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valoise ([personal profile] valoise) wrote2008-11-21 08:34 pm

Vegas part 1

I think I'm going to do this in 4 parts, but there's no guarantees just how fast I'll get them posted.

The flight to Vegas was nice and uneventful, even arriving half an hour early. At the hotel I spotted PWFCers before I even got in line to check in. In quick succession I ran into two Marys, Terri, Bev, Lyn, Anita and Miss Vicki. Had lunch with some of the gang, hung out with Sharon & Bruce Gobioff and took a walk around the area before I met up with Dail, Mary G., Terri, and Sharon and Bruce for dinner. Dail, who lives in the area suggested The Steakhouse at Circus, Circus where the big tasty steaks and great service keep getting it voted as best Vegas steakhouse year after year.


I knew I was going to have all day on Thursday to do something, but the question was, what? Take a bus tour of Hoover Dam? Go out to the Grand Canyon? Ethel M.’s Chocolate Factory and Cactus Garden? Walk up and down the strip? Harlene solved this problem for me – she was looking for someone to come along on a trip to Red Rock Canyon. Turned out to be a great option. We had a great time driving out there, got some good recommendations for an eating place frequented by locals (buffet at Red Rock Casino), and had time to talk and get to know each other better. We enjoyed the exhibits at the visitors’ center, the beautiful rock formations and managed to stay just ahead of a bus full of school kids for most of the time. The sky was an amazingly intense blue. I even got a cute little gift for the granddaughter.


Later that afternoon I made my way down to the con early registration area and started greeting old friends as they came in. We took turns posing for Dar as she shot some footage for the closing ceremonies video. I spent the rest of the time at dinner and hanging out with friends.

The actual con kicked off with a volunteer meeting at 11. I already knew that I was working with Bones with newbies and that Bev wanted me to help with autographs, but I also volunteered to help watch the door for the concert on Thursday. This brings us up to the start of the con and the video contest, the Wingnut Film Festival. There weren’t many vidders, but there were plenty of vids. Mine were beginner vids and it was both exciting and painful to wach. I’ve learned a lot since I made them and would make different choices in content and style if I did it over again. But the funny bits got laughs and they were all applauded. There were some great entries from other fans and hopefully this will be a regular feature for future PWFC events.

[identity profile] pat-t.livejournal.com 2008-11-22 02:56 am (UTC)(link)
It sounds like a great start to the con. I arrived on Wed, but met my friends at the Luxor and came to the con hotel on Thurs.

[identity profile] valoise.livejournal.com 2008-11-22 05:52 pm (UTC)(link)
I talked to several people who came early and stayed at other hotels - it would have been nice to be at that end of the strip since there seems to be a lot more to do down there. In fact, there's too much to do, I don't know how anyone could possibly take it all in.

When they first announced Vegas for the con I had hoped we could snag the Luxor as the con hotel since we'd done Memphis (with the pyramid) and the Tut exhibit in Philly.

[identity profile] elistaire.livejournal.com 2008-11-24 03:06 am (UTC)(link)
Thank you for the con reports. I'm so glad to read about the details!

[identity profile] valoise.livejournal.com 2008-11-24 10:37 pm (UTC)(link)
Glad to do it, since it lets me relive the weekend.