United had a promotion where if a 1K member flew 125K miles by the end of the year, s/he would earn two additional SWU's, good for international upgrades worth thousands of dollars. Since I was so close to 125K and had no other flights planned by the deadline, I booked a cheap overnight flight from San Francisco to Tampa with only one stop in each direction (IAD and ORD). This wasn't the first time I did a mileage run alone, but it would be my first solo overnight run.
Since the flight left from SFO (too expensive from SMF), I drove to Sheri's house to crash Friday night. She took me to the airport early Saturday morning. What a great cousin! She had to go running in the morning anyway.
As I had bought the ticket 11 days before departure, I could only find a middle seat in the 5-seat center section of Economy Plus on a Boeing 777. I tried to upgrade my flight to Washington DC with 500-miler coupons but there was no immediate availability. I saw on SeatCounter that there were first class seats available, so it would come down to the day of departure. This is where it helps to check in at T-24...makes a huge difference 99% of the time when upgrades come down to the wire. At departure time, priority for upgrades are given to (1) status, (2) fare class paid, and (3) time checked in. Since I'd be fighting with other 1K's and most probably paid the lowball fare I did, the main differentiation would be time checked in. My efforts paid off. There were a ton of people crowding around the podium and I thought I had heard my name called just as I arrived at the gate. Sure enough, I got a seat: row 1 window bulkhead (not my favorite as I enjoy underseat storage but I'll take it). A couple of guys that I had to go around to get to the desk were remarking, "Wow, you're lucky!" Well, it's not totally about luck as I did everything I could to keep my name high on the upgrade list, but I did wear my Lucky sweatpants. :)
I sat next to the CEO of a company whose name I forgot, who spent the flight time reviewing his son's high school football recordings. His son had been selected to play for a college football team (forgot which college as well). Breakfast was served, which was a disgusting omelette filled with an unrecognizable herbed cheese and not worth photographing. I'd stick with the fruit and yogurt plate next time. I watched a movie but I don't remember the title; it might have been "500 Days of Summer", which was cute but slightly sad.
I had two hours to kill in Washington DC before my flight to Tampa, so I grabbed a foot-long Subway sandwich (priced at $5 even in the airport!) and had half of it as an early supper. My flight to Tampa was non-eventful, and I didn't bother upgrading as I had the exit row all to myself.
I used Priceline to snag a great deal at the Quorum hotel (now called the Wyndham Tampa Westshore) for $40 plus tax. The hotel had a complimentary airport shuttle, which I called for via the hotel information kiosk inside baggage claim. The agent described very clearly where I was to wait for the shuttle, which was very helpful as there were two areas on opposite sides of the terminal where shuttles picked up. The shuttle arrived after 20 minutes and it was full of pilots and flight attendants. They certainly are much different when off-duty with their loud banter and all the jokes/innuendos they threw at each other.
I only used the hotel room for 6 hours of sleep, but I didn't want to sleep in the airport. (though you can...there is a website that tells you the best places to sleep) The hotel room was nice and clean, stocked with Bath and Body Works products in Coconut Lime Verbena, and it was the first time I'd ever seen a make-up remover towelette included.
Since I was leaving very early in the morning (before 6am), normally scheduled shuttle service was not provided, but since shuttle service was included in the hotel amenities, the front desk offered to hire a taxi at no charge to me! I get to the lobby at 5:45am and inquire about the taxi, which hadn't arrived yet. A few minutes later, one of the shuttle guys waves me over. He arrived early to work as he had anticipated a demand for shuttle rides; he was right, and the hotel saved a taxi fare. A shuttle had already taken off carrying a bunch of flight attendants. I got the whole shuttle to myself. The driver shared that flight crews didn't like to share shuttles with other hotel guests when heading to the airport (it was okay when leaving the airport). Maybe the flight crew didn't want to be delayed by stopping from terminal to terminal?
The Tampa airport had a musty sour smell to it, like humidity meets carpeting. I definitely wouldn't have wanted to sleep here if I didn't have to. The 3 hour flight from Tampa to Chicago was uneventful, and I had an exit row seat. I was waitlisted for an upgrade on the flight from Chicago to San Francisco, and I had a very tight connection (40 minutes!) from "landing" to "departure". Landing time doesn't really mean the time you step foot into the terminal, and boarding usually starts 30 minutes before departure, so really I had NO time to get from gate to gate. I was very fortunate that my next flight was only 5 gates down, and did not need to switch terminals! When I arrived there, I saw my name on the TV monitors very high up on the upgrade list with enough seats available to get one. :) This was thanks to Babe, as he was nice enough to wake up Saturday at 7:44am to check me in T-24 Chicago time, as I had no access to online check-in while on airplanes the day before. Sure enough, my name is called and I got a seat in the center section of first class on the 777, which is configured 2-2-2. If I'm traveling alone, I like to sit in the aisles on long hauls for easier bathroom access. What's nice about the center section was that they were pretty much all "aisle" seats and I didn't have to get up for anyone, as opposed to sitting on the left or right sides. The gate agent shared that she didn't know why people wanting aisle seats always end up choosing the left or right sides, versus the center section. Maybe they needed to see out the window?
Another breakfast flight and I stuck with the fruit and yogurt. My seatmate kept to himself so no introductions. The featured movie was "It Might Get Loud", a documentary on three guitarists (Jimmy Page, The Edge, Jack White). I liked the movie a lot, and it was really cool to hear how they made music with guitars and effects in addition to learning their life stories. It's amazing how one guitar can sound like a whole band with the right equipment. It definitely piqued more of my interest in making music. I own a bunch of acoustic electric guitars (owning isn't a measure of proficiency!), but never any pedal effects or other equipment, since I just play rudimentarily for fun. I'll have to try getting some in the future.
Once in San Francisco, I called Sheri to pick me up, and we hung out at her house for a little bit before I drove back home. Solo mileage run complete...it wasn't scary at all. I enjoyed having time to myself completely cut off from the world, though airlines have been experimenting with wi-fi for the past couple of years. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to be connected...then I could update this blog in real time. :)
Monday, August 30, 2010
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Time Machine: San Francisco, New Year's Eve, December 31, 2009
For New Year's Eve, I wanted to do one of those big bashes in San Francisco, and fortunately I found some willing participants to go with me: my cousin Sheri and my friend Megan, whom you've already met in a previous Time Machine entry for Waikiki. Partners in crime we are. The year before, I was in Las Vegas with my parents and thousands of other people on the Strip (in the middle of the street!), counting down to midnight. We'll save that for a future Time Machine entry. Here's a teaser: my dad says at one point during the night, "It smells like marijuana!"
Of course, we researched where to go. There were many choices, ranging from nightclubs, bars, and hotels. There was even a party offered at the San Francisco City Hall, which has the most beautiful rotunda. But it didn't sound as cool as the one at the Westin St. Francis hotel, sponsored by "A-list". (note, link will probably update to the latest NYE party) There were rooms with different themes, plus a fashion show and live music, so we opted to go there. Tickets were sold on A-list's website, but you know me, I had to look for discounts since it was T-minus one week and prices had gone up. Using San Francisco's craigslist, I found a pair of tickets from one person, and one ticket from another. Sheri was sooooo nice to go and do the transactions in person, with cash! We ended up paying ~$100 for each ticket, 50% off "face value", not too bad for last-minute. The tickets included admission and all-you-can-drink.
New Year's Eve was a work day, boo. I left work in the afternoon and Megan and I set off for Sheri's house in San Francisco. When we arrived in town, Sheri was in the process of picking up the NYE party tickets. The Westin wasn't too far away from where she works. Sheri texted me that the line was full of people in their 20's, and no Asians. This doesn't faze us in the least. We're ecstatic because we'd be the "hot Asian chicks" at the party!
We picked up drive-thru McDonald's and scarfed it down at Sheri's before changing into our party dresses. I had brought several with me as I was indecisive about what to wear. Thank goodness I had brought a "younger"-looking dress to blend in with the 20-somethings; the rest of my dresses had heavy beading and/or sequins on them. They would have been perfect to wear on a cruise or even a work-related evening party, but not at a place where young people were going to be running around and getting wasted. Sheri and Megan's dresses were perfect for the venue...my dress reeked of "not-a-spring-chicken" since the hem went past my knees! I had Sheri take a picture of me on my iPhone so I could send it to Babe, who was attending a NYE party at his friend's house. He texted back "wow". Such a sweetie.
BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) offered special NYE service to downtown San Francisco until the wee hours of the morning, so we opted to do that instead of chancing our life on the road after the festivities were over. Parking was free at the BART station as it was after-hours. We saw many other people doing the same thing, all dressed up to party, waiting for the BART train to come. The ride to downtown SF took 15 minutes or so. We walked several blocks to the Westin, which flanked one side of Union Square. The doors had already opened at 9pm; we got there around 9:30pm and the line was snaking down the side of the hotel. Hardly any Asians in line. We eventually make our way to the entrance, protected by several big bouncers who were checking ID's. I chatted with a cute African-American and he told me that they made $300 for the 6 hours of work. Not bad for standing in front of a door and kicking drunkards out. He also mentioned that he'd be around after the party. ;)
We got inside, traded our tickets for wristbands, and did a coat-check for $4. Too bad there wasn't a purse check as I hated carrying my bag around. Next thing we did was explore all the different rooms and get a drink. The party theme was "Passport to the World", so the ballrooms were decorated to represent Europe, Asia, and USA. There were smaller rooms with other themes, like the North Pole. The Asia room was filled with a ton of individually-wrapped fortune cookies, bleh. As the night went by, these cookies would eventually disappear, as drunk people get the munchies.
There was a room that was showcasing pop hits, so we stayed in there a while to dance. It's a challenge to dance and hold a drink at the same time. The dance floor was already starting to get wet from spilled drinks. We shimmed off our double cheeseburger dinner. Around 11pm, we head over to the USA ballroom. A catwalk was set up for the fashion show, which was so-so. The fashions were okay but I think the models were pulled from the crowd, not exactly supermodel-types. After the show was over, the catwalk was dismantled, providing more space to dance. The dance floor got more crowded as the night went on. I saw huge nets hanging from the ceiling, filled with hundreds of balloons to fall on party-goers at the crack of midnight. The dance floor was getting sopping wet. A guy came over from one of the VIP tables with a bottle of Grey Goose in hand and started dancing with us. He wanted to free up both hands to dance with us, so he put the bottle down on the floor. I was worried that someone was going to trip over it as the dance floor was packed. Eventually, this girl picked up the bottle and goes 'Yeah!' and chugged. The guy was a bit dismayed (since he probably paid $500 for table service!), but he was having a good time dancing with us. There was a screen with a digital clock projected on it, counting down the time to midnight. (the picture is showing 9+ seconds, with what seems to be hundred-thousands of a second accuracy) It was very hard to take iPhone pictures while moving and in the dark. I wasn't really looking forward to midnight, as I knew that there'd be people looking around for someone to kiss, and I wasn't wanting to kiss a stranger. Once the clock struck midnight, balloons were pouring down and everyone was screaming "Happy New Year!" I texted a kiss to Babe and tried to look busy on my phone, avoiding eye contact with people. Eventually, the guy who was dancing around with the bottle came over and gave me a wet kiss on my cheek. I think he also gave Sheri and Megan wet kisses too, bleh.
