My Travels

Decided to do a local non-car trip and catch my first professional football game at the same time. Grabbed a roundtrip ticket on Amtrak and took the Pacific Surfliner down to downtown San Diego. The Orange County stations have free parking and it was a very pleasant trip as I was able to enjoy the scenery or work from my laptop without worrying about traffic or delays. Stayed at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel and Marina , a very lovely facility. The hotel was very active this weekend as there was a major convention in town and weekend travellers. The weather warmed up considerably and was pleasant at 70+ degrees. The facility had fire pits overlooking the marina as well as a couple of pools. The spa was fairly large as well. Not a bad spot to hang out if you're so inclined. After grabbing lunch at Quinn's, a pub in the lobby, wandered out to USS Midway checking out the naval carrier and planes on the ship. It was interesting to find out that the USS Midway was involved...

I've taken off to Ottawa to visit family. Airfares to Canada has really jumped and I opted to use miles to fly on this trip. It has been awhile since I've been on Air Canada and found the experience enjoyable. The planes are outfitted with individual monitors (typical JetBlue planes) with USB and electric outlet ports. It was nice to power up the phones, laptops, and watch personalized movies. I have to say that I always forget the international standards for passing through security since I tend to remember the American version most and get discombobulated when dealing with the security people. Since Ottawa isn't a typical destination city, I flew through Vancouver en route to Ottawa. The Maple Lounge at LAX was rather small but provided free internet. The Maple Lounge in Vancouver was nice and comfortable but internet was not free. Same provider, different prices. Even more ironic, the airport provides free wireless internet which makes the pay for use internet ...

I went up for the day to San Francisco for a baby shower. It has been a relatively good week of travel since I've been in first class for all the flights so far. Yay! Came into the city later than originally planned due to bad weather which will later turn out well for me. Since I missed my ride to the city, I caught the BART to the city using my new Translink card. I do enjoy that mass transit is moving towards plastic cards that can hold cash value. Makes travelling without cash so much easier... Hung out in downtown for the day and saw some friends. When I headed back to the airport, I was able to volunteer to be bumped off my original flight on United Airlines to a later flight. Garunteed first class seat and $400 in vouchers. So for all the incovenience of the flight delays today, I was happy to get some compensation.

Went to the Windy City fo work, I was able to secure automatic upgrades on United for my trip. A pleasant surprise, I arrived to stay at the Four Points by Sheraton by Midway Airport . A relatively old hotel, it was a pleasant stay with the free wireless internet, nightly water bottle service and the Wall Street Journal newspaper. The WSJ is nice as most hotels only provide USA Today as a reading source. Met up with a friend the first night and went out to Mike Ditka's in the Loop. I haven't been in several years and my friend, who is a local, actually never been. We shared the wedge salad, rib-eye steak, jalapeno hash browns and banana cream pie. The food did not disappoint! And before you think sharing seems wierd, the food portions are large that we were busting out of our stomachs with the food ordered. The next night, I went to Vivo for a company dinner. The food was rather forgettable and I was happy when the meal ended. The appetizers helped stave off my hung...

Looking to use some hotel certificates in hand, I was prompted with the idea of a trip to Germany. Ocktoberfest seemed like a good idea and blazed off to Munich. A couple of firsts for me on this trip. I've never flown on Lufthansa and never been to Germany which is also the most east I have travelled on this globe. At LAX , I normally don't fly out of Tom Bradley International terminal and was pleasantly surprised how nice it was inside. I stopped over at the Star Alliance lounge in the terminal and I think it is one of the nicest lounges at LAX. I'm always a sucker for free booze and the food was filling. There was chicken fried rice and ready-made ramen bowls to be had. Definite asian influence around here.... :) This is also my first time flying on an Airbus 340-600 . I'm assuming it is the counterpart to the Boeing 747 planes. The plane overall felt cramp and I'm convinced that Germans must like really warm weather. I'm not prone to being hot t...

