USA Reloaded - Vegas, Hiking, NYC - QF/SQ (F & Suite)

[NoName]

Thumb twiddling and general procrastination has meant that it is now 6 months since I took this trip. With only a couple of months until another northern summer it seems appropriate to finally get around to reporting back to the forum. So without further adieu I give you USA Reloaded....



We begin in January 2016 and the adults in the NoName household were getting restless. It had been just over two years of……… hang on that was LAST TIME!


Fast forward to 2018 and it was time to do it all again! There were things I had missed last time as well as new things to do so a re-run of the 2016 itinerary was in order. As is customary with this forum, a large amount of travel is planed and booked a loooooong way in advance so discussions (negotiations??) with Mrs NoName began over a nice dinner in Singapore in June 2017. It turned out that since my main purpose for going was more hiking, she wasn’t really interested in coming. Thankfully she was fine with me going on my own and from there the planning began……


First came the flights:

Timing was set to be identical to last time (2nd half of August). With award availability likely to be snapped up pretty fast, I quickly worked out my preferred routing and was ready to book the day they were released in late August 2017. On departure I prefer to just get to the destination so with a west coast USA starting point I was really only interested in QF. Being a lowly NB I was unable to see any premium cabin availability however, a quick call to my WP brother and I was sorted! For the return leg I was happy to take a more indirect route as hey, who doesn’t want the holiday to never end? I had a bunch of AMEX points just dying to be redeemed and after reading the delights of SQ it was a no-brainer!

Ended up with the following:

BNE-SYD-LAX-LAS in QF J, QF F & AA F
JFK-FRA-SIN in SQ R
SIN-SYD in SQ R

Total cost was 144,000 QFF points plus about $500 & 152,000 KF points plus about $100.


Next was the itinerary which in truth was almost the same as last time: Vegas, hiking in the Sierras/Yosemite, NYC. Add on 36hrs in SIN on the way back and we were done! Easy! Over the next few months I booked a few hotels, continued looking for a couple of others, planned activities and even managed to stumble across a J award seat on AA from SFO-JFK (50,000 QFF pts + about US$5). Nice!

Accommodation was the next piece of the puzzle. I kept an eye out over the months and booked bit by bit until only a couple of places remained. I hung off with these due to a couple of different reasons which will be explained in course. In the end though I went with:

Las Vegas – Palazzo Las Vegas – 2nts
Lone Pine – Comfort Inn – 2 nts
Lee Vining – Lake View Lodge – 1nt
Yosemite – Half Dome Village – 4nts
New York City – Ritz Carlton Central Park - 3nts

All were booked with cash except the Ritz Carlton which was booked using Marriott Reward Points via AMEX MR Points.


The final detail to be worked out was who was coming with me? While I was more than happy to do it all by myself, I was also open to a travel partner. As I said, Mrs NoName had no interest so she was out. A couple of mates were no-gos due to family commitments. Finally, I asked my brother (henceforth known as “BroName”) if he was keen. He had previously shown a lot of interest in my previous trip to Yosemite so I thought this would be right up his alley. There was a bit of fluffing around, umming and ahhhing but eventually he was a confirmation. He would come for the hiking portion and then depart SFO-SYD at the same time I continued on to NYC. After taking what seemed like an eternity to decide on his flight options he eventually had a J award seat released on QF11 on the same day as me. Perfect!

Eventually August rolled around and after a loooooooong time waiting it was time to go. What would be in store for us? Would we achieve the hiking goals we had set? Who knows! But we would certainly have a lot of fun trying!

 

[NoName]

BNE-SYD

The day finally arrived and after a half day at work I zipped home for a final check of the luggage etc before heading off to the airport. Mrs NoName and NoName Jnr came along for the ride and after parking we checked my bag and headed up to the J Lounge. This was my first time here since the BNE domestic lounges had been refurbished and I have to say I was impressed with what they had done. Can’t comment on the QP but the J lounge seemed to have plenty of room with tables and couches everywhere, a couple of bars and a decent selection of food. I especially like the Mexican food station they had.










