Day 3

This day began with another breakfast at the "Pantry Cafe" with the entire gang in order to stock on carbs before setting out on a full schedule of ativities. Dylan had a list of symposiums he wished to attend and a discussion panel with several Nobel Laurates. Priya once again faced a AP or IB exam, Kim was also attending symposiums and SRC meetings, and Tami and I had scheduled at "shopping" tour.

Our bus mates and we met the tour guide at the entrance to the convention center and boarded the short bus. I was the only man besides the driver and was given a few stares and words of praise for being so adventurous.

After a relativly short drive (by LA standards) with casual and informative commentary by our guide we arrived at Beverly Hills shopping district.(aka Rodeo Drive). We debarked in front of the Louis Vitton store and were struck by the elegance of the street on this beautiful cloudless day. A sloped side street with cobblestones beckoned us to explore, where we discovered the Versace store and Tiffany & Co. I didn't panic! This upscale via ends with cascading steps and water fountain to the avenue where we continued to stroll past designer storefront after designer storefront with names like Michael Kors, Cartier, Harry Winston, etc.....

After an hour or so of window shopping and siteseeing (sans celebrity) we got back on the bus and headed to Santa Monica. We stopped at a place called the 3rd Street Promenade, a walking only street flanked by stores and eateries. Street musicians were on every block and central cafes surrounded by sidewalk dining were filled with shoppers. Our intial move was to head the block or two west to Ocean Drive and the Pacific Ocean. Another bucket list item chacked off. The breezy salt air was cool as it crossed the sand (it looked like dirt compared to Pensacola Beach sand) and rose up the embankment to street level.

Bus riding and then back to the convention center to collect Dylan and get ready for the night of excitement that Intel had arrange for the finalist and attendees.



LA Live, a complex that includes several venues was reserved for the finalist. A bowling center, ESPN Zone,  discoteque (Nokia room), and a latin themed bar (21 and over) were set up with free food for everyone. Only the finalist were allowed in the Nokia disco, letting the kids have some safe unparented time to burn off a little stress. Tami and I dined at the taco bar setup at the Congo room and listen to the latin band before heading to the Strike Zone to watch the kids bowl and mingle. We went back to the Conga Room and danced a few Sambas.You should have been there.   Sorry no pictures.