I've headed to Hawaii for some R&R and catch up with some friends on the islands. Splitting my time between Oahu and Big Island, I landed at Oahu first. I checked into the Doubletree Alana Hotel in Waikiki. I haven't been in this hotel for a little bit and they were undergoing renovations while I was here. Probably a very large factor of why my room rate was super reasonable even for a USC football game/Labor Day Weekend. Upon arrival, I was only able to check into one of the two rooms reserved. I also found out that wireless internet is now free for high status HHonors members at all properties. Very cool! While waiting for my friend, wandered over to Puka Dogs for lunch. The only difference from the Kauai location was that the inside of the buns seemed extra toasted giving it a slight crunch. After wandering around the International Market Place and Waikiki Beach, my local friend acted as a taxi to get some hawaiian shaved ice from Waiola Market on 2135 Waiola ...

I think this is my last trip to Vegas for the year, the rest of the year will be devoted to college football season for my weekends. Headed to the Las Vegas Hilton for the usual weekend deal of $45/night. The casino marketing folks are getting good at sending out these crazy deals. Summer weekends are filling up the hotel as a parlor room was initially assigned when I checked in. I've stayed at parlor rooms before and they aren't usually pleasant. This particular parlor room was ok, the murphy bed wasn't terrible. The room was really big, at least the size of two normal rooms with a bar area and two full bathrooms. It made me think that this would be a great room for a reception type of party. Moved to a regular room the next day. Nicer digs and comfortable furnishings. It was a good move. Grabbed breakfast at the Wynn Buffet with some friends. Well, not really grabbed as I was there for two maybe going on three hours. The sushi can be avoided as the rice is a l...

Back in Arizona, this time it was a road trip. After finding out that it is only a six hour drive, I thought it might be worthwhile to drive out instead of fly especially since $100 airfares seem to have disappeared. I lucked out in having a car rental because of a fender bender and received a Nissan Altima hybrid from Hertz . Not a bad looking car, I averaged in the mid-30s mpg range, not as good as my own car but better than putting those miles on them. :) Arrived fairly late and checked into the Hilton Phoenix Airport , the rate was too low to not stay here for one night since it was going to be a short stay. It seems like a nice property with a full size bar/restaurant in the lobby area. Since it is a holiday weekend, the concierge level was closed. The rooms were nice with all the usual amenities. If you are interested in free wireless access, log onto the wireless network from nearby hotels. Hilton charges about $10 per night but some of their competitors are close enough...

I didn't plan on being in Vegas month after month but it just happened. This time, came out to show some out of town relatives Sin City. I stayed at the Las Vegas Hilton because I can't say no to free food and drinks. :) I only noticed with this trip that the food and drink coupons were no longer limited to a certain time. Before, the free buffets were only for breakfast but now open anytime of the day. Also, the free drinks had to be around happy hour time, now it is useable anytime. I was hoping to arrive at the sweet spot hour where they automatically give you suites but I ended up arriving way later than ideal and I wasn't able to negotiate much at the desk. After a room mixup (they tried to upsell me a suite upgrade and it ended up being occupied already), we were settled in. Between trying to get homework done and catch a some zzzz's, spent the day checking out the penny slots and Aria . I don't usually gamble at slot machines but ended up doing so whi...

Went to Chicago for a weekend getaway. I had heard from a friend that it has been muggy lately and packed accordingly for this weekend. With the new complimentary upgrade program at United, I was able to get into First class enroute to Chicago. I don't know if it is coincidental but I found the meal very good even the bread!  The carrot cake was ok though. Since I arrived so late in the night, opted to stay at the Hilton O'Hare Airport hotel and get some sleep (mostly did homework). It has been sometime since I've stayed at this hotel and remembered it being smaller for some reason. Word to the wise, the breakfast buffet can be passed unless you are looking for very basic items like cereal. Went into the city the next day and checked into the Conrad Chicago hotel .  Situated a little north of the loop, I liked the hotel when I stayed there when it was a Le Meridien hotel.  I haven't stayed here since it converted to a Conrad in 2005.  It also didn't hurt that I was...

I'm here for a couple of days for family reasons. I was put into First Class on a United flight and wasn't sure if it was because they had room or that I requested a wheelchair. In any case, it was a pleasant experience particularly for my companion. I also found the snack box amusing and it was sufficient for my needs. Too bad, I can't get the return flight in the same class! ;p As this is my first time travelling with special needs, it was interesting going through the airports escorted about even through customs. I don't know if it was faster than walking around but it certainly was interesting the routes they take you through the airport. Grabbed a Nissan Versa from Avis after landing. I haven't driven one in awhile and I think it has somewhat improved in handling. The mileage remains undetermined since I can't figure out liters to gallons to miles per gallon.... I checked into the Hilton Vancouver Metrotown hotel. I haven't been in a few y...

