Pre-trip Prep: The Itinerary

So... what do I plan to do for six days, you may wonder?

The answer to that is...whatever the hell I want..lol.

That said, I do have a few things planned. I don't like to cram my trips with too much just because I love hanging out and people watching, and there's usually a few attractions in Vegas I almost always end up visiting anyway.

Wednesday:

• Fly out of JFK at 8am.
• Arrive in Vegas at 11am local time more or less.
• Pick up rental car.
• Check in time at my first hotel (The El Cortez) is at 2 pm, so I'll usually grab lunch at In-n-Out Burger. I like the one by UNLV.
• Head to the El Cortez and get checked in.
• Head to Target to grab whatever I need.
• Might check out someplace Downtown for dinner...I was thinking maybe going to The Griffin for Happy Hour. The good thing is that there are plenty of choices in Fremont East and Fremont Street Experience.

Thursday:

• Wake up at 8am.
• Drive to San Diego - estimated arrival by noon
• Lunch at Urban Mo's in Hillcrest, since check-in at my second hotel isn't until 3pm. My friend also recommended a taco place in  the same neighborhood, so I'm open to either one.
• Check into hotel.
• Explore Downtown San Diego and Gaslamp District
• Dinner at a place TBD.
• Check out the sunset in Mission Beach.

Friday:

• Go on Hornblower Harbor Cruise at 11am, take photos.
• Lunch in Old Town
•  

Hotel Review and Walkthrough: Palms Place, Las Vegas

Thought I'd finally do a review of this place - I liked it so much I'm staying there again in a week!

35-301. 35th floor. End of the hall. 

Thanks to my being an Expedia Gold Plus member (thanks to spending so much with them for both personal and work travel), I was upgraded from a studio suite to their one bedroom suite. 

Enter:

The door to the right contained the half bathroom. 

Stove with a sink and hood. Nice and sleek. 

A full size Sub-Zero fridge with freezer and ice maker, microwave and mini-bar, along with some storage space. 

Seating area with a 42" HDTV and balcony. Unfortunately the balcony was locked. 

Swing around the corner...

Jacuzzi!

Nice comfortable bed. There's another 42" TV in here. 

The shower has two adjustable shower heads and a waterfall fixture on the ceiling. 

His and her sinks and a water closet with a frosted door. 

The view was pretty nice too:

Early morning sunrise..

Eats: Earwan Thai Cuisine, Philadelphia

I'm Keeping it short and sweet. Highly rated as one of the best Thai joints in the city, I stopped in while visiting Philly one Saturday afternoon. 

I mean, who doesn't love Crab Ragoons???

My usual fave...Drunken Noodles with shrimp. 

It was all very reasonable too...under $30 with tip! Great service too. 

I'm definitely gonna go back. 

Earwan Thai Cuisine

123 S. 23rd St (at Sansom)

Philadelphia, PA 19103

Pre-Trip Prep: Packing Up!

Well, my trip is in one week. I needed to buy some new luggage since what I had was really starting to see better days.

I ended up purchasing a 21" Samsonite Spinner from Marshall's. It retails there for $79.99, but it is normally a $150.00 bag.

Anyway - I have posted a packing list online. This is for a week-long trip...

Packing List

The Empty suitcase...

Here's the final result thanks to several tips I've found online. 

A few tips:

• I packed bottoms on the right side, and tops on the left. For the first couple days of my trip, I will be bouncing between a couple of hotels. This setup will allow me to just open the case on the bed (or the luggage rack) and have easy access to everything. When I settle in Vegas for the last portion of the trip, I will just unpack everything into drawers.
• Heavier items towards the bottom of the bag helps with stability.
• You can create more outfits by bringing items that mix and match. I tend to stick with neutral-colored bottoms and bolder tops, and of course we all know black goes with everything!
• Use nooks and crannies to pack small items like socks. I sometimes forgo packing socks altogether and buy them at a local Target or Walmart. I usually then don't have to worry about bringing them home.
• I also usually never take many liquid toiletries because of the hassle they are to take through airport security. The hotels usually provide most toiletries or I will most likely buy what I like at Target.
• I typically use my backpack as my "personal item". In that, I put things like a second pair of shoes, a sweater, my tablet and camera, as well as some snacks to munch on while on the plane. I also pack a book to read in case the stupid plane doesn't have seatback TV or if the wi-fi is wonky.

Vacation!!

Well....it's my favorite time of the year...vacation!

Well, not yet anyway. I usually go in the beginning of June but pushed my trip a week back this year just so I wouldn't have to spend over $500 on a flight.

So, where am I going, you might ask? Viva Las Vegas!!!  

I've already booked my flight on Delta. June 8th to June 14th. After landing in Las Vegas and spending one night at the El Cortez downtown, I plan on driving to San Diego and staying there for two nights at a hotel that is to be determined. On Saturday, the plan is to drive back and stay at the Palms Place Hotel and Spa, which is Off-Strip.

Finding The Best Deal

Flights:

As flight prices fluctuate almost on a hourly basis, it's hard to gauge when the lowest price will be available. Some sites out there have been saying that there's a "sweet spot" when buying tickets...something like 54 days before departure. Fortunately, there are websites and apps available that help you determine the right time to buy. You can also find a good deal at the very last minute if the airline hasn't sold enough seats on the flight you're interested in.

Being flexible is also to your advantage when trying to find the best deal. Typically, certain days of the week (Monday's, Thursday's and Friday's for example) are more expensive than others. Traveling during off-peak times (Wednesday's, Saturday's) can save you money as well. 

