Show time!

Quotes of the week:

Person in elevator: "you don't look like a person who has lost a lot of money." 

Me: "well no - have you??" 

Him: *shrugs* "Eh, about even."

Hokay...

Person walking in same direction as me: "are you drinking coffee? How's that working for your body?" 

Me: "um, fine?"

Him: "see, I haven't had coffee since I was 13, and I'm 31 now."

Me: "on PURPOSE?!?" *why is he telling me this??*

People say the strangest things here in Vegas. Moving on...

Today was my turn behind the presentation podium - show time! To prepare, I needed my daily caffeine boost from the best coffee shop in Vegas (according to the internet) - Sambalatte at the Monte Carlo. I gave a brief presentation about my dissertation work on developing an electrowetting heat pipe, and I received several very encouraging and complimentary remarks afterwards. 

After my own session, I listened to several presentations on thermal management for aerospace applications. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the NASA Goddard Space Center is pursuing a technology that is a cousin to my work, so perhaps there is a future collaboration opportunity there. I also got to meet a colleague in person who helped me co-author a paper several years ago - I had only ever talked to him on the phone before! How fun to make the connection now that I am nearing the end of my journey with heat pipes.

After dinner, I explored Caesar's Palace, which is one of the largest hotels on the Strip in terms of square footage. Despite what the old episodes of Friends led me to believe, there were no staff members dressed as palace guards. I liked that the outside was designed like an outdoor Roman market. Once again, the shops were made to feel like Rome, but the entire ambiance was very purple-blue. So...Rome at dusk? Not quite sure.

Outdoor market style (top), the hotel lobby (bottom left), and the hotel entrance (bottom right)

In any case, I grabbed a coffee and headed over to the Saxe Theater for "Vegas! The Show" to top off the night. The show is a re-creation of the best of all the famous Vegas acts, from Frank Sinatra to Sonny and Cher, so I figured it would be a good way for me to get a taste of Vegas through the years. The show was phenomenal! Top-notch musicians, dancers, singers, and entertainers quickly had me tapping my toes and laughing out loud. If engineering is my "real job," then performing arts is definitely my "dream job." Every show I see makes me want to throw on some dancing shoes and jump in the action!

More pictures from Caesar's Palace (left), and me at Vegas! The Show (right)

Tomorrow is the last day of the conference, but I will probably sneak out a bit early to catch a few museums before flying back tomorrow evening. Stay tuned!

Conference and the Strip

Yesterday was the first day of the ITHERM conference, the bi-annual gathering of the electronic systems thermal community. Basically, everyone here is trying to figure out better ways to keep electronic devices from overheating, all the way from the phone in your pocket to mile-long Google data centers. The ITHERM Achievement Award went to Professor Suresh Garimella at Purdue University. He gave a great talk on the need to consider all the different factors in bringing a technology from the lab to an actual product, including supply chain, manufacturing, and consumer acceptance. I greatly admire his work, and my advisor at UT (Professor Vaibhav Bahadur) was one of his Ph.D. students. I was able to snag a quick picture "for the sake of posterity!"

Dr. Garimella and me (top), and the view from the back of the talk by a Google exec on data center efficiency (bottom)

After the conference, I met up with some new colleagues and friends to grab some dinner and explore the Strip. We went to Bobby's Burger Palace, with a burgers and shakes menu created by Bobby Flay! I had the Brunch burger with a sunny-side up egg and bacon, along with a mocha milkshake. Oh yes, it was fantastic.

We walked up the Strip, stopping in at several hotels along the way. We saw the Bellagio fountains (beautiful!), the Venetian hotel, and the Paris hotel. The Venetian was by far my favorite - they have an actual water canal inside the hotel, with gondoliers that will transport you to any shop you desire. The shops on the interior are made to feel as if you are in Venice, complete with an incredibly realistic sky ceiling. I actually felt as if I was outside. There were also beautiful purple/blue butterflies suspended near the entryway. I was not a fan of the Paris hotel - it felt more dim and dirty than the Venetian, and the sky was not as realistic. Still, I was amazed at how I still felt transported to a different world.

