Trip Reports - New York with a Side of Vegas

Not Vaunted

Jeffrey and I had some business in New York so I booked a flight down to coincide with a trade show he was speaking at. This was my first use of the Vegas trick: frequently a flight from LA through Vegas to the East Coast is cheaper than a nonstop flight. In this case I saved $100 or so. When the United labor troubles were in full swing a kind United angel offered to switch my convoluted itinerary to the nonstop so I wouldn’t get stuck so I was now booked on the first flight out to JFK, flight 10. Hunnybear drove me half-asleep in her shiny black Cabrio to Terminal 7 where I went through secret security and headed for the 1K room to check in.

As usual the ladies there were cordial but did me no special favors. My agent collected a North American upgrade cert and laughed when I asked about a double upgrade. “Can’t your company buy you a business-class ticket?” she asked. “Well, since I’m my company, I don’t think so.” I asked her if she knew what the fare difference was. They just don’t get it. I wheeled over to gate 75 and asked again about a double upgrade but the agent said they would have to give a reason. I suggested how about “being nice” but apparently that didn’t fly. Meanwhile I saw the other agent upgrading a young woman whom I’m guessing was an employee or relative to First Class. I asked about switching my seat to 10F or 11F, seeing as how I’d already see Where the Money Is twice before, but they were already taken.

I reluctantly went on board the aging 767-200 and took my seat 5C, the middle bulkhead with a good view of the movie. This aircraft had very old seats, which were wider and therefore more comfortable than the newer ones. I asked an older German stewardess about moving into one of the empty seats and she went and asked the gate agent who said no. “Only for employees, eh?” I said. She replied that no, they like to keep it to a maximum of 50% employees, or was it 75%? Anyway, she said, that’s one of their few perks. Nice perk.

I moved over to 5A since I didn’t want to watch the movie ant I was the only one in the whole row. I spent the entire flight looking at the two empty seats in F and thinking about other airlines I could fly. It’s amazing how much goodwill United burns with this policy. If American came out tomorrow and said “Top elites get the best available seat on all flights,” I’d think seriously about jumping ship.

They had complimentary newspapers on this flight, the same ones they can’t seem to keep stocked in the Red Carpet Club because the customers keep taking them. I was offered water or orange juice before takeoff and took a water and asked for a decaf, which I got.

We took off on time. The stewardess brought around biscotti (that and the newspapers are the only advantage in Business Class on this “premium” flight over the normal two-class F service) and menus. Choices for breakfast were quiche, French toast, or fruit plate. I chose the quiche, being the least carbo-bomb of the three. It arrived dry and overdone with a rubbery crust. They didn’t start the movie for an hour after takeoff. Why? After the movie was a good episode of Frasier followed by some Discovery Channel shows. An hour and 45 minutes before landing they brought around the second meal, a deli plate. They’ve now removed all the expensive elements of the deli cart that they serve in F, including roast beef, salmon, and shrimp. What was left looked like Oscar-Meyer Luncheon Pak. Amusingly, the menu specified “choice of” mustard or mayonnaise but they actually brought both, in little plastic tubs right next to the paper tubes of salt and pepper. There was a miniature box of excellent Godiva chocolates on the tray. I had half a glass of a nice Médoc with lunch.

We landed a few minutes early despite the pilot’s earlier warning that flight time would be longer than usual. The purser wished us well and actually didn’t repeat the usual inane “wherever your final destination may take you” and said instead, “wherever your travel plans may take you,” which makes a lot more sense. My destination doesn’t take me anywhere—I have to go to it.

I had neglected to arrange a limo to town but fortunately the taxi line was not too long. A nice young man zoomed me toward the City. Construction on the new Skytrain to JFK was going along well with concrete pillars all along the Van Wyck Expressway. There was no traffic at all until we hit town but then we sat in cross-town traffic for 15 minutes. We were about to make a left turn from the second lane to get to the W but the driver saw a cop giving a taxi a ticket for doing just that so he asked me if I wouldn’t mind going up another two blocks. Since it was a flat fare I didn’t mind.

Two events were going on: the US Open Tennis Championship, which apparently had some people staying at the W because there was an official marked van parked in front, and a Millennium Peace Conference across the street at the Waldorf-Astoria. I was hoping Anna Kournikova would be staying at the W since she was on my list of five. I looked around the bar for her but then I realized she was too young to drink in the land of the free. In Russia they wean them with Vodka.

