The Travel and Town
I had the opportunity to attend SANS Network Security 2011 in Las Vegas from September 17-25. I attempted the GSE Lab exam the first two days, and then attended SEC542: Web Application Penetration Testing and Ethical Hacking.
The flight to LV was pretty uneventful. As we flew across the western plains, these circles were plentiful across the ground. These are crop circles from aliens, but rather from irrigation pivots. This area has been suffering from drought, but irrigation helps as an equalizer. When we flew across Arizona, we could see the Grand Canyon out the window. Here is a picture of some irrigation circles…
This was the first time that I had actually stayed in Las Vegas. I’ve driven through before, but never felt a need to stay. After being there for several days, there is no strong desire to make this a regular visit.
The conference was being held at Caesar’s Palace, but by the time I called to make a room reservation, there were no rooms available for the first two nights. So, I stayed across the street at Bally’s. Just like most hotels in Las Vegas, a casino is a part of the experience. No, I didn’t lose any money in the slot machines!
The cost of food at the hotel/casino restaurants was more than I really wanted to spend and generally of a style different that want I care for. So, if I was not going to starve, I needed to find someplace else to eat. Using a great variety of apps on my iPhone, I searched and finally found what I was looking for (quite like U2, I suppose) down the street.
The walk down The Strip after dark is an experience. It was packed with people! Some were down-and-out. Others were trying to give the impression of a High-Roller. Most had adequate clothing on. Others looked like they were in a “Who Can Dress The Sluttiest” contest. Some were speaking English. Many were not. Most times the sidewalk was packed shoulder-to-shoulder with people.
I took the time to walk around Caesar’s Palace where NS2011 was being held. It is an opulent place. Here’s a picture of the sports betting area…
One end of Caesar’s Palace featured the Forum Shops. It is basically an up-scale shopping mall. As you would expect, there is a Roman theme to everything. This fountain was in the middle of an intersection…
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When it came time to make the journey home, I was ready. There is a bus that shuttles visitors between the hotel/casino and the airport. The pickup time at the hotel was about 2 1/2 hours before my scheduled departure time so it seemed there would be plenty of time to make the flight.
So, you can imagine my surprise when we arrived at the airport and came upon one of the longest lines I have ever seen… I was even more surprised at how fast the line moved!
In the end, the trip back was uneventful. As John Denver said many years ago, “It’s good to be back home again. Sometimes this old house feels like a long lost friend.”
Check back in a couple of days for Part 2.
- Dan Strom
