The links below are roughly in the order I posted them, with newest at the top. The links at left are organized by geographical location.

Miami Beach (Dec. 2009)

As I was arranging the pictures from our latest trip to Miami Beach, I noticed how colorful the montage looked, and how well the colors seem to go together. The green of the trees, the blue of the ocean and sky, the light sand, and the colorful buildings, all seem to blend well so the sum is greater than the parts. May be this is one of the best things about Miami, and what keeps bringing people back. And the great weather in winter, of course. This last winter (2009/10) was one of the coldest in Miami in several years, and the night temps went into the 40's several times, and into the 30's once or twice. We got lucky, we were there Dec 23 to Jan 3, and the cool stuff largely held off until Jan 2, so we faced cool weather only a couple of days.

We stayed at the Shelborne, 1801 Collins Ave, in a privately rented studio on the 7'th floor. We located the place by searching at http://www.vacationhomerentals.com/. The Shelborne is a condo-hotel, and consists of privately owned studios/apartments, some of which are rented via the hotel program, and others directly by the owners. The studio we rented is known as Alyssa's Beach Loft, and was rented diectly from the owners, Jim and Ana. We got a very fair rate, and had no trouble checking in as Jim met us on arrival. We have stayed at the Shelborne before, so knew what to expect. This once grand hotel is looking a bit worn, but still has a great location on the beach, and the pool is very nice. Our particular unit faced the west (city view) and was quite spacious and well furnished, though the carpet was a bit worn. It included almost everything one might need, such as Internet access (wired), TV, a small kitchen, ice maker, a bottle of wine, etc. Overall the accomodations were comfortable, not deluxe, and I would rate it a very good value.

There isn't much parking around the hotel, but we did not rent a car except for the last couple of days, relying instead on walking or the 25c south beach local bus that circles south beach. The weather, though not very cool, was often quite windy or cloudy, and this limited beach time. We spent a fair amount of time just walking, going to restaurants and shops etc. We also visited Parkland (NW suburb of Fort Lauderdale), and the last couple of days we rented a car and went to Florida City, Robert is Here, and the Redlands Market. The Redlands Market (24420 S. Dixie Hwy) is quite interesting. It is a combination flea and farmers market, and we'll be sure to re-visit in the future. There are several Mexican restaurants that seem very authentic and inexpensive, but the signs are all in Spanish. Almost like being in a small town in Mexico. You will find a few pictures from there among the Dec 2009 photos.

We got to celebrate both Christmas and New Years on south beach. Christmas itself is a slow time, with a few more lights than usual on Lincoln Rd and Ocean Drive, and about half the restaurants are open, but the main crowd of tourists arrives the day after Christams, and reaches its peak on New Years eve, with a fireworks display at midnight on the beach near 10'th Street. The fireworks are a fun event, short (about 5 to 10 mins) but quite intense. I estimate the crowd at about 100,000 people though it is difficult to be sure. Ocean Drive was closed to traffic for the day. We met some friends for dinner and fireworks, and were lucky to get a table for 8 for pizza at our favorite pizza place, Pizzeria d'Angolo (1446 Washington), corner of Washington and Espanola Way. All in all a very good way to ring in the New Year, though I was glad we were staying there and did not have to drive or park.

We tried a number of retaurants on this trip, including the afore-mentioned Pizzeria d'Angolo (their basil, mozzarella, tomato pizza is still our favorite), Sosta's on Lincoln Rd (a bit disappointing, pizza crust was very good but toppings were dry and salty, chocolate cake was good but lighting was too dark, etc.), the new Five Guys at the corner of Washington and 15th (hamburgers and fries were above average but not outstanding, and sizes were too large, must remember to order the smallest size of everything if we go there again), Hosteria Romano, 1200 block Ocean Drive (very good overall though pizza was probably too big for one person, and the spaghetti with garlic was a bit bland, this place has a cheerful vibe), Front Porch Cafe, 1400 block Ocean Drive (one of my favorites on Ocean Dr, good quality, reasonable prices, they close too early in the evenings), Guru Indian, 12'th Street between Collins and Washington (seems better than previous trips, more spicy as well, may be they got a new cook, this is currently the only Indian option in south beach), T-mex Mexican, opposite Club Deuce between Collins and Washington on 14th Street (this is the former San Loco, seems tamer now with milder food, OK but not as good as it once was), Big Pink, 100 block Collins (good for breakfast but portions are absurdly large and we'll be sure to order only one item and share if we return there), Primo Pizza, 1st Street between Ocean and Collins (average NY style pizza by the slice, inexpensive but not memorable), Paul bakery, on Lincoln near Drexel (excellent sandwiches and breads). Finally we stopped for breakfast at Joe's Stone Crabs, in the take-out section, for an excellent and inexpensive breakfast. This is one of our favorite places for breakfast, and I hope all of you don't decide to visit and make it crowded as they have limited seating. They also have great granola/muesli available in plastic bags near the checkout and we bought several as it is just great.

