Alan 
Top 7 Things I Do Each Trip to Las Vegas Tomorrow Las Vegas will re-open after two months of closure due to COVID-19. The last time I was in Vegas was in early March before the coronavirus started shutting things down in the United States. Vegas is going to look … Read more
Changes to Caesars Rewards due to Corona Virus Today (5/5/20) Caesars Rewards released information (and confirmed earlier rumors) that changes are being made to the casino loyalty program due to COVID19. Tier Status Earning Requirements Earning Tier Status for 2021 is easier. Below are the modifications to each status: Platinum: … Read more
Changes to M life due to Corona Virus Las Vegas is currently shut down. Even once the pandemic starts to get under control, people are going to be reluctant to travel and spend money. The casinos will reopen (maybe slowly) but it will be a long time before things get … Read more
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Status Extension for COVID19 Today Alaska Airlines announced their extension for Mileage Plan elite status due to the COVID19 Corona Virus pandemic. United and Delta have already released their plans. Read all about Alaska Airlines here. Here are the major take aways: Mileage Plan Status: Current … Read more
RavnAir ceases operations, town confiscates their planes RavnAir Group recently shutdown all operations; grounding all flights and laying off all employees. The company has 72 planes that fly for Ravn and Penair (which I flew a couple of times into Redding, CA before they cut their SFO-RDD route) that serve many … Read more
My Thoughts on Travel and COVID19 Over the past week, my thoughts on travel during this season of COVID19 have evolved. These are just a few of my musings. Retaining Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Status 10 days ago Alaska announced a promotion that offered 50% bonus Elite Qualifying Miles for … Read more
50% Elite Qualifying Miles Bonus on Alaska Flights Airlines are in trouble right now with the COVID19/Coronoavirus situation. Alaska Airlines is headquartered in Seattle, the epicenter of the outbreak in the US. We have already seen deep discounts on flights including $99 tickets to Hawaii on the airline. Now Alaska … Read more
Flamingo Las Vegas Flamingo Room Review Flamingo Las Vegas is an historic casino hotel on the strip. Opened in 1946, the property was owned by Bugsy Siegel (and his many mob ties) and had a total of 105 rooms. It is the oldest resort still in operation on the strip. … Read more
Rip Van Wafels Coming Soon on Alaska? Recently I received a message on Twitter from snack company Rip Van Wafels letting me know to be on the look out for their product on Alaska Airlines flights. According to Rip Van Wafels, Alaska is testing it out as a new complimentary … Read more
The Talbott Hotel Chicago Review UPDATE: The Talbott Hotel is no longer part of Hyatt. The Talbott Hotel in Chicago is part of the Joie de Vivre brand recently acquired by Hyatt. This means, in theory, guests receive the same benefits for Hyatt elite status as they would at any … Read more
Dining on the Amtrak California Zephyr Recently I took the California Zephyr across the country from Emeryville, CA to Chicago, IL. I traveled with my mom and we booked a Superliner Bedroom to have a bit more space. All rooms, whether a Bedroom or Roomette, include meals with the cost … Read more
Amtrak California Zephyr Train San Francisco to Chicago After riding the Coast Starlight from Los Angeles to Seattle, I was hooked on the idea of traveling by train. This time I convinced my mom to join me for an adventure on the California Zephyr. We were able to book a … Read more
Kimpton Buchanan Hotel San Francisco Review The Kimpton Buchanan Hotel is one of two (soon to be three) Kimpton properties in San Francisco. The building was originally a 4-story office building before they added on an additional 4 floors and converted it to a 131 room hotel. It reopened as … Read more
Napa Valley Wine Train & Tour During a stay at the Andaz Napa, I took the Napa Valley Wine Train with some family members. While there are a number of itineraries that you can book, we opted for the Grgich Hills Winery Tour. The tour included a one hour train … Read more
Andaz Napa Review The Andaz Napa was originally built in 2009 and opened under the Avia brand before Hyatt purchased the chain in 2011. The property reopened as a Hyatt Andaz in Fall 2012. Not much was changed about the property; which means the rooms are now 11 years old … Read more