After a few drinks and an early dinner we headed to the gate right on time. Hugs and kisses all round and I headed down the bridge.


QF549 BNE-SYD 3A

Settled in to 3A with a pre-departure water (yes not very exciting) and awaited take off. Soon enough we were away on what was to be an as expected uneventful flight. No delays, no memorable bumps, just a quick efficient flight. Meal service was out pretty quickly and I chose a roast lamb on top of a risotto type base. Can’t recall all the details other than it tasting great. Would recommend for sure. Also included was a orange & poppyseed muffin which was also nice. Add in an OJ for good measure and I was pretty satisfied.






Before too long we were descending in to Sydney. Straight off the plane to grab the bags, navigated my way to the Uber pickup spot (eventually) and was off to BroName’s apartment close by for a good sleep. Despite the trip being underway, excitement was still building. Tomorrow morning was the QF F Lounge followed by QF11!

 

[VPS]

I remember getting very tired watching you climb something last time so looking forward to this

 

[NoName]

I remember getting very tired watching you climb something last time so looking forward to this

I did Half Dome again (no video this time) but most of the hiking will be different trails/peaks to last time. Also some different/quirky places and activities along the way. Hope you enjoy!

 

[Major]

Is hiking in the Sierras hot at that time of the year ?

 

[NoName]

Is hiking in the Sierras hot at that time of the year ?

Depends where and at what altitude you are at. At 4,000 feet you’re looking at probably mid 30s. With very low humidity though it’s not uncomfortable. Once you get to 10,000+ feet it will start to get cool. There will likely still be snow on the highest peaks. Thunder storms are quite common in the late afternoons.

 

[carls888]

Looking forward to this, we are doing a hiking/vegas/ USA NP trip later in the year, staying at the Palazzo.

 

[NoName]

SYD-LAX

We were up about 6am and after a quick shower etc we were ready to go about half an hour later. Said goodbye to BroName’s wife and off we went. The Uber ride took about 20 minutes or so and then we were there! Inside to the F check-in where our progress was halted. It seemed that half of Sydney was also checking in at the same desk! It took another 20 minutes to get our bags deposited but after that it was smooth sailing. Straight through immigration and a few minutes later we were going up those beautiful escalators to the QF F Lounge!




I am not an F lounge regular like many on the forum so forgive my excitement. In fact, this way my first visit in SYD and my only other experience was in MEL on the last US trip. I had absolutely loved the MEL version but this was next level. Much bigger everything – bigger dining area, bigger bar, bigger work area, bigger couch area. Loved it!








We grabbed a table for our first breakfast of the morning. BroName had some muesli while I asked if they could do a plate of the salt and pepper squid despite it being the breakfast menu. Washed it down with a couple of glasses of the rose`.







Wandered off for a massage I had booked (which was only so-so) followed by a quick shower and a couple more glasses of champagne before it was time to head down to the gate.

 

[NoName]

SYD-LAX
QF11 3A

We mingled around the little holding area near the gate for a few minutes before the announcement that we had been waiting for – “we now invite first class passengers etc etc etc”. On we went, me down, BroName up. We planned to reconvene after the meal service but for the time being I was happy to be by myself with nothing but a bit of this:






Managed to get through 3 of the champagnes prior to departure which is pretty standard. Flicked on Caddyshack which prompted a few laughs from the inflight manager when he came over to welcome me. I guess we have the same taste in movies.

Up we went and the trip was officially underway.

Continued on the champagnes until the meal service which got underway within maybe an hour of takeoff.

QF11 F Menu 15 Aug 18:

 

[NoName]

SYD-LAX Continued.........