A pleasant young doorman dressed in black wheeled my luggage into the hotel for me. The W lobby was very attractive in daytime, a light and sweeping space with the bar and lounge area to the right and their famous club Whisky Blue off to the left. I was expecting the snooty front-desk experience that so many had reported. Imagine my surprise when four attractive young desk clerks dressed in black T-shirts all smiled broadly and made eye contact with me as I arrived. I picked the short curvy brunette, Alicia, and gave her my name and credit card. “Hmm,” she said. “We have you in a corner suite, Mr. Lion, but I apologize that your room won’t be read for a couple of minutes. Why don’t you have a drink at the bar on the house while you wait?” I was stunned. What a superb experience! Clearly somebody at Starwood had been reading Jeffrey Gitomer’s book, which is not surprising since I sent them all copies. I went to the bar and ordered a Manhattan from the nice bartender.

In a few minutes Alicia came over to bring me my room key. I complimented her on the experience and she beamed. I finished my drink then went up to my room. The signage in the halls was minimal and it was difficult to find the room. I ended up having to go down a short flight of stairs to get there. I did indeed have a suite: two tiny rooms with a full-size (not queen) bed and 1.5 small bathrooms but a cool floor-level shower with swivel head. The walls were painted cream with a ring of green leaves stenciled 12 inches below the ceiling. There was no high-speed Internet access.

I checked email and FlyerTalk and then headed across the street to meet Jeffrey and Teresa under the famous clock at the Waldorf. They were waiting for me so we went out to catch a cab to Little Italy for dinner. Just as we found a vacant taxi a police van pulled out in front of traffic, blocking the street. We climbed in the cab and the driver started the meter. It ticked and ticked as we waited 10 minutes while traffic was blocked. Finally a motorcade pulled up and parked in front of the Inter-Continental next door. That really rankles me. In this country, why is anyone so important that the public streets are blocked off to let them make their way through the city? Unless, like, it was me or something. Then it would be OK.

We arrived at Da Nico on Mulberry St. and went through to the garden out back for outside seating. Our waiter took care of us and brought us a bottle of excellent Chianti for under $30. Jeffery’s new partner Andy joined us and we had a superb meal, my third within seven hours. I started with beef carpaccio and had the recommended red snapper. Focaccia bread was phenomenal. You have to work really hard to get a bad meal in New York.

After dinner we went back to the clock at the Waldorf to meet a couple business associates for drinks and dessert. The lobby was filled with spiritual and religious leaders here for the peace conference so it was tough to find a place to sit down. There was an empty sofa but someone had left some stuff there reserving it. Jeffrey said never mind, we could take their seats because we knew they weren’t going to fight us for them. So we did.

Our friends arrived and we walked a block to Maloney & Porcelli, a steakhouse owned by the same group as TGI Friday’s and Cité. As a rule I don’t eat dessert but they had profiteroles which are on my list of five so I had them. They were OK but could have used more hot fudge sauce. Teresa got a beautiful chocolate cake with a stamped chocolate cow atop it, possibly in honor of the Cows on Parade event that used to be in Chicago but is now in New York. After we finished our desserts and sat around awhile, the manager came by and said, “Can I buy you all a drink at the bar?” When we looked astonished, he continued, “I really need this table.” Another superbly handled customer-service problem. Jeffrey congratulated him and game him a card, saying he’d be mentioned in an upcoming column. We took a rain check on the drinks.

Nobody was up for late-night partying so we parted ways and I returned to my suite. There was a nice blue bottle of sparkling Ty Nant water, my favorite, and a box of four miniature chocolates waiting for me. I climbed into the Heavenly-like bed and slept like a dream.


------------------
Get my trip reports mailed to you! http://www.egroups.com/subscribe/liontales

sounds like a good experience, but the desserts list is at least larger that only 5, as I personally witnessed more than that in a recent visit to Vegas

Cows on Parade? You need to come to Zurich.

Is is true that the "Cash Cow" positioned opposite the New York Stock Exchange is really a "BULL" ???

Quietlion... great trip report. I need to start experiencing Vegas in your style.