Overall another fun trip, and we'll surely be back.

Click here for the Miami Beach Dec 2009 photos.

Las Vegas (Sep. 2009)

We were in Las Vegas for about 4 days over the Labor Day weekend, and the pictures are attached. It may seem that if you go to the same place once a year that you might get tired of it, and that is probably true for some places, but Vegas is different. It has a certain energy and dynamic that never gets stale, and it seems to have something new every year. It is no surprise that it is the foremost tourist attraction in the entire country, and continues to grow. We certainly did not feel bored any of the times we have been there.

One of the things we noticed is that there were crowds everywhere. A lot of this was due to the holiday (Labor Day) weekend, but still it was impressive in light of the reporting about the recession. I don't recall the casinos being this busy since our trip over July 4, 2003 (when it was even more crowded). Also, after a brief dip on Monday Sep. 7, the crowd was picking up again the next day.

We arrived after dark on Friday evening and had no problems checking into our room at Ballys. This was our second time staying at Ballys, and I now consider it superior to either of its neighbors (Paris and Flamingo), and one of the best values in Vegas when you consider all factors. The rooms are clean and spacious, the beds comfortable, the rates competitive, the elevators fast, and the location just about the best. On the down side, the view is just average, the hotel and casino have no distinguishing theme, the restaurants are average (though Paris is next door), and there is often a long walk from room to elevator.

We spent a couple of hours each of the first two nights on Fremont Street downtown, and there were thousands of people there. They had bands playing music from 1960's (a tribute to Woodstock) and it was more lively than anything in recent memory. The west end of Fremont (towards Plaza) was quite busy, but the east end was still struggling. We dropped in at the Rio to see the free "Masquerade in the Sky" show, and it is still fun and worth seeing, though they have reduced the frequency from every day to about 3 days per week.

We visited the Encore casino, which is brand new and had opened for business since out last visit. In some ways it is like the Wynn (which is very good), but has an unusual pink and red color theme. On balance I think it works, though may not be for everyone, and I hope they can attract enough hotel guests to fill the thousands of rooms. The properties across the Strip (New Frontier and Stardust) had been demolished and the area looks like a construction site but no visible building yet. About a mile further north, the gigantic Fontainbleu project looks nearly complete from the outside, but apparently financing problems have led to a halt in construction. The even more gigantic City Center project (between Bellagio and Monte Carlo) seems closer to completion, and one of the units (Vdara) is already accepting room reservations. When completed the project will have 10000+ employees and as many guests, and one has to wonder how the traffic will flow in that area. As a start, Harmon Ave is now a dead-end before the Strip.

On the dining front, we tried three different Indian restaurants on 3 of the nights. Las Vegas has never been known for great Indian food, but now I think we can say there are at least three decent choices. Not at the top level, but certainly not bad either. We tried the new Mt. Everest (3641 W. Sahara) and found it to be better than expected from its strip mall location. We tried Origin India (corner of Harmon and Paradise) and found it better than our last visit a couple of years ago. Origin India has the best ambience among the Indian places in Vegas, and the menu is more inventive, but they don't have all the usual Indian menu standards. One thing I liked is they have a few dishes in smaller portions at reduced prices. Finally we dined at India Palace on Twain Ave (a block east of Paradise) and found it as we recalled from earlier visits, authentic food at reasonable prices, ambience about average.

We did not have time to go out of town, but spent time in our usual casino favorites (Caesars, Paris, Flamingo, Bellagio, Venetian) plus went to Luxor after several years. It still feels a bit too hushed in there. We spent one evening at the free "Sirens" show outside Treasure Island. Due to very limited space you have to get there about 30 mins early to grab a good viewing spot (which we did), and while the show has good pyrotechincs it moves a bit slowly, and I would rate it lower than the free sky show at Rio. We went up and down the spiral escalator at the forum shops at Caesars, tried the very good new pastry shop (Payard's) inside the casino, our favorite coconut gelato at Bellagio, and hung out at the fountains, which I still consider the best single attraction in Vegas.