Another tip is to sign up for weekly e-newsletters on your favorite airline's website. These emails usually contain some kind of promotional deal. The websites may also offer "fare watch", which will notify you if the fare for the city pair you're interested in decreases.

Hotel:

In a place like Las Vegas, a city that has around 125,000 hotel rooms, prices are pretty reasonable, especially in casino resorts. While events in town can drive up prices a fair bit, being flexible in the case would also be to your advantage in this case. The obvious tip would be to find out when conventions are in the city and to plan your trip around that. 

Obviously, rates during the weekends can easily be double than what they would be during the week. 

Most of the time, a deposit for the first night is taken when you make a reservation. Fortunately though, if you find a lower price on the resort's website, you can cancel and rebook without penalty. In case plans change, most hotels allow you to get a refund of the deposit and cancel the reservation as long as you do so within 72 hours of the check-in date.

Trip Prep

Luggage:

Considering most airlines charge $25 to check a bag each way, it's usually in your best interest to travel as light as possible. You're usually allowed a carry-on along with one "personal item" such as a laptop bag. The sizes allowed vary by airline, but, if you're going out to buy new luggage, most 20" - 21" roller-boards will do the job. As for your personal item, if you aren't planning on taking a computer (and even if you are), you should go ahead and bring a backpack. You'll appreciate the extra space.

Of course, if you're a frequent flier and have Elite status with a particular airline, you may be able to check one or two bags for free. This benefit is also extended to cardholders of a particular airline's credit card as well.

On fairly full flights, sometimes gate agents will ask for volunteers to "gate check" baggage in an effort to speed up boarding. They usually don't charge for this and these bags are typically first off the plane. If you wish to take advantage of this, make sure your "essentials" are in your personal bag.

I recently went to purchase a new carry-on bag since the soft-sided bag I had was starting to see better days. I decided this time around to buy a hard-sided bag. Hard-sided bags offer better protection should you actually need to check your bag. Using a few basic tips, you can easily fit 5 to 10 days worth of clothing in a carry-on. I will talk about those tips in another post.

Staying Organized:

Thankfully, the days of having to carry paper plane tickets and copies of confirmations are over for the most part. I fly Delta, which pioneered the mobile boarding pass. All of my hotel reservations were made online. 

Of course, if you want to take a paper copy of everything just in case, make sure to keep those copies in your carry-on luggage.

I like to use a website called TripIt. You can forward copies of your flight, hotel, rental car and activity confirmations to the site and it will create a digital folder of sorts. There's also an iPhone app that gets updated with your flight's gate information and other useful information. I also like the calendar integration and synchronization between my iPhone and computer. 

As for packing, I tend to do it way in advance, mainly because I buy things to wear specifically for the trip or put aside pieces I want to wear while doing laundry or something. I do type up a packing list (which I will post) which I use as a general guideline...I sometimes deviate from the list or add and delete items.

I do one or two "test" packs to make sure what I want to bring fits in whatever luggage I bring, and then maybe one or two days before I leave, I just do one final check to make sure I have everything.

Eats: Remo's Brick Oven Pizza Company - Stamford, CT

Stamford is a city that has quite a few Italian restaurants. That being said, competition is fierce. Remo's has become one of my favorites ever since they opened in 2006. I have become somewhat of a regular here..my office orders pizza from here almost every week. 

Every couple of months I'll take myself out to dinner here and eat in. They have a spacious seating area, but I usually sit at the marble bar (which is beautiful, by the way). 

I've eaten through a bit of the menu - I love their pastas especially linguine with clam sauce (they actually give you clams!), penne ala vodka, and linguine pescatore (clams, shrimp and calamari).

I last visited a couple weeks ago. I usually drink beer, but this time decided to try a Beringer Cabernet from their impressive wine list.

Like I mentioned before, I love Remo's pasta dishes. I never tried their alfredo sauce before, so I figured I'd try it with rigatoni and shrimp. One of things I love about Remo's is that they'll gladly let you customize their pasta dishes.

So so good. The bill comes to around $30 with tip, not too bad. They do offer desserts...the usual Italian staples like Tiramisu, cannollis, and what-not.

Remo's is definitely one of the better Italian places in Stamford. The staff is pretty great too...I've gotten to know most of them - including the three owners - over the years.

Remo's Brick Oven Pizza Company

35 Bedford Street

Stamford, CT 06901

Website | Yelp Page

Eats: Bobby's Burger Palace - Cherry Hill Mall, NJ

Having been to the location at Mohegan Sun, I knew what to expect. Initially I was thinking about going to the University City Philadelphia location the day before for lunch, but opted for a cheesesteak at Pat's instead (reviewed separately).

The Cherry Hill location actually worked out a bit better for me since I was driving home and it was on the way, so I stopped by for lunch around 1:30pm on a Sunday.

This time I tried the Bobby Blue ($7.95) - Angus burger, lettuce, tomato, bacon and blue cheese. I'm not really into tomatoes so they gladly omitted it on my request. Since I didn't have the first burger I tried "crunchified" I did this time around. The chips added an interesting "extra" to the burger.

Also ordered some fries and a fountain drink. The total comes to around $16. I ate in so I was given a number and looked for a seat. The food came out in less than 10 minutes.

It didn't disappoint. Bobby Flay has got it right with this joint!

Bobby's Burger Palace
Located in the Cherry Hill Mall
2000 Route 38
Cherry Hill, NJ 08002
Website | Yelp Page