First trip to Vegas for 2010. I chose to stay at the Las Vegas Hilton from a promotional email they sent. Those things actually work time to time and I was able to snag the $60/night room rate which included a couple of free drinks and breakfast buffets. There were also an assortment of coupons for the various eateries in the hotel but I didn't utilize them. When we first arrived, we decided to grab a late night snack at the HofBrauhaus . I've actually never went and have seen the restaurant many times while in Vegas. It reminded me of a smaller versin of the Alpine Village in Torrance or Old World in Hungtington Beach. The food seemed ok to me and I don't recommend any of the desserts. I had a very good glass of reisling though! Afterwards, checked into the hotel. I've come to the conclusion that any room that requires you to go to the "Central Tower" elevators is bound to be a dissappointment. The room was very worn and could use some TLC. It was ...

A somewhat impromptu trip, I was incentivized by United Airline's cheap fare and discount coupon expiring to head out to the east coast. So here I am this weekend, out to enjoy some good eats and see some friends in the city. Arrived rather late and was able to crash at a friend's place in Brooklyn. Nearing midnight, she was able to take us to a local bar that still served food. Bar Tabac is sort of french gastropub. I had an assortment of brochettes from the bistro bites section of the menu and the brochettes were very good. My favorite was the lamb kebab, excellently prepared. On a side note, the bar takes only cash or Amex....not sure why only Amex but c'est la vie. My friend also introduced me to panache - a half sprite and Stella Artois beer combination. Good stuff. Took off for the city the next day and checked into the Hampton Inn Manhattan Chelsea . The hotel has been around for a little bit. As expected, the hallways and lobby felt a little small but t...

I'm in the Bay area for a conference, looking forward to seeing old colleauges and meeting new ones. After some hunting around, I decided to stay in the Fisherman's Wharf area. I usually like being in this area during the work week as it isn't as crowded as the downtown area and there is a 24 hour fitness gym within walking distance of the Hilton Fisherman's Wharf hotel . I also like coming to this hotel because they tend to treat me a little better than the others, maybe because they don't get as many HHonors members. Also, the internet provider here is AT&T . Normally not a big deal but I am an AT&T internet customer and can access the internet without charge. Always a plus to not pay additional money for internet. I was given a junior suite and it is rather comfy and large. The only odd thing about the room is that it is a little dark as there is only one window and it is rather small for the size of the room. The continental breakfast offered is...

I had a wedding to attend to this weekend and decided to stay closer to the venue since I was part of the bridal party. After running around Friday afternoon for the rehearsal, checked into the Hilton Checkers in Downtown LA. I've always wondered about the hotel as I usually don't have a reason to stay overnight. The hotel itself has a very boutique feel to it with the boutique pricing too! ;) The room was tastely decorated although it did feel a little cramped. I saw this cool audio box thing by the TV, it looked like you could plug in stuff and have it displayed on the flat screen TV. Didn't try but it looked cool. Parking in downtown is always difficult but I wouldn't recommend parking at the hotel, they charge $40/night. Yikes! Street parking is available overnight but you have to be willing to walk a couple of blocks and find a metered space. I was also able to check out the Kyoto Grand Hotel and Garden since the ceremony was at this hotel. I've hung ou...

It seems ironic that I'm delayed home on this vacation trip. One of the main reasons of going to Puerto Rico was that I had a voucher from United Airlines from a previous vacation and now I'm going to get another one. :) Due to mechanical problems, arrived into Dulles Airport too late to catch any other flight towards the West Coast. Upon landing, the steward handed out little cards directing me to a website to choose my goodwill compensation. I was notified via email that I was rerouted to the next day's flights, customer service informed me that checked luggage will remain at the airport, and was handed hotel and meal vouchers. The hotel voucher was good at the Hyatt Dulles Airport . I forgot to grab the United toiletry bag before leaving the airport. Luckily, the hotel already has toothpaste as part of the toiletries and the front desk had a toothbrush. The room was spacious and modern with some tech amenities, I haven't come across a Hyatt that isn't ni...