"It's a Marathon, You Know. 26 Miles! I Need to Get Some Sleep!"

Back in the office and completely exhausted, after a brief 45-hour stay in Las Vegas. I flew out Saturday evening for some meetings, a conference and a couple of parties, and flew back last night, arriving home after 2:30 a.m. Unfortunately, I had to appear in court at 9:00 a.m. this morning (for work, not as a defendant), so I am pretty much running on fumes. I thought I would write a very quick recap, mostly because I just want to get that stale Lost photo off the front page. I did learn a couple of things in my brief stay:

1. At some point in the near future, I must live large and stay at the Wynn Las Vegas. My friends were there over last July 4 and reported excellent things about the place (particularly the pool). Now I have seen it for myself, and I want in. That being said, I am speaking strictly about a trip for business or fun with the wife. For bachelor parties, it's still all about the Hard Rock and even though they treat me like a redheaded stepchild piker, I would stay at The Palms on those weekends where there is a major event happening (which is pretty much every weekend).

2. Speaking of the Wynn, I also learned that for my next trip, I MUST procure a table at Tryst (the lounge at the Wynn). I was there for a private party this past weekend, and was totally blown away by the space. The club boats a giant waterfall with outdoor lagoon, gorgeous cocktail waitresses, a hip, hip crowd, and banquets ensconced in--yes it's true--velvet! Also on my list: Mix (at Mandalay Bay), Pure (Caesar's Palace, still haven't been there), Tao (Venitian) and Rehab (Sunday party at the Hard Rock Pool). The next wave of Vegas nightlife is upon us, and I am woefully behind schedule.

3. Maybe I'm woefully behind schedule because I love the Hard Rock scene so much. After doing the networking party circuit, we ended up at Hard Rock for "center bar" time, some clubbing at Body English and some craps at the casino. Even Sunday night, the place was rocking. It really is a casino scene unlike anything else.

4. For the third time in about 12 trips to Vegas (I am officially losing count), I came out ahead money for the trip. No, IRS, if you are reading this, the winnings were not substantial and I am still behind on the year, but it was still a nice bonus.

5. I am such a Vegas geek, that I enjoy reading about all the wacky shows, acts and concerts happening around town. One day, I really want to go out for a week and see as much as I can--the cheesey lounge acts, the Star Trek Experience at the Hilton, Wayne Newton at the Stardust, that Rat Pack tribute show at one of the random casinos, something called Hypnosis Gone Wild (something I remember loving on the Howard Stern show in the early 90's), those Showgirls-esque psuedo-strip shows, at Luxor and Rio, at least one of the ever-growing number of the Cirque du Soleil shows (I hear they now even have a Beatles-themed) and countless others I remember reading about.

6. Speaking of being a Vegas geek, I also got to spend a little time downtown at the Freemont Street Experience, which lives up to its motto, "Over-the-Top Vintage Vegas." It's just plain fun to walk around the arcade and do some people watching, as people resembling the Randy Quaid character from Vegas Vacation wander around drinking yard-sized fruity cocktails, marveling at the Vegas lights and sounds (this also happens outside on the Strip, especially those little shopping marts that dot the area between the Aladin and the MGM Grand). An added bonus for me, was the country-music party happening there on Sunday in anticipation of tonight's Academy of Country Music Awards at the MGM Grand. They were even giving out free cans of Dr. Pepper. Quite the little slice of Americana.

I have thousands of other thoughts about Vegas, which I'm sure I will share at varying times throughout the future, but on a total of 6 hours sleep over two nights, they just don't seem to spring to mind at the moment. Now, it's a couple of days to rest, watch the Idol and Lost finales and get ready for my first weekend of the summer in the Hamptons. Good night.