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Since we had a long flight delay due to bad weather in Las Vegas, we
had to rush to our dinner reservations after getting the rental car!
Fortunately, the Strip traffic was not too bad despite Labor Day
setting records for the number of visitors to Las Vegas!
We had a little wait however at the Aria Valet. Since I am
MGM Gold, I get free valet at any MGM property so we parked here.
We had a short walk over to the Cosmopolitan where our dinner
reservations were.
I made reservations for us at China Poblano by Jose Andres! I
was able to change into something nicer at the rental car center.
One can see the cooks hand roll the dumplings at China Poblano through
a window.
Since we had some time before our reservation, I was able to get one of
my favorite desserts, the cereal milk flavored soft serve with corn
flakes at Milk Bar next door.
China Poblano had an unique decor. This face shaped statue
had different images projected onto it.
There are some cool Asian and Mexican decorations behind my lovely wife
here.
China Poblano is not fusion. The menu has both Chinese and
Mexican dishes so people can mix and match what they want.
I am enjoying my Illegal Anejo Mezcal here. Chips and salsa
were the first course in our tasting menu.
The young coconut ceviche was delicious!
Joy and I loved the chicken siu mai dumplings!
This is the octopus taco which was served in a blue corn tortilla made
from scratch with corn from Oaxaca, Mexico.
The Twenty Vegetable Fried Rice is one of the favorites at China
Poblano. I did not count, but there should be twenty kinds of
veggies here.
We were able to get our keys at the VIP Lounge since I am MGM Gold.
They have complimentary beverages and snacks there too.
This was our view from the room at Mandalay Bay. I did check
out the lazy river and beach later that morning.
We walked to Eataly to get breakfast. Joy loves that place!
My crepe was delicious!
I love Gold Fish Feeding Time Slots, and the bonus is exciting!
We met up with my fraternity brother from college who is a doctor in
Vegas for drinks at Urth Cafe and ice cream at Salt & Straw
which is at the new Uncommons near Durango Station.
Seeing my nephew is the highlight of any Vegas trip! He loved
all the gifts we got him including this tram from Lisbon.
Joy and I headed to Genting Palace at Resorts World next for our
gourmet Chinese dinner.
Is Fiji water OK, Mr. Roy. This dining experience reminded me
of that movie, Crazy
Rich Asians. We were pampered well!
The amuse course was a pickled item. Note there are two sets
of chopsticks. Joy said that is common at fine dining places
in Asia.
I got an EH Taylor bourbon on a $4 ice cube that had RW etched in it
for my beverage. The Roys are "crazy rich Asians" I guess.
LOL.
The dumpling basket was amazing! The seafood black truffle
dumpling was so good!
The Sichuan Hot & Sour soup was the best Chinese soup I ever
had!
The truffle fried rice paired well with the shredded beef dish.
One of the servers came over and said may I serve you the
rice just like one would expect being offered to that guy Nick from the
Crazy Rich Asians
movie. LOL!
The hostess gave us this sesame ball as a thank you for dining with
them when we were leaving. We dropped almost $200 on dinner
that night.
After dinner, we saw Luke Bryan's Residency concert at Resorts World.
He did a great job!
Joy thought it was the best concert she ever attended.
The stage was really cool with the moving platforms and light shows.
The fire on stage was really cool to see! He did pretty much
all his major hits including "Rollercoaster" and "Rain Is A Good Thing."
He finished the concert on the catwalk above the lower level.
We were in the first row of the balcony so we got to see him
pretty up close!
Joy and I had lunch with my buddy Patrick at a Greek restaurant on
Monday.
We got to dine with this little guy that night. He loves
sushi so we went to a Japanese place.
On Tuesday, we went back to Cosmopolitan for brunch, but we passed
through Aria and saw the fall decorations.
Cosmo is really neat!
The line at Egg Slut was not that bad this time, but we still waited a
while for our food to be made.
The wait was worth it! I loved my Gaucho egg sandwich with
Tri Tip!
We went shopping the rest of the day before our flight home.
Both of us got stuff at Armani. We are Crazy Rich
Asians after all. LOL.
As I was leaving Vegas, I got an email on my company iPhone to order
our upcoming POA meeting gift which was a custom Timbuk2 backpack!
My company gives us a nice gift for each meeting!
