My Travels

Went out to Vegas on United Airlines to enjoy a long weekend and visit some friends. I was doublebooked one night at the Encore and Elara due to an existing work conference trip and the Hilton timeshare minimum three night requirement. I have never stayed at Encore and the junior suite is very nice. The hotel room has a lot of tech amenities - built in ports in the nightstands and desk, lights controlled by tablet, an Amazon Alexa. Although, I'm not sure whose account is connected to Alexa.... For the location and amenities, I like the Elara. Easy to get to other parts of the strip and still stay central. Also, the rooms are nicer than the traditional timeshare styles. Meals DW Kitchen - I was able to convince a friend to pick me up and eat at this restaurant in the suburbs of Vegas. Jamaican influenced, I enjoyed the pesto torte and new mexican pork bowl. The portions can be large so prepare yourself. The fruit tart dessert was good but a little too sweet. The filling

Got on a United Airlines flight towards Atlanta. At the last minute, I opted to change flights and layed over in George Bush Intercontinental Airport. I was upgraded already on the second leg and became doubtful I would make the cut on the first leg. I saw myself get jumped by two other people and bumped down to number 3 on the list. In the end, I should have waited but a midnight flight and a drink in me made me reckless! Fortunately, the upgrade fee wasn't terrible but it still smarts. The downside of going through Houston also means the airport is a maze and the United Club difficult to find within Terminal B. Since it is a small plane, I was banished to the small plane gates which meant a 20 minute walk to both gate and the very small United Club. Westin Peachtree Plaza King Room Since MARTA is the easiest line to get directly into downtown and the Westin Peachtree Plaza Atlanta sits right in front of a stop, I opted to take mass transit. It was an easy 20 minute r