First up was the carrot soup. Nice and warm with plenty of flavour. Had a few airplane soups this trip and this was probably the best of them:



Next was the Tuna & Poke salad which was excellent. Definitely recommend:



Had the lamb for main. Looked a little sad on the plate with just a few beans. Tasted good though. Mac and cheese also tasty:



Chocolate cake for dessert. The chocolate mousse doesn’t look at all appetising, like something a sick dog might have left on the kitchen floor. Again, tasted fine though:



Cheese plate:



All dishes washed down with an appropriate wine. Can’t recall the specifics enough to provide detailed comment but none were objectionable.


Once the meal service was done I went upstairs to meet BroName for a drink or two in the lounge area at the front of the upper deck. I asked one of the F-FAs if I could take a champagne upstairs and she was happy to bring it up for me. Unexpectedly she also poured a glass for BroName which was a nice touch. We were both expecting and were both happy for him to continue with the J bubbles.

We had a glass or two while discussing which hikes we would like to do over the coming week. After a while it was time for some rest so I headed back down the stairs and asked for my bed to be made up. Lay back and relaxed watching a movie for a while before attempting sleep. I say attempting because I wasn’t able to get much. Not sure what it was (combination of excitement and finding the cabin a bit warm) but I probably only got 3 hours sleep maximum.


Eventually I gave up on the sleep idea and put on another movie and once that was done it was pretty much time for breakfast.

Bowl of museli looking quite sad and lonely:



Standard hot selection - bacon, eggs, hash brown:




With breakfast done it was nearly over. One more champagne for the road and quick doco and we were coming in to LAX. Changed into a fresh set of clothes for the approach and before I knew it we were taxiing to the gate. Grabbed the bags and headed to the left forward exit and awaited the next part of the journey……

 

[VPS]

Interesting in the era of lots of new Australian gins they stick with Beefeater - how disappointing

 

[NoName]

LAX-LAS


It’s fair to say that the immigration process on this trip was not nearly as smooth or quick as what I had experienced two years ago. No surprise though given the stories of highly variable wait times. We were off nice and quick and hustled our way to the TBIT immigration hall where we were met with a long line of people. Today would be a bit of a wait. It took a bit over an hour to make our way to the front of the line. While that wasn’t ideal, when we looked behind us we were quite thankful we were in F & J – there were now several hundred people from multiple flights who had joined the wait.


We stepped up to be processed with the usual fingerprinting and photographing. Then the experience took an odd (and slightly unnerving) turn. I was asked a series of questions which I had no idea about. Have you ever been to Salt Lake City? No. Do you know “xx_x yyyy”? No. It appeared an Australian of the same name may have been involved in some kind of incident several years earlier. Only explanation I could think of. He tapped away at his keyboard for what seemed like an eternity. Eventually he was satisfied and we went through to collect our bags.


From here things got a bit easier. Grabbed our bags, straight through to landside, redeposited bags, whizzed through transit security and a couple of minutes later we were relaxing in the QF F lounge. We had about 2hrs to spare until departure to LAS so I grabbed a much needed shower (no sign of the tipping scam) before sitting down for another quick breakfast – corn fritters (only ok) and a glass of juice.


Since we still had an hour or so until boarding we decided to check out a couple of the AA lounges. First stop the Flagship lounge in T4. Unfortunately I don’t appear to have taken any photos but since my last visit in 2016 it has been renovated and I have to say looks great. Plenty of light and a decent array of food and drink options. Would definitely be happy to spend some time here if departing from T4. We were departing from T5 so our next stop was the Admirals lounge there. Pretty stock standard sort of lounge. Nice open space with plenty of room but lacking much in the way of F&B. It was pretty empty when we were there.




LAX-LAS
AA2249 3A

(Yes 3A AGAIN!)

Boarding was the expected mess with hoards of people surrounding the gate. I was in F and while BroName was in Y, his OW Emerald status meant he was given priority boarding so we managed to avoid most of it and hopped on with minimal fuss.