I wasn't getting my money's worth at the party...I only had a vodka tonic that night, and had Sprite the rest of the time, so that I could watch over my girls. (I'm good at that!) I didn't mind as I was not in the mood to get smashed that night. Sheri and Megan had several drinks and were very happy at this point. Lots of young people got their money's worth and were running around the hallways, screaming obscenities at the top of their lungs. A fight almost broke out on the staircase while we were walking upstairs. Eventually, we managed to stumble over to the "North Pole" room to dance. Since we were a group of girls without partners, three guys came over to dance with us. I was paired up with a guy that looked Middle Eastern. He was pretty harmless, so I danced with him the rest of the night to stop other guys from approaching. The time was around 1am and I was getting tired. I told the girls that I wanted to leave, so we got our coats and headed to the BART station. It was a slooooow walk as everyone's feet were hurting. We headed back to Sheri's BART station. I was getting the munchies (surprise surprise), so I convinced them to go to Denny's. It was packed at 3am, and there was a long line of people waiting to be seated. Fortunately for us, it was a big group that was waiting; we were seated within 10 minutes since we only had 3 people. Why does a Denny's breakfast taste so good after a long night? What was cool was that I had updated my status on Facebook, and my friend Sandy added a comment that she and mutual friend Melissa were also at Denny's at the same time, but back home in Sacramento! It was like we were virtually together, hehe. After our post-party eats, we went back to Sheri's and crashed until noon.
In summary, I don't think I will go to another one of these local hotel NYE bashes unless I was with Babe, or a big group of friends. I'd also try a different venue, perhaps SF City Hall, as I am impressed with the architecture. If I was looking for a good place to party on NYE, I'd do Las Vegas again. Maybe for NYE 2010...see you there?
Of course, we researched where to go. There were many choices, ranging from nightclubs, bars, and hotels. There was even a party offered at the San Francisco City Hall, which has the most beautiful rotunda. But it didn't sound as cool as the one at the Westin St. Francis hotel, sponsored by "A-list". (note, link will probably update to the latest NYE party) There were rooms with different themes, plus a fashion show and live music, so we opted to go there. Tickets were sold on A-list's website, but you know me, I had to look for discounts since it was T-minus one week and prices had gone up. Using San Francisco's craigslist, I found a pair of tickets from one person, and one ticket from another. Sheri was sooooo nice to go and do the transactions in person, with cash! We ended up paying ~$100 for each ticket, 50% off "face value", not too bad for last-minute. The tickets included admission and all-you-can-drink.
New Year's Eve was a work day, boo. I left work in the afternoon and Megan and I set off for Sheri's house in San Francisco. When we arrived in town, Sheri was in the process of picking up the NYE party tickets. The Westin wasn't too far away from where she works. Sheri texted me that the line was full of people in their 20's, and no Asians. This doesn't faze us in the least. We're ecstatic because we'd be the "hot Asian chicks" at the party!
We picked up drive-thru McDonald's and scarfed it down at Sheri's before changing into our party dresses. I had brought several with me as I was indecisive about what to wear. Thank goodness I had brought a "younger"-looking dress to blend in with the 20-somethings; the rest of my dresses had heavy beading and/or sequins on them. They would have been perfect to wear on a cruise or even a work-related evening party, but not at a place where young people were going to be running around and getting wasted. Sheri and Megan's dresses were perfect for the venue...my dress reeked of "not-a-spring-chicken" since the hem went past my knees! I had Sheri take a picture of me on my iPhone so I could send it to Babe, who was attending a NYE party at his friend's house. He texted back "wow". Such a sweetie.
BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) offered special NYE service to downtown San Francisco until the wee hours of the morning, so we opted to do that instead of chancing our life on the road after the festivities were over. Parking was free at the BART station as it was after-hours. We saw many other people doing the same thing, all dressed up to party, waiting for the BART train to come. The ride to downtown SF took 15 minutes or so. We walked several blocks to the Westin, which flanked one side of Union Square. The doors had already opened at 9pm; we got there around 9:30pm and the line was snaking down the side of the hotel. Hardly any Asians in line. We eventually make our way to the entrance, protected by several big bouncers who were checking ID's. I chatted with a cute African-American and he told me that they made $300 for the 6 hours of work. Not bad for standing in front of a door and kicking drunkards out. He also mentioned that he'd be around after the party. ;)
There was a room that was showcasing pop hits, so we stayed in there a while to dance. It's a challenge to dance and hold a drink at the same time. The dance floor was already starting to get wet from spilled drinks. We shimmed off our double cheeseburger dinner. Around 11pm, we head over to the USA ballroom. A catwalk was set up for the fashion show, which was so-so. The fashions were okay but I think the models were pulled from the crowd, not exactly supermodel-types. After the show was over, the catwalk was dismantled, providing more space to dance. The dance floor got more crowded as the night went on. I saw huge nets hanging from the ceiling, filled with hundreds of balloons to fall on party-goers at the crack of midnight. The dance floor was getting sopping wet. A guy came over from one of the VIP tables with a bottle of Grey Goose in hand and started dancing with us. He wanted to free up both hands to dance with us, so he put the bottle down on the floor. I was worried that someone was going to trip over it as the dance floor was packed. Eventually, this girl picked up the bottle and goes 'Yeah!' and chugged. The guy was a bit dismayed (since he probably paid $500 for table service!), but he was having a good time dancing with us. There was a screen with a digital clock projected on it, counting down the time to midnight. (the picture is showing 9+ seconds, with what seems to be hundred-thousands of a second accuracy) It was very hard to take iPhone pictures while moving and in the dark. I wasn't really looking forward to midnight, as I knew that there'd be people looking around for someone to kiss, and I wasn't wanting to kiss a stranger. Once the clock struck midnight, balloons were pouring down and everyone was screaming "Happy New Year!" I texted a kiss to Babe and tried to look busy on my phone, avoiding eye contact with people. Eventually, the guy who was dancing around with the bottle came over and gave me a wet kiss on my cheek. I think he also gave Sheri and Megan wet kisses too, bleh.I wasn't getting my money's worth at the party...I only had a vodka tonic that night, and had Sprite the rest of the time, so that I could watch over my girls. (I'm good at that!) I didn't mind as I was not in the mood to get smashed that night. Sheri and Megan had several drinks and were very happy at this point. Lots of young people got their money's worth and were running around the hallways, screaming obscenities at the top of their lungs. A fight almost broke out on the staircase while we were walking upstairs. Eventually, we managed to stumble over to the "North Pole" room to dance. Since we were a group of girls without partners, three guys came over to dance with us. I was paired up with a guy that looked Middle Eastern. He was pretty harmless, so I danced with him the rest of the night to stop other guys from approaching. The time was around 1am and I was getting tired. I told the girls that I wanted to leave, so we got our coats and headed to the BART station. It was a slooooow walk as everyone's feet were hurting. We headed back to Sheri's BART station. I was getting the munchies (surprise surprise), so I convinced them to go to Denny's. It was packed at 3am, and there was a long line of people waiting to be seated. Fortunately for us, it was a big group that was waiting; we were seated within 10 minutes since we only had 3 people. Why does a Denny's breakfast taste so good after a long night? What was cool was that I had updated my status on Facebook, and my friend Sandy added a comment that she and mutual friend Melissa were also at Denny's at the same time, but back home in Sacramento! It was like we were virtually together, hehe. After our post-party eats, we went back to Sheri's and crashed until noon.In summary, I don't think I will go to another one of these local hotel NYE bashes unless I was with Babe, or a big group of friends. I'd also try a different venue, perhaps SF City Hall, as I am impressed with the architecture. If I was looking for a good place to party on NYE, I'd do Las Vegas again. Maybe for NYE 2010...see you there?
Friday, August 27, 2010
Time Machine: Mileage Run to Tampa, January 23, 2010
Think about how you'd fly to Tampa. Ideally you'd prefer a non-stop. Most likely, it'd end up being one stop somewhere in the middle of the country. This is not how a mileage run works. Imagine making a huge backwards "N" across the country, spending an overnight, and then flying right back without doing any real sightseeing. That is what I call a hard core mileage run. I managed to trick my cousin Sheri into going with me on this crazy roundabout trip. It was decently cheap, little over $0.015/mile if you include the elite bonus. For me, five planes in total getting to Tampa, three planes back. SMF-SFO-LAX-SAN-IAD-TPA on Saturday. (see how it makes a backwards "N"?) TPA-IAH-LAX-SMF on Sunday. All but two segments were on United. The TPA-IAH and IAH-LAX legs were on Continental. It wasn't a quick turnaround; we had to do a Saturday overnight in Tampa. I used Priceline to get a room at the AAA Four Diamond Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay for $63 total! Unfortunately, we weren't going to be there long enough to enjoy brunch at Oystercatchers, of which I read good reviews.
I miscalculated the time I needed to catch my plane in SMF. Usually I fly Southwest, and the parking garage is conveniently attached to Terminal A where Southwest is based, so no waiting for the shuttle. I get to the airport, and doh! I am flying United! That is in Terminal B, and the Terminal B parking lot requires a shuttle ride. The shuttle took forever to arrive. I was checking the time as the bus drove like a snail. Fortunately I didn't have any check-in baggage, so I rushed up the escalator, flew through security (Terminal B usually has a very short line), and of course, my gate is the last one on the concourse. Everyone had pretty much boarded. When I approached the gate, the agent looked at my boarding pass and said, "I've been calling your name for a while." Which is what happens when door closing time approaches. If you are not at the gate by 10 minutes before departure, you could lose your seat. This mileage run almost ended prematurely.
There was no first class on this flight...it's a small EMB-120 propeller plane (loud!) with identical seats throughout the cabin. One row of single seats on one side of the plane, and pairs of seats on the other side. Actual flight time from Sacramento to San Francisco is a mere 20 minutes. That's enough time to listen to one and a half songs on my iPhone in between dings at 10000 feet.
