College athletics are back in swing, providing some pretty awesome moments this week.  2a. Nebraska Women's Volleyball - 92,003 for a Women's Volleyball Game is not just a record for a Women's Athletic event, but it's pretty freakin' cool. Kudos to Nebraska Athletics and everyone who attended in making that a special occasion.  2b. Travis Hunter - I didn't get a chance to watch the Colorado vs. TCU game, however, I'm a fan of Deion Sanders, mainly from what he did for Jackson State. However, Hunter playing both ways is remarkable. Freak athlete.  3. Jimmy Buffett - The world said goodbye to Buffet whose songs can take you to a beach or to summer vibes in an instant.  3 Down  1. UNC