Airports kinda suck....

I'm sitting in the airport.  Does that mean my trip has started?  I don't think so, not quite anyway.  I will relax a bit when I get on the plane, a little more when my plane change in Newark goes smooth.  But I really won't relax until I get out of McCarran airport, after the deplaning (which always takes longer than it should), the walk through the airport, the tram ride.  Past the link guys who I keep thinking I'll spring for someday, past baggage claim quickly since I'm carrying on, out of those sliding doors.  Walk out and get the first taste of that desert air.  Goodbye for now, allergies, will pick you up on the way back.
Then I have a cigarette.  Because it's been a long flight.  And I'm in Vegas.  So I can sin a bit.
I'm writing from my phone, so forgive me if it's a bit rough.
I'm @seanbeh3 on twitter, if you are terribly bored.
And thanks for reading.

Good things about Downtown Vegas

Maybe I overthink these things.  As long as a hotel room is clean and the shower is hot I can be pretty comfortable in a hotel room, but after probably too much hemming and hawing, I have a hotel room booked for my April trip to Las Vegas.

I'll be staying at The D Hotel  on Fremont Street downtown. 

I had originally planned to stay on the strip, where most tourists stay, but the prices were higher than I expected.  So I kicked around some options and ended up at the D.  Some people hate downtown, but I've stayed there a few times and have been perfectly comfortable. 

Here are just a taste of random things to like about downtown Vegas:

• Cheaper.  Everything in downtown is cheaper.  The hotels, the restaurants, the booze, the gambling, everything.  I suspect the hookers might be cheaper too, but outside my expertise on that one.
• The Fremont Street Experience light show is cheesy.  It's also pretty cool, and something that you won't see again.  So go see it.  Really.  My favorite is the American Pie show, especially the later shows, when the drunk and tipsy sing along with the last verse.
• The Fremont East district has really taken off, it seems.  The new bars have brought the young and hip to downtown.  Being neither young nor hip, I don't know too much about the area, but I remember when the walk from the canopy to the El Cortez Casino was downright scary.  It isn't anymore.  Well, not so much.
• The Mob Museum - Where else would it be?
• The Shipping Container Park - OK, so this one isn't open yet.  It looks pretty awesome though.

Just a few random thoughts for now. 

Thanks for reading, and have a nice day.

BTW, not sure why, but I haven't been able to load pictures here lately.  Sorry, I'm trying.

A good link about the casino industry

I haven't stopped by the Stiffs and Georges blog for a while, shame on me.  The ins and outs of the gaming business is interesting to me, although a good deal of it is over my head, non-businessman that I am. 

I popped in and found a great post today.  David McKee actually does understand these things, and, like me, he is a bit suspicious about the whole Sahara rebuilding/rebranding process.

Anyway it's interesting stuff, and a great blog.

Five Weeks for Sahara Sam

Now have a nice day.

My Hotel Choices.........Maybe

So I have my flights booked for April.  Now I need a place to sleep.

Maybe I'm a bit early to be booking rooms, but I enjoy the process.  I will watch the rates for a while, see if any good offers drift in, and be ready to jump on the right rate.

I have made a bit of progress though, and thought I would just share.

I'm pretty cheap, to begin with.  My standards for a hotel room are pretty lax.  Here's what I need:

• Location
• Clean
• Comfortable
• A good greasy breakfast, preferably with a waitress who calls me "Hun."
• A good bar, with a good TV setup and a barman who calls me "Chief", or "Boss", or something like that.  I hate it when barmen call me sir.
• Cheap (did I say that already?)

So, yes, as far as customers go, I'm easy like Sunday morning.

Since I have such simple tastes, staying in places like the Cosmo, Wynn, Venetian, or any of the high-end places would be pretty much wasted on me.  Nice places all, lovely even, great to visit. But not worth the money, not for me.

I had it in my head that Hard Rock or Tropicana might be good places to try, but a quick check of rates crossed them off my list. Tropicana, in particular, was ridiculously high for my dates, which is too bad because I really like gambling there.  Hard Rock wasn't as bad, but it is also off the strip, and I'm pretty sure that I'm not really cool enough to stay there.  So cross those places off my list.

MGM's MLife website doesn't work, so I can't even check rates.  Guessing they really don't want me to stay there.  Too bad, Monte Carlo was pretty high on my list of possible spots.  Not eliminating it completely, but not looking good right now.

I've always been happy enough with the CES hotels, having stayed at both Planet Hollywood and Bally's.  I liked them both, Bally's a bit more.  I'm getting good rates right now at both Flamingo and Harrahs, at the moment I'm leaning towards Flamingo.  But not ready to commit yet.

I could get a great rate at the Quad, (used to be Imperial Palace), but there is construction there, and the reviews on the place are mixed, at best.  I'm cheap, but not that cheap.

