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
•  

Trip Report: Sin City and a side of Tinseltown 2014

Sin City and a side of Tinseltown 2014

Flight: Scored a "free" round trip ticket thanks to Delta SkyMiles and American Express...flew out of JFK on 9/4/2014, a Thursday morning around 10:30am. Pretty uneventful flight to say the least. Landed a few minutes early around 1pm Vegas time. I had spent 32,500 miles along with $11.20 which consisted of the September 11th security fee and other taxes. I also had to spend $17.20 to transfer my American Express Membership Rewards points to Delta SkyMiles.

Car Rental: As I'm an Executive Emerald Club member with National, I rented with them again this trip. I was able to score a nice base rate on a Midsize of $19.04 per day, and was able to use a Free Weekend Day coupon that I got from Visa. You can pick your own car with National, but around the time I had arrived, there was not much to choose from in the Executive Selection section. I picked a 6-cylinder Chrysler 300, which is classified as a Premium Special car. My total with the taxes and fees came up to around $88, not bad at all! I love the expedited check-out process and no hard push on insurance! I was out of the facility in less than half-an-hour...but most of that time was waiting to see if they would bring in better cars!

Hotel: Having stayed Downtown a few times before, I figured I'd give it a go again. This time I booked a room at the El Cortez Cabana Suites, one of the newer properties in the growing Fremont East Entertainment District. The area itself has changed a lot over the past few years...on past trips I've passed by the area but never really explored it. It's definitely grown with several bars, restaurants, and other venues.

The Cabana Suites are in a separate building across from the main El Cortez hotel and casino - where you will actually check in. Once checked in, you can schlep your way through the back entrance and then cross Ogden. Ogden Avenue is a block away from the Fremont Street Experience and is pretty quiet. The building itself was staffed with both a receptionist and security guard, and a room key was required for entry into the lobby. There's a back entrance to the main hotel across Ogden, and you can easily get to Fremont from there.

I paid $90 for 4 nights, and that was after a $150 loyalty coupon from Expedia that I had, but before a $9.95 a night "amenities" fee which added another $43 or so to the total. [For those interested, the "amenities" fee covers parking, WiFi, two small bottles of water, and entry into a daily slot tournament.] It would've still been a great value even without the coupon, but I still find it annoying that this "resort fee" business is continuing to creep into Downtown from the Strip. Unfortunately, there's not much we can do... 

I have posted more pics of the room in my Flickr set.

My room was a Junior Suite, 6311 on the 3rd Floor. After touching the new RFID room key to the sensor, it beeped and clicked, allowing me access.

When you enter, there's a handy little ledge to your right hand side. It was a convenient place to dump the contents of your pockets.

To my left was the entry to the bathroom, as well as a closet area where the safe, iron and ironing board were stored. Step a little further in and then look to your left...

The room was mostly done in the pale/Kermit green shade, with white and black accents. A bit trippy but handsome none the less. The room itself had a 42" HDTV, mini fridge, large shower, a pedestal like sink in the bathroom, and an in room coffeemaker. While there was no minibar, there was a tray on the desk area (I couldn't tell if it was weighted or not) that had the usual overpriced snacks and water. Two smaller bottles of water are included in the daily resort fee.

Things I did - Thursday: It was around lunch time and I was hungry, since I had only had a light breakfast before I left New York. First order of business after checking into the hotel:

A 3x3 with chopped grilled onions, well done fries and a Black and White shake from the In-n-Out on Maryland Parkway by UNLV. I like that location better than the one on Tropicana and Dean Martin because there's ample parking and it's not as busy. They have some competition now as a Smashburger has opened up next to them. 

After getting needed supplies at my favorite Target on Flamingo and Maryland, I took a ride over to Red Rock.

A little later, I was in the mood for TGI Friday's for some strange reason. I took a ride over to Gold Coast across from the Palms. I'd lost my B-Connected card, so I figured it'd be a good opportunity to get a new one. Played a few slots here and won a fair bit. The TGI Friday's there had a full bar, so I went and got a beer. It was Happy Hour and they were offering half-price appetizers, so I went for the Mozzarella Sticks. As an entree, I went for the Jack Daniel's Steak and Shrimp which hit the spot (that Jack Daniel's sauce is good.) With a Budweiser, the tab comes up to $32. Left the bartender $6 as a tip. 