Read in the gossip column this morning that Charlize Theron and her boyfriend (Stephen Jenkins of Third Eye Blind for those who care) have broken up. Here's your chance.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

QL: Maybe Charlize Theron did notice you on that flight. But, in a catfight, my money is on HoneyB.

"You have to work really hard to get a bad meal in New York."

That's the first inaccuracy I've found in one of your reports.

Unbelieveable that they can't put you in F after all the nonsense this summer--especially considering how ratty those 762s must be by now. Guess they'd rather spend money on full page newspaper adds.

QL
I was just thinking that you left out 'As a rule I don't eat desserts' but alas you snuck it in towards the end. Good Job as always Bud!

After meeting her in person the illusion was gone so I crossed Charlize off my list of five and added Natalie Portman now that she's 18.

Crazy Taxi

I went down to the front desk at the W New York to ask if they had any bigger suites, maybe one with a queen-size bed in it. On the way I noticed stains in the carpeting. The air conditioning in the room wasn’t very good and even on the coldest setting it was a bit hot and muggy. The mirror was missing in the half-bath in the front room of the suite leaving circles of adhesive covering the wall where it once was. This was clearly not the nicest hotel in the W chain.

The front desk told me that I actually had a queen bed although I had a queen bed at home—the same brand in fact—and this one seemed smaller. They also told me there was high-speed Internet access in the room so I asked them to send up a cable as the phone lines weren’t very amenable to data. It never arrived and later that afternoon I had to call again.

I walked all the way to Javits Center at 39th and 11th just to get some exercise. When I got there I was sweating prodigiously. New York at 80 degrees seemed hotter than Vegas at 100. I checked in at the press room and got my badge, passing a life-sized poster of Jeffrey on the way. Some of the exhibitors at the trade show were luring attendees to their booths by offering snacks. I passed on the chocolate-chip cookies since as a rule I don’t eat dessert, but I sampled a piña colada smoothie that was very good. We spent the afternoon schmoozing and then walked to 9th Avenue to catch a taxi downtown.

As we stood just past the entrance to the Lincoln Tunnel a cab without his sign lit slowed, rolled down his window, and asked where we were going. We told him and he told us to hop in. This was the smallest cab I’ve ever been in. I’m not quite 5' 10" but my knees were pressed hard against the dividing panel. From the instant we started the guy never shut up. He swore, swerved to hit potholes, and complained incessantly that we were going to cause him to miss a 3:10 fare at the Javits Center. We began to goad him on, telling him he was going a stupid way and he should have cut across on 22nd St. When we arrived he turned the meter off two blocks from our destination. It read $8. I was going to give him $10 but Jeffrey insisted that he be rewarded with at least $12 so I gave him a $4 tip. He yelled, “Come on, just pay me, I’m late!” took the money and sped off.

Lunch was at the famous Katz’s deli, where Harry met Sally. This place was a real New York Institution but, to paraphrase Woody Allen, who wants to eat in an institution? We didn’t see any actual cockroaches but they would have been right at home here. When I finally got waited on in the Byzantine cafeteria line, after being cut in on by half a dozen people, I watched the unsmiling counterman make my Reuben. The meat was first-rate but the rye bread was more like Wonder bread. They put a little taste of what I was ordering up on the counter for me to munch on while I waited, right next to a cup with dollars sticking out for tips. I got a Katz’s brand bottle of water, which was so poorly manufactured that it was impossible to open it without spilling it everywhere. When we went in they gave everyone a ticket, on which the counterman wrote our orders so we could pay on the way out (cash only). If you lost your ticket it was like a parking garage, you pay for 30 days worth of food or something. The sandwich was only $11.40 plus tax.

We took a much saner cab ride back to the hotels and I caught up on email and FlyerTalk before dinner. We met under the clock at the Waldorf and Michael arrived right on time so we walked over to Maloney & Porcelli to cash in the rain check on free booze from last night. Our friend took care of us and brought a free bottle of wine as well as a goat-cheese pizza. I was still stuffed from doing nothing but eat my whole life so I just had a few Bluepoint oysters. As a rule I don’t eat dessert but I had a few bites of Teresa’s coconut cake which was excellent. We just loved our maitre d’ so when we found out he waited tables at Smith & Wollensky’s on weekends we decided to go there after the show on Saturday. This guy turned a potential problem into three meals.

