What follows is the report of my trip which lasted four nights this past week, on the first leg of a business trip to San Francisco. The primary purpose of the stop-over in Las Vegas was to meet a friend of mine who was having his bachelor party in town.

I have two regrets on this trip: (1) The money I lost; and (2) That I did not get to attend a meet w/ some former Prodigy friends who I have yet to meet in person. Other than that, as usual, I had a great time.

One other comment: Since I spent much of this trip gambling, my comments on most aspects of the trip are rather sparse. I have, however, commented in-depth on National Airlines, because I know there have been a fair number of questions about the carrier.

Now, on to the report. Please do not reply until after the "Epilogue." Thanks.

Day 1 - Saturday

Took National Airlines out of JFK. Couldn't beat the fare I got, so it was worth the inconvenience (Newark is much more convenient
for me). In addition, I was going on to San Francisco on business after a few days in Vegas, so the free stop-over offered by National was too good to pass up. Total round-trip fare for JFK to Las Vegas to San Francisco to JFK (through Las Vegas) was
$296.

My flight out was 12:10 pm, on a Saturday afternoon. I left my house early (8:30 a.m.), hoping to get an up-grade to first class and because I was not familiar with JFK.

No traffic to JFK, and I was there at around 9:30 a.m. Parked my car right outside the National terminal, unloaded my bags, and
went in to the check-in. There was only one person in line ahead of me. When I got to the counter, the woman seemed a bit confused by the whole process. I told her I was staying at Harrah's, and she gave me Harrah's tags to put on my bags (if
you're staying at Harrah's or Rio, they'll deliver your bags right to your room -- I'll let you know how that turns out). I
told the lady I wanted an upgrade and, after some confusion, she said that an upgrade was available. I paid the $90 upgrade fee
and, about 20 minutes later, was on my way. Not efficient, but I got my upgrade.

As an aside, for those departing JFK, I recommend the long-term parking lots. Although they're a bit of a drive, and you have to take a shuttle bus back to the terminals, the long-term parking is just $8 a day, as opposed to $24/day for the regular lot.

At 10:30 a.m. I was walking back into the National terminal. There was a LONG check-in line at this point. I HIGHLY recommend
getting to JFK early if you're flying National, both to try to get the upgrade and to avoid the lines with what appears to be a somewhat ill-informed staff at the present time.

The flight out was uneventful, but pleasant in first class. The pluses on National: easy upgrades; direct flights; inexpensive;
good, full, meals. The negatives: no in-flight movie; no in-flight radio; no in-flight magazine. A word on the food
service: National does what it calls "real meals." The first class meal was served on "actual" plates, with "real" utensils
and "real" cups. I believe the same is true in the main cabin. The first class meal began with a caesar salad (bitter greens,
I'm not crazy about). Then came a choice of steak or ravioli. I took the ravioli, which was stuffed with mushroom and artichoke
(I believe), and was quite good. For desert, there was cheesecake (decent quality). All in all, very nice.

Landed on time, and went straight to Dollar, where I had reserved a convertible for 4 days (maybe I'm having a bit of a mid-life
crisis, with my first child due in a few months!). Anyway, the rate for the Chrysler Seabring was $56/day, and I figured it was
worth it since I planned to drive out to Red Rock and Summerlin. No big hassle at Dollar, although I did get a fair push
from the lady to take liability insurance. Also, I didn't notice until I was returning the car that she had signed me up for the
"don't bother filling the car back up, we'll charge you a buck-thirty a gallon for a full-tank" option. In the end, this cost me about an extra 10 bucks, but it annoyed me that she didn't ask what option I wanted.

Stopped downtown first, for a .99 shrimp cocktail and some low limit blackjack at Golden Gate. This is one of those little
traditions I have that I just love. Sat at my favorite seat by the pictures of the Golden Gate Bridge (which I would be seeing
in person in a few days), enjoyed my tiny shrimp and beer, and listened to the piano player. Played some low-limit BJ, but
couldn't take my eyes off the Mets-Pirates game that was playing on the T.V. over the bartender's head. Finally left the table, played some video poker at the bar, and watched the Mets pull out a big game, after which they were tied with the Reds for the wildcard, with one game left to go in the regular season.

Check-in at Harrah's went smoothly. I had one night there at casino rate ($75 for Saturday night), followed by three nights at
the Rio. Room was okay, and I'm pleased to say that my bags were waiting for me at the bell desk, and were delivered to my room
promptly with a call downstairs.

My stopover in Vegas was to meet a friend who was having a bachelor party weekend. His group was staying at the Hard Rock,
so I headed over there to meet them.