After getting back to my hotel and getting dressed for the evening, I took a stroll around the El Cortez. It definitely had that old Vegas vibe. The clerk at check in gave me a coupon to claim for a Fun Book at the Player's Club, so I signed up for a card there and got $5 Free Slot Play. Of course, you can only use such free play at certain machines with a sticker, and those were rare. After winning $75, I decided I wanted to go explore a bit, so I cashed out.

As I mentioned earlier, Fremont East has been going through something of a renaissance as of late. I remember feeling sketched out about this area when I first started coming to Vegas in 2010, and that was around the time they started redeveloping it - there just wasn't much around here then. Now, there are several restaurants such as Radio City Pizza, The Commonwealth, Le Thai, a host of bars, and the District's centerpiece, Downtown Container Park.

One of the venues that interested me was a place called Insert Coins. Who can go wrong with booze and tacky '80's and '90's video games?

All the classics were naturally taken...I settled for a couple rounds of the old Simpsons game.

After a couple drinks here, I took a walk over to the Fremont Street Experience. Once reaching the Experience, my first move is usually to go to the ABC stores and grab a pack of cigs and a couple beers. Not this time, since apparently the City of Las Vegas passed a ordinance earlier this year banning glass bottles on the Experience. What a load of crap! 

Any booze you buy from those stores has to be in a closed bag with a receipt stapled to it, and Metro police can fine you up to $250 if you're caught opening it. You can still buy bottled booze in the casinos, but they have to be emptied into plastic cups before you leave (they provide a dispenser/trash can at the entrances). I'm sure the casinos are loving this because it forces people on the Experience to buy booze from them. A lot of the time, people would buy booze from the stores because they were usually half the price. We'll see how long this ban lasts but people aren't feeling too optimistic. For now, you'll see a lot of creative workarounds and a lot of large McDonald's sweet tea cups being used to hold booze. LOL.

After a couple of hours of hanging out on the Experience, I was starting to get tired, especially since I'd been up since 5am Eastern time. I bought a couple beers to take back to the hotel, made my way back over to Ogden, swiped into the Cabana Suites, and retreated to my room. Relaxed with a beer, my tablet, a couple of snacks and eventually fell asleep...

Friday: After getting a good night's rest on the comfortable bed, I had woken up around 8:00. The plan was to drive to LA for the day, and I had booked a room over at the Doubletree by Hilton Los Angeles - Westside. I loaded up on Starbucks, topped off my gas tank, and then started making my way down I-15.

It took about four hours to get to Culver City where the hotel was. There I checked in and got a room on the top floor, with an awesome view of the immediate area. 

I spent the rest of the day exploring Downtown LA, Hollywood, Universal City, Beverly Hills and West Hollywood. I used LA's light rail, subway and bus system to get around, since there was a station with a huge park and ride lot in Culver City, about a 10 minute ride from the hotel. A day pass on Metro is $5, and I figured it'd be easier instead of dealing with the growing traffic that was happening on a Friday afternoon and evening. 

Pictures of my day in Los Angeles are in my Flickr set.

Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania - Lancaster County, PA - July 6, 2013

A few pics:

A full Flickr set has been posted! It was definitely a fun day in Pennsylvania Dutch Country!

Daytripping: Bucks County - Philadelphia, PA, June 22 - 23, 2013

One of the awesome things about living in the New York Metro area is that there are plenty of neat places to go that are a train, bus, or drive away. 

Philadelphia is a place I like to go to at least twice a year. I usually take the BoltBus, which offers express service from New York. The fares are pretty decent (around $10-$15 each way depending on how far in advance you book) and the experience itself is miles above regular Greyhound bus service. The buses are fairly new and feature WiFi, electrical outlets and decent legroom.  

While you can easy get to Philly and come back the same day, I've preferred to stay overnight in order to get a better taste of what the town has to offer. Center City (what they call the "downtown" or Central Business District) has a wide selection of hotels for every budget...from the super cheap Days Inn to the Über expensive Four Seasons. You can usually get a decent room in the area for $120 a night, but if certain events are going on in town, that price could go up significantly.

Metro North from Stamford to New York

Nothing really special here. My bus was to depart Penn Station at 10:15am, so I hopped an express train Stamford at 8:24am and had plenty of time. There's a deli on 7th and West 36th Street where I usually grab a Sausage Egg and Cheese and a coffee. I also stopped by Tim Horton's inside Penn Station to grab an Iced Capp to drink during the ride. 

