A week in the life of an automotive journalist

Among the greatest perks of this job is getting to drive all of the new vehicles on the market and while some of these cars are delivered to our homes (like the Porsche Boxster S shown on the right), others are presented to us in a safe environment where we can really test the performance of a vehicle on a closed circuit track. We also get to attend amazing events around the world from auto shows to things like the SEMA Show…and we get paid to do it all!

This week’s events begin in Las Vegas where I will be testing some new luxury models on a NASCAR track and later this week I will be heading from Sin City to sunny Orlando for the 2011 Performance Racing Industry Expo so with a full week of exciting work related function this seemed like a great time to let our readers know just what it is like to live the life.

My week began at 7:30am Detroit time when I woke up and finished packing for my trip to Vegas for this event. (Note: I expect that this event will come with an embargo date, which is why Im not mentioning the company or cars that we will be testing just yet.) I loaded up my laptop, camera case and enough clothes for a couple days before heading off to DTW for my noon flight to Las Vegas. For those unsure, trips like these are paid for in almost every way so we generally fly coach but I’m not one to complain about a trip to Vegas.

After enduring the 4 hour trip on a Boeing 737 alongside a woman with unfortunately pointy elbows who just couldn’t seem to sit still, we arrived in sunny Las Vegas. When I left Detroit this morning it was 38 degrees and raining…when I arrived in Vegas it was 71 degrees and sunny. It was also only around 1:30pm local time so after checking into my impressive hotel room in the new Mandarin Oriental I met with our hosts for (free) lunch. After lunch, I hit the bar for a couple drink and then headed out to the Vegas Strip to see some sights and buy some comfortably overpriced souvenirs in the few hours that I had to kill before our formal dinner with the host company.

The first evening in Las Vegas wound up with a very tasty dinner and drinks (all of which are free, of course) where I got to chat with other members of the automotive media along with representatives from the host automaker whom you will hear more about later this week. For dinner, we had our choice of a fish dish or a filet mignon with roasted red peppers and mashed potatoes…I opted for the beef, of course. It was delightful alongside seven glasses of a nice cabernet sauvignon.

Finally, what day in Vegas would be complete without some casino time so I headed out to the Bellagio for some Blackjack. After contributing to the wealth of the Bellagio’s owners and lightening up my wallet from the weight of a few Benjamins; I returned to my swanky room in the Mandarin to finish this piece before heading to bed. Tomorrow, we head out to the race track bright an early to test a couple new luxury vehicles which is likely to be followed by more good times in and around Vegas.

Many of you might be reading this and thinking “Ive gone to Vegas and had just as good of a time”…but keep in mind friends - this is what I do for a living.

Stay tuned to TorqueNews for part two of my “A week in the life” series where I detail day two of my trip to Vegas!