Monday, March 28, 2011
Palm Springs Planning
Visit Palm Springs dot com
Knott's Soak City Waterpark Palm Springs
Open 11a-5p; 4/3-4/8
1500 S Gene Autry Trail, Palm Springs
760-327-0499
Desert Adventures Jeep Tours
888-440-5337
Big Wheel Tours
Bike, Hiking, and Jeep Tours
The River at Rancho Mirage
Restaurants and a Movie theater
Westfield Palm Desert Mall
The Living Desert zoo
Oct. 1 - May 31 open 9am-5pm
June 1 - Sept. 30 open 8am-1:30pm
El Paseo shopping in Palm Desert
Palm Springs Aerial Tramway
Koffi Coffee; good coffee in Palm Springs
Palm Springs Farmers Market; Saturdays 8am-12:30pm Sept.-June
2300 E Baristo Road at Farrell
Palm Desert Farmers Market; Wednesdays 8am-12:30pm Sept. - June
at the Palm Desert Visitor Center, 72-567 Highway 111
Joshua Tree National Park
There are three entrances, two off of Highway 62 and one off of Interstate 10.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Hong Kong Planning
- Mid-Levels Escalator
- Ride the Tram
- Visit a Wet Market
- The Peak is a must see. The Peak is on Hong Kong Island. If you can, go there twice, during the day and at night. Or just before sunset so you get both day and night. The weather changes a lot so if you get good weather, get up to the peak. Also, there are good walking options at The Peak.
- Stanley Market and Murray House. Going to Stanley Market gets you out of the dense city that is Hong Kong to do some shopping and sight seeing.
- Jumbo Kingdom in Aberdeen - A place to go to dinner after visiting Stanley Market. Jumbo Kingdom is a huge floating building with more than one restaurant to choose from.
- The Verandah in Repulse Bay. Afternoon tea (closed on Mondays) or Sunday brunch. Frommer's also has a review of The Verandah as well as Luxe Dining. Not much more to do in Repulse Bay for toursits, except to go to the beach if it is summer time.
- Ocean Park. I went to Ocean Park during my first visit to Hong Kong and I might like to go back. It is on the quiet side of the island and has a nice mix of things to do. I've read that they are doing well since Hong Kong Disneyland opened (the opposite was expected to happen) as a nice alternative.
- Horse Racing at Sha Tin and Happy Valley. Sha Tin is in The New Teritories, but the place to see the races is Happy Valley. It is amongst the city on Hong Kong Island. An incredible spectacle from what I have read. Horse Racing happens twice a week in Hong Kong from September through July. Generally speaking, races happen Wednesday night at Happy Valley and Sunday afternoon at Sha Tin, but not always so check the schedule. I took the tour to Sha Tin that you can book at most hotels. It includes transportation, access to a guest suite area in the Jockey Club, a very nice buffet, a tour down to the winner's circle, and some money back in the form of credit for betting.
- Giant Buddha/Po Lin Monastery
- Ngong Ping 360 (and the wisdom path)
- Hong Kong Disneyand. Too small, don't bother going until it expands.
- July is the warmest month and January the coolest. The best time to visit is probably October into March.
- The Macau Peninsula, the Cotai Strip, which connects the islands of Taipa and Coloane, are the areas that make up Macau.
- Macau Grand Prix (Formula 3) happens in November.
- Macau Arts festival happens in March.
- International Fireworks Display Contest happens in September.
- International Music festival happens in October/November.
- The Historic Centre of Macau is a world heritage site located on the peninsula.
- The Macau Tower is an observation deck with many amenities.
- A Macau tourist guide that seems to be pretty helpful with descriptions of things to do.
- Macau Fisherman's Wharf seems to be similar to a Downtown Disney type of place.
- The Macau Government Tourist Office web site
- Hong Kong to Macau ferry. Cotai Jet goes to Cotai and Turbo Jet goes to the Macau Peninsula.
- MacauTripping has very good maps of where the casinos are in downtown Macau and theCotai Strip.
- Things To Do In Macau That Aren't Gambling
- The Hong Kong Tourism Board has a pretty good web site covering things that tourism boards cover, places to shop, things to see, festivals, etc.
- Wikitravel has a very comprehensive page on Hong Kong.
- Metropolasia
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Hong Kong Hotels Near MTR Stations
Monday, April 12, 2010
Boston Planning
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Las Vegas Planning
- Mon Ami Gabi at Paris, the web site and the dessert menu.
- Hussong's Cantina at The Shoppes at Manadalay Place (or this link)(margaritas)
- Company Kitchen and Pub House at Luxor, 5 pm - ?
