The adventure begins. Well, apparently we’re not really Vegas adventurers, since we don’t gamble, are too cheap to pay for high-priced shows, and stick to moderately priced restaurants. I don’t know if we’ll find a way to do any thrift shopping during Meda’s down time, but that’s always a possibility.

It was a bit of a haul from Honolulu to the McCarran Airport in Las Vegas yesterday. Aside…How weird to have the city’s airport associated with the famed McCarran Act, legislation at the center of the Red Scare years of the 1950s.

Anyway, the seatbelt warning was on through most of the first flight from Honolulu to San Francisco due to turbulence, with flight crew strapped in as well for long periods. Then our flight to Las Vegas was delayed, but luckily only for about 45 minutes, getting us here in the early evening.

Once through the gigantic airport, we got a cab to The Carriage House, a smallish non-casino hotel on East Harmon Ave just a block off the Strip, across from the Planet Hollywood casino and mall, and wedged between timeshares by Marriott and Hilton. It’s a great location if you don’t gamble. We’ve got a 1-bedroom, with separate bedroom, small but fully-stocked kitchen, etc. No smoking in the hotel, if you are looking for such things. And a good bargain.

We remembered that the Planet Hollywood Mall has an ABC Store (for wine, breakfast fruit and snacks), as well as some places serving inexpensive “fast casual” meals at all times of day. After our early evening arrival, we picked up a bottle of wine at ABC, sandwiches and a large salad from the Earl of Sandwich, and enjoyed dinner at the dining table in our room while PBS playing in the background.

Today we test the walk from here to the LINQ hotel, where Meda’s conference unfolds tomorrow through Saturday.

Meda took the following shot of me after breakfast, as we were walking through the PH mall to do another walkthrough at the ABC Store for essentials we’ll need later today.