Sheri was meeting me at the gate in San Francisco. With an hour to kill, I grabbed an egg sandwich at the Boudin Bakery in the food court and take it to the gate, which again, was at the end of the concourse. I was enjoying my breakfast when someone pokes me multiple times in the bicep. Yay, it's Sheri. (or so I thought) I turn around and it's an old man. He points to my sandwich and asks where he could find it. I tell him the bakery name and point way down the concourse. How strange to physically touch someone, versus saying "Excuse me ma'am (or miss)?" Sheri shows up shortly, huffing and puffing. She also thought she was late and ran across the terminal.
As this was before UDU (unlimited domestic upgrades) was implemented, Sheri and I each redeemed one 500-mile upgrade certificate to sit in first class on our 1.5 hour flight from San Francisco to Los Angeles. We indulge in a bloody mary, which left me all loopy since I suffer from ADS (Asian Drinking Syndrome). In Los Angeles, we get on a small jet to San Diego.
We had a pretty tight connection in San Diego, just 20 minutes from arrival to boarding time of the next leg to Washington DC. I figured that was enough time since I didn't think the airport was that big. But when we touched down, I saw that we were parked at a commuter terminal, which meant we had to take a shuttle to another terminal! All in 20 minutes! We caught the shuttle right when it was departing (we ran to alert the driver), and got to the gate just in the nick of time; we swooped onto the red carpet as the gate agent was calling for 1K's to board. This was our longest flight at about 5 hours. We didn't have enough 500-mile upgrade coupons to snag a seat in first class, so we got the second best option - exit row. On a 757, there exists a pair of bulkhead exit row seats so we didn't have to deal with a middle seat or an undesirable rowmate.
Overall, the flight went smoothly except during food service and the in-flight entertainment. On long hauls like this, the flight attendants offer passengers in coach buy-on-board meals such as sandwiches, wraps and snacks. We hardly saw the flight attendants out and about to begin with, and then when it came time to serve food, they weren't too excited, as if they were at the end of a 12-hour shift (which they may have been). One of the ladies took my order, charged me for the items, and then forgot to give me my cheesecake. I had to flag her down and when I mentioned the shortfall, she looked at me like I was inconveniencing her. The movie "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" (great!) was shown very late in the flight, after the TV shows (I believe it should've been the opposite order). We were almost at the end of the movie when the plane crossed 10000 feet. The purser apologized for the delayed start and told the passengers that he would keep the movie on through landing. As the flight attendants were going through the cabin to prepare for landing, one of them looked at us angrily and pointed at our headsets. We pointed up at the TV screen to let her know we were watching the movie and she kept shaking her head and pointing at her ears to indicate to put away "electronic devices". Our non-electronic headsets were plugged into the seat headphone jack, which is permitted as passengers can listen to the audio programming. Despite this, we kept pointing to the TV screen above to key her into the situation. She finally figured it out and walked away exasperated, like she was making an exception for us. Sheri and I looked at each other...what was going on?!?!? We couldn't wait to get off that plane.
Unfortunately, the night was not over...half an hour later, we hopped on one more plane, arriving in Tampa at 12:30am the next day. The Grand Hyatt had complimentary shuttle service; I called from the free telephone at the hotel information kiosk located in baggage claim to let them know to pick us up. The shuttle arrived 20 minutes later and took us to the hotel, right off of Tampa Bay.
We had no problem checking in and the Priceline rate didn't affect the level of service we received, very welcoming. The front desk agent even asked if we wanted double beds, which is not guaranteed by Priceline. We had a large corner room with lots of windows. But all I got was this one shot. You can go to the hotel website to see pictures of the accommodations. The toiletries were Portico brand, white ginger. The Hyatt in Waikiki offered eucalyptus Portico amenities; I would have thought the Hyatts would offer the same fragrance for their hotel chain.
Our flight the next day departed at 11:55am, so we had some time to sleep in. When we checked out, the front desk agent asked if we had a nice stay, and to come again. It's wonderful to be treated like "full-price" guests just like when I stayed at the Hyatt in Waikiki. No problems catching the shuttle to the airport. Our flight was on Continental, from Tampa to Houston. I felt like a fish out of water. No "red carpet"-esque boarding as we were not Continental elites, but we got Star Alliance priority. An interesting feature of this plane was that there were AC outlets at the base of the armrests in each 3-seat row. Two people could plug their power supplies in (assuming someone would be nice enough to let the 3rd person use the juice when needed). I hadn't flown Continental in probably a decade or more, so when the flight attendant said something to me (and I had my headphones on), I assumed he was asking me for drinks, so I yell out "Water no ice please!" from my window seat and he looks at me funny. I took out one of my earphones and listened to his request again, "Do you want any peanuts?" Haha. A cart comes out to serve peanuts first...it seems strange to me as it is not the United way. Drinks didn't come until 15 minutes later, from another cart. I'm so not in my element.
At this point, Sheri and I aren't sitting together; if you book a United flight that has "codeshares" on another airline, the computer automatically assigns you a seat. I went to the Continental website to try to change seats, but was unable to. I could have called, but I read on Flyertalk that it was hit or miss. The seats we had were in the front of the plane, normally reserved for elites anyway. We didn't have to sit together the entire mileage run (probably sick of each other by now!), so I left the seat assignments alone. It was fine for the flight to Houston, but we were on another Continental codeshare flight from Houston to Los Angeles, and I ended up having two huge guys (probably Texans) sitting in my row. I felt bad for the middle guy as the seat is supposed to be narrower, but not so bad that I would offer up my window seat.
Once in Los Angeles, Sheri and I parted ways - she flew back to San Francisco, and I flew to Sacramento. Sheri's flight was on a 757...I was relegated to a CRJ-700, which is a 70-person small jet with a tiny first class section and no in-flight entertainment. I didn't bother upgrading this flight.
That was the end of our overnight mileage run...7229 BIS (butt-in-seat/elite qualification) miles + 100% elite redeemable miles bonus for a total of 14458 miles accrued for miles redemption. Not bad for a domestic run, and Sheri and I got to spend some quality cousin time. :) Looking for the next mileage run, but I haven't seen any good deals out there besides recent "Tware" fares like $699 San Francisco to Sydney roundtrip plus tax. (don't have time to fly Down Under) If you want to be informed about the Tware fares, follow @UnitedAirlines on Twitter. The Tware fares do accrue mileage, but are usually booked in lower fare classes like T, L or K, which are not upgradable with SWU's, but can be done with miles + money.
I miscalculated the time I needed to catch my plane in SMF. Usually I fly Southwest, and the parking garage is conveniently attached to Terminal A where Southwest is based, so no waiting for the shuttle. I get to the airport, and doh! I am flying United! That is in Terminal B, and the Terminal B parking lot requires a shuttle ride. The shuttle took forever to arrive. I was checking the time as the bus drove like a snail. Fortunately I didn't have any check-in baggage, so I rushed up the escalator, flew through security (Terminal B usually has a very short line), and of course, my gate is the last one on the concourse. Everyone had pretty much boarded. When I approached the gate, the agent looked at my boarding pass and said, "I've been calling your name for a while." Which is what happens when door closing time approaches. If you are not at the gate by 10 minutes before departure, you could lose your seat. This mileage run almost ended prematurely.
There was no first class on this flight...it's a small EMB-120 propeller plane (loud!) with identical seats throughout the cabin. One row of single seats on one side of the plane, and pairs of seats on the other side. Actual flight time from Sacramento to San Francisco is a mere 20 minutes. That's enough time to listen to one and a half songs on my iPhone in between dings at 10000 feet.
Sheri was meeting me at the gate in San Francisco. With an hour to kill, I grabbed an egg sandwich at the Boudin Bakery in the food court and take it to the gate, which again, was at the end of the concourse. I was enjoying my breakfast when someone pokes me multiple times in the bicep. Yay, it's Sheri. (or so I thought) I turn around and it's an old man. He points to my sandwich and asks where he could find it. I tell him the bakery name and point way down the concourse. How strange to physically touch someone, versus saying "Excuse me ma'am (or miss)?" Sheri shows up shortly, huffing and puffing. She also thought she was late and ran across the terminal.
As this was before UDU (unlimited domestic upgrades) was implemented, Sheri and I each redeemed one 500-mile upgrade certificate to sit in first class on our 1.5 hour flight from San Francisco to Los Angeles. We indulge in a bloody mary, which left me all loopy since I suffer from ADS (Asian Drinking Syndrome). In Los Angeles, we get on a small jet to San Diego.
We had a pretty tight connection in San Diego, just 20 minutes from arrival to boarding time of the next leg to Washington DC. I figured that was enough time since I didn't think the airport was that big. But when we touched down, I saw that we were parked at a commuter terminal, which meant we had to take a shuttle to another terminal! All in 20 minutes! We caught the shuttle right when it was departing (we ran to alert the driver), and got to the gate just in the nick of time; we swooped onto the red carpet as the gate agent was calling for 1K's to board. This was our longest flight at about 5 hours. We didn't have enough 500-mile upgrade coupons to snag a seat in first class, so we got the second best option - exit row. On a 757, there exists a pair of bulkhead exit row seats so we didn't have to deal with a middle seat or an undesirable rowmate.
Overall, the flight went smoothly except during food service and the in-flight entertainment. On long hauls like this, the flight attendants offer passengers in coach buy-on-board meals such as sandwiches, wraps and snacks. We hardly saw the flight attendants out and about to begin with, and then when it came time to serve food, they weren't too excited, as if they were at the end of a 12-hour shift (which they may have been). One of the ladies took my order, charged me for the items, and then forgot to give me my cheesecake. I had to flag her down and when I mentioned the shortfall, she looked at me like I was inconveniencing her. The movie "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" (great!) was shown very late in the flight, after the TV shows (I believe it should've been the opposite order). We were almost at the end of the movie when the plane crossed 10000 feet. The purser apologized for the delayed start and told the passengers that he would keep the movie on through landing. As the flight attendants were going through the cabin to prepare for landing, one of them looked at us angrily and pointed at our headsets. We pointed up at the TV screen to let her know we were watching the movie and she kept shaking her head and pointing at her ears to indicate to put away "electronic devices". Our non-electronic headsets were plugged into the seat headphone jack, which is permitted as passengers can listen to the audio programming. Despite this, we kept pointing to the TV screen above to key her into the situation. She finally figured it out and walked away exasperated, like she was making an exception for us. Sheri and I looked at each other...what was going on?!?!? We couldn't wait to get off that plane.
