I've been too busy to post this earlier. I'm just going to give a few reflections on my recent trip to Vegas where I spoke at a conference.

HOTEL: The Platinum Hotel and Spa: Off-Strip all-suite, no-casino condotel. One long block east of the Strip on Flamingo. Quiet luxury. They had a soft opening 10/25, so it's still new. The rooms are all one-bedroom condos with kitchens, huge bathrooms and in-unit washer/dryer (oh, that was handy!!). Very comfortable, nicely appointed (plasma TVs in the living room). Excellent restaurant (helpfully called The Restaurant), cool lobby bar (Stir) with special parties during the week (Thursdays are Grey's Anatomy parties, with a DJ giving prizes away and show-themed drinks). Elevators are excruciatingly slow, and taxis can be REALLY hard to get (give yourself time). Parking is valet only. All in all, however, I'd stay there again in an instant (although I still prefer Mirage or Bellagio).

I discovered a wonderful tapas restaurant on Paradise in the minimall at 3900-- Firefly. It's quite the Scene in the evening, with LV's Beautiful People noshing on Spanish tapas (tortilla, merguez, albóndigas, croquetas, etc.) with a twist. Great drinks. Not too expensive, either.

McCormick & Schmick's is a block east of the Platinum, and we had a group dinner there. I was underwhelmed-- nothing special. But it was convenient and the food wasn't too wild (we had participants from deep in Flyover Country, whose tastes were proudly pedestrian).

Next night? Mirage. A colleague from my Pittsburgh office and her delightful India-born mother joined us for dinner at Japonais at Mirage (new outpost of a Chicago institution) before we went to see Love, the new Cirque du Soleil show. Dinner? Exquisite. High-style Japanese food, beautifully presented. Gorgeous room. Not cheap. My colleague's mom was a vegetarian, but the server and the chef coordinated a wonderful off-menu creation of vegetables and tofu that she was delighted with. Great place.

And Love? We all loved it. It's hard to say what the show is-- I guess I'd say it's a multimedia Happening that celebrates the music of the Beatles. Lots of dancing, lots of acrobatics, some aerobatics, lots of fun.

The next day we wandered around the Strip a bit-- gambled at Bellagio and Mirage (and no, I didn't win, dammit!), walked up and down Las Vegas Blvd. (LOTS of construction). For dinner we went back to Mirage and had steak at Kokomo

Touchy touchpad...!!!

It's called Kokomo's. Expensive. Cool room. Great wine list. SUPERB food. And lots of it. When they say it's a 24-ounce ribeye, believe them. HINT: When you go there, don't eat all day. Split a first course (say, their delicious Caesar salad), order an entrée each, split a side dish. Dinner was awesome.

Note: JetBlue was great as always. Efficient, friendly. Long Beach Airport is as convenient and user-friendly as ever.

Things I want to try next time: The REVOLUTION Lounge (tied in with Love. Looked fun. The brewery at the Ellis Island Super 8 around the corner from the Platinum (they have an off-menu ribs special that's supposed to be great). KA.

Something I forgot: We took a $20 cab ride (from the friendliest cabbie in Vegas, Nadine) way west for breakfast at Egg Works, the relatively new breakfast joint whose sister eatery is the well-known Egg & I. GREAT breakfasts.

Don't know when I'll be back to Vegas. We have a Hawai'i trip planned in late August, AND we're now planning to sell our house in the next 9-12 months, so lots of work in the near future. But I'm thinking Xmas...!!!