The weather was great as expected for early September, warm but low humidity, and blue skies every day. Another great time in Vegas we hope to repeat in the future.

Click here for the Vegas 2009 photos.

San Francisco (July 2009)

We were in the Bay area over the July 4 weekend. The main purpose of the trip was a get-together with old friends, the 5 guys who shared a house on Breese Terrace back in 1976-1977 while in school at the Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison. We had fallen out of touch over 30 years, but since 2007 are in contact again. In fact, this was the third time we had a reunion of sorts since 2007 (really the fourth, if you count the time Pradeep's plane could not land due to a blizzard and Tom managed to get the car stuck in the driveway). Pradeep, Prem and Rod now live in Silicon Valley (Palo Alto and Saratoga), and have great careers in the high-tech industry. Tom lives in Minnesota and has a successful career with Northwest Airlines (now merged with Delta, and moving to Atlanta). And yours truly, still living the student life at the Univ. of Wisconsin. It is interesting how things change over 30 years. We have more grey hair (except Prem), lovely families, and much has happened, and yet there were moments when it felt like it was just yesterday that we were back at No. 10 Breese Terrace.

We had a great time. Pradeep and his wife Ranjana are perfect hosts, and we felt right at home in their grand home in Palo Alto. The weekend started with a Thursday night dinner at their place, and everyone was there even though we did not get in until after 11 PM due to flight delays in Denver (the airport at Denver does have free wireless network access).

The first full day, we went to Shoreline Park in Mountain View. This is a large and wonderful park at the southern tip of San Francisco Bay, offering opportunities for hiking, biking, boating, golfing and birdwatching. We spent a very pleasant 4 hours there, with lunch at the nice cafeteria in the park. Pradeep and Tom took a sailboat out on the lake, and we kept our fingers crossed. In the evening we were all invited to dinner at Prem and Majula's house in the Saratoga hills. They truly live the California lifestyle, with a large deck overlooking hills, redwoods, vineyards, the oldest winery in California, and there must have been a hot-tub tucked away. It was a great evening with dinner, friends and home videos.

On day 2 (Saturday), we drove in 3 cars to Carmel and spent a very pleasant few hours there, starting with the Carmel Mission. The mission, established in 1770, consists of a church, museum, courtyard, and very nice gardens. The weather was a bit cloudy but cleared up later in the afternoon. From there we drove down the coast on Hwy 1 almost all the way to Big Sur. This is justly one of the most scenic drives in the world, and we stopped several times to take pictures. Tom and Pradeep went to the very edge of the steep cliffs, and we kept our fingers crossed. Then we drove back to Carmel and had lunch followed by a walk down Ocean Ave to the beach, which is very scenic but the water seemed a bit chilly. Finally we drove along famous 17-mile drive on the Monterrey Peninsula, going by famous places like Pebble Beach, Lone Cypress, and the million-dollar homes along Spyglass Hill golf course. On the way back Prem let us stop and shop for garlic in the garlic capital (Gilroy) and showed us the new Sikh Gurdwara in San Jose. Dinner for the large group of 17 was at the Fiesta Mexican restaurant in Mountain View.

Day 3, Sunday, July 5. Watched the Wimbledon mens finals in the morning (Federer beat Roddick in five sets), said goodbye and many thanks to Pradeep and Ranjana, spent a very pleasant hour visiting with Pradeep's parents at their home in Palo Alto, then drove up through the city to Sonoma Valley and wine country. We had heard about this area, but never been there, and it is indeed worth another visit. We spent the afternoon there, a wonderful drive along rolling hills, vineyards, small towns. The main roads were busy, but with a good map it was easy to find small side-roads with hardly any traffic. On the way back we drove up the scenic road just north of the Golden Gate in the Marin headlands, with picture-postcard views of the bridge, the city, the bay, and the Pacific. We wrapped up the day by driving down crooked Lombard Street and walking in and around Union Square (an excellent suggestion by Priya). We stayed overnight at the Days Inn next to the airport due to the very early morning flight the next day.

The Northwest flight via Minneapolis on July 6 was on time with clear skies. Passed over many well-known places like Sacramento, Lake Tahoe, the Great Salt Lake, Rocky Mountains, the Badlands of SD, Mall of America, and others. Got some good pictures.

San Francisco is a place where you can't really go wrong visiting, and made very special by spending time with old and generous friends.

Click here for the San Francisco 2009 photos.