After dinner we headed to Brooklyn to hang out with Howard Bloom, whose new book Global Brain had just come out. He never leaves his apartment, which is kind of an intellectual salon these days, so we talked about everything for a couple hours and then took a car service back to midtown. Jeffrey was tired because he’s old but Michael and I had a drink in the lobby lounge. Then Michael went home. I had planned to get one more Manhattan for the road but I got involved chatting with a bicoastal couple about the Ritz-Carlton Marina del Rey, which I have a view of from my apartment, and one thing led to another. Soon we were joined by Joe, a young, buff, tattooed Italian kid who was there with his cousin celebrating his signing the rights to his life story to a book and movie deal. He was a Wall Street broker who was being extorted by the Mafia. Joe found out the male half of the bicoastal couple was turning 30 next week so he ordered a birthday cheesecake and I had just one piece. I kept looking around in case any wiseguys came in and gunned us all down but they didn’t so we just had three or four more rounds and closed the place down around three.


------------------
Get my trip reports mailed to you! http://www.egroups.com/subscribe/liontales

You're cracking me up!!! Now that I'm here at the W, I can tell you that in person though...
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif

As usual, I will comment on minutia, as opposed to substance.

1. "New York at 80 degrees seemed hotter than Vegas at 100."

I told you so.

2. Katz's is where the Soviet Union got the idea for the queue system.

3. You go to Brooklyn, not to eat, but to chat with Harold Bloom? I'm very impressed!

4. If you have a spare seat at S & W Saturday night I may be free. I'll be checking out the Essex House on a free Saturday. Also, I promise not to order lobster curry.

Night Fever
I checked my email and found a message from Microsoft. Apparently they were inviting me to a big 25th-anniversary party up in Seattle on Tuesday because they were honoring their first 100 employees, which I was one of. They apologized for the late notice. It was pretty darn late but I booked a full-fare ticket from Vegas to Seattle for $328 and extended my Vegas stay overnight Monday because it was $200 cheaper than the full fare from LA. I called United to switch my return from Vegas to Wednesday but they gave me a song and dance about rules and regulations so I thanked the agent for the information and hung up. I guess the flexibility they were showing during the labor troubles has evaporated.

I went down to the front desk at the W New York once more to see if they had any better rooms available. They did have another corner suite with a different layout but the same small bed and a strong smell of chlorine throughout the entire floor so I passed. I walked a few blocks to 53rd St. and met Jeffrey and Teresa for lunch at Brasserie, a former 24-hour restaurant now converted into a trendy French place. A video camera took snapshots of everyone who enters and rotated their images into a bank of monitors over the bar. I had tuna salad Niçoise, which was great except that I expected the tuna to be rare and it was cooked traditionally. We met two of Jeffrey’s friends from the National Speakers Association there and they gave us tips on shows as it was their policy to see everything. The waitress stared me right in my bloated face and asked if I wanted dessert. I asked if she had any heroin. She said she didn’t personally and I allowed as how it might be possible to inject the dessert directly into my veins then.

We settled on Saturday Night Fever as the last-minute show for tonight and headed to the concierge at the Waldorf-Astoria Hilton to get tickets. We waited for her to get off the phone and she referred us to the theater desk. They offered us second row mezzanine for $139/ticket and we passed because we like to sit up close in the orchestra. Jeffrey called a scalper friend who came through for us with seventh row center but when I got back to the room I checked Ticketmaster on line and found that eighth row center was available at face value. I didn’t realize last-minute tickets were available through Ticketmaster so it’s good to know.

Jeffrey and I went for a walk to ameliorate our conditions. We walked uptown on Park Ave. but it didn’t go to the park so we turned left and found it around 5th Ave. Bottled water cost 50¢ more near the park than it did downtown—we paid $1.50 each. My cell phone rang and it was Hunnybear arriving safely at JFK. The limo I had reserved through my Starwood Platinum Concierge was there waiting for her with a beautiful new black Town Car. We finished our walk and Hunnybear arrived at the W. The limo driver said my card was declined so I called American Express and they said it wasn’t declined but rather the merchant had rescinded the purchase. So I gave the driver my card again so he could run it through but he dropped the imprinting machine and my card fluttered to the ground, teetering precariously on a subway grate like the one Marilyn Monroe stood over in The Seven Year Itch. I tried to grab it but he beat me to it and fortunately didn’t lose it.