Hard Rock was packed, mostly with beautiful young women. Met my friend at Nobu, where the group had dinner reservations. I had
never even eaten sushi before, so I was a bit tentative. But, as a friend of mine said, if you eat raw fish at Nobu for the first time, don't expect it to be that way everywhere.

Dinner was excellent. I let the more experienced folks in the group do the ordering, but a know I had raw tuna, many types of sushi, shrimp tempura, and a few other things. At the end of the meal, the bill came to about $80 a person. A wonderful meal. Oh, and by the way, the beautiful people from the casino overflowed into Nobu.

By the end of the meal I was beat, so while my friend and his group hit the town to make merry, I headed back to Harrah's for a little BJ (won a bit), and then bed.

Day 2 - Sunday

During the day, I decided to drive a bit (donning a cap, to keep the top of my head from burning!). Went out to Red Rock for a
spin, which always is beautiful. Then I tried to find the Resort at Sumerling. And tried. And tried. And asked directions. And still got lost. Finally, I found it. As someone else on this BB has indicated, it is easy to miss, so make sure you know where
you are going.

I decided to try the Sunday brunch, which was a steep $25 a person. It was excellent, I think significantly better than Bellagio's Sunday brunch both in terms of quality and selection. However, I don't think it's worth $25 in a town where one can get some pretty darn good buffets for a lot less (e.g., Main Street Station). However, if you like sushi (good, though not as good as Nobu the night before!), and some other good quality seafood, and if you can drink a bunch of sangria (quality just o.k.), then it's worth a try. And all this is said, by the way, with the disclaimer that I am NOT a big fan of buffets in general.

As an aside, I made a tactical mistake when I waited until after lunch to get a players card at Summerlin. As I had read (but
forgotten), the Resort awards comp points even for purchases at the hotel. In any even, I settled in at the bar for some video
poker, and to watch the Mets play the season finale with the Pirates. The bartender, and all the staff, were very friendly, and I'm pleased to say that I watched the Mets squeak out another one-run victory. They know were guaranteed at least a one-game
playoff with the Reds.

Forgot to mention that I packed up my bags and checked out of Harrah's before I left that morning, so it was straight to the
Rio for check-in. Had a casino package for three nights at $219 (before tax), with a two for one at the spa (didn't use it) and
two free tickets to ride in the sky show (didn't use it).

As I sit here, I'm racking my brain trying to remember where I ate for dinner that night! If I remember, I'll post it latter. In any event, after dinner, played BJ for a while, taking a pretty big hit. This was the beginning of a rough streak of cards for me. Hit the sack, late Las Vegas time, later New York time.

Day 3 - Monday

Slept in for a bit, then had a good, fast, lunch at Mamma Marie's
at the Rio. Then, it was off to see Paris (Las Vegas). I think
they pulled this theme off well. Visited the top of the Eiffel
Tower, which was worth doing once. I will warn anyone who is
afraid of heights that the ride up in the glass elevator got a
few people a bit antsy. I enjoyed the shops, and would have
stopped in at Napoleon's for a brandy and cigar if I had a friend
with me.

Stopped at Barbary Coast to play a little double-deck BJ while
watching the one-game playoff between the Mets and the Reds.
Couldn't concentrate on the blackjack, so I decided to just watch
the game. Al Leiter pitched a gem, and the Mets took it from an
excellent and well-deserving Reds team. On to play the
Diamondbacks.

Back to Rio where I was meeting my bachelor friend for a nice
dinner at Fiore, one of my favorites. Had an excellent dinner as
usual, with a nice bottle of wine, escargot appetizer (wonderful)
and a good risotto main course. Left well-sated, though
unprepared for the brutality of the blackjack gods that awaited
me. Not a good trip for gambling for me, but still I was fat and
drunk (well, not TOO drunk). To bed.

Day 4 - Tuesday

Last full day. Played a bit, lost a bit. Decided to have the
seafood buffet, which I always enjoy. Still very good, but
pricey ($25/person, I think). I think this is a better buffet
than the same-price Summerlin, if you like seafood, of course.
The best part of this buffet is the desert section; just
fantastic. I saved room for desert, though not much.

Also saw the Venetian today, which is really quite nice, though
still not finished. Visited Madam Tousade's (sp?) wax museum,
which I thought was really well-worth it (though my expectations
were not high going in). The likenesses really are amazing, and
they allow you to touch and pose with the figures. A lot of fun,
IMO. And stay for the cute 8 minute show at the end of the tour.

