Bangor isn't quite as fun as Vegas... :(

Really settled back in at home in Bangor now. Finals are coming up way quicker than I'd like to admit, and I'm still trying to wrap up all the makeup work I missed from the trip...this is going to be a long few weeks...

I brought back a few souvenirs for friends and family, and they seemed to be received well. The easy one was the one that everyone loves the most. I brought back a bunch of actual $1 chips from the casinos. The first question everyone has asked is "are you allowed to do that?!" (yes, totally allowed. it's your money, you can do what you want with it.), promptly followed by "how much did this cost?", which I just laugh and shake my head at....

Readjusting to life back in Bangor

Now that we're all back in Bangor, there's a few things to readjust to. First of all, no more walking around in flip flops and shorts....learned that REAL QUICK.

Also, I'm having trouble letting go of the professional feel that I got use to all week. Each day in Vegas, we would all get up early to iron our pants and shirts before the convention. So what did I do back here in Bangor? I bought an ironing board! :)

Last Night. :(

So tonight was our last night in Las Vegas. Gotta say, it's been quite the trip. Lot to handle in just 9 short days. At the same time though, we're all feeling pretty "vegas'ed out". We took a trip up to the top of the Stratosphere tonight to get a last look at the city and all the lights of the strip before heading out in the morning. There's a few rides on the top of the spire, and even a chance to jump off! (In a controlled decent, obviously...jeez, guys, I'm not that morose.)

NAB Wrapup

 So the past few days have been nothing but the National Association of Broadcasters Convention. What. A. Trip. Got to see a bunch of awesome broadcast gear that hasn't even been released to the public yet, and of course the best of the best that the industry professionals are using.

WideOrbit is the system WHSN uses for music management!

Favorite Console. Period.

That lens is about 6 times larger than the camera it's on. Whoa.

This Fly Pack makes NESComs look like a joke. haha.

Some good'ole digital snakage.

WHSN's studio on steroids.

AWWWWW, how cute is that?!

Swimmin hole!

So now that the convention is over, we've got some time to relax! We hit the swimming pool at the Flamingo today. Very much needed! Awesome time cooling off and relaxing after walking almost 40 miles over the past 3 days on the convention floor.

Makin Millions!

Went to Binion's Casino tonight and played some cards. For security reasons, pictures aren't allowed anywhere in the establishment.....except here. We got to take our picture with $1Million! Pretty awesome.

Sadly, I didn't make that much at the tables...I did leave tonight $30 up from when I sat down. That's pretty good for my first time at a cards table.

DAAAAAAYYUUUUUM!

Or "Dam", depending on where you're from. We saw the Hoover Dam today, and got to take a tour down into the depths of the massive concrete structure to see just how the magical water retaining wall works.

Another Hello from the Highway again today too!

Check out the Dam Episode HERE!

Mirage Erruption

We also saw the Volcano Eruption at the Mirage Hotel on the Strip tonight. It was pretty cool. Wonder how much gas each show uses...

Bellagio Fountains

Tonight we walked the Las Vegas Strip. My favorite part was getting to see the Bellagio Fountains. Check'em out!

I also got to be a part of the world-famous YouTube series by Andrew King, "Hello From the Highway".

Check out the episode at the fountains!

The Fremont Street Experience

Say hello to the largest TV in the world!

So much warmer!

Dallas (our layover location) is so much warmer than Bangor! And Vegas will be even warmer!

Snoozin while we're cruisin....or flying...whatever

I got myself a nice little travel pillow to use while flying around the skies for 5 hours at a time. Jess did not. My neck was fine....her's was not. Haha.

Leavin, on a Jet Plane...

Yup.

Why is there so much construction?!

Boston, 4am on a Thursday, and there are blocked off roads EVERYWHERE! Not sure why, as there are only empty cop cars with lights on...posted at every on and off ramp of Route 1 and Route 3 - the 2 ways we can get to Logan easily. So for the past half hour, we've been taking all back roads to get to the airport. Checking out parts of boston that are less than tourist worthy, to say the least...updates later if/when we arrive to the airport alive and on time...

South Street Diner? More Like Sketch Street Diner!

So we decided to stop at the fine establishment of Boston's South Street Diner. It's practically the only place to eat 24/7 in boston, and seeing as it's now past 3am, this seems to be our only option.

Word of advice: Don't come here at 3am!

First thing we noticed (besides the several homeless men that swarmed the car immediately asking if we wanted a window wash using the bottle of polland springs they were carrying) was that there was a bouncer. Not a greeter. A bouncer. Black shirt, earpiece, roped doorway - the works. We should have turned around right there. Diners don't have bouncers!

Once inside, we sat down at booth that was so small, our legs were essentially linked together with the person sitting across from us. Not comfortable.

The food was eh. Far too expensive for the quality. A plate of french toast, homefries, and OJ ran me 20 bucks after tip (which wasn't that great, considering the lack of service we were provided). Not worth it. :/

Best part though, (or worst, depending on how you look at it) was that the entire time we were eating at this wonderful place of business, there was a pair of Boston PD officers running a questioning at the booth behind us, speaking with all of the wait staff concerning the shooting that happened the previous night in the very diner we were currently sitting in...not the best table talk.

Needless to say, we couldn't get out fast enough...now it's on to Logan for our 5:30 flight.

Road Trippin

Road trippin time! We've got about a 4 hour drive to logan tonight, accounting for stops we'll probably make along the way. Almost an hour in now, we've got the cruise control set, and the music pumpin. Luckily, my wonderful girlfriend made a road-trip playlist for us to listen to:

Road Trip Jams

Throwback tunes are the best to listen to on a long car ride with friends! Great chance to reminisce.

Go Time!

The time is 10pm, April 3rd. In Bangor, it's pitch black outside. Brisk 40ºF with a steady wind makes the jeans and jacket I'm wearing more than necessary. I'm waiting out on my front porch with a backpack, suitcase, and garment back filled with suit jackets and pants. In just a few minutes, one of my friends will come by to pick me up and begin what is to be the funnest 9 days of the semester. I'm shivering- but not from the cold- I'm so excited...she pulls up with the car of friends and luggage...this is it: ROAD TRIP!

Day 1 Agenda

Being that Las Vegas, Nevada is roughly 3,000 miles from Bangor, Maine, the first order of business on this trip will be getting there. We will depart Bangor late Wednesday night to drive to Logan International Airport in Boston, MA. The first flight out takes off at 5:45am local time, and 4 hours later, lands in Dallas at around 9am GMT. After several hours of hanging out at DFW, we'll hop on another flight to our final destination: Vegas! After around 15hours of traveling, we will have made it from Bangor to Las Vegas, Nevada. Compare this to the typical driving travel time of roughly 48hrs, nonstop.

So once we're there, there's still 4 days until it's time to get down to business on the convention floor. What are we gonna do to kill time?! Well, for starters, after a long night and day of traveling, it may be a bit overwhelming and physically taxing to hit the Las Vegas Strip right away, so first night in town, we're going to check out the Fremont Street Experience.

With live music, plenty of casinos (with lower minimun bets and games than the iconic strip casinos), and the largest 'TV Screen' in the world, Fremont Street should be a great launching point for our week and a half in the city that never sleeps.