The bathrobe I had ordered earlier still hadn’t come four hours later so I called three more times and it came in 45 minutes. I called the general manager but got voice mail and let him know about the problems with the hotel. Hunnybear took one look at the bed and said, “That’s not a queen!” I didn’t think so. The girl at the front desk said it was an “East Coast” queen, which was six inches shorter and narrower than we were used to. Hunnybear said she was from the East Coast and she’d never heard of that. Come to think of it, I was from the East Coast too.

Just then Catman appeared so we went down the steps to the lobby lounge but all the seats were taken so we stood around vulching. The attractive wait staff pointedly ignored us until we glommed seats but then a blonde in black zoomed over to us and took our orders within seconds. LarryU came by and joined us and gave us some tips for flying out of JFK. He invited us to meet him for a party in the Red Carpet Club the next morning but we all passed.

We headed over to Times Square for the show and left Catman and LarryU to their dinner at Sparks. We arrived with plenty of time so we decided to have another drink at the rotating lobby bar at the Marriott Marquis. We braved the man-eating elevators and had no trouble finding a table. I grabbed one at the start of the view arc and Jeffrey asked if we shouldn’t look for one with a better view, not realizing we were on a turntable. I assured him the view would improve and in fact, with a 45-minute rotation time it would be just time to go to the theater when we got to the end of the view. We drank and watched the billboards as we were carried around one of the most amazing places in the world.

We headed across 45th St. to the Minskoff Theater and took our excellent seats, right in the center. I was expecting a nice show but was blown away by the opening number, “Stayin’ Alive.” It helps a new show to have some of the best music of a decade as the score. The play was pretty faithful to the movie and the choreography could not have been better. The single-named Orfeh, playing Annette, had an amazing voice and when she belted out “If I Can’t Have You” the audience let out an audible sigh. A large cast of dancers and beautiful sets complete with cars traveling the George Washington Bridge at night made this a joy to watch from start to finish despite the show’s tragic ending. Highly recommended to any Bee Gees fans.

It was raining as we exited the show but we walked the few blocks to 49th St. and turned left to reach Churrascaria Plataforma. Having been here before we remembered the optimal strategy for eating at this Brazilian barbecue where the waiters come around with roasted meat on swords, carving it onto your plate until you cry “Tio”! The secret is to ignore the huge buffet in the middle and eat only the sirloin with maybe a little lamb if you like that, and the fried bananas they bring to the table. Our waiter pooh-poohed the Duck Pond Oregon Pinot Noir I tried to order and instead had us get a delicious Chilean Cabernet. After dinner they came around with the dessert cart. I passed of course but had a few tastes of Hunnybear’s tiramisu and Teresa’s chocolate mousse, both yummy.

By the time we finished the rain had subsided and we walked the mile or so back to the W.


------------------
Get my trip reports mailed to you! http://www.egroups.com/subscribe/liontales

[This message has been edited by QuietLion (edited 09-02-2000).]

What an amazing evening! Thanks to Lion, Salesman and the lovely Teresa for so much fun!

One thing I have to note about my flight is that I was VAUNTED! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif I was sitting in 9B on the aging 767-200 when a very nice FA approached me and asked if I was travelling with anybody. I cautiously said "no..." (thinking about the thread earlier about being pressured to give up your seat for a lesser one by couples travelling together) but the FA flashed a boarding card in front of me that seemed to be flashing 1A 1A 1A

It turned out that the waytootalkativeblonde sitting next to me was travelling with the boyfriend, and they had been split up between First and Business classes.

I figured that if he was kind enough to forego 1A, then I should be kind enough to forego 9B to help him out. So I RAN up to the front and sat down, but then the FA approached me again (I shuddered with dread) but he only wanted to ask me to move to 2C (the one-er in the middle). Seeing as I was solo and didn't want to be bugged by anyone as I enjoyed my vaunting, I leaped into 2C and put my headphones on to Channel 9, feigning sleep.

It was an outstanding flight! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif

That explains the message I saw on the flasher in Times Square: "FT'er gets vaunted double-upgrade."