A few weeks after Vegas, I flew to Phoenix for my POA meeting.
The Renaissance Phoenix Downtown upgraded me to a huge room!
Check out the living room of my room!
This Renaissance was pretty nice, and guess what. The POTUS
stayed here too while I was there. More to come on that....
We walked over to Centrico at this historic hotel next door for a great
authentic Mexican lunch!
After a short one hour meeting, we took this AZLimo Executive Coach to
Scottsdale for a fine dining experience at Eddie V's!
Eddie V's had us in a private room with a set menu. I got the
8 oz filet mignon. Also, I got the smokeless smoked Old
Fashioned!
I was very impressed with the wine selection that night.
I got a little fresh air in the 100 degree heat on the pool deck in the
afternoon during Day 2 of our meetings.
Since POTUS was staying at our hotel that night, a perimeter was set up
around the hotel with only one entrance/exit, but our group was given
special permission to leave through the back to catch the charter buses
to our dinner event.
That evening, the company rented out the Pedal Haus Brewery in Downtown
Phoenix for us!
The food was really good! The prime rib was awesome!
We had a full open bar, and ther was so much food! We also
had an appetizer and dessert buffet too. I got Angel's Envy
for my first beverage there.
The staff took good care of us, and they kept coming by to get us more
drinks.
We walked back since we heard the hotel was on lockdown until POTUS got
in. These are some of the secret service agents.
The Secret Service uniformed officers set up metal detectors at the
main entrance since POTUS staying there.
I had a night cap at the hotel bar with some of my colleagues.
This is IW Harper. It was crazy seeing all the
Secret Service agents, bomb sniffing dogs, and other members of the
President's team.
We saw the Presidential motorcade the next morning from the windows in
the ballroom downstairs. I got a view of the BEAST (POTUS
Limo).
Since my industry likes to do the Suburban car services like the high
ranking government officials were in for the POTUS visit, I was glad
they sent me an Audi A7 this time for my airport transfer so I was not
confused. LOL.
I was able to see Air Force 1 as we got into PHX from the car.
This was a pretty neat meeting staying in the same hotel as the POTUS,
but I am not a fan of his as one should know. LOL.
Joy and I went down to Las Vegas for Labor Day Weekend to catch Luke
Bryan's Residency Concert at Resorts World and also see my nephew,
Aakash! After a long flight delay due to weather in Vegas, we
rushed over to the rental car center to get our car so we could make
our dinner reservations at Jose Andres' China Poblano at the
Cosmopolitan. China Poblano is not a fusion restaurant, but the
menu features dishes from both Chinese and Mexican cuisines. We
did the tasting menu to get the full experience, and the mix of dishes
were a nice balance between Mexican and Chinese. For instance,
they started our culinary experience with chips and a delicious salsa.
We had chicken siu mai dumplings also as an appetizer.
There was an Asian inspired salad. The young coconut
ceviche was a Mexican treat that was unique since it had no fish.
We had two main dish items that were Mexican which included an
octopus taco and shrimp dish with special peppers. The twenty
vegetable fried rice ended the savory portion of the meal before a
churro with Oaxacan hot chocolate for dipping was served.
Overall, Jose Andres did not disappoint once again.
We stayed at Mandalay Bay this time. After
dinner, we headed over to check in. The MGM Rewards app checked
me in very early so I knew our number room. After having the
valet take the car and the bellman take our luggage, we got keys at the
VIP Lounge before heading up to our room.
The next day, Joy and I walked over to Eataly for
breakfast. Afterwards, I checked out the lazy river and beach
area at Mandalay Bay. The beach area is a hype since it is not as
big as one thinks from the pictures. The lazy river was pretty
short. Afterwards, we met up with a fraternity brother for some
delicious treats at Urth Cafe and Salt & Straw ice cream which is
known for very unique flavors including one which has actual cheese in
the ice cream. We went over to my brother's place next to hang
out with my nephew. He was very excited to see us!
We had tickets to see Luke Bryan on Sunday night so
we decided to have dinner at the Genting Palace at Resorts World where
the concert was. Genting Palace is a fine dining Chinese
restaurant. As soon as we were welcomed by the hostesses, I could
tell this was going to be a "Crazy Rich Asians"
experience. The elegantly appointed restaurant had beautiful ming
vases all over, and the staff was very attentive to us. I was
charged $4 for the large ice cube for my EH Taylor drink. LOL.