Calling this F is quite the stretch:




We took off on the very uneventful flight. Tried to grab a quick nap but there really wasn’t time. It was up and down basically and all over very quickly. Managed to get a few photos out the window:

The Strip:








Landed and after a short taxi to the gate we were disembarking and making our way to the baggage hall. Grabbed the bags, jumped in a taxi and off to our hotel – The Palazzo.

 

[NoName]

Las Vegas - Day 1


In 2016 I had stayed at The Venetian and had been very impressed. It was a fantastic property on all levels. On this occasion I had been keen to try a different hotel and had considered Aria & Bellagio but just couldn’t find a deal that was good enough. Eventually I saw a rate come up for The Palazzo which I couldn’t resist – US$119 plus tax per night. Of course there was still the dreaded resort fee to add on but this is basically unavoidable anywhere in Vegas. Lock us in for 2 nights (Wednesday & Thursday) please!

The Palazzo is the sister hotel of The Venetian. Its located in the same physical building in a separate hotel tower. Both hotels are linked by the shopping mall and casinos as well as through the pool deck complex (although the pathway between was closed for maintenance at the time of my visit). The place is stunning. Exceptionally well done and I definitely did not regret staying here. Would return for sure.



Checked in at the massive lobby and asked if there were any complimentary upgrades available. No upgrade to a bigger room however the person on the desk was nice enough to give us a room on a higher level and also one with 2 beds (I had booked a room with one bed prior to BroName confirming his attendance). The higher floor was much appreciated after being given one right down the bottom overlooking the car park last time.








After a quick freshen up we went downstairs to grab some lunch at a place that had caught my eye. I came across Black Tap when scrolling through my FaceBook feed one day. It is basically a burger joint which in and of itself is nothing really noteworthy but I had been taken by their “Crazy Shakes” and had decided that next trip I had to eat here. What are Crazy Shakes? You’ll see!



Yes it’s crazy!:




BroName went for a simpler drink - 6 hop IPA. Gave it decent reviews:



Burger was pretty decent and certainly hit the spot. The shake was something else. Great flavour and really over the top. Loved the cotton candy on the top. I’ll definitely come back next time to try a different shake. Perhaps the one with a slice of cake on top.

 

[NoName]

Las Vegas - Day 1 Continued......


After lunch we quickly popped across the road to get a phone SIM from the AT&T stand in the Fashion Show Mall. I had purchased my SIM here last time as well and given the experience it was a no-brainer to return. Last time I had paid US$60 + US$10 connection fee and was expecting to pay at least that much this time. Wrong. US$55 (no connection fee) for all calls and text plus several Gb of data. Perfect!


The Venetian:


Next we hopped on a bus down to the Welcome To Las Vegas Sign. The plan was to walk back to our hotel along the west side of the Strip. We walked through or past all the hotels on that side of the street before arriving back at the hotel about 6pm.








Had a couple of free tickets so rode the roller coaster at NYNY again:




Caesars Palace - Forum Shops


We popped up to the pool for a quick refresh. Great pool deck although as mentioned the passageway linking the Palazzo pools to the Venetian pools was closed for some kind of maintenance. We could have still used the other pools but would have required walking to the Venetian elevators at the other side of the building. No thanks.

 

[kermatu]

Only been to the US a few times but Vegas is always on my itinerary. City and surrounding desert are always fun.

Enjoying your TR! Was it very hot in August? I've been October-December so warm to pleasant days.

 

[Milboo]

Interesting in the era of lots of new Australian gins they stick with Beefeater - how disappointing

I was thinking just this! There are so many good Gins around and the airlines stay with Beefeater and Bombay Sapphire - or even Gordon’s.

 

[kermatu]

I was thinking just this! There are so many good Gins around and the airlines stay with Beefeater and Bombay Sapphire - or even Gordon’s.

I've given feedback to QF (onboard and F lounges) and to a couple of Tassie whiskey distilleries that surely there's an opportunity there. Volume is the main issue. And while time-limited promotions would be good, no doubt pax (including me!) would grumble if some good Aussie spirits were available once but not again.