As most New Yorkers know, one of the cars on the George Washington Bridge at night always belongs to Phil Rizzuto.

you haven't lived until you've seen quietlion dancing in the aisles to Stayin' Alive -- it was indeed the best of times and the best of evenings -- THANK YOU!!!

Whadda ya talk?

We did some shopping on Fifth Ave. before lunch. The St. John’s store had a nice little bar set up with Perrier and cookies so we camped out there for awhile then headed over to Elizabeth Arden’s Red Door but her cookies weren’t as good so we jumped in a cab and headed downtown. We ended up at Soho Kitchen, where we had some yummy hummus. We kept ordering cucumbers and the waiter kept bringing celery. There didn’t seem to be any way to resolve the paradox so we peered out over the piles of celery and ordered a couple grilled-chicken salads for the girls, which arrived with at least four chicken breasts apiece. I had Oriental chicken which was good but the hummus was expanding in my stomach and I needed exercise.

After lunch we walked around the Bowery and shopped for light bulbs, then made it over to the handbag district so Hunnybear and Teresa could each get a few new purses. They made some lovely selections and then we strolled over to Mulberry St. where the street had been closed off to form a pedestrian mall. Hunnybear and I wanted some major exercise to compensate for our gustatory excesses so we walked the three miles back to the hotel up Third Ave. while Jeffrey and Teresa took a cab. We cleaned up and headed over to the Marriott Marquis, where we met Catman and Michael for pre-theater drinks.

The show tonight was The Music Man, one of the greatest shows ever written and immortalized in the perfect movie version starring Robert Preston and Richie Cunningham. There wasn’t much they could do to improve on the movie, which I would recommend in preference to seeing this production—not that it was bad, but it was merely a good performance of a great show. As always the orchestra was flawless. The lead, played by Craig Bierko, was a clone of Preston’s Harold Hill, and the voice of Rebecca Luker as Marian the librarian was superb, although acting-wise she didn’t come close to Shirley Jones’s classic portrayal of the guarded, innocent beauty. Other than that, the casting suffered from mediocrity. No one came close to Buddy Hackett’s memorable Marcellus Washburn and most of the children were played by actors five or 10 years older than their supposed characters. We had third-row seats but upgraded ourselves to the leftmost seats in the front row when no theater employees arrived to fill them.

After the show we took cabs to Smith & Wollensky, where we met RichG and looked for our waiter friend Jerry. The main dining room was closed and Jerry was done for the night but we got a table at the Grill around the corner and had some OK steaks served by a fairly incompetent waiter. After trying the location in Chicago and this one it will probably be awhile before I go back. We bid everyone goodbye, walked the short block to the W and settled in for the evening.


------------------
Get my trip reports mailed to you! http://www.egroups.com/subscribe/liontales

[This message has been edited by QuietLion (edited 09-03-2000).]

What an awesome weekend and a great show (which I enjoyed more than I expected.)

It was great meeting new friends like Jeffrey and THeresa (who'll I remember because she has the name of my oldest and dearest friend of the same spelling) seeing the great Michael again, a nice surprise guest appearance by Rich G, and of course the lovely Hunnybear and QUiet Lion.

SMith's could have been better, I had good steak and BETTER SERVICE there with Rudi and with Wanderlust. I guess they can't compare to Ruth's! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif But the company was delicious.

Awesome trip reports Mr. Lion and I can't wait to see you and Heather again soon! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif


[This message has been edited by Catman (edited 09-03-2000).]

it was an “East Coast” queen, which was six inches shorter and narrower. . .

Don't they usually call that a "Full"? Odd. I've heard of a California King, though.

Great report as always.

Greg

Re "East Coast Queen": This only makes sense if "W" is using Lou Reed as their bedding consultant. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif

Terror at 24,000 feet

I used the video checkout to pay the incidentals for our Free Friday and Saturday as the W had already checked me out and in again from the first two nights prepaid on Expedia. We got a $2/night “suite tax” tacked on to pay for the great public services in the City of New York. We went down in front and the black-T-shirted doorman offered us a limousine to LaGuardia for $35, which we took in preference to the ever-more-cramped New York taxis. We climbed in and I said, “La Guardia airport, driver, and step on it!” Tires squealed and Hunnybear and I were thrown against the side as the car accelerated around the corner. “I was just kidding!” I screamed. Geez. I say that all the time but it never had any effect till now. The driver took us via the Queensboro Bridge and got us there in 15 minutes in light traffic.

