Upon preparing to go to Las Vegas for some trustee training I must have heard 'What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas' about 100 times. But if you have no interest in strip clubs, sex workers, gambling and the like, then I feel like what happens in Vegas can totally be shared. My focus going to Vegas was first for the training course I was attending, it has been one that I have been avoiding for a while, but this seemed as good a year to go as any so when the call went out I raised my hand.
Las Vegas to me is somewhere I never really was dying to go, like say Australia or Cuba, but I have seen it in so many movies I was def curious to see if it lived up to the hype.
I was also going to be in the company of some stellar people as our group sent multiple delegates to attend.
The training itself was quite spectacular. I was a little nervous attending sessions that would be followed by testing as i really havent been in a classroom for *cough* 20ish years, but I really enjoyed it. #learningiscool
Alot of what was discussed were things that i knew a little on as i have been working on and off of this board for a number of years, but there were alot of take aways, not only for the trust group that sent me here, but also for my own organization. The follow up conference was also amazing. One of the things I have been involved in on my campus is Risk Assessment and Management, almost solely for events, but there are many transferable principles that apply to areas of finance and benefit management as well so I tried to attend as many sessions that involved conversation around Risk Management as possible. Some were a little over my head, but anything that leaves me with more questions then it answers can be a good thing and i have followed up with one presenter post conference already to start to increase my own knowledge.
Okay so alongside of getting a real wicked opportunity to learn some things, the other things that i prioritized were the amazing restaurants, and cigar bars that I researched before going.
I wanted to make sure that if this was my one chance in Vegas, that I got to try out as many different places as possible. The list of places that I was able to get to were:
White Castle - I just had to, and it was awesome!
Gordon Ramsay's Steak - best meal I may ever have the pleasure of having ever
BLT Burger - Did not live up to the online hype, was okay
Rhumbar - Cigar and Cocktail Bar - more on this later
Cheesecake Factory - No sightings of Leonard or Penny - menu was 47 pages long, BIG portions
UNLV Football Game - Stadium food mheh
FiAMMA - Amazing Italian Food, had probably the best beat/goat cheese/spinach salad I have ever had
HYDE - PBAS hosted a function and the location, food and event was incredible
Guy Fieri's Vegas Kitchen and Bar - Crazy awesome wings
Gordon Ramsay's BURGR - Now this is how gourmet burgers should be done - bit of a wait, but soooo worth it.
There are so many places in Vegas to try for dining, you would need months to really give it a go, but I was very fortunate to try most of the places I wanted to while we were there.
So now lets get on to the cigars and the Rhumbar. The Rhumbar was located right in our hotel and let me tell you how pumped I was reading that online before going. The humidor is not huge but there is a great selection and they have price ranges that really work for beginners and those that want to spend a few bucks. I was pumped to see one of my all time favorites the La Flor De Les Antilles from My Fathers Cigars. So that was the first one on the list and holy crap pared with a speciality Mojito from the bar it was freaking amazing. I know, I know, no scotch WTF? Right! Well I'll tell you it was great and refreshing compared to the leathery notes of the cigar and the pairing was just awesome.
Now I wish I could have spent every night on this patio, oh yeah they have a patio, so you can enjoy your drink and cigar on a heated patio watching the Vegas night and its creatures pass by. It was seriously one of the best nights that I had in Vegas, partly because of the environment, but mostly because of the company, but both together and it will be one of the first memories that I have of my time in Las Vegas.
Now there was a lag of a couple days until my next visit, but on the next visit I tried two new to me cigars. First up the Romeo and Julieta, the ROMEO. This was a bit more of a bolder R&J that i had before but it had an great smell of leather and coffee, lit and pulled well and kept a great ash. I paired this with an irish whiskey, and i didnt take a picture so I cant remember which one it was....ah to get old. I will say though, that I did try a Jaimisons Black label reserve earlier in the night and it was AWESOME! I want to find that here in Canada, it was incredibly smooth and yummy. The second cigar i had that night was Arturo Fuente Rosado Sungrown Magnum R Vitola 44. Isnt that a handle. It was a little not what I was expecting. Basically it was a bugger to get lit, it burned on one side considerably before it started to burn even and it was not an easy draw. The flavor was there, and it was a great match for the, what i think was whiskey, but not the best cigar experience i have ever had. This night was also one for the books, and ranked very high on my list of Vegas nights, how could it not be, friend of the show, Paul Tucker and I having some laughs at the UNLV football, exploiting our Canadianess, cigars and whiskey, and then a late night musical revue in McDonalds across the street by yours truly serenading Paul with 'I would walk 500 miles' while he ate his McNuggets.
There are a few other stories from Vegas, and sadly there were no other cigar nights as there just wasnt time, but my fingers are starting to cramp, and well, i guess it is true, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas, especially when you are old and want to finish a long over due blog post.
Oh yeah, almost forgot, went a couple weeks inbetween with not getting enough work outs in, until last week, when, after finishing my outdoor lighting for christmas, i got to enjoy a couple regulars. My 12 year old Cardhu and a Don Thomas Robusto. Both delightful, and totally what was needed after the week and acrobatics employed by moi putting up the lights. On track this week for another #cigarSunday so fingers crossed!