Grabbed a bite to eat, and then headed back to the Rio. Lost
some more money, went to the room, and packed while watching the
Mets beat the Diamondbacks in the first game of their playoff
series. To bed, early, and beat (given my BJ play, I was beat in
more ways than one).

Day 5 - Wednesday

Woke up relatively early, given my 11:30 a.m. flight to San
Francisco. Checked in at the National desk at the Rio with no
problem, and upgraded to first class for $30 (one way, to San
Francisco). I found checking in there to be EXTREMELY
convenient, and the personnel at the Rio were very pleasant. Had
a little breakfast, and returned my car to Dollar. What a joy
just having to take my carry-on, with my bags already checked and
headed to the airport.

Flight to SF was delayed (fog - surprise), but again I found the
National personnel to be very pleasant and helpful. Flight to SF
was uneventful (and I spent three beautiful days there, albeit on
business).

Epilogue

On my flight back to JFK, Saturday morning, I stopped for an hour
in Las Vegas. This was the first time I have ever flown into
Vegas without leaving the airport. How depressing!! On the plus
side, my trip back on National was excellent. Got upgraded on
both legs ($30 SF to LV, $90 LV to NY). Flights were perfectly
on time, and the food service on the LV to NY leg was excellent.
Salad, beef kabob (or eggplant ravioli), a delicious tiramissu
(with an after-dinner drink), followed by wine and cheese, and
ending with a cookie. Between typing this report, grading papers
for an adjunct class I teach, and eating, eating, eating, I
didn't even realize that there was no movie! Bottom line, I
would highly-recommend National, certainly if you are going to
upgrade to first class.


That's it for my trip report. Please feel free to post any questions, etc. Thanks.



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Mark L. in NJ

MarkL,
Excelent report! So glad to hear all the good press on National Airlines. I must admit, Sue's more then a little cautious about flying them. She keeps making comparisons to Value jet. <s>
Sonner or later, she'll waer down and agree to fly them. I figure just about the time all the cheap fares are gone! <s>

Sure sounds like you ate really well onthis trip. I'm still passing on the option to eat raw fish. I'll probably be the second to last person on the planet to try it (my wife being the last person). LOL

The Hard Rock does have some beautiful things to look at though. Oink, Oink!

Thanks for taking the time to type it all out for us! BTW, when do we all get a chance to meet you, anyway?



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Lee-PA
Moderator, What's New Forum
lee@talkvegas.com

Lee --

Thanks for the nice note. I really am looking forward to getting together with some of you folks in the near future. Oh, well, guess I'll just keep having to take trips to Las Vegas!!

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Mark L. in NJ

Mark: Wonderful trip report and thanks for posting it for us. It's too bad things didn't work out and you didn't get to meet up with us. Now that you missed the LV meet, would it kill ya to meet some of us in AC sometime? <vbg>

Whatta deal with National from JFK. So far so good hearing about the experiences with National.

Thanks for the Nobu review and for the warning about the Tragically Hip making their appearance. I assume it's probably the same in NYC since it's a hot spot there too.

How about those Mets and Yankees?

Mark,

Thans for the report. The National deal sounds pretty nice. They're nowhere close to Columbus OH so will stick with America West for now.

Didn't make it to the Hard Rock this trip but I sure remember the nice sites there.

Sounds like you had a nice trip. Better luck on the gambling next time.

jm

Mark,
Thanks for writing a great trip report. I really enjoyed reading it. I'm sorry we didn't get to meet you this trip, but as Veronica, my AC buddy said, maybe you can make a trip to Atlantic City sometime.

We flew National airlines from JFK this time also. I guess we were lucky, because the woman that checked us in was very pleasant and really knew what she was doing. Too bad they fly out of that terminal 4. It was the first time I flew out of JFK and I think Allentown airport is nicer than terminal 4 and believe me Allentown airport is nothing to brag about. <vbg> John Sr. told me that the rest of the airport is much nicer. <vbg>

Lee Ann
Past, Present and Future Forum Moderator
leeann@talkvegas.com

Mark,

Excellent report! Sounds like it was fun despite the losses! I'm thrilled to hear about Nobu as I am a sushi aficianado and nothing is better than a good Japanese restaurant for me!

I'm like you....I have so many people yet to meet on this terrific board. It would help if I could get into LV a little more! It's been TOO long!

Mark,

Thanks for the trip report. We are still waiting for info from National about flights out of Philadelphia. Maybe someone can post detailed directions to Summerlin. It sounds like we need them. Don't feel alone about not having lots of luck gambling. The BAD LUCK CLUB has a high enrollment but the sights and good times make up for it. Hope to meet you in the future.

Veronica:

Thanks for the note.