Miami Beach (Feb. 2009)

We were in Miami Beach for the last week of Feb. 2009. We prefer this time of the year because it is after boat show week, and before spring break, so the crowding is moderate. It is still quite cold in Wisconsin, but in Miami the days are slightly longer and warmer than, say, early January. I have noticed a trend that the spring breakers are starting to appear in Miami Beach earlier and in larger numbers than in the past. This trend was very visible this year, and inspite of a reported recession there was no shortage of tourists by the time we returned home on Mar. 1.

Another trend I've noticed is the general improvement and increasing popularity of the areas that border Ocean Drive. Specifically, the area just north of Ocean Drive (from 15'th to 23'rd Streets, centered around Lincoln Road), and the area known as SoFi (South of Fifth). We spent some time walking around both of these areas, and they are busier then ever, with many new new restaurants, businesses, hotels and condos. To an extent this has come at the expense of Ocean Drive itself, which seemed less crowded than years past. I think the number of tourists is greater than ever, they are just spread out more since there are more places to visit after dark.

Unlike most years we did not rent a car this time. This worked out well, because we spent more time walking and got to know some of the neighborhoods a bit better. We stayed near 5'th Street, so walked the SoFi area several times. Also took the South Beach Shuttle a few times to the Lincoln Road area. The shuttle (formerly known as the Electrowave) is a small bus that goes up and down Washington Ave and Alton Roads between 1st and 20'th Streets (approx) and you can ride it for 25c per person per ride. The average wait is about 5 to 10 mins and it is very convenient for visitors and locals alike. The only minor problem I noticed is that the stops are not very well marked and sometimes hard to tell apart from the regular city bus stops. We walked the nearly completed Beachwalk a couple of times (very nice) and also discovered the Baywalk on the other side. The Baywalk is not complete but I understand the plan is to eventually have it be continuous from South Pointe to 18'th Street. It offers the best views of Downtown Miami esp. near sunset. Also, our new friend Clay invited us to his oceanfront beach condo, and we saw the fabulous beach views from the 9'th floor (the two pictures just after the one of the orange motrocycle). We also discovered two very good grocery options - Whole Foods on Alton Road (1000 block?) and the Epicure Market (corner of Alton and Lincoln).

For the first time, we did not stay at a hotel, but rented a small condo from a private owner. We did this by searching at http://www.vacationrentals.com/ and sending out emails to a few of the owners. We eventually settled on a studio unit at The Barbizon (530 Ocean Drive). The location was great as everything is a short walk away. We saved about 50% compared to staying at a full-service hotel, though of course there is no maid service or reception desk. We ended up sending a check for about one-third the amount in advance, and gave the rest as a check to the owner (TF) after arrival. There were a few glitches but nothing too major, and the studio was more like a largish hotel room with a very small kitchen, very handy for storing and warming leftovers and drinks. When we arrived we discovered the studio was at the back of the building, on the 3rd floor overlooking the back alley. Initially this seemed ideal because the road in front (Ocean Drive) is quite busy. The problem with the back alley is that while it is quiet during the day, early in the morning, between 6:30 and 8:00 AM, there seem to be a large number of garbage and other utility trucks that cause very loud banging and grinding sounds that make it hard to sleep. Even after one week we did not get used to this, and if I were to stay again at the Barbizon (or other buildings on Ocean Drive) I would try to avoid getting a room that overlooks the back alley.

We tried a few new dining options, and discovered two new ones that stood out and we'll definitely be trying again. First, we had an outstanding lunch at DeVito's (150 Ocean Drive http://www.devitosouthbeach.com/). It is on the expensive side for dinner, but lunch is a very good option, and less crowded as well. The second place that stood out is Joe's Stone Crab - for breakfast. (corner of Washington and South Pointe http://www.joesstonecrab.com/). I did not even know they had breakfast until this visit, when we noticed it by accident. The breakfast was really very good, in-expensive, and I would rank it on par with the Front Porch cafe as among the best in SoBe. Also we re-visited a couple of discoveries from our last visit, the Corner Pizzeria (aka Pizzeria D'Angolo) at 1446 Washington Avenue (corner of Espanola Way). They don't have a clear sign, so the address is the best way to find them. The one best thing on the menu is their thin crust pizza with chunks of tomato, mozzarella, and basil (not the pizza Margherita, which is separate). (Checking the online menu I see it is listed as "Ovali de biancaneve con mozzarella, pomodoro fresco e basilico - Chunks of fresh tomatoes, basil and fresh mozzarella"). It is about $15 but big enough for two, and on par with the best pizza anywhere. Their other pizzas are very good but not outstanding, and the pasta seems sub-par from the one time we tried it. The other place we revisted is Paul's bakery on Lincoln Road (corner of Drexel and Lincoln). Excellent breads, sandwiches, baked goods etc. About as good, and slightly less busy, is our old standby, the La Provence bakery at 1627 Collins Ave (under the Decoplage). Worth an honorable mention is the Hosteria Romano (1230 Ocean Drive). We were drawn in by the fun Italian music and the festive atmosphere, and the pizza and dessert were quite good. They also have a branch on Espanola way. We found a place at the corner of Euclid and 6'th that serves fresh-squeezed sugar-cane juice (thank you Joe). On a disappointing note there is still no really good Indian restaurant in SoBe, and in fact there is one less now as the new Indian Fusion place at 1500 Ocean Drive has closed down. There is also a shortage of Mexican places.