- Chin Chin Cafe at New York New York, 7:30 am - 11 pm (8 am Fri+Sat)
- Gonzalez Y Gonzalez at New York New York, 11 am - 1 am
- Diablo's Cantina at Monte Carlo, on the Strip. 11:30 am - 10 pm (11 pm Fri.+Sat.)
- Peppermill Las Vegas (24 hours); 2985 Las Vegas Blvd. just South of Riviera
- Casual dining at Aria; Lemongrass (Thai, satays), 2 cafes, ice cream, coffee, buffet
- Soba and Udon noodles at Ichiban Sushi, on the lower level at Bally's. 11 am - 10:30 pm
- The Wine Cellar at Rio. 4 - 10 pm (Mon. - Thur.), 3 - 11 pm (Fri. + Sat.), 3 - 10 pm Sun.
- Hamada of Japan at Flamingo (has a Teppan room). 5:30 - 9:30 pm.
- The Steak House at Circus Circus. Hours ?
- Tea Lounge at Mandarin Oriental. 8 am - 1 am. Afternoon Tea 2:30 - 5 pm. "Smart Casual"
- Verandah at Four Seasons Hotel. Mon. - Fri. 3 - 4 pm.
- Cafe Belle Madeleine at Paris. 6:30 am to 11 pm daily with coffee service from 7 am to 11 am.
- Jean Philippe Patisserie at Bellagio, 7 am - 11 pm (midnight Fri. + Sat.)
- Jean Philippe Patisserie at Aria, 6 am - 11 pm
- Amore Patisserie at Mandarin Oriental on Las Vegas Blvd. 12 pm - 9 pm.
- Payard Patisserie & Bistro at Caesars Palace. 6:30 am - 11 pm. Also serves breakfast and lunch.
- JJ Boulangerie at Paris. 7 am to midnight daily.
- The Roasted Bean at Mirage. Coffee, pasteries, and sandwiches. 6 am - 10 pm
- Espressamente Illy at Palazzo. Coffee, bakery, pasteries, etc. 6 am - 12 am (1 am Fri. + Sat.)
- Quick Eats at Bellagio. Coffee, partries, snacks.
- Quick Bites at Venetian.
- Carson Street Cafe at the Golden Nugget downtown.
- Planet Dailies at Planet Hollywood
- Earl Of Sandwich at Planet Hollywood
- Cafe Ile St Louis at Paris
- Raffles Cafe at Mandalay Bay
- Pyramid Cafe at Luxor (Oatmeal Brulee!)
- America at New York New York
- Augustus Cafe at Caesars Palace
- Victorian Room at Bill's Gamblin' Hall & Saloon
- Grand Lux Cafe at Venetian. Similar to Cheesecake Factory.
- Burger Palace at Imperial Palace. Open 24 hours.
- Stage Deli at MGM Grand Fri. - Sun. (6:30 am - 3 am Mon. - Thur.)
- Peppermill Las Vegas (24 hours); 2985 Las Vegas Blvd. just South of Riviera
- La Creperie at Paris. 7 am to 11 pm (12 am Fri. + Sat.)
- Le Provencal at Paris. 5:00 pm to 10:30 pm
- The Steakhouse at Camelot (Excalibur), 3 course meal for $29.95. 5 pm - 10 pm.
- Burger Joint at Flamingo. Sweet potato fries! 11:30 am - 10 pm (until 6 am Fri. + Sat.)
- Le Burger Brasserie at Paris. 11 am to 10 pm (1 am Fri. + Sat.)
- Burger Bar at The Shoppes at Mandalay Place (or this link)(10 am - 11 pm Sun., 10:30 am - 11 pm Mon. - Thur., 10:30 am - 2 am Fri., 10 am - 2 am Sat.)
- Burger Palace at Imperial Palace. 24 hours.
- Planet Hollywood (24 hours)
- Luxor (3 locations)
- Excalibur
- MGM Grand (3 locations, 1 open 24 hours)
- Monte Carlo (2 locations)
- Mandalay Bay
- Harrah's (4 locations)
- Treasure Island 6 am - 12 am
- Golden Nugget
- 4125 S. Eastern Ave., Flamingo Eastern Plaza 89119
- 200 E. Freemont St., Freemont Hotel & Casino 89101 (Freemont St. Experience)
- 3350 E. Tropicana Ave., #C2 89121
- 6795 Tropicana Ave., Suite 100 89103
- 7400 Las Vegas Blvd., 89123 (just North of LV Outlet Center)
- Excalibur
- Bellagio Fountains Brunch. Located at Jasmine. Sunday 11 am - 2:30 pm $55.
- Bellagio Buffet. 7 - 11 am, 11 am - 4 pm, 4 - 10 pm. Gourmet Dinner Fri. + Sat. 4 - 10 pm.