 

[NoName]

Only been to the US a few times but Vegas is always on my itinerary. City and surrounding desert are always fun.

Enjoying your TR! Was it very hot in August? I've been October-December so warm to pleasant days.

August is very hot in Vegas but due to the lack of humidity I've never found it to be unbearable. I probably haven't been there for a real scorcher though, only up to maybe 40c. Might be a different story when its hotter.

 

[NoName]

Las Vegas - Day 1 Continued.......

BroName was keen to take a look at downtown vegas as he had not been there the only time he had visited. We had planned on getting the bus since we had a 24hr bus pass but when we saw it leaving right as we got outside we decided to walk. Hey, why not get in some more training for the following days?

We ducked across the road and walked through the Wynn/Encore before emerging back on the strip for a half mile walk to Circus Circus that I had been less than thrilled with LAST TIME. We were pretty quick though and in about 10 minutes we were checking out the dumpiest of dumps under a big top. We thought about eating at the steak house which I had also previously mentioned had rave reviews from a good friend of mine but after looking at the prices we thought better of it. Our logic was that a restaurant charging so much in a venue so run down could not possibly be worth the money.

Wynn:



On to downtown Vegas! Bus? No. Despite the poor neighbourhood we decided to continue walking. This part of town was a bit of a wasteland and it possibly wasn’t the best idea to walk through it at night. In any event, soon enough we were crossing the road to walk through the SLS. This is an old casino (Sahara) that has been extensively remodelled. While its not too bad it is basically a place trying to be hip in a poor location and seems to suffer accordingly. We were in and out pretty quickly and making the hustle through the final few blocks to the Stratosphere. A quick wander through and we were done here, not a whole lot to see without paying to go to the top of the tower. Out we went for the final stretch downtown….

At this point we decided that the surrounding area REALLY didn’t look too inviting and so sanity prevailed and we crossed the road to catch the bus the last mile or so. Good decision. A couple of stops later and we were there. We jumped off and went into the Golden Nugget to try to find something to eat. We didn’t really know what we were looking for so in the end settled on what was basically a diner type eatery. Caesar salad, chips & a bottomless soda and we were done. Out into the night to take a look around.

Golden Nugget Waterslide through the shark tank:


Went over to Main Street Station which is an almost locals casino a couple of blocks from Fremont St. I had read that they have their own microbrewery so decided to sit down at the bar and have a couple of beers while wasting a few dollars in the video poker machines. Beers were great, video poker not so much.

A couple of hours of wandering, watching, playing a few games and having a few drinks and we jumped back on the bus back to the hotel. Decided to roll some dice for a while which was an unsuccessful adventure before bed called. Up we went and crashed in preparation for day 2.

 

[NoName]

Las Vegas - Day 2


Woke up at a normalish sort of time and managed to drag BroName out of bed for about a 9am start. Day 1 had been a walk along the west side of the strip so (surprise surprise) today was going to entail a walk down the east side. We wandered out through the Venetian and made our way down past or through the various casinos.













Lunch was at a venue I went to last trip at Planet Hollywood – Gordon Ramsay Burger. This had previously been BurGR and while the name had changed (not sure why) the food was just as good. We both had a burger and beer and were more than satisfied. I have said previously that I find that when a restaurant asks you how you would like your burger patty cooked you are on to a good thing. Proven correct again.






From here we continued on down through the MGM and across the road to a couple of casinos I had missed on my previous two visits. First up was the Tropicana. This is one of the oldest hotels on the strip and has probably needed the multiple refreshes it has undergone through the years. Inside it was not too bad although it did seem like they had tried to put too many things in the space.

Next door was Hooters which is themed around the restaurant chain of the same name. It’s a lower end hotel for budget minded gamblers – thing $1 blackjack and the like. With several of the female dealers a little scantily dressed it is quite obvious that they aren’t fooling anyone with the owl logo.