I'm also considering staying downtown.  I like the Fremont Street area, and have stayed down there before.  Rates at the D Resort (used to be Fitzgeralds) seem pretty good right now.

As of today, that's where my thinkings at.  But my thinking will probably change.

I'll throw out another of my favorite links, www.vegaschatter.com  Check it everyday, it's constantly updated.


Thanks for reading.

I just booked for April..........

I have been watching airfares from Boston for a while now, and one finally popped up that I can live with.

So I'm going in three short months.  WOOHOO.  You have to love blowing your tax return before you even file.  That's how I roll.  I guess

I have no idea where I will be staying, but, as always, I'll be looking on the cheap side.  Because that's how I roll too.  Low.

Right now, having put less than an hour's thought into this trip, I'm considering staying downtown.  Some people hate the downtown area, but I'm a fan of good old Fremont St.  I'm also a fan of cheap. Maybe I've mentioned it before. 

I will, however, bide my time a bit and see what the sometimes fickle gods of comps will through my way.

So, if you are semi-interested, stay tuned. 

I'll also throw out a link I've referenced before, but it's worth repeating - http://www.fremontstreetbars.com/ . They don't pay me for pimping them or anything, but I'm open to all forms of corruption.

Have a nice day.

My Stay at Planet Hollywood

Took a bit of a break, but will try to post a bit more.  I'm working on it.

I stayed at Planet Hollywood July 2-5, on the first leg of my trip out to the Desert Paradise.
I got in the cab at McCarran Airport, told the driver my route (you have to do this in Vegas, or they will screw you.)  The driver, who was hopped up on caffeine it seems (or at least I hope it was caffeine) was nice enough to offer to take me to the best strip club and the best massage parlor in town.  When you are a single guy in your forties riding a cab in Vegas, this is quite common. No thanks dude.  He then proceeded to tell me the various troubles he has undergone lately, I don't know if this is a way to get a better tip or if he was just talkative or if he thought I'd care.  I really didn't, but he got overtipped anyway, as he got me to the hotel quickly and with minimal hassle.  I pretty much overtip everywhere.  It's an east coast thing, I'm told.

Check in at Planet Hollywood was quick, although there was a woman there who didn't seem to understand that there was a line, and she was expected to get in it.  She had a lot of bags, so apparently she thought this should let her bypass.  Um, no, deary.

The rooms at PH are themed, every one is tied to a movie in some lame-o but kind of cool way.  I was in the Good Will Hunting room, perhaps the desk guy heard my Boston accent and thought I'd be more comfortable there.  They had Robin Williams' shirt hanging up there.  Thankfully, it was under a thick plate of glass.  Otherwise the room itself was a standard king.  I took a picture, didn't come out great.

The bathroom, however, was pretty cool.  Stand-up shower stall, toilet was in a tiny little water closet, and I had a big-assed bathtub.  Under a picture of Matt Damon.  I have no idea if looking up at Matt Damon is supposed to enhance your bathing experience, but there it is.  Actually it was pretty cool having a tub there, even though I never actually found the time to use it.  As always in Vegas, there just isn't enough time.

I'll post a bit about the casino, restaurants and bars later, but I suppose I should mention the pool two.  I wonder how all the architects and designers and everyone else who built a big, beautiful multi-million dollar hotel could have come up with the design for such a crappy pool area.  There are actually two pools at PH, with a large lounging area between them.  And boy do those pools suck.  They are way too small and are so completely surrounded by the cabanas that you can barely get to them without stepping on some big spender.  I assume smart people designed this place, but boy did they screw up here.  Let me say it plain - the lounging area is OK, the pools suck, and I think if you pay big money for a cabana or a day lounger you will really, really feel ripped off.  There, you are warned.  Also, although there was a bar at the pool, there was no cocktail service.  What?  Yeah, no cocktail service at the pool, at least when I was there in the afternoon.  Maybe they didn't want me lingering.


BTW, I'm way to cheap to pay extra for a nice view, but I was kind of high up, so here's the view from room 2494.  Not terribly exciting, but it worked for me.

Overall, it's a very nice place, and aside from the crappy pool, I had no complaints about the room or the service.  Check out was quick, bill was accurate, and the guys who hailed the cabs were nice and quick. 

Would I stay there again?  Maybe, if the price were right, but I wouldn't go out of my way to get there again.

Anyway, thanks for reading, fell free to ask any questions, and stop by again sometime.  I promise I will post some more of my semi-salacious details as my booze soaked memory allows.

And have a good day.

Bags are Packed!!!

Getting on the plane in a little while, hopefully the thunderstorms in the midwest won't slow me down.

Because I'm way too cheap to pay a resort fee or pay for my internet at the hotel, you will have to wait until I get home for all of the salacious details of my trip.  If you are truly interested (and I can't believe you would be), you can stalk me on twitter - @seanbeh3

Wish me some luck. 

And, as always, thanks for reading.