Unfortunately, the night was not over...half an hour later, we hopped on one more plane, arriving in Tampa at 12:30am the next day. The Grand Hyatt had complimentary shuttle service; I called from the free telephone at the hotel information kiosk located in baggage claim to let them know to pick us up. The shuttle arrived 20 minutes later and took us to the hotel, right off of Tampa Bay.
Our flight the next day departed at 11:55am, so we had some time to sleep in. When we checked out, the front desk agent asked if we had a nice stay, and to come again. It's wonderful to be treated like "full-price" guests just like when I stayed at the Hyatt in Waikiki. No problems catching the shuttle to the airport. Our flight was on Continental, from Tampa to Houston. I felt like a fish out of water. No "red carpet"-esque boarding as we were not Continental elites, but we got Star Alliance priority. An interesting feature of this plane was that there were AC outlets at the base of the armrests in each 3-seat row. Two people could plug their power supplies in (assuming someone would be nice enough to let the 3rd person use the juice when needed). I hadn't flown Continental in probably a decade or more, so when the flight attendant said something to me (and I had my headphones on), I assumed he was asking me for drinks, so I yell out "Water no ice please!" from my window seat and he looks at me funny. I took out one of my earphones and listened to his request again, "Do you want any peanuts?" Haha. A cart comes out to serve peanuts first...it seems strange to me as it is not the United way. Drinks didn't come until 15 minutes later, from another cart. I'm so not in my element.
At this point, Sheri and I aren't sitting together; if you book a United flight that has "codeshares" on another airline, the computer automatically assigns you a seat. I went to the Continental website to try to change seats, but was unable to. I could have called, but I read on Flyertalk that it was hit or miss. The seats we had were in the front of the plane, normally reserved for elites anyway. We didn't have to sit together the entire mileage run (probably sick of each other by now!), so I left the seat assignments alone. It was fine for the flight to Houston, but we were on another Continental codeshare flight from Houston to Los Angeles, and I ended up having two huge guys (probably Texans) sitting in my row. I felt bad for the middle guy as the seat is supposed to be narrower, but not so bad that I would offer up my window seat.
Once in Los Angeles, Sheri and I parted ways - she flew back to San Francisco, and I flew to Sacramento. Sheri's flight was on a 757...I was relegated to a CRJ-700, which is a 70-person small jet with a tiny first class section and no in-flight entertainment. I didn't bother upgrading this flight.
That was the end of our overnight mileage run...7229 BIS (butt-in-seat/elite qualification) miles + 100% elite redeemable miles bonus for a total of 14458 miles accrued for miles redemption. Not bad for a domestic run, and Sheri and I got to spend some quality cousin time. :) Looking for the next mileage run, but I haven't seen any good deals out there besides recent "Tware" fares like $699 San Francisco to Sydney roundtrip plus tax. (don't have time to fly Down Under) If you want to be informed about the Tware fares, follow @UnitedAirlines on Twitter. The Tware fares do accrue mileage, but are usually booked in lower fare classes like T, L or K, which are not upgradable with SWU's, but can be done with miles + money.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Las Vegas/Mon Ami Gabi - August 15, 2010
Our last day in Vegas...lazy start as usual. Nothing planned for breakfast or lunch (we were still full from last night's buffet), as the big meal of the day was to be 5pm supper at Mon Ami Gabi, a French bistro at the Paris hotel. I had my eye on eating here, and when my friend Sandy recommended it, I decided to take the plunge. Plus it was highly rated on Yelp. ;)
I made reservations on OpenTable. The reservations are only for indoor dining, but if you want to be seated on the patio with the view of the Bellagio fountains, just ask and they'll try to accommodate. I wasn't sure if I wanted to sit out there since it was 110 degrees outside, but thankfully one of the customers standing at the hostess station said that it was really nice outdoors. We were seated at a table that had shade from a large umbrella, so that and the occasional air conditioning breeze made our table comfortable for the 30 minutes it took for the sun to fall behind the Bellagio hotel. Celebrity sighting...on the way to the table, Penn Jillette of Penn and Teller was seated on the patio. He was there for about 20 minutes and then suddenly was gone. I'm sure celebrities have mastered the art of disappearing as to not get mobbed by fans.
The server brought a fresh baguette in a paper sack, some softened garlic butter, and a dish of fresh corn and grape tomatoes (most likely a seasonal amuse-bouche). Too bad I'm allergic to corn, but I did try one kernel and it was delicious. The tomatoes were good too. Corn was the ingredient of the day, as all of the daily specials included corn in some form or another. Pre-dinner drinks included a nice Merlot and rose champagne. A glass of "frangria" came later, a kind of French sangria.
Appetizers included a bowl of French onion soup and escargots. Everything looked so good that we ate it all before I realized that I forgot to take a picture. :P The French onion soup was the best I ever had, and I've tried lots of bowls. There was a sweetness to the onions (though I suspect MSG was in it, as my neck and shoulder muscles ached for a short duration), and they were cooked all the way through. Very cheesy. Sharing a bowl was perfect for the two of us. I've had better escargots, but I did enjoy dipping chunks of baguette into the leftover hot melted garlic butter.
Babe ordered "steak frites" in bordelaise sauce (caramelized onions and red wine sauce) and I got the seared sea scallops. The sirloin was done well (medium rare) and the caramelized onions were reminiscent of the French onion soup. The fries were a bit thinner and blander than I expected (had to shake salt and pepper on them) and got soggy from the sauce. I think next time, I'd ask for the frites on the side. The sea scallops were perfectly seasoned and prepared. It was accompanied by a creamy cauliflower mash and garlic spinach. The mash was really good! I'm sure there was a lot of cream in there. The spinach was a bit salty even for my tastes, but it was cooked well.
Dessert was the crepe of the day, which was mixed berry. The crepe batter wasn't as good as Jean-Philippe, but the ingredients and price made up for it: a scoop of vanilla ice cream wrapped in the center, generous portion of fresh mixed berries (huge berries!), whipped cream, and powdered sugar...all for $7.95! The table next to us asked how it was, as they pretty much wanted to eat it when it arrived on our table.
After dessert, the fountains performed to the Bellagio theme song "Con Te Partiro". A great way to end the meal!
When we went back to the Encore, I played a little bit of video poker to create some activity so that the hotel will send me another "suite deal". (I don't even know how they got my name in the first place, as I don't have a Red Card) It was cool that the room key also served as the player's card, so I didn't need to get in line to get one. Our last night at the Encore, boo hoo! The next morning, it was back on the airplane, and straight to work. Gotta maximize the weekend time.
The Encore is my new favorite hotel. I used to like the Bellagio, and then when I was gambling in Harrah's properties, I liked Paris. But I really like the Encore because of its size...not as huge as the Venetian and other hotels that focus on conventions. Because the hotel is mid-sized, everything was convenient to the guest such as the self-parking, the lobby, the elevators, the pool...nothing required a long walk. The suites are very comfortable and if you wait for a sale or a promo code, the value is good. I don't think I can get another deal like this one in the future, but I wouldn't mind staying at the Encore again if they offered ~$150/night rates.
What's next on the agenda? Yosemite for Labor Day! I'll continue Time Machine entries in the meantime.
I made reservations on OpenTable. The reservations are only for indoor dining, but if you want to be seated on the patio with the view of the Bellagio fountains, just ask and they'll try to accommodate. I wasn't sure if I wanted to sit out there since it was 110 degrees outside, but thankfully one of the customers standing at the hostess station said that it was really nice outdoors. We were seated at a table that had shade from a large umbrella, so that and the occasional air conditioning breeze made our table comfortable for the 30 minutes it took for the sun to fall behind the Bellagio hotel. Celebrity sighting...on the way to the table, Penn Jillette of Penn and Teller was seated on the patio. He was there for about 20 minutes and then suddenly was gone. I'm sure celebrities have mastered the art of disappearing as to not get mobbed by fans.
The server brought a fresh baguette in a paper sack, some softened garlic butter, and a dish of fresh corn and grape tomatoes (most likely a seasonal amuse-bouche). Too bad I'm allergic to corn, but I did try one kernel and it was delicious. The tomatoes were good too. Corn was the ingredient of the day, as all of the daily specials included corn in some form or another. Pre-dinner drinks included a nice Merlot and rose champagne. A glass of "frangria" came later, a kind of French sangria.
Appetizers included a bowl of French onion soup and escargots. Everything looked so good that we ate it all before I realized that I forgot to take a picture. :P The French onion soup was the best I ever had, and I've tried lots of bowls. There was a sweetness to the onions (though I suspect MSG was in it, as my neck and shoulder muscles ached for a short duration), and they were cooked all the way through. Very cheesy. Sharing a bowl was perfect for the two of us. I've had better escargots, but I did enjoy dipping chunks of baguette into the leftover hot melted garlic butter.
Babe ordered "steak frites" in bordelaise sauce (caramelized onions and red wine sauce) and I got the seared sea scallops. The sirloin was done well (medium rare) and the caramelized onions were reminiscent of the French onion soup. The fries were a bit thinner and blander than I expected (had to shake salt and pepper on them) and got soggy from the sauce. I think next time, I'd ask for the frites on the side. The sea scallops were perfectly seasoned and prepared. It was accompanied by a creamy cauliflower mash and garlic spinach. The mash was really good! I'm sure there was a lot of cream in there. The spinach was a bit salty even for my tastes, but it was cooked well.
Dessert was the crepe of the day, which was mixed berry. The crepe batter wasn't as good as Jean-Philippe, but the ingredients and price made up for it: a scoop of vanilla ice cream wrapped in the center, generous portion of fresh mixed berries (huge berries!), whipped cream, and powdered sugar...all for $7.95! The table next to us asked how it was, as they pretty much wanted to eat it when it arrived on our table.
After dessert, the fountains performed to the Bellagio theme song "Con Te Partiro". A great way to end the meal!
When we went back to the Encore, I played a little bit of video poker to create some activity so that the hotel will send me another "suite deal". (I don't even know how they got my name in the first place, as I don't have a Red Card) It was cool that the room key also served as the player's card, so I didn't need to get in line to get one. Our last night at the Encore, boo hoo! The next morning, it was back on the airplane, and straight to work. Gotta maximize the weekend time.
The Encore is my new favorite hotel. I used to like the Bellagio, and then when I was gambling in Harrah's properties, I liked Paris. But I really like the Encore because of its size...not as huge as the Venetian and other hotels that focus on conventions. Because the hotel is mid-sized, everything was convenient to the guest such as the self-parking, the lobby, the elevators, the pool...nothing required a long walk. The suites are very comfortable and if you wait for a sale or a promo code, the value is good. I don't think I can get another deal like this one in the future, but I wouldn't mind staying at the Encore again if they offered ~$150/night rates.
What's next on the agenda? Yosemite for Labor Day! I'll continue Time Machine entries in the meantime.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Las Vegas/City Center/Buffet Plans Go Awry - August 14, 2010
We slept in this lazy morning. Since I was planning to indulge at the 2010 "Best Buffet in Vegas" for dinner, I didn't eat a proper breakfast or lunch. We stopped by the 99 Ranch Market on Spring Mountain Road to grab some snacks and drinks. The main motive for going there was to find some 7D mangoes, which I am so fond of. They were supposed to be sold at 99 Ranch, but the Vegas one didn't have them in stock. Fortunately, ABC Stores carry the dried fruit, and there was a branch in Fashion Show Mall, so we headed over there and grabbed a few packages.
I hadn't visited the new CityCenter yet, so we went there via Bellagio, since I wanted to have a dessert crepe at Jean-Philippe Patisserie. J-P is located in the spa tower at Bellagio, near the conservatory, so I got to check out the summer decorations.
There was a long line at J-P, but it was worth it. The crepes are light and airy, and they are generous with the toppings. I ordered the chocolate crepe, topped with fudge sauce, brownie bits, chocolate flakes, powdered sugar and a dollop of whipped cream. You can add a scoop of gelato to your crepe order for $2 extra. Given that the normal price for a scoop of gelato was $4.75, how could I not add on? The last time I ordered, the scoop was pretty small, but this time, it was huge! Mango gelato, yummy. It's hard to resist buying more items since everything looks so tantalizing good in the shop.
We headed over to the CityCenter tram, which was down a corridor in the spa tower. The tram takes you to various stops within CityCenter and ending at the Monte Carlo. We got off at "Crystals", which is the shopping area. Not all of the space has been leased, but the stores that were there were high-end, like Tiffany, Bally, Christian Dior, etc. The Louis Vuitton store was three stories tall! It was a bit intimidating to go in there, as there weren't a ton of people inside, and too many salespeople standing around, eager to sell you something. I didn't see anything I absolutely had to have, which was good since I didn't want to approach my credit card limit. :) Though if I did see my friend Rachel's runway Speedy handbag, I may have been tempted.
We took a stroll outside to admire the glass-sided facades. There are a pair of buildings called Veer Towers that are built on an angle, supposedly to allow many of the residences to have a good view. It was hard to capture this, as our eyes and brain naturally assume it should be standing straight. But really, the building on the right is tilting towards the left.
We visited the Vdara and Mandarin Oriental hotels, but there wasn't very much to see as they were only hotels, no casino attached. Aria is a hotel casino, so there was more to see there, including this water-wall at the entrance of the hotel. The interior is very contemporary. There was another Jean-Philippe here too!
The Cosmopolitan hotel casino was not open yet, slated for middle of December.
It was time to head over to the M Resort, which housed the "Best Buffet in Las Vegas", the Studio B Buffet. This place got high ratings on Yelp as well. Perhaps it was because beer and wine were included with the buffet? That may be a plus for some of you folks, but alcoholic beverages only take up valuable space in my stomach.
It's about a 15-20 minute drive from the Strip, taking I-15 south towards Los Angeles and exiting St. Rose Parkway. A taxi ride would cost a ton, so it's best to have a rental car. If you don't have one, there is a shuttle available from the Fashion Show Mall or the airport.
We arrive at the M around 5:40 and there is already a huge line for the buffet. Security had to bring out extra stanchions to extend the line onto the casino floor. The Yelp reviews talked about waiting in line for hours and I suspected the reason why...the line was pretty much made up of Asians. This was not good. Asians will eat slowly for hours. I know, because I'm Asian. So Babe and I stand there, watching the head of the line not moving. There was a separate line for Comp/VIP people, so I think those people would probably get attention first. We moved about 10 feet in the next 30 minutes, but it was because people decided to pack in closer. Around 6:30, Babe was suggesting that it'd probably be another 2 hours waiting time...perhaps we should go somewhere else, like the Wynn? I was so starved by now, but I was determined to try this buffet. My logical mind was telling me "get out of this line...you have a 9:30 show to catch" but my illogical side was saying "noooo, must eat here, must experience the best buffet in Vegas!" Eventually, logic won and I acquiesced, stepping out of the line and headed back to the car. I was very disappointed. Babe was doing his best to make me feel better, and suggested going to the Rio. I didn't mind eating at their Carnival World Buffet, as that line would probably be a lot quicker than their Village Seafood Buffet. We get there and pass by the seafood buffet, and miraculously, there was no line! I was astonished. So we ended up eating there. (the line got as long as I thought it would be, after we finished dinner) The layout seemed to have changed from the last time I was there 2 years ago, because there was a huge line for "warm" snow crab (Asians prefer warm food) that ended up blocking out a lot of the other hot food stations like the clams and prime rib. :( Funny that there wasn't a line for the lobster tails. Finally, my tummy was satisfied, and we made it back to Encore in time to freshen up and go to the show.
We passed by the XS nightclub to get to the Wynn theater, and the line was so long that it extended all the way down the corridor to the theater, and it was still 1 hour before the club opened! There were lots of Asians waiting in line. Girls were wearing tight dresses that barely covered the bottom of their derriere. I could never wear stuff like that...not that my butt is unflattering, but to expose the bottom of your bum in a nightclub? It definitely offers easy access, especially for those guys who like to dry hump, haha. Anyway, if you're staying at the Encore, go to the concierge ahead of time and ask for tickets, as there was a separate entrance for "hotel guests with tickets". Then you don't have to submit yourself to scrutiny from passers-by like me.
There was a long line to pick up tickets at the box office (definitely heed the advice of picking up the tickets 1 hour before the show, which I neglected), but we were able to make it in right at 9:30pm. Since the theater is in the round, all seats had a good view, but I think our section (A) was the best, as a lot of the acts focused right in front of us. We were seated in row G on the aisle. If you sit too far down, you will get wet. No photography was allowed during the show, but I got a shot at the end.
The stage moves, rotates, and becomes a pool at times. If you've seen "O", this show is similar but the theater is more intimate. The storyline and music isn't as compelling as "O", but still enjoyable. I call it a "lighthearted" version of O. The songs are sung mostly in English versus Cirque du Soleil's made-up words. I especially liked watching the synchronized swimming and the "strong men": men balancing themselves onto each other, lean muscles seemingly moving effortlessly, but you can see the concentration in their eyes. It was a good show. It was even better that it was "free", but I'd buy tickets.
On the way back to the room, the line for XS got even longer, despite the club being open. The line for Surrender snaked into the casino. I wonder if Tryst and Blush (inside the Wynn hotel) also had the same turnout. Several years ago when the Wynn was still pretty brand new, my sister-in-laws and I walked in with the intent of going to the Patio Bar for drinks. A Wynn host stopped us, asking if we were headed to Tryst. I'm sure he probably would have walked us right into the club at no charge if we said yes. Nowadays, there are people waiting in line hours before opening to get in. Times have changed.
I hadn't visited the new CityCenter yet, so we went there via Bellagio, since I wanted to have a dessert crepe at Jean-Philippe Patisserie. J-P is located in the spa tower at Bellagio, near the conservatory, so I got to check out the summer decorations.
There was a long line at J-P, but it was worth it. The crepes are light and airy, and they are generous with the toppings. I ordered the chocolate crepe, topped with fudge sauce, brownie bits, chocolate flakes, powdered sugar and a dollop of whipped cream. You can add a scoop of gelato to your crepe order for $2 extra. Given that the normal price for a scoop of gelato was $4.75, how could I not add on? The last time I ordered, the scoop was pretty small, but this time, it was huge! Mango gelato, yummy. It's hard to resist buying more items since everything looks so tantalizing good in the shop.
We headed over to the CityCenter tram, which was down a corridor in the spa tower. The tram takes you to various stops within CityCenter and ending at the Monte Carlo. We got off at "Crystals", which is the shopping area. Not all of the space has been leased, but the stores that were there were high-end, like Tiffany, Bally, Christian Dior, etc. The Louis Vuitton store was three stories tall! It was a bit intimidating to go in there, as there weren't a ton of people inside, and too many salespeople standing around, eager to sell you something. I didn't see anything I absolutely had to have, which was good since I didn't want to approach my credit card limit. :) Though if I did see my friend Rachel's runway Speedy handbag, I may have been tempted.
We took a stroll outside to admire the glass-sided facades. There are a pair of buildings called Veer Towers that are built on an angle, supposedly to allow many of the residences to have a good view. It was hard to capture this, as our eyes and brain naturally assume it should be standing straight. But really, the building on the right is tilting towards the left.
We visited the Vdara and Mandarin Oriental hotels, but there wasn't very much to see as they were only hotels, no casino attached. Aria is a hotel casino, so there was more to see there, including this water-wall at the entrance of the hotel. The interior is very contemporary. There was another Jean-Philippe here too!
The Cosmopolitan hotel casino was not open yet, slated for middle of December.
It was time to head over to the M Resort, which housed the "Best Buffet in Las Vegas", the Studio B Buffet. This place got high ratings on Yelp as well. Perhaps it was because beer and wine were included with the buffet? That may be a plus for some of you folks, but alcoholic beverages only take up valuable space in my stomach.
It's about a 15-20 minute drive from the Strip, taking I-15 south towards Los Angeles and exiting St. Rose Parkway. A taxi ride would cost a ton, so it's best to have a rental car. If you don't have one, there is a shuttle available from the Fashion Show Mall or the airport.
We arrive at the M around 5:40 and there is already a huge line for the buffet. Security had to bring out extra stanchions to extend the line onto the casino floor. The Yelp reviews talked about waiting in line for hours and I suspected the reason why...the line was pretty much made up of Asians. This was not good. Asians will eat slowly for hours. I know, because I'm Asian. So Babe and I stand there, watching the head of the line not moving. There was a separate line for Comp/VIP people, so I think those people would probably get attention first. We moved about 10 feet in the next 30 minutes, but it was because people decided to pack in closer. Around 6:30, Babe was suggesting that it'd probably be another 2 hours waiting time...perhaps we should go somewhere else, like the Wynn? I was so starved by now, but I was determined to try this buffet. My logical mind was telling me "get out of this line...you have a 9:30 show to catch" but my illogical side was saying "noooo, must eat here, must experience the best buffet in Vegas!" Eventually, logic won and I acquiesced, stepping out of the line and headed back to the car. I was very disappointed. Babe was doing his best to make me feel better, and suggested going to the Rio. I didn't mind eating at their Carnival World Buffet, as that line would probably be a lot quicker than their Village Seafood Buffet. We get there and pass by the seafood buffet, and miraculously, there was no line! I was astonished. So we ended up eating there. (the line got as long as I thought it would be, after we finished dinner) The layout seemed to have changed from the last time I was there 2 years ago, because there was a huge line for "warm" snow crab (Asians prefer warm food) that ended up blocking out a lot of the other hot food stations like the clams and prime rib. :( Funny that there wasn't a line for the lobster tails. Finally, my tummy was satisfied, and we made it back to Encore in time to freshen up and go to the show.
We passed by the XS nightclub to get to the Wynn theater, and the line was so long that it extended all the way down the corridor to the theater, and it was still 1 hour before the club opened! There were lots of Asians waiting in line. Girls were wearing tight dresses that barely covered the bottom of their derriere. I could never wear stuff like that...not that my butt is unflattering, but to expose the bottom of your bum in a nightclub? It definitely offers easy access, especially for those guys who like to dry hump, haha. Anyway, if you're staying at the Encore, go to the concierge ahead of time and ask for tickets, as there was a separate entrance for "hotel guests with tickets". Then you don't have to submit yourself to scrutiny from passers-by like me.
There was a long line to pick up tickets at the box office (definitely heed the advice of picking up the tickets 1 hour before the show, which I neglected), but we were able to make it in right at 9:30pm. Since the theater is in the round, all seats had a good view, but I think our section (A) was the best, as a lot of the acts focused right in front of us. We were seated in row G on the aisle. If you sit too far down, you will get wet. No photography was allowed during the show, but I got a shot at the end.
The stage moves, rotates, and becomes a pool at times. If you've seen "O", this show is similar but the theater is more intimate. The storyline and music isn't as compelling as "O", but still enjoyable. I call it a "lighthearted" version of O. The songs are sung mostly in English versus Cirque du Soleil's made-up words. I especially liked watching the synchronized swimming and the "strong men": men balancing themselves onto each other, lean muscles seemingly moving effortlessly, but you can see the concentration in their eyes. It was a good show. It was even better that it was "free", but I'd buy tickets.
On the way back to the room, the line for XS got even longer, despite the club being open. The line for Surrender snaked into the casino. I wonder if Tryst and Blush (inside the Wynn hotel) also had the same turnout. Several years ago when the Wynn was still pretty brand new, my sister-in-laws and I walked in with the intent of going to the Patio Bar for drinks. A Wynn host stopped us, asking if we were headed to Tryst. I'm sure he probably would have walked us right into the club at no charge if we said yes. Nowadays, there are people waiting in line hours before opening to get in. Times have changed.
Las Vegas/Raku/Encore - August 13, 2010
Remember I had that great deal at the Encore hotel, something like $349 plus tax for 3 nights plus 2 free tickets to Le Reve? The day had finally come to partake in it. The flight was not delayed, yay!
Since I had planned a gastronomic itinerary, getting a rental car made more sense than taking the taxi. You may be surprised that I did not go through Priceline! They weren't offering any cheap rates for this weekend. I ended up going through regular retail avenues and renting from Alamo using my Costco discount and a coupon listed on carrentalsavers.com. What's nice about renting using the Costco rate code is that the "additional driver" daily charge is waived. This saves $10/day and it's nice to have the option of the other person driving. Since the price was the same whether I went through Priceline or directly with Alamo and getting the additional driver, I stuck with Alamo. I could also get frequent flyer miles (for a small fee) on my reservation too since it was non-Priceline. With all the discounts, it ended up being ~$25/day inclusive, which isn't bad since the taxes sometimes costs more than the rental rate itself. That's about the cost of 2 one-way taxi rides on the Strip a day. And I was planning to go to places off-Strip so a rental car was the way to go.
Before the trip, I checked Yelp (my new favorite app) for restaurants to try, as I didn't want to just eat buffets, and found a highly rated Japanese restaurant called Raku Japanese Charcoal Grill. Since it's a grill house, they have a different menu than the usual Japanese restaurant, meaning there is not a lot of sushi or rolls, but offerings of dishes off the beaten track and grilled meats. My stomach was in for a treat!
It took a bit of time to find the place, as it was tucked in the back of a strip mall that looked a bit dilapidated. If you plan to come here, head on Spring Mountain west from either the Strip or I-15 north, and then it's located on the right soon after crossing Decatur Boulevard.
We arrived 15 minutes earlier than my reservation, but we were seated immediately and started off with drinks. I was sold on the sake cocktail...there were many flavors to choose from, but once the server mentioned "lychee", I had to get it. It was served from a martini shaker. The cocktail was so sweet and tasty, I wouldn't have known there was sake in it. But there definitely was some because I was a bit loopy during dinner. Babe ordered a couple of frosty Sapporos, very fresh. I also had some hot tea, which was refilled throughout the meal, at no charge.
It was time to order. I was overwhelmed by the number of dishes, so we asked for some recommendations from our server. She also presented us with a chalkboard of the daily specials. We narrowed down on the menu items and also ordered a few off the board since they were seasonal. I was a bit disappointed that they ran out of the raw Kobe liver appetizer, sold out the night before. That was one of the main reasons for my visit, but I made sure to taste other Kobe morsels.
The homemade tofu was recommended in Yelp reviews, so we tried it. It was served hot, cold, or half and half, which we opted for. The cold version came first. It was hard to believe it was half a serving since there was a lot of it. The tofu was accompanied by minced ginger, green onions, and bonito flakes. The server showed us how to eat the tofu: scoop a bite onto your plate, add Raku salt and soy sauce, then add the condiments of your choosing. OMG, the Raku salt and soy sauce were so good. They make it in-house. The sea salt contained other ingredients such as pulverized seaweed, giving it a faint green color, but it tasted awesome. The soy sauce was even better...several different types of soy sauce blended together and reduced. I wanted to purchase some, but I didn't see any display. I'm sure you have to dine at the restaurant to enjoy these condiments. Anyway, back to the tofu, the first bite was to die for. The texture of the tofu was so silky, yet it didn't fall apart since it was thicker than "silken tofu" at the store. The tofu itself has no flavor, but the added toppings made it very tasty. It was a great start to the meal and I couldn't wait for more.
The hamachi (yellowtail) carpacchio came next. It was served with a thick soy-based sauce dolloped on a spoon. I used very little of it, as the raw fish was topped with intense drops of flavor. The green one I believe was real fresh wasabi along with other spices. The orange one I couldn't identify, but it wasn't as intense as the green. The hamachi was very fresh and had the right amount of oiliness. Very decadent.
The hot half of our tofu arrived. It was fried and served in a broth with ikura (salmon roe) and mini mushrooms, topped with shredded seaweed and more ikura. I didn't like this one as much since the frying made the tofu lose its silkiness, and the broth wasn't super flavorful. It was still good to try, but next time I'd probably order the tofu cold only.
Next was the poached egg with sea urchin and ikura. It looked so good that we dug into the dish before I remembered to take a picture of it! The broth was similar to the one with the hot tofu, and also contained the ikura and mini mushrooms, so it was kind of a repeat for me. The egg was poached perfectly. And you can't go wrong with sea urchin (uni). Since I wasn't a fan of the broth to begin with, this dish was just okay, even with the uni in it.
I was looking forward to trying this next dish...barracuda (kamasu)! I've never eaten it before, so I had to order it. I think this must be a mini or baby barracuda as it was served whole, but nowhere near the size of ones I have seen while snorkeling. The taste and texture of the fish reminded me of catfish, but more tender. It was grilled perfectly and seasoned well that I didn't need to add any condiments. (it was not salty either!) The open jaw of the fish with all the teeth hanging out is kind of gruesome; the head didn't have any meat nor jelly in the eyes. (for those who enjoy that kind of stuff)
When the first couple of grilled items came out (grilled duck with balsamic soy sauce and pork cheek), we ate it so fast that I forgot to take a picture, sorry! We made an effort to restrain ourselves for the remaining items. But here is a picture of the duck and pork cheek from the Raku website. The duck was so flavorful, and if you like the fatty parts of roast pork, you'll like the pork cheek.
Next came the Kobe filet with wasabi - this was very tender, and the fresh wasabi on top was great! (not horseradish with green food coloring)
Kobe skirt steak with garlic - this was even tastier than the filet! It cost less too, so I think I would order more of these next time.
Kobe beef tendon - if you're into eating braised tendon, this is a treat for you. It was done really well. The flavor of the tendon was great, and the texture was very fatty, yum.
All right, I lied about restraining ourselves...when the grilled foie gras came out, we attacked it. But fortunately, I remembered the camera, so all you get is a shot of the last bite. This was so rich and decadent. I could have probably eaten another skewer of it, but I'd be really full. This was our last savory item.
We were pretty stuffed by now, even though we shared everything. But I had to try a dessert, as there were good reviews for their "fluffy cheesecake". Given the small sizes of most of the items (except the barracuda, which I believe contributed to the fullness in my stomach), I figured it'd be just a couple of bites.
It was just the perfect size to end the meal. The cheesecake was as advertised: fluffy and light. It was all right, but next time, I'll try the brown sugar pudding. I can't wait to eat here again. It is a bit pricey, but it's not often you run into this kind of restaurant. You must make reservations as people without them were left to sit at the bar, which isn't very fun. The restaurant itself is pretty small.
We drive to the Encore to check in. The self-parking garage is convenient, and parking on the 3rd level worked out well (we ended up parking there every time, easily finding a spot next to the elevator). The front desk area was so small, we initially thought that it was the player's card desk. Since the hotel isn't as big as the Venetian, Bellagio, or Caesars, it made sense to have a small check-in lobby. There wasn't any problem getting the "resort king suite" that I initially reserved (the offer was originally for a Wynn resort room, but I got a free upgrade to the Encore suite upon reservation), and it was also non-smoking. I couldn't help but overhear the couple next to us also trying to check into a non-smoking resort king suite, but they were out of them, so they offered them a panoramic suite for the night and then moving them later. At first, I thought I missed out by checking in one minute earlier than them, but turns out the panoramic suite looks exactly like the resort suites, but they're located on the top 10 floors of the hotel. Our room was on the highest floor under the panoramics, so we still had a great view, and we didn't have to move rooms. Loved the floor-to-ceiling windows! You might have a problem if you're afraid of heights.
The suite consisted of several partitions: bedroom, living room, and bathroom, with a sizable foyer and large closet with organizer and safe. It was decorated in contemporary style, and lots of mirrors. ;) The bed is as comfortable as it looks. Didn't I mention I love duvets? I had such a good night sleep, though the down pillow could have had more oomph.
The desk had a high-tech phone and a fax machine. Note the personalization on the phone, a nice touch. I found that once you do express check out via the TV, the name disappears.
The left nightstand had an iPod docking station and the right nightstand had a panel to control the lights and the curtains from the bed, very convenient. The privacy button lights up a "Do Not Disturb" indicator outside, and disables the doorbell from ringing. (yes, there is a doorbell!) There is also another control panel next to the door that has similar buttons, but also had a "make up room" button that lights a tiny green dot next to the doorbell, discreetly informing housekeeping to come by. I noticed the housekeeping carts had some lit-up indicators...wonder if they flash differently when passing by rooms that need service or enabled privacy? So high-tech.
Overpriced mini-bar, where you have 60 seconds to put the item back down on the sensors before you are charged an arm and a leg. I looked carefully at the packaging and saw lots of dust/lint; no one had touched these items for a while. I wondered how old they were. There was an "adult intimacy kit", with massage oil, lubricant, vibrating ring, and (only) 2 prophylactics. This had a ton of lint on it.
The bathroom was large and had a separate toilet area. There were two robes for guests' use. There was even a digital weight scale (but the batteries were dead). The toiletries were high-quality even though it was a Wynn private label called Desert Bambu. I liked the 3 oz bottles they came in, because I could reuse them for future "carry-on only" trips since the caps are secure. :) The soap was a good size, none of these tiny little squares you find in other hotels. There was a glycerin one for the shower, and an unscented bar for the face/hands. The extra roll of toilet tissue was cutely packaged.
The next morning, I looked out the window and saw the two Encore pool areas. The one pictured is open to Encore guests only. I didn't take a picture of the other one, but I think you might have to pay to get into it (the Encore Beach Club), and at night, the area turns into a nightclub called Surrender.
Today is a new day...more gastronomic delights to come!
Since I had planned a gastronomic itinerary, getting a rental car made more sense than taking the taxi. You may be surprised that I did not go through Priceline! They weren't offering any cheap rates for this weekend. I ended up going through regular retail avenues and renting from Alamo using my Costco discount and a coupon listed on carrentalsavers.com. What's nice about renting using the Costco rate code is that the "additional driver" daily charge is waived. This saves $10/day and it's nice to have the option of the other person driving. Since the price was the same whether I went through Priceline or directly with Alamo and getting the additional driver, I stuck with Alamo. I could also get frequent flyer miles (for a small fee) on my reservation too since it was non-Priceline. With all the discounts, it ended up being ~$25/day inclusive, which isn't bad since the taxes sometimes costs more than the rental rate itself. That's about the cost of 2 one-way taxi rides on the Strip a day. And I was planning to go to places off-Strip so a rental car was the way to go.
Before the trip, I checked Yelp (my new favorite app) for restaurants to try, as I didn't want to just eat buffets, and found a highly rated Japanese restaurant called Raku Japanese Charcoal Grill. Since it's a grill house, they have a different menu than the usual Japanese restaurant, meaning there is not a lot of sushi or rolls, but offerings of dishes off the beaten track and grilled meats. My stomach was in for a treat!
It took a bit of time to find the place, as it was tucked in the back of a strip mall that looked a bit dilapidated. If you plan to come here, head on Spring Mountain west from either the Strip or I-15 north, and then it's located on the right soon after crossing Decatur Boulevard.
We arrived 15 minutes earlier than my reservation, but we were seated immediately and started off with drinks. I was sold on the sake cocktail...there were many flavors to choose from, but once the server mentioned "lychee", I had to get it. It was served from a martini shaker. The cocktail was so sweet and tasty, I wouldn't have known there was sake in it. But there definitely was some because I was a bit loopy during dinner. Babe ordered a couple of frosty Sapporos, very fresh. I also had some hot tea, which was refilled throughout the meal, at no charge.
It was time to order. I was overwhelmed by the number of dishes, so we asked for some recommendations from our server. She also presented us with a chalkboard of the daily specials. We narrowed down on the menu items and also ordered a few off the board since they were seasonal. I was a bit disappointed that they ran out of the raw Kobe liver appetizer, sold out the night before. That was one of the main reasons for my visit, but I made sure to taste other Kobe morsels.
The homemade tofu was recommended in Yelp reviews, so we tried it. It was served hot, cold, or half and half, which we opted for. The cold version came first. It was hard to believe it was half a serving since there was a lot of it. The tofu was accompanied by minced ginger, green onions, and bonito flakes. The server showed us how to eat the tofu: scoop a bite onto your plate, add Raku salt and soy sauce, then add the condiments of your choosing. OMG, the Raku salt and soy sauce were so good. They make it in-house. The sea salt contained other ingredients such as pulverized seaweed, giving it a faint green color, but it tasted awesome. The soy sauce was even better...several different types of soy sauce blended together and reduced. I wanted to purchase some, but I didn't see any display. I'm sure you have to dine at the restaurant to enjoy these condiments. Anyway, back to the tofu, the first bite was to die for. The texture of the tofu was so silky, yet it didn't fall apart since it was thicker than "silken tofu" at the store. The tofu itself has no flavor, but the added toppings made it very tasty. It was a great start to the meal and I couldn't wait for more.
The hamachi (yellowtail) carpacchio came next. It was served with a thick soy-based sauce dolloped on a spoon. I used very little of it, as the raw fish was topped with intense drops of flavor. The green one I believe was real fresh wasabi along with other spices. The orange one I couldn't identify, but it wasn't as intense as the green. The hamachi was very fresh and had the right amount of oiliness. Very decadent.
The hot half of our tofu arrived. It was fried and served in a broth with ikura (salmon roe) and mini mushrooms, topped with shredded seaweed and more ikura. I didn't like this one as much since the frying made the tofu lose its silkiness, and the broth wasn't super flavorful. It was still good to try, but next time I'd probably order the tofu cold only.
Next was the poached egg with sea urchin and ikura. It looked so good that we dug into the dish before I remembered to take a picture of it! The broth was similar to the one with the hot tofu, and also contained the ikura and mini mushrooms, so it was kind of a repeat for me. The egg was poached perfectly. And you can't go wrong with sea urchin (uni). Since I wasn't a fan of the broth to begin with, this dish was just okay, even with the uni in it.
I was looking forward to trying this next dish...barracuda (kamasu)! I've never eaten it before, so I had to order it. I think this must be a mini or baby barracuda as it was served whole, but nowhere near the size of ones I have seen while snorkeling. The taste and texture of the fish reminded me of catfish, but more tender. It was grilled perfectly and seasoned well that I didn't need to add any condiments. (it was not salty either!) The open jaw of the fish with all the teeth hanging out is kind of gruesome; the head didn't have any meat nor jelly in the eyes. (for those who enjoy that kind of stuff)
When the first couple of grilled items came out (grilled duck with balsamic soy sauce and pork cheek), we ate it so fast that I forgot to take a picture, sorry! We made an effort to restrain ourselves for the remaining items. But here is a picture of the duck and pork cheek from the Raku website. The duck was so flavorful, and if you like the fatty parts of roast pork, you'll like the pork cheek.
Next came the Kobe filet with wasabi - this was very tender, and the fresh wasabi on top was great! (not horseradish with green food coloring)
Kobe skirt steak with garlic - this was even tastier than the filet! It cost less too, so I think I would order more of these next time.
Kobe beef tendon - if you're into eating braised tendon, this is a treat for you. It was done really well. The flavor of the tendon was great, and the texture was very fatty, yum.
All right, I lied about restraining ourselves...when the grilled foie gras came out, we attacked it. But fortunately, I remembered the camera, so all you get is a shot of the last bite. This was so rich and decadent. I could have probably eaten another skewer of it, but I'd be really full. This was our last savory item.
We were pretty stuffed by now, even though we shared everything. But I had to try a dessert, as there were good reviews for their "fluffy cheesecake". Given the small sizes of most of the items (except the barracuda, which I believe contributed to the fullness in my stomach), I figured it'd be just a couple of bites.
It was just the perfect size to end the meal. The cheesecake was as advertised: fluffy and light. It was all right, but next time, I'll try the brown sugar pudding. I can't wait to eat here again. It is a bit pricey, but it's not often you run into this kind of restaurant. You must make reservations as people without them were left to sit at the bar, which isn't very fun. The restaurant itself is pretty small.
We drive to the Encore to check in. The self-parking garage is convenient, and parking on the 3rd level worked out well (we ended up parking there every time, easily finding a spot next to the elevator). The front desk area was so small, we initially thought that it was the player's card desk. Since the hotel isn't as big as the Venetian, Bellagio, or Caesars, it made sense to have a small check-in lobby. There wasn't any problem getting the "resort king suite" that I initially reserved (the offer was originally for a Wynn resort room, but I got a free upgrade to the Encore suite upon reservation), and it was also non-smoking. I couldn't help but overhear the couple next to us also trying to check into a non-smoking resort king suite, but they were out of them, so they offered them a panoramic suite for the night and then moving them later. At first, I thought I missed out by checking in one minute earlier than them, but turns out the panoramic suite looks exactly like the resort suites, but they're located on the top 10 floors of the hotel. Our room was on the highest floor under the panoramics, so we still had a great view, and we didn't have to move rooms. Loved the floor-to-ceiling windows! You might have a problem if you're afraid of heights.
The suite consisted of several partitions: bedroom, living room, and bathroom, with a sizable foyer and large closet with organizer and safe. It was decorated in contemporary style, and lots of mirrors. ;) The bed is as comfortable as it looks. Didn't I mention I love duvets? I had such a good night sleep, though the down pillow could have had more oomph.
The desk had a high-tech phone and a fax machine. Note the personalization on the phone, a nice touch. I found that once you do express check out via the TV, the name disappears.
The left nightstand had an iPod docking station and the right nightstand had a panel to control the lights and the curtains from the bed, very convenient. The privacy button lights up a "Do Not Disturb" indicator outside, and disables the doorbell from ringing. (yes, there is a doorbell!) There is also another control panel next to the door that has similar buttons, but also had a "make up room" button that lights a tiny green dot next to the doorbell, discreetly informing housekeeping to come by. I noticed the housekeeping carts had some lit-up indicators...wonder if they flash differently when passing by rooms that need service or enabled privacy? So high-tech.