BoltBus from New York to Philadelphia

One great thing about BoltBus is that they use a 'group' system to keep boarding drama to a minimum. If you book your ticket early enough, or a member of their rewards program, you almost always get to board in the "A" group. Book late and you'll be stuck in "B" or "C". Of course, after "C" is when they start selling the remaining seats to those on standby and walk-ups. The tip here is to book early...or join the rewards program (You get a free ride after riding 8 times, so why not?).

The ride itself is only two hours and fairly boring, since it's on the New Jersey Turnpike for the majority of the run. It only gets interesting once you cross the Delaware River into PA and get on I-95 for the last few minutes of the trip. You see the city pop in front of you as well as cool bits like the SEPTA Market-Frankford line running in the median.

30th Street Station & National Car Rental

I'll tell ya, 30th Street Station is truly a multimodal facility. You can catch everything here, from SEPTA Regional Rail, Amtrak, BoltBus and MegaBus, and SEPTA city buses. You can even rent cars here...Hertz, National/Alamo, Avis and Budget have counters. 

I'm a member of the National Emerald Club. Being a member has it's benefits...one of them being expedited service when I arrive at the counter. Today, the agent, Gwen, already had my contract printed and a key ready for me. I was also upgraded to a Premium car! 

There's construction going on around the station, so the setup for picking up cars had changed since the last time I'd rented from here. The adjacent building is called Cira Centre, a building that sits on land Amtrak owns (the building itself is owned by a realty trust, and Amtrak leases office space). From 30th Street Station, you cross a sky-bridge to the new building and then take an escalator down to the parking area. 

The outside parking area was designated for rental vehicles and is huge! I asked one of the greeters for National where I could find my car and he led me to a very nice 2013 Toyota Avalon XLE. Wow! In a sexy silver color, the car was pretty nicely equipped.  Some of the cool features included Keyless Access with Push Button start, Display Audio with iPod integration, Handsfree Bluetooth calling, and full leather upholstery.

I paid the Intermediate rate (around $43.99 a day) and put around 150 miles on it driving throughout Bucks County and the Philadelphia region.

New Hope, PA

Located along the Delaware River, New Hope is a cute little town in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. It's barely 2 square miles in area, thousands flock to this busy borough during the summer months.

The main drag in New Hope has something for everyone. There's lots of cute shops, restaurants, and other sights. Bikers also flock to the region and can be seen at many of the establishments.

New Hope and Ivyland Railroad

Since I love trains, this was a must-do during my New Hope visit. It runs as a historical shortline railroad, but in it's heyday, the line itself ran much farther south than its current terminus and connected to other railroads that ran into Philadelphia. The Reading Company owned what was then known as the New Hope Branch until they were forced to sell the line due to financial troubles. 

The New Hope station was recently restored and featured a ticket office, modern restrooms, a gift shop and a high-level platform area. Rolling stock on this line include several diesel-electric locomotives as well as a steam locomotive. 

The railroad offers hourly excursions most days of the year, with a reduced schedule during the winter months. The ride itself is around 9 miles round trip - the first part of the ride is from New Hope to Lahaska, after that the locomotive does a reverse move for the trip back to New Hope. The railroad also offers other types of excursions such as the "Grapevine Express" (basically a wine and cheese tasting), the Evening Star Dinner and Murder Mystery Theatre Dinner excursions. They also do excursions for kids as well as rent the consist for private charter (in fact, they had a wedding going on in the train next to us!).

The coaches themselves were mostly former Reading coaches repainted in the NHRR livery. You were able to choose to sit in the regular coach ($18.95), an open air coach ($24.90) or the First Class area ($25.90). First Class enabled patrons to secure a table and were entitled to private bartender service. Those sections of the consist were also air conditioned! 

I chose the Open Air seating option and picked up a ticket for the 3:00pm excursion. There was a refreshment stand on the platform where you could grab a soda while waiting. Trains started to board 10 minutes before departure. I chose a seat towards the back of the consist and was immediately greeted by one of the volunteers. She asked if I wanted a frosty beverage and I certainly obliged especially since they had Bud Light on board!

The ride was definitely enjoyable and it's definitely fun for all age groups. 

Shopping and King of Prussia

Of course, you can't really go to a new place without getting some shopping done. King of Prussia is one of my favorite malls to visit while in the Philadelphia area. 

While KoP has over 400 stores among the two sections of it's complex (some stores even have multiple spaces, for example, Bath and Body Works has two!), my two favorites are Express and J.Crew. As you can see, I treated myself to a few things...lol.

Other bits around Philly - in pictures: