NH and back

It’s been a busy two days–about 8 hours flying (and laying over) from Las Vegas to Manchester, New Hampshire, some fun driving to Concord in the rain (I don’t get enough of that in the arid desert here), a few hours of sleep, and then a morning of offering testimony to the New Hampshire Legislative Committee on Gaming Options.

Well, a morning of listening to people testify, then speaking myself for ten minutes, at the very least. It was a great chance to be able to talk about gaming history to actual policy-makers, and they seemed interested in what I had to say.

Unfortunately, since I’ve got so much work back in the office, there was little time to stop and appreciate the foliage. It seemed to still be mostly green–a product of a dry summer, even though it’s rained more than anyone can remember in the past week–in any event, so I guess I didn’t miss much.

Concord was a neat place–I got to see the oldest statehouse still in use (the original section dates from 1819), and see what government buildings are supposed to look like–old and slightly dilapidated. The government buildings out here are gleamingly new and delapidated, so it’s a big change.

I luckily got a chance to extend my palate by trying a new regional delicacy. As an Atlantic City native, I’m genetically predisposed towards cheese steaks, I think. So when I was driving through Manchester (a detour en route to the airport) and noticed a restaurant named Pappy’s offering an “infamous steak and cheese,” I was intrigued. After briefly considering getting a mini-pizza or calzone, I was swayed by the expert testimony of my waitress and opted for the steak and cheese, on Syrian bread, no less.

It ended up being something like a cheese steak in a tortilla, and it was totally delicious. I’d have to say that it ranks right up there with the tuna pizza crepes I had in Singapore. Seriously.

Anyway, if you find yourself in Manchester, NH, stop by Pappy’s, and you won’t be disappointed.

Just a reminder–you don’t have to be a state legislator to hear me orate. This Saturday, I’ll be speaking and moderating at the Vegas Valley Book Festival. If you’re in town, you don’t want to miss it…unless you’ve got something better to do, like sleep off the previous night’s debauch, so to speak. I’ll even sign copies of my books, as long as they still have the covers on them.