Overpriced mini-bar, where you have 60 seconds to put the item back down on the sensors before you are charged an arm and a leg. I looked carefully at the packaging and saw lots of dust/lint; no one had touched these items for a while. I wondered how old they were. There was an "adult intimacy kit", with massage oil, lubricant, vibrating ring, and (only) 2 prophylactics. This had a ton of lint on it.
The bathroom was large and had a separate toilet area. There were two robes for guests' use. There was even a digital weight scale (but the batteries were dead). The toiletries were high-quality even though it was a Wynn private label called Desert Bambu. I liked the 3 oz bottles they came in, because I could reuse them for future "carry-on only" trips since the caps are secure. :) The soap was a good size, none of these tiny little squares you find in other hotels. There was a glycerin one for the shower, and an unscented bar for the face/hands. The extra roll of toilet tissue was cutely packaged.
The next morning, I looked out the window and saw the two Encore pool areas. The one pictured is open to Encore guests only. I didn't take a picture of the other one, but I think you might have to pay to get into it (the Encore Beach Club), and at night, the area turns into a nightclub called Surrender.
Today is a new day...more gastronomic delights to come!
Friday, August 20, 2010
Salt Lake City - July 10-11, 2010
We decide to take the Teton Pass over to Idaho and south to Salt Lake City to mix the drive up a bit. There are lots of warnings about taking the Teton Pass, especially in winter, as the road is steep, and the area windy and icy; if you have a trailer, it'd be very dangerous. I wasn't excited about driving over the pass, but it was summer time and we didn't want to drive along the scenic route again.
The road is certainly steep, but it's not as scary in the daytime and when it is dry. The views are beautiful. Once we got into Idaho, the landscape became less stark and more rolling.
Taking the I-15 freeway south felt a lot faster than when we first arrived, though it is less scenic. If I was in a hurry to get to Jackson, I think I would take this quicker route, though I really enjoyed the scenic drive up Hwy 89.
We arrived in Salt Lake City but it was still a bit early to check into the hotel. My stomach yearned for ice cream, so we stopped by Costco for their yummy ice cream bar covered in almonds. According to sources on the internet, this sinful dessert is a whopping 900 calories! At least Babe helped me eat 1/3 of it. :)
We booked our flights to depart July 11, and since the timeshare was only from July 3 to July 10 (1 week), we needed an extra night. The hotel was purchased from Priceline (of course!)...snagged the Sheraton Salt Lake City Hotel for $55/night plus taxes, what a deal! When we checked in, we found out why the room was such a deal...we were given a room with "limited view", which usually implies some type of obstruction or perhaps a view of the parking lot or trash dumpster. We find out that there is a brick wall in the way, haha. What's interesting is that there was a sort of balcony out the sliding glass door, but the lower floors of the hotel got surrounded by a brick wall.
It was odd, but it didn't matter to us, as it was a place to sleep. Ignoring the terrible view, the room was clean and comfortable, with the Sheraton "Sweet Sleeper" bed. Love having duvets. :) Not a fan of worn and pilled hotel blankets. (like in the Pioneer Cabins...)
I Yelp'ed a restaurant for dinner (love Yelp!) and found the Naked Fish Japanese Bistro. Yes, sushi is not what one thinks of when dining in Salt Lake City, but since we had eaten so much meat the past week, we thought some raw fish would be a good change of pace. We didn't have reservations, so we ended up sitting at the sushi bar. We had several rolls including one that was wrapped in rice paper versus seaweed. The piece de resistance was the "Tsukiji sashimi set", with fish that was flown in from the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo. The meal was really good.
We then walked around the outskirts of the Temple Square area looking for dessert, but finding nothing. I used Yelp again and found a Leatherby's a short drive away, so we headed there for a sundae. We had to make some detours to get to the ice cream shop because there was a Justin Bieber concert going on, and some roads were closed off for the event. Babe had never heard of him or his music, so I searched YouTube for one of his latest videos, which happened to be "Baby". That song is now stuck in our heads, argh.
The next day, we checked out of the hotel and grabbed breakfast at another highly rated Yelp restaurant, The Park Cafe. There was a wait, but we were seated within a few minutes. (it helps to be only 2 people) Service was very efficient. The food was delicious. Babe and I shared an omelette and blueberry pancakes. The bacon was so good, super thick cut and not greasy at all. Totally recommend this place.
After breakfast, we walked across the street to take a stroll in Liberty Park. It's a big park, including a bird rescue aviary, expansive lawns, and water features for kids to play around in. There was a huge metal fence around a lake with guards at each corner. Turned out that an oil pipeline blew at a nearby creek that fed into the park's lake, so crews working for Chevron were in the process of cleaning it. Seems like these oil accidents are happening a lot.
We then headed over to Temple Square, as this is one of the major landmarks in Salt Lake City. Utah is home to the Mormons, and Temple Square is headquarters of the Mormon Church. The grounds are impeccably maintained, and the buildings are very grand. Salt Lake Temple is very majestic.
There were two Visitor Centers on the premises. I had to go check it out, even though I knew what would happen. The minute we stepped past the automatic sliding glass doors, we were confronted by 2 "sisters". One was Japanese and the other Caucasian. They asked us where we were from, and we said "California", and the sisters were remarking, "Oh! We have many temples in California, like in San Diego...have you visited them?" and so on. They asked a bunch of questions which we answered politely as we didn't want to just walk away from them being the nice people that we are. Then they asked if we would like them to show us around the visitor's center and recite some passages from the Book of Mormon. No way! I immediately told the sisters that we had to catch a plane in a few hours and that we only had time to quickly look at the exhibits (which was true). The Japanese sister said, "Oh yes, lots of people come here before they go to the airport..." and they wished us a safe journey and disappeared. Whew.
From the plane, we were fortunate to catch a glimpse of the Grand Canyon at sunset. The purser was remarking on the timeliness of this scene.
I had such a great time on this trip! I would definitely return in the near future to hike other trails in Grand Teton and Yellowstone. But in the meantime, more trips have already been planned for the rest of the year. Stay tuned!
The road is certainly steep, but it's not as scary in the daytime and when it is dry. The views are beautiful. Once we got into Idaho, the landscape became less stark and more rolling.
Taking the I-15 freeway south felt a lot faster than when we first arrived, though it is less scenic. If I was in a hurry to get to Jackson, I think I would take this quicker route, though I really enjoyed the scenic drive up Hwy 89.
We arrived in Salt Lake City but it was still a bit early to check into the hotel. My stomach yearned for ice cream, so we stopped by Costco for their yummy ice cream bar covered in almonds. According to sources on the internet, this sinful dessert is a whopping 900 calories! At least Babe helped me eat 1/3 of it. :)
We booked our flights to depart July 11, and since the timeshare was only from July 3 to July 10 (1 week), we needed an extra night. The hotel was purchased from Priceline (of course!)...snagged the Sheraton Salt Lake City Hotel for $55/night plus taxes, what a deal! When we checked in, we found out why the room was such a deal...we were given a room with "limited view", which usually implies some type of obstruction or perhaps a view of the parking lot or trash dumpster. We find out that there is a brick wall in the way, haha. What's interesting is that there was a sort of balcony out the sliding glass door, but the lower floors of the hotel got surrounded by a brick wall.
It was odd, but it didn't matter to us, as it was a place to sleep. Ignoring the terrible view, the room was clean and comfortable, with the Sheraton "Sweet Sleeper" bed. Love having duvets. :) Not a fan of worn and pilled hotel blankets. (like in the Pioneer Cabins...)
I Yelp'ed a restaurant for dinner (love Yelp!) and found the Naked Fish Japanese Bistro. Yes, sushi is not what one thinks of when dining in Salt Lake City, but since we had eaten so much meat the past week, we thought some raw fish would be a good change of pace. We didn't have reservations, so we ended up sitting at the sushi bar. We had several rolls including one that was wrapped in rice paper versus seaweed. The piece de resistance was the "Tsukiji sashimi set", with fish that was flown in from the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo. The meal was really good.
We then walked around the outskirts of the Temple Square area looking for dessert, but finding nothing. I used Yelp again and found a Leatherby's a short drive away, so we headed there for a sundae. We had to make some detours to get to the ice cream shop because there was a Justin Bieber concert going on, and some roads were closed off for the event. Babe had never heard of him or his music, so I searched YouTube for one of his latest videos, which happened to be "Baby". That song is now stuck in our heads, argh.
The next day, we checked out of the hotel and grabbed breakfast at another highly rated Yelp restaurant, The Park Cafe. There was a wait, but we were seated within a few minutes. (it helps to be only 2 people) Service was very efficient. The food was delicious. Babe and I shared an omelette and blueberry pancakes. The bacon was so good, super thick cut and not greasy at all. Totally recommend this place.
After breakfast, we walked across the street to take a stroll in Liberty Park. It's a big park, including a bird rescue aviary, expansive lawns, and water features for kids to play around in. There was a huge metal fence around a lake with guards at each corner. Turned out that an oil pipeline blew at a nearby creek that fed into the park's lake, so crews working for Chevron were in the process of cleaning it. Seems like these oil accidents are happening a lot.
We then headed over to Temple Square, as this is one of the major landmarks in Salt Lake City. Utah is home to the Mormons, and Temple Square is headquarters of the Mormon Church. The grounds are impeccably maintained, and the buildings are very grand. Salt Lake Temple is very majestic.
There were two Visitor Centers on the premises. I had to go check it out, even though I knew what would happen. The minute we stepped past the automatic sliding glass doors, we were confronted by 2 "sisters". One was Japanese and the other Caucasian. They asked us where we were from, and we said "California", and the sisters were remarking, "Oh! We have many temples in California, like in San Diego...have you visited them?" and so on. They asked a bunch of questions which we answered politely as we didn't want to just walk away from them being the nice people that we are. Then they asked if we would like them to show us around the visitor's center and recite some passages from the Book of Mormon. No way! I immediately told the sisters that we had to catch a plane in a few hours and that we only had time to quickly look at the exhibits (which was true). The Japanese sister said, "Oh yes, lots of people come here before they go to the airport..." and they wished us a safe journey and disappeared. Whew.
From the plane, we were fortunate to catch a glimpse of the Grand Canyon at sunset. The purser was remarking on the timeliness of this scene.
I had such a great time on this trip! I would definitely return in the near future to hike other trails in Grand Teton and Yellowstone. But in the meantime, more trips have already been planned for the rest of the year. Stay tuned!
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