- The Buffet at Wynn. 8 - 11 am, 11 am - 3:30 pm, 3:30 - 10 pm (Fri. + Sat. 10:30 pm) Frommer's Review.
- Carnival World Buffet at Rio. 8 - 11 am $14.99, 11 am - 3:30 pm $16.99, 3:30 - 10 pm $23.99.
- Lago Buffet at Caesars Palace. 7 - 11 am $17.95, 11 am - 3 pm $19.95, 3 - 10 pm $26.95
- Spice Market Cafe at Planet Hollywood, 7 am - 11 am, 11 am - 3:30 pm, 4 pm - 10 pm
- More the Buffet at Luxor; All you can eat all day for $29.99 Mon. - Fri. 7 am - 10 pm
- Rountable Buffet at Excalibur. All you can eat all day for $29.99. Open 7 am - 10 pm
- Mandarin Bar. 23rd Floor of the Mandarin Oriental. 4:30 pm - 1 am (2 am Fri. + Sat.). "Stylish Casual"
- Level 107 Lounge at Stratosphere. 4 pm - ?. Live Music 8 pm - 12:30 am (Wed. + Thur.), 9 pm - 1:30 am (Fri. + Sat.)
- Karaoke Club at Imperial Palace. 9 pm - ? (10 pm Fri. + Sat.)
- Drai's After Hours at Bill's Gamblin' Hall & Saloon. Thur. - Sun. 1 am - ?
- The Shoppes at Mandalay Place (there is a link to monthly coupons on that home page). Highlights are Nike Golf, The Art of Shaving (has a barber shop), Burger Bar, Hussong's Cantina
- The Forum Shops at Caesars Palace.
- Fashion Show Mall.
- Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood
- Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian
- Las Vegas Outlet Center. South of Mandalay Bay
- Las Vegas Premium Outlets. Near downtown.
- Fashion Outlets of Las Vegas. In Primm.
- Shark Reef Aquarium (and this link) at Mandalay Bay. 10 am - 8 pm Mon. - Thur. (10 pm Fri. and Sat.), $16.95
- Red Rock Canyon Scenic Drive
- Take pictures from the top floor of the City Center public parking lot.
- Lion Habitat at MGM Grand. Free.
- Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art. $15, 10 am - 6 pm
- Bellagio Botanical Gardens. Free, open 24 hours.
- Neil Leifer Gallery at Caesars Palace. 1 - 9 pm.
- The Auto Collections at Imperial Palace. 10 am - 6 pm.
- Stratosphere Observation Deck. $15.95.
- Cyber Speedway at Sahara. One race $10, all day unlimited pass $22.95. 12 - 10 pm.
- Pinball Hall of Fame. 1610 E. Tropicana 89119. 11 am - 11 pm (12 am Fri. + Sat.) Free.
- The Atomic Testing Museum. 10 am - 5 pm (Sun. 12 - 5 pm) $12
- The Neon Museum, Fremont Street Gallery. Boneyard closed until Summer 2010 for build-out.
- Gambler's General Store. 800 South Main St. 89101. 9 am - 6 pm.
- Gambler's Book Shop. 1550 E. Tropicana Ave. 89119. 9 am - 5 pm Mon. - Fri.
- Bonanza Gift Shop. "World's largest gift shop" at Sahara and The Strip. 8 am - 12 am
- Fremont Street Experience. Downtown
- Callaway Golf Center. Driving range, 9 holes of golf, fitting center. 1 mile south of Mandalay Bay.
- The Orleans
- South Point
- Red Rock Lanes and this link.
- Texas Station
- Santa Fe Station
- Sunset Station
- Wildfire Gaming
- Sam's Town
- Suncoast
- Gold Coast
Kart Racing:
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
LAX to Mumbai in Business
Being bored (and I love doing this kind of thing) I decided to look up what kinds of flights go to Mumbai from LAX. I'm hoping I can show what options are out there in an easy to read way in case you have a choice in how you get to Mumbai. There might just be an obviously more comfortable flight for you (or not, we will see).
Before I go any further I'll say if you can fly Virgin Atlantic Upper Class do it (they don't have business, but they do have economy plus... not as good as business). If you can't fly Upper Class on Virgin then keep reading.
Los Angeles to Newark to Los Angeles
Continental Airlines Business class - Not quite lie-flat seats; AC Power; Personal TV; 777
5 Hours 19 Min. / 15 Hours 10 Min.
Return: 15 Hours 45 Min. / 5 Hours 56 Min.
Los Angeles to JFK to Los Angeles
United or American to/from JFK and Air India JFK/Mumbai
United Business and American Business in the U.S. will be similar
Air India Business is called Executive Class - The good 777 planes have Lie Flat seats; EM Power (need adaptor); Personal TV (a beware... some of their planes don't have lie flat seats)
5 Hours 22 Min. / 15 Hours 15 Min.
Return: 15 Hours 55 Min. / 6 Hours 10 Min.
