Well, here I am, back in the windy city again...that's right, Chicago! Now I happen to really like Chicago, perhaps because I had such a great first visit here (though alas, I was not blogging then), and perhaps just because it's a city that sits well with me for unknown reasons. Because generally, when I'm here, I don't get to see much of it. Like the last time, when I came just for lunch. But anyway, I'm here for a recruitment meeting today and tomorrow, which has had a small social com [View Full Entry]

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Even though only about 24 hours has passed since my last entry, it feels like we have packed an entire week's worth of activities into that time! Just before I left my room last night for the welcome reception, my dad texted me to say that there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Darn. We could have had the dinner outside after all, but we agreed that we felt pressured by the hotel to avoid the slim possibility of bad weather by having it inside. We realized that although for most people a little chill in the air and some small [View Full Entry]

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Yesterday afternoon, we met with our Greek host, ostensibly for only a few minutes in the lobby, but it was a meeting that turned into lunch at a small cafe-type place just across from the hotel in Constitution Square. I hadn't brought my sunglasses with me and it was a very bright and sunny day, reflecting so brilliantly off of the marble steps that I almost couldn't keep my eyes open. We sat at a tiny table and decided to have a bite to eat at this Eonikon Cafe, packed with Greeks and tourists so tightly that you felt as though [View Full Entry]

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Jet lag does funny things to you. Wait, scratch that. Sleep deprivation does funny things to you. After a week where I only got one night of decent sleep, it was time to battle the dreaded jet lag. Actually, I shouldn't say dreaded. As long as I have the luxury of an extra day to sleep, I don't mind jet lag. It resets my sleep cycles, helps me to return to a normal sleeping schedule when I return home, and jerks me away from my night-owl habits because I'm too tired to keep awake. But it does funny things too. You'll [View Full Entry]

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Welcome race fans! What a gorgeous day here in Las Vegas, and finally we had the chance to go outside and enjoy it! After a very productive business session this morning, we headed out into the desert for the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where we would be having lunch and taking on the Richard Petty driving experience. I finally got to see a little bit of the strip on the trip out (at least from the back!) and the mountains looked beautiful in the sunlight. The bus finally arrived at the speedway, and drove through a round corrugated metal tunnel to [View Full Entry]

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Over the past few days, I've been trying to figure out how I feel about Vegas. Mostly, I'm just curious, because it's a rather fascinating place. Everything here is so opulent, so over the top. My hotel suite has two big rooms and two bathrooms. Everywhere we eat, the portions are enormous. You can get anything you want, right here in the hotel, which even has a wedding chapel and a tattoo parlor! During the day, you almost never see the sunlight, and I breathed in fresh air today for the first time in two days! It's such a surreal place! [View Full Entry]

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I was hoping to find out that the rumors I'd heard about fine dining in Vegas were true, and so far, so good! Tonight, we had dinner at Michael Mina's Stripsteak, in Mandalay Bay. It was relatively quiet in there when we arrived, but got progressively more crowded as the evening wore on. We were seated at a small table, with very comfortable chairs, which told me that they hoped diners would linger and spend a lot of money. With their prices, that would be a fairly accurate prediction! I perused the menu, and not being overly hungry, selected a lettuce [View Full Entry]

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I've finally made it to Vegas for the first time, to see if what happens here does actually stay here. I wonder if you're not planning to do anything debaucherous, if that actually counts. We'll see! I flew out yesterday from Newark and was fortunate to get a whole row to myself on the plane - this was especially exciting because I was exhausted and fighting a migraine, but it did make me realize that whether you have one seat or three, planes just aren't comfortable. As we ascended, a field of fluffy white clouds spread out below us, reminding me [View Full Entry]

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The mark of any good conference is the feeling at the end of the Gala Dinner that no one is quite ready to leave. We certainly had that feeling this evening! But I get ahead of myself... This morning dawned way too early again after last night's evening dine around. It might not have been so bad, if I wasn't running both the morning session, and one of the breakouts! But it ended up being very successful and enjoyable, and soon it was on to Bar Ciampini for lunch. The food was again delicious (not surprisingly), and this time, I managed [View Full Entry]

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Friday morning dawned much too early for me, after an enjoyable evening at Casina Valadier, but the business session was productive and successful, so it was worth it. After a quick change, it was time to head to lunch at Caffe delle Arti. Originally, the plan was to eat outside, but with bad weather threatening and showers earlier in the morning, our hosts make some quick phone calls to move us inside. Caffe delle Arti is attached to the Galleria d'Arte Moderna, so our lunch was held in a beautiful room dotted with large statues. We enjoyed a delicious buffet - [View Full Entry]

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