Bellagio Fountains

Venetian hotel shops area, with an interior waterway!

Paris hotel shops area, made to feel like a Paris street

Today, I present my work at the conference, then it's off to "Vegas - The Show!" tonight!

Wonders both natural and man-made

Today I hopped on with Grand Adventures tours and headed out to the Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon. I saw both the dam and the beautiful arched memorial bridge that was opened in 2010 to ease traffic flow over the mountains. The dam itself was an engineering marvel, especially considering it was built in the 1930's during the Great Depression. One factoid I found interesting was that to avoid scratching the black stone used to build a commemoration and dedication area, the builders set the stones on ice and then guided them into position as the ice melted. Pretty slick! I would love to come back and tour the inner workings of the dam if I'm ever back in the Vegas area.

Hoover Dam! Memorial Bridge (top), Lake Meade as the high side of the dam (middle) and view of the dam from Memorial bridge (bottom)

Next was the south rim of the Grand Canyon. My favorite view was from Eagle Point, named for the rock formation that looks like an eagle with outstretched wings. I got pictures at Guano Point, named for the bat guano harvesting that used to happen from a cave in the canyon. Bat guano is apparently good for dynamite, cosmetics, and fertilizer, among other things. The skeleton of the crane that drove the mining activities still stands, but the mining stopped in the 50's after a Flyboy accidentally sheared some of the cables with his back rotor.

Also, they do not have railings except on the Skywalk. You could literally fall over the edge ANYWHERE. Our tour guide cautioned us to stay away from crowds at the edge, lest we get bumped by accident. Yeesh.

Me at the canyon! The bottom picture is an illusion - I was only about 20 feet in the air, not on the side of the canyon. But the picture is still fun!

Finally, the part about Vegas I have been excited for - the food!! I took myself to Estiatorio Milos at my own hotel (Cosmopolitan): a Mediterranean restaurant renowned for fresh seafood. I had fresh bread (oh my!), grilled octopus, lobster pasta, and baklava. All three courses were amazing, but the baklava was to. die. for. I was on the phone with my sweet boyfriend Jeremy so we could catch up about our days, and he will attest to how many times I punctuated our conversation with, "this baklava is just...indescribably good." One bite hit me with such a wave of euphoria that I sat back in the chair with my eyes closed, head tilted, and fork almost falling out of my hand, wondering if I had reached heaven. Worth every penny!

On a side note, I didn't realize how much food I had consumed until I stood up and waddled back to my hotel room. Note to self - be careful how much food I eat when not at my hotel, lest I have to walk half a mile back home on an aching stomach.

Tomorrow, the conference starts!

Vegas - sandals on the ground

I landed safely in Las Vegas this afternoon! I'm staying at the Cosmopolitan, and my room is gorgeous. I explored my own hotel and the Bellagio while hunting for affordable food that wouldn't clog my arteries. I finally landed on the Earl of Sandwich shop and ordered the Earl's club: turkey, bacon, Swiss, tomato, lettuce, and their "special sandwich sauce" - tasty! I then headed to the Jean Phillipe Patisserie for dessert, and I have now seriously considered spending the bare minimum on food and blowing my whole budget on pastries and gelato. I mean, after seeing that chocolate fountain, wouldn't you!?

Here are a few pictures of the food, the Cosmopolitan, the conservatory in the Bellagio (flowers and plants arranged around an underwater theme), and the Chihuly sculptures on the ceiling in the Bellagio.

Tomorrow - Grand Canyon!

Food! Sandwiches and pastries.

Entrance of the Bellagio

Entrance of the Cosmopolitan - high class!

Travel Blogging

I've decided to revive this blog so that I can track my travels this summer and fall. First stop: Las Vegas! My flight leaves tomorrow afternoon, and the destination is the ITHERM conference at the Cosmopolitan hotel. I've spent a few hours pouring over these books and scouring the shows to watch, so heaven help me if I can't find enough to do.

Comment and tell me what to see, where to have coffee, and what restaurants to check out (or stay away from)!