Los Angeles to Atlanta to Mumbai
Delta Elite Business - Some of their 777 planes have "mini suites" with Lie-Flat seats; AC Power; Personal TV
4 Hours 20 Min. / 15 Hours 50 Min.
Mumbai to Paris to Los Angeles seems to be the return for this
Delta ... operated by Air France
Air France Business called Affaires Class - Not quite lie-flats seats; AC Power; Personal TV
9 Hours 10 Min. / 11 Hours 30 Min.
Los Angeles to Frankfurt to Mumbai
Lufthansa Business - Not quite lie-flat seats; AC Power; Personal TV
10 Hours 45 Min. / 8 Hours 0 Min.
8 Hours 55 Min. / 11 Hours 35 Min.
Los Angeles to London to Mumbai
British Airways Business is called Club World Class - Lie Flat Seats; Em Power; Personal TV; 747 (you could sit in the upper deck!)
10 Hours 15 Min. / 9 Hours 0 Min.
9 Hours 20 Min. / 11 Hours 0 Min.
Los Angeles to Dubai to Mumbai
Emirates Business - Not quite lie flat seats or worse recliner seats; AC Power; Personal TV
15 Hours 55 Min. / 2 Hours 45 Min.
3 Hours 15 Min. / 16 Hours 35 Min.
Los Angeles to Hong Kong to Mumbai
Cathay Pacific Business; If you get their "New Business" the seats are extra wide Lie Flat seats; AC Power; Personal TV
14 Hours 35 Min. / 6 Hours 20 Min.
5 Hours 50 Min. / 13 Hours 0 Min.
Flight times are from Orbitz and can vary a lot depending on head winds going west and tail winds going east (it takes less time going east because of the winds).
Delta, British Airways, and Cathay Pacific seem to have the best business classes (if on a plane with the new seats).
British Airways through London avoids a 15 hour flight.
If you have a choice I hope one of these looks better than the others. If you don't have a choice then I hope you get a good flight.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Bangkok
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Hong Kong has gotten a little cheaper
leaving LAX on July 19th (July 20th arrival in HK) and leaving July
24th. Using Agoda.com I could see that hotel prices are down $50-$100
compared to six months ago. The price I like the most is $139 (plus
taxes) a night at The Langham in Kowloon (Tsim Sha Tsui). This is a
very nice hotel. On the cheaper side of things the BP International
Hotel has rooms starting at $67 (plus taxes).
Looking for flights I first went to Orbitz.com and the cheapest flight was China Air for just over $700 (taxes included), but it gets in late at night. I don't like that for two reasons. The first is that
you're wasting the cost of one night at the hotel by getting in so
late. Get to the hotel and go to bed (if you can fall asleep), which
leads to the second reason why I don't like to arrive late at night
when flying to Asia. I probably won't be able to fall asleep. When I
arrive in Asia I will be a zombie for a day so I want to stay busy
until bedtime. Go to the gym, walk around and explore near the hotel,
and anything else I can do to stay awake until nighttime. I have a
much better chance at sleeping the first night if I do these things.
The next cheapest flight was a China Airlines flight arriving earlier
in the day priced near $900. Also listed was a flight on EVA Air for
over $1000. I have flown them a few times and like the airline so I
decided to go to the EVA Air web site to see what prices they have.
This work computer couldn't handle the front page of EVA Air so I went
to the multi-stop page, selected July 19th as the departure date to
HKG and leaving the 24th to Taipei. The third leg is Taipei to LAX on
the 26th. Quite often doing a multi-city can escalate the cost many
hundreds of dollars, but not this time. Total cost with taxes in
economy LAX-HKG-TPE-LAX only $881.28. In Elite Class the fare jumps
too $1801.28, which really isn't that bad considering the extra leg
room and other perks.
I might just do this!
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Number One
What I think I have learned is that a non-famous person's blog needs to be specific about one topic. Hopefully a topic with passion behind it. I've decided to start this blog about travel. I think about travel every day. At some point the name of this blog will change ... and the layout will change ... and links will be added ... etc., but for now I am getting this started with the bearest of layout and my desire to blog about travel firmly in place.
I hope to blog about a few things. When I read an article online or in a newspaper's travel section I want to comment on it, "why would anyone want to go there" or "I would love to go there ... how much will it cost". I may be thinking about going somewhere and will use this blog to layout potential travel plans and costs. When I see emails promoting travel deals I may reflect on them here, is it a good deal, is the deal still available, etc. You get the idea. I'm sure what I write about will evolve. I also hope to have helpful links so that this is the place I would want to go to start my travel research, and hopefully others will follow.
Happy traveling!