The International Watch & Jewelry Guild (IWJG) trade show crams millions of dollars worth of merch in a Vegas Hilton conference room roamed by guard dogs at night. A IWJG member has to vouch for you — photo ID, please — before you can see loose diamonds rolled up in tissue paper, watch vintage Pateks replace cash as currency, and hear friendly haggling set market prices.

The veneer of the bling business is stripped away, and you’re left with the soul of what most people would sell their souls for.

No one at the IWJG would, though.

But they will cut you a deal on a Paul Newman Rolex Daytona…

Staying.

I’m hitting Vegas for CES trade show, so I’m checking out the new Encore.

For all of the Wynn’s obvious, overstated beauty, there’s something tongue in cheek about its decor that makes it elegant. I wonder if Encore has the same vibe…

Eating.

One of five restaurants in Encore, the walls of Switch float around so the ambience and layout change with your course.

Described as chef Marc Poidevin’s “French-inspired seafood and postmodern steakhouse,” the food so far looks like an ideal woman: equally beautiful and delicious…

Hating.

It’s actually colder in Vegas than in LA. So much for running around in Nippies and Lucite platforms; I brought a sweater coat.

Perfect cover for plane rides and casino’s ACs, for work and play, it’s also probably on sale at Vegas’s Intermix… ]]> http://www.kristopherdukes.com/2009/01/09/vegas-baby-where-k-is/feed 0