Advertisement
getting out of LA to Vegas - sounds a good idea, but some minor coulda been major disasters on the way made me wonder about my state of mind!
I planned to get the 9.30am Flyaway bus shuttle to LAX - the flight was 12.15pm but they say 1 1/2 hrs before on the tix. Had located take off point for Flyaway the previous night and asked how long - they had said at this time about 35mins (that was late PM) but during the day could be up to one hour. Although I am usually contemptuous of check in times decided I had better be obedient in this first case domestic fly (security as bad if not worse than international at our end - no way worse. Just as well I gave myself the extended time due to what followed. Leave hotel 20 mins before- 15 min walk to so to back of Union Station - the shuttle buses are right at the back and a very long walk under all the tracks etc. Fortunately all flat and no stairs. Union Station hall as you wll have seen already is quite lovely. Anyway bought ticket and got on bus
Vegas welome (another kind)
almost as soon as you get off the plane!- and only then realised that rather large black camera back pack was not with me?! as in on my back. How could I have left s'thing so big? Rang the hotel on the handy US mobile - yes it was there - checked out and left at at the desk?! (would forget had if not screwed on etc etc) It got better - went back and collected it. Fortunately only a few minutes away on way back realised that I had left my jumper there! - it was slightly drizzly that morning and had put it on way - but had taken it off at hotel as had stopped. Buses every half hour so it was back for the 10.30am wondering how late I might be. It only took 40 mins or so on the freeway by the time I got to my terminal (American Airlines -one of about 6 or 7 drop points). Self check in terminals so you need the 13 digit or so ticket no. to do this - had mine printed out at hotel. A helpful wandering staff woman in the line scanned my boarding pass and printed out my bag check on the spot
from portable machine. No wonder they carry on huge bags on planes here (they call them rollaways or something as usually on wheels) - they charge $25 per piece for checked luggage here - hope that doesn't catch on at home for domestic! Then the place was delayed 15 mins and was late leaving anyway!
Its only a short flight of about 55 mins to Vegas. Somewhat alarming and underwhelming to see one armed bandits in the departure area!A monorail tram, like in Tokyo - takes you from arrival gate under the runway to the main terminal for bag collection etc. Then outside to the warm dry heat of Vegas c.31 deg. to get the shuttle to my hotel the Luxor. This is at the south end of the Strip so quite close to the airport. Interesting how all the cabs have mileage rates and then the ominous words "$1.80 for access to any McCarran property" (the name of the airport). Sounds like a clue for Mac Airports - they already do it for taxis etc.
Decided afterwards that my $471 deal or 3 nights at the Luxor + flights was not as cheap as seemed. Midweek you
Luxor hotel front
what every Egyptian post-modern hotel looks like?? can book direct with the Luxor for about $45 a night! It has about 2000 rooms so hardly surprising. Vegas tourism is still off from 12 mths ago accdg to news I saw today. So I could have flown up one way for $151 (which was absolute cheapest) and then maybe hired a car for a week or so or around $40 a day and driven via Joshua Tree and Death Valley and Palm Springs etc to San Jose for nil drop off fee. Oh well, that you work out afterwards. Had considered doing a one day car hire to go to Death Valley but virtually all the rentals are at the airport so a $12 cost return to do that - and parking overnight at the hotel would have cost me at least $15. All adds up.
The Luxor was somewhat directionless - its easy to find the pokies but hard to find anything else sensible like the checkin desk! this is pretty common in all Vegas hotels - you wander into what should be the foyer from the street to see only a sea of pokies and then you have to follow the signs way to the
back on the side for a side event - somewhere to stay while you do the above (glad to say not this little black duck!).
Had my usual difficulty getting out of the room in the glass pyramid (yes I was staying here rather than in one of the regular towers also there). I tend to get a bit paralysed and realise how slow and unmotivated I have become like that. So decided to try out the "fine diner" Tender in the hotel i.e. any place charging more than $20 for a main - or an "entree" as the philistines here call it. The trio of soups beckoned - see snap. A very nice rather yellowy lobster bisque of nice smooth consistency that even had three chunks of scallop coral in it. A rather flavoursome 'wild' mushroom - and then the kobe beef and chili texan style - man, you would be mad to order that as an entree (real style) as totally stuffed with minced/ground beef - the small sample I got was enough. The soup trio was $10. I had ordered the "game tasting plate" - this was $36 (see pic). Nilgai antelope osso bucco (??), wild
Luxor interior pyramid
from 19th floor outside my room boar medallions on farro (an old grain?) with an interesting date and huckleberry sort of fresh chutney on the side; and a round of venison. The antelope was the least interesting as a little dried out in texture. With all this decided a half bottle was better value, so a half of Qupe California syrah (that's shiraz to us). After all this I was fool enough to order some vanilla gelato as well - this single scoop was about the size of a grapefruit for $5. (total bill with 10% was 100). And you wonder why Americans tend to be tubby! I think this was actually and literally my first meal of the day - after eating a meal like this who needs more, let alone breakfast - its only habit mostly after all.
rest of the pix are from my walk up the Strip afterwards. Like the food - enough already.
(sorry about erratic pic sizing - my files are mostly the same size, so no idea what is happening)
Advertisement
Tot: 0.158s; Tpl: 0.013s; cc: 16; qc: 61; dbt: 0.1208s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb
Bob
non-member comment
Love the photos
Well I know you've eaten well even if yor memory is a bit fried at times. Are many USALiens reading your blogg? If so they might be in for a few surprises. I did warn you about the size of American meals. Keep bloggin all is fine here