I would love to attend a meet in A.C. one of these days. Let me know if one is planned.

Possible subway series! All I need from life right now is for the Mets to beat Braves!!
____________

Jeff:

Always a great trip to Vegas, even when I lose! I suppose that's how they keep us coming back!!

Thanks for the kind words.
___________

Lee Ann:

Yes, except for the few minor glitches, the trip on National was great; just can't stand that terminal Terminal at JFK! :-)
_____________

Trina:

Thanks! As I said, this was the first time for sushi for me, so it was a great experience. They also had Kobe beef on the menu, at (I think) $18 an ounce.

Now, if I recall correctly from the old Prodigy days, you at least have met a FEW people from the board in LV. Hopefully we can meet at a meet soon!
_____________

Fred:

The Resort at Summerlin was near IMPOSSIBLE to find for me, and I was HUNGRY too!!

Thanks for the nice words about my report.




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Mark L. in NJ

Mark - Thanks for the excellent report. This is my favorite part of the board - Reading about other people's experiences. Heck we could have been in the GG at the same time as we spent many afternoons there eating pastrami sandwiches. Did you have the small or large shrimp cocktail? I wasn't impressed this time. Seems the quality has changed on the small one. I only had one this trip. Steve indicated that the large one was really good.

I am jealous that you spent time at my favorite city in the US - SF. This is where we are moving when we hit the lottery. [img]http://www.talkvegas.com/ubb/smile.gif[/img] I sat right under the same picture. Also sat under the Cliff House one a couple of times.

Thanks again for the report.



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Doye/KY

Fred and all,
I received directions to Summerlin from a friend who lives in LV, actually within a mile of the Resort. We were meeting him and his family along with another friend for dinner at the buffet one evening during our recent trip. I will comment on the buffet in my forthcoming trip report. For now, here are the directions. Take Rte 15 north to Rte 95 north. Get off at Summerlin Parkway exit. No right or left necessary, the road just curves around over 95. Take the Rampart Blvd. exit off of Summerlin Parkway. Take a left at light at bottom of ramp. Proceed a short distance ( I'm guessing about 1/5 mile ) and the Resort will be on your right.
The golf course layout was fantastic, the view of the strip and downtown was spectacular, and the casino itself was gorgeous. I wouldn't mind staying there for a day or two on a 6 or 7 day trip to LV.

Michael
Hotel/Casino Moderator
michael@talkvegas.com

MarkL,
Thanks so much for your trip report. It was great. Oh, and congratulations with the baby on the way!
Gail, Lancaster, CA.

Doye --

Had a great time in SF, even though it was (at least part) business.

As for the GG shrimp cocktail, I actually was thinking that the shrimp was of better quality this most recent time! Perhaps you got a particularly bad batch, or I got a particularly good one. In any event, I always enjoy that little trip to the Golden Gate (meaning the one in LV! :-)).
______

Gail:

Thank you so much for the good wishes on my upcoming first!! One of my big fears is that my LV trips will be severely curtailed! Well worth it, though, I'm sure. I'm very excited.

Thanks again.


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Mark L. in NJ

Mark, Glad to see you posting here. Sorry we didn't get to meet at Tommy Rockers. One of these days we'll be in Las Vegas at the same time. Sorry you didn't have good luck at the tables.
It sounds like National has something good going. All the reports have been positive. Thanks for posting about your trip.

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John
Moderator Dining Forum
john@talkvegas.com

Mark L, Thanks so much for the trip report. Sorry we could not meet this trip. Next time, I hope.

Mark>>Visited the top of the Eiffel
Tower, which was worth doing once. I will warn anyone who is afraid of heights that the ride up in the glass elevator got a
few people a bit antsy.<<

Mark, I got antsy on the elevator to the top of the Strat. The elevator attendant asked me if I was okay. Is the Eiffel Tower elevator worse than the Strat? How about if I keep my eyes closed <g>?

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gail@talkvegas.com
Moderator, TalkVegas After Hours
Administrator, TalkVegas BB

John:

I'm glad to still be able to "Talk Vegas" with such a knowledgable and friendly group. Hope to get to a meet one of these days!!
______

Gail:

I think the Eifel elevator would be much more difficult for anyone scared of heights, because it is completely glass-enclosed. Even I was a bit nervous, and I wasn't at all nervous at the Strat.

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Mark L. in NJ

Great trip report! Thanks for posting all the details.

Mark, it's nice to see you posting reports again. I think National really started something with the hotel check-in; I just read that Hilton will be experimenting with the same idea at Bally's....there deal is through a flight clearing center, so check-in should be available through several airlines.