I guess Joy and I are Crazy Rich Asians (Indians) so it is only
appropriate. Luke Bryan did a great show! We heard
"Rollercoster," "Country Girl Shake It For Me," and "Rain Is A Good
Thing" among his other hits. He also made fun of cancel culture
and talked about how Tim McGraw's "Indian Outlaw" song would be
targeted these days. He was right. Fuck the left! We
will not bow down to them. I bought Jason Aldean's controversal
song, "Try That In A Small Town" to support him against cancel culture.
The next day, we met up with my friend Patrick for
lunch. Afterwards, we headed to my brother's place to have dinner
with them at a sushi place. My nephew enjoyed going to dinner
with his Uncle Anirban and Aunt Joy. He is so adordable!
On Tuesday, we enjoyed brunch at Egg Slut and Milk
Bar before shopping all day. I got some stuff at Vineyard Vines
and Armani! As we were leaving Vegas, I checked my work email on
my company iPhone in the Club@LAS, and I saw that we were asked to
order a custom backpack from Timbuk2 as a gift for our upcoming meeting
in Phoenix. I love my company! They appreciate us a lot!
Speaking of meeting, I flew down to Phoenix a few
weeks after Vegas for the POA Meeting. My usual car service
picked me up at my house that morning and took me to SMF for my 8:45 AM
flight into the Valley of Sun. The meeting was at the Renaissance
Phoenix Downtown. When we checked in, we were notified of a
security event going on the following day and Thursday. So, we
were wondering what it was about since they said all but one entrance
would be closed, and they would have metal detectors set up too.
I was wondering if it was POTUS, but I was like no he can not be
staying here. LOL. The hotel was nice, and I got a great
upgrade to a large room with a huge living room since I am BonVoy
elite. However, I did not think the POTUS stayed in hotels
occupied by others.
We only had about an hour of meetings on Tuesday
since it was a travel day. Then, we were taken to a private
dining experience at Eddie V's Prime Seafood in Scottsdale via AZLimo's
Executive Coach. I helped plan this since I am a foodie!
The dinner was great! We had a set menu, and I got the
eight ounce filet. Eddie V's is known for a smokeless smoked Old
Fashioned which has chocolate bitters so I ordered that. We also
had great wine!
On Wednesday, we had a full day of meetings, but it
was cool. Then, at night both my company and our partner company
for our biologic rented out the Pedal Haus Brewery in downtown Phoenix
for us. The Secret Service had already set up a perimeter around
the hotel for the POTUS so we were given special permission to exit the
hotel from the back entrance. The charter bus company escorted us
out beyond the blocked street access to the buses to take us the short
distance to the brewery. It was walking distance, but the company
wants to keep us safe always. Pedal Haus welcomed us with
margaritas and other drinks. The full bar was open to us too.
On one side, they had a buffet of great appetizers. The
other side had a buffet of great main dishes and sides including beer
can chicken and prime rib. I ordered an Angel's Envy to start
that evening. The great staff kept coming by to bring us more
drinks. My second drink there was a Woodford Double Oaked.
We also had a good dessert selection.
Since we got word that POTUS was coming in which
meant the hotel was on lockdown for sometime, we walked back and saw
news crews and more barricades. By the time, we got back, the
entrance to the hotel was open so we went through the metal detector
and hung out in the lobby drinking more. All we saw was lots of
plain clothes and uniformed secret service agents as well as bombing
sniffing dogs in the lobby. It was crazy! I felt proud that
our POTUS is guarded so well. It shows how much money our country
has! I do not like Biden, but it is great to see the
institution of the POTUS this up close. I think I slept in
the most secure place on Earth that night!
The next morning, we only had a few hours of
meetings before it was time to leave. We saw the Presidential
motorcade getting ready to leave from our meeting room, and I saw a
glimpse of the BEAST (limo). It was pretty cool. Before the
motorcade left, they had agents with a dog sweep the area for
explosives. Also, there were so many motorcycle police in front
of POTUS. After he left, the streets were open so my Audi A7
airport transfer was able to come get me and take me to the airport
where I saw Air Force 1. This was one interesting meeting!