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.