Downstairs, of course, was the casino that I had to navigate through on my way to the conference center.
I will spare you the details of the conference, except to say that I got more out of it than I expected to. The blog-worthy details came in the evenings after the sessions ended. My first full night I walked from Bally's to Luxor and back, enjoying all the sights. I happened to catch the Bellagio at the right time to cross "see the fountains" off my list early.
The themed casinos are silly and magnificent, and I enjoyed seeing the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the castle at Excalibur, and the Statue of Liberty in New York.
The interiors are equally ridiculous, like this buffet I ate at in Paris.
And my favorite, the Grand Canal Shoppes in the Venetian (where I got some good Indian food).
The conference provided a social gathering one evening at the Vortex, a mesmerizing light display on top of the Linq hotel.
From the rooftop, I had a pretty good view of the northern part of the Strip.
I stayed long enough to get my free pass to the Linq's High Roller, the largest Ferris wheel in the world.
It takes 30 minutes to go around, and has some spectacular views.
I wanted to see a show while I was there, so on another night I went to see David Copperfield.
It was a great show. I didn't get picked for anything, but I bought a seat right at the stage, so I was able to high-five David Copperfield after one of his acts.
Not being one to go drinking, gambling, or clubbing (both dance and strip varieties), I was running out of things to do and ready to go home after a week. It was fun to see the city in all its cliche glory, especially when it was packed for Spring Break, but it was nice to get home to my normal life again.