In comings and goings, South Beach seemed as busy as ever if not more so. As noted above, Ocean Drive itself was less crowded than years past, and we could walk it's length most nights without getting stopped by crowds. The weekend traffic jams also seemed not quite as jammed, and definitely quieter. The beach appeared more crowded than in the past, esp. areas south of 5'th and north of 15'th. A few buildings on Ocean Drive were closed for renovations, notably the Breakwater which seemed to be making no progress, and the Clevelander, which seemed about ready to repoen. Our favorite Ocean Drive performer, Alex Fox was now playing at the Oceans Ten restaurant (960 Ocean Dr) and with a new dancing partner. South Pointe park was still closed, but the renovations seemed complete and due to reopen within a month. It should be quite the spot to visit in the evenings when the cruise ships leave port. The new W Hotel on Collins (2200 block, replacing the old Holiday Inn) seemed nearly complete as well. The Fountainebleau at 4441 Collins had apparently finished a billion-dollar renovation but we did not get to visit. Plans were being implemented to provide free city-wide wireless Internet access to all of Miami Beach, with expected completion date sometime in 2009. It did not rain while we were there, but there were only two or three good beach days, the rest being either too cloudy or too windy, or both. We did not mind as there was plenty to do otherwise.

All in all a very good trip, and we were sorry to leave early on Sunday morning. Something of note, we called a taxi the night before, and the next morning I was surprised to get a text message at the appointed time that read "taxi waiting outside, number ####". Definitely the first time this has happened, and a sign of the times.

Click here for the Miami Beach Feb 2009 photos.

Las Vegas (Dec. 2008)

This was a trip made memorable by a couple of unusual happenings (for Las Vegas) - it rained on two days, and it snowed on one. We had never before seen it rain for more than a few seconds in Vegas before, and certainly never any snow. The snow was the wet, heavy type that melted almost immediately, but the outskirts got a couple of inches that hung around for a day or two, and the surrounding mountains looked snow covered and pretty. It was a bit on the cool side, with daytime temps in the mid-40's (as compared to the upper 50's which would be normal for December in Vegas). The result of this was that we stayed in Vegas the entire time, and did not go out of town at all.

We stayed at The Flamingo, which I consider the best value in Vegas for places to stay. It has a prime location across from Caesar's and Bellagio, and next to Ballys and Paris. This time we got a room in the wing that runs next to Bill's (formerly Barbary Coast), and it was a decent size, though I noticed the bathrooms in this section are smaller than in the wing that runs parallel to The Strip. The two minor gripes are the overly soft beds, and there was only one chair and a small sofa. A second chair would be very useful. This was the first time we were staying there since 2004, but I could not detect many changes other than the shows and restaurants. There no longer appears to be a check-in desk for Flamingo at the airport, but we found the check-in at the hotel itself to be quite quick and painless.

We spent some time at the newly finshed Palazzo addition to the Venetian. It is taller and larger than the Venetian, and is connected from within near St. Mark's Square, though the canal does not extend into the Palazzo side. As you might expect, everything is first-rate, from high-end restaurants to high-end shops. There is a Lamborghini dealership (to counter the Ferrari dealership inside the Wynn, perhaps), and a very impressive and large fountain/sculpture (named Acqua di Cristallo) in the entrance lobby. While there we caught the new "Living Garden" show, which is free. It features dancing "statues" and "trees" and music and water and is worth a look.

The second Wynn tower (dubbed "Encore") appeared to be complete, but was scheduled to open a few days after our return, on Dec. 24, 2008, so we could not visit it. The very large $9 billion "City Center" development between Bellagio and Monte Carlo appeared about half completed. It is quite impressive in scale and design, featuring about 10 tall glass-sided buildings. I have to wonder what it might do to traffic congestion on the Strip once occupied. There are also other impressive looking tall buildings coming up in the space between Planet Hollywood and MGM. These appear to be mainly vacation homes or timeshares, and some have interesting designs. The golden Trump tower across from Wynn appears complete though we did not have time to visit. Caesar's is adding another tower facing Flamingo Road and Bellagio. The Strip skyline is changing significantly in the last year or so. One afternoon we drove a few miles SW of the city on Blue Diamond Road. What had been a mostly empty 2-lane road in the desert in 2001 is now a busy 6-lane highway with houses and shopping malls stretching for miles.

We visited the new "Town Square" mall at the south end of the strip, about a mile south of Mandalay Bay, and found it quite interesting. Of note are a well-stocked Whole Foods store, and a California Pizza Kitchen plus other restaurants we did not have time to try. On the topic of restaurants, I still consider the best Indian restuarant in Las Vegas to be India Palace, on Twain avenue about a block east of Paradise, or about a mile east of the Strip. Another place on the recommended list is JJ's Boulangerie inside Paris. Great sandwiches, fries, breads and pastries, and the newly added pizza is above average, though not as good as the pizza at California Pizza Kitchen. The portions at JJ's are very large, so unless you are very hungry it is best to order one item and split among two people.

One nice thing about Vegas in December is the Christmas themed music at the Bellagio Fountains, as well as at the Fremont Street Experience downtown. This is something you can't find at other times of the year. This trip we saw two shows, "Phantom" at Venetian, and "Mystere" at Treasure Island. They are both quite good, though I found the Phantom to be particularly outstanding. The theater, the special effects, the music, the acting, were all superb, and I highly recommend it for everyone, except perhaps children who may find it a bit serious and dull. I had seen the movie, and was not sure how it would translate to the Vegas stage, but in fact the play is better than the movie. Mystere is more kid and family friendly, and the general ambience is like going to the circus. Though very good, I thought it dragged in parts. The highlights were probably the comedy bits with the clown.

Overall a very good trip inspite of the weather. The main downer again was the 6:00 AM return flight which meant waking up at 2:30 AM. For a change, we travelled via Dallas/Fort Worth airport instead of the more usual Minneapolis or Chicago.

Click here for the Vegas 2008 photos.

Las Vegas and Grand Canyon South Rim (Sep. 2007)

This was a great trip with great weather every day - sunny and blue skies. The daytime photos reflect this. It was also fairly hot, but in Vegas the humidity is always low, and there are plenty of air-conditioned buildings to duck into. On this visit we noted a lot of new construction. The Wynn was adding a new tower, equal in size to the first 50+ story building. The Venetian addition, named Palazzo, was nearing completion. There was a new 60-story Trump tower on the site of the former New Frontier casino, and in general a fair amout of new construction on the north end of the Strip, between the Venetian and the Stratosphere. Also, the entire quarter mile or so between Bellagio and Monte Carlo appeared to be dug up for a very large project named "City Center". The Aladdin is now named "Planet Hollywood". They have changed the facade and the shopping mall inside is now named "Miracle Mile" and the theme of the decor is being re-done in stages. The former Barbary Coast is now named "Bill's Gamblin Hall and Saloon".

We stayed at The Paris, and the room was adequate and functional, though on the small side. It was about halfway up the building, with a view of Ballys and Flamingo. Paris has a great location across from Bellagio, with some good eating choices on site, and I recommend it if you can get a good rate. In most cases I still consider the Flamingo a better value because it is usually cheaper than Paris and the others at that location. On this visit we saw "Mamma Mia" at Mandalay Bay, and we both enjoyed it a lot. I would definitely recommend it if you enjoy musicals, or are not sure.

For a change we went to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. This was our first time back there since 1990. I had been ignoring the S. Rim under the mistaken belief that it might be over-developed due to the vast majority of tourists who go there, compared to the North Rim. I happily found that this is not the case. Except for a parking shortage around the main village, the South Rim has plenty of unspoilt views of the Canyon, and we will definitely plan to go there again in the future. The road from Grand Canyon Village to Hermits Rest is closed to private traffic during the summer, and there is a free shuttle bus one has to take. This was not a problem as the bus leaves every few minutes and you can get off and on as often as you wish. The bus ride was more rough than I expected, and one must hold on to something even while seated.

The only downer was having to wake up at 2:30 in the morning to catch the 6:00 AM flight back home.

Click here for the Vegas 2007 photos.

(This page last modified on Oct. 22, 2010)