Sean "BigBoyRunning" Ryan
Las Vegas to me is somewhere I never really was dying to go, like say Australia or Cuba, but I have seen it in so many movies I was def curious to see if it lived up to the hype.
I was also going to be in the company of some stellar people as our group sent multiple delegates to attend.
The training itself was quite spectacular. I was a little nervous attending sessions that would be followed by testing as i really havent been in a classroom for *cough* 20ish years, but I really enjoyed it. #learningiscool
Alot of what was discussed were things that i knew a little on as i have been working on and off of this board for a number of years, but there were alot of take aways, not only for the trust group that sent me here, but also for my own organization. The follow up conference was also amazing. One of the things I have been involved in on my campus is Risk Assessment and Management, almost solely for events, but there are many transferable principles that apply to areas of finance and benefit management as well so I tried to attend as many sessions that involved conversation around Risk Management as possible. Some were a little over my head, but anything that leaves me with more questions then it answers can be a good thing and i have followed up with one presenter post conference already to start to increase my own knowledge.
Okay so alongside of getting a real wicked opportunity to learn some things, the other things that i prioritized were the amazing restaurants, and cigar bars that I researched before going.
I wanted to make sure that if this was my one chance in Vegas, that I got to try out as many different places as possible. The list of places that I was able to get to were:
White Castle - I just had to, and it was awesome!
Gordon Ramsay's Steak - best meal I may ever have the pleasure of having ever
BLT Burger - Did not live up to the online hype, was okay
Rhumbar - Cigar and Cocktail Bar - more on this later
Cheesecake Factory - No sightings of Leonard or Penny - menu was 47 pages long, BIG portions
UNLV Football Game - Stadium food mheh
FiAMMA - Amazing Italian Food, had probably the best beat/goat cheese/spinach salad I have ever had
HYDE - PBAS hosted a function and the location, food and event was incredible
Guy Fieri's Vegas Kitchen and Bar - Crazy awesome wings
Gordon Ramsay's BURGR - Now this is how gourmet burgers should be done - bit of a wait, but soooo worth it.
There are so many places in Vegas to try for dining, you would need months to really give it a go, but I was very fortunate to try most of the places I wanted to while we were there.
So now lets get on to the cigars and the Rhumbar. The Rhumbar was located right in our hotel and let me tell you how pumped I was reading that online before going. The humidor is not huge but there is a great selection and they have price ranges that really work for beginners and those that want to spend a few bucks. I was pumped to see one of my all time favorites the La Flor De Les Antilles from My Fathers Cigars. So that was the first one on the list and holy crap pared with a speciality Mojito from the bar it was freaking amazing. I know, I know, no scotch WTF? Right! Well I'll tell you it was great and refreshing compared to the leathery notes of the cigar and the pairing was just awesome.
Now I wish I could have spent every night on this patio, oh yeah they have a patio, so you can enjoy your drink and cigar on a heated patio watching the Vegas night and its creatures pass by. It was seriously one of the best nights that I had in Vegas, partly because of the environment, but mostly because of the company, but both together and it will be one of the first memories that I have of my time in Las Vegas.
Now there was a lag of a couple days until my next visit, but on the next visit I tried two new to me cigars. First up the Romeo and Julieta, the ROMEO. This was a bit more of a bolder R&J that i had before but it had an great smell of leather and coffee, lit and pulled well and kept a great ash. I paired this with an irish whiskey, and i didnt take a picture so I cant remember which one it was....ah to get old. I will say though, that I did try a Jaimisons Black label reserve earlier in the night and it was AWESOME! I want to find that here in Canada, it was incredibly smooth and yummy. The second cigar i had that night was Arturo Fuente Rosado Sungrown Magnum R Vitola 44. Isnt that a handle. It was a little not what I was expecting. Basically it was a bugger to get lit, it burned on one side considerably before it started to burn even and it was not an easy draw. The flavor was there, and it was a great match for the, what i think was whiskey, but not the best cigar experience i have ever had. This night was also one for the books, and ranked very high on my list of Vegas nights, how could it not be, friend of the show, Paul Tucker and I having some laughs at the UNLV football, exploiting our Canadianess, cigars and whiskey, and then a late night musical revue in McDonalds across the street by yours truly serenading Paul with 'I would walk 500 miles' while he ate his McNuggets.
There are a few other stories from Vegas, and sadly there were no other cigar nights as there just wasnt time, but my fingers are starting to cramp, and well, i guess it is true, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas, especially when you are old and want to finish a long over due blog post.
Oh yeah, almost forgot, went a couple weeks inbetween with not getting enough work outs in, until last week, when, after finishing my outdoor lighting for christmas, i got to enjoy a couple regulars. My 12 year old Cardhu and a Don Thomas Robusto. Both delightful, and totally what was needed after the week and acrobatics employed by moi putting up the lights. On track this week for another #cigarSunday so fingers crossed!
Sean "BigBoyRunning" Ryan
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