At the most recent AWS re:Invent conference, held annually in Las Vegas, Jennifer took her first ride in a self-driving car. Amazon subsidiary Zoox has been testing their purpose-built self-driving vehicles around Las Vegas since 2023, and is planning to deliver a commercial robotaxi service in Las Vegas and other major US centers. James has ridden in a Zoox several times, but this was Jennifer’s first trip in a car without driver, steering wheel, or pedals. The vehicle did an impressive job of navigating city streets to the Las Vegas strip and back.

Besides attending the conference itself, we also caught three concerts: Sheryl Crow, Weezer and the Eagles. We’ve always enjoyed live music and it was an unusual opportunity to see so much in one week.

Below are highlights from December 2nd through 8th, 2024. Click any image for a larger view, or click the position to view the location on a map. And a map with our most recent log entries always is available at mvdirona.com/maps.

12/2/2024

Allegiant Stadium Position: 36°5.46’N, -115°10.99’W At Allegiant Stadium, home of the Las Vegas Raiders NFL team, for the AWS re:Invent 2024 kick-off party.

Peter DeSantis Position: 36°7.26’N, -115°10.03’W Peter DeSantis, SVP of Utility Computing at AWS, takes the stage for his traditional Monday Night Live opening keynote at AWS re:Invent 2024. As usual, Peter did a great job of diving deep into the details behind AWS technology and infrastructure.

Liam’s Den & Bubble Bar Position: 36°7.44’N, -115°10.07’W Taking a break from the frenetic pace at AWS re:Invent 2024 with a drink at Liam’s Den & Bubble Bar in the Palazzo Hotel. With 60,000 people in attendance, finding a quiet spot anywhere is rare.

12/3/2024

Matt Garmin Position: 36°7.27’N, -115°10.03’W Matt Garmin, in a stellar talk for his first re:Invent keynote as CEO of AWS, describing how managing storage has changed since AWS S3 was first introduced in 2006.

Andy Jassy Position: 36°7.26’N, -115°10.03’W Amazon CEO and former AWS CEO Andy Jassy returns to the keynote stage at AWS re:Invent in Las Vegas for the first time in five years. It was great to see him back.

SushiSamba Position: 36°7.48’N, -115°10.06’W The busy kitchen at SushiSamba in the Palazzo Hotel in Las Vegas, one of our favorite stops when we’re in the area.

Sheryl Crow Position: 36°6.61’N, -115°10.41’W Cheryl Crow performing an intimate concert at the Barbershop Las Vegas speakeasy. We had a fabulous evening, and didn’t realize how many of her songs we knew and liked.

Peter DeSantis Position: 36°6.61’N, -115°10.41’W James with AWS SVP of Utility Computing Peter DeSantis enjoying the Sheryl Crow show at the Barbershop Las Vegas speakeasy.

12/4/2024

AWS Unicorn Tank Position: 36°7.27’N, -115°10.16’W James, on stage at far right, as part of the judging panel for the 2024 AWS Unicorn Tank Startup Pitch competition at re:Invent 2024.

12/5/2024

Zoox Position: 36°4.28’N, -115°13.74’W Heading out for ride in a Zoox self-driving car. James has ridden in a Zoox several times, but this is Jennifer’s first trip in a car without driver, steering wheel, or pedals. The vehicle did an impressive job of navigating city streets to the Las Vegas strip and back.

re:Play Mixing Board Position: 36°8.57’N, -115°9.66’W A look at the expansive mixing board setup for re:Play, the AWS re:Invent after-party.

Weezer Position: 36°8.58’N, -115°9.65’W Two months after seeing Weezer in Seattle we caught them again at re:Play, the AWS re:Invent after-party. We again enjoyed the show and were surprised that they were just the opening act for the music DJ Zedd, which wouldn’t have been our first guess.

12/6/2024

Las Vegas Position: 36°7.44’N, -115°10.06’W The view looking north from our room at The Palazzo across the city to the Las Vegas Range visible in the distance.

Canalleto Position: 36°7.37’N, -115°10.10’W James about to tuck into a ridiculously large lobster claw at Canalleto Italian restaurant in Las Vegas.

The Eagles at the Sphere Position: 36°7.26’N, -115°9.72’W The Eagles on stage at the Sphere in Las Vegas, playing the opening chords to Hotel California as the screen behind shows a car approaching “On a dark desert highway”. It was a spectacular evening.

Click the travel log icon on the left to see these locations on a map. And a map of our most recent log entries always is available at mvdirona.com/maps.