There was no line anywhere to be seen at the United counter so we checked in at the regular checkin hoping our certs would not be collected. The hope was in vain although the agent was pleasant enough. We went around back to the Red Carpet Room and waited for our flight. The soft drinks here were those little tiny cans that you get in Europe. In fact, the Diet Coke was called Coke Light. Snacks here were a choice of red apples or black Oreos. While I was there I asked the angel to move exactly the same flight I had asked the 1K desk to move for me the other day and been refused. She moved it with no problem and no charge, reminding me that United had waived the $75 change fee for the rest of September. I thanked her and got my new itineraries printed out.

We headed up to gate C10 to board the 727 in time to hear the smashing of ice. We had seats 1A and B, my favorite. Sitting behind us were two people marked on the manifest as VIPs. I snuck a look and it turned out the guy was chairman of a company bearing his name. I guess they must buy a lot of tickets. Service was excellent. It was a 90-minute flight but had a menu and full lunch. We had a choice of steak or turkey for our entrée and we both chose the steak, which arrived medium well. Dessert was Eli’s praline cheesecake but I passed since as a rule I don’t eat dessert and besides I don’t like cheesecake. Hunnybear ate hers though. The flight arrived in Chicago early, which didn’t help us because we had a long connection. It docked at gate E2, about a mile from our next flight which was at C21. We made the trek and then settled in the Terminal C Red Carpet Club right next to the 747 about to leave for Frankfurt at gate C18.

Flight 1111 was a 757 with the old leather seats but fitted with Empower ports except they weren’t turned on. Hunnybear and I turned left and settled into seats 1A and B. It was a very light flight with several empties in First Class and almost no one in Economy Plus. The flight attendants were exceptionally nice. One saw me about to hang up my coat and wouldn’t hear of it so she hung it up herself. We sat in a huge queue and then finally took off. I was waiting for the seatbelt sign to go off so I could ask for the Empower to be turned on when I heard over channel 9, “United 1111, we need to return to Chicago.” “Uh, roger, right turn or left turn?” “Uh, right turn.” Then the captain’s voice same over the PA system. There was a fault light on for the spoiler. They gave him a procedure for fixing it but it came on again. He didn’t want to stare at that light for three hours in the air to Vegas so he decided to return to Chicago.

The atmosphere was a little tense. Since the pilot did not declare an emergency or ask for special assistance at ORD I assumed things were in good shape. The landing felt a little fast but that might have just been imagination. We taxied to gate B7 where we were told to turn right and head for B3, where another plane awaited us. We did that. The posted departure time was 6:10, a two-hour-and-forty-five-minute delay from our original schedule.

The replacement was another 757 with leather seats but no Empower. We boarded quickly through door 1 and waited while the food and baggage were transferred. The stewardess told me that First Class would be getting all new food but coach was OK because it was all refrigerated. We once again sat in line to take off but finally did. Since it was a different airplane I think everybody was pretty relaxed. They showed the movie, Love and Basketball by Spike Lee, soon after take off. Hunnybear and I both liked it a lot. It was very romantic and realistic. This was a snack flight so we got a single-page menu with a choice of ribs and chicken. I had the ribs, which was actually one very good rib. Hunnybear enjoyed the chicken. A steward walked through the aisle passing out $25 vouchers for our trouble.

We landed 2:45 late, not surprisingly, and took the tram to the main terminal where we headed straight to Las Vegas Limo for a $4/person ride to the Tropicana. We shared a car with a couple going to Circus Circus and a kvetchy lady laden with lots of baggage going to her home. The driver took the tunnel, I suppose to avoid arriving at the Tropicana on the wrong side of the street. There was a lot of traffic this holiday weekend. We checked in with no line but all the great views north up the Strip were gone so we settled for a top-floor room with a great view of Excalibur, Luxor, and Mandalay Bay. Two negatives about this hotel: no feather pillows and outrageous local phone charges of 15¢/min. after the first half hour for $1.

We walked around the hotel and I showed Hunnybear the excellent pool where we would be playing swim-up blackjack tomorrow. It was the reason we stayed here. We walked across the street to MGM Grand and had something to eat at Emeril’s. We shared a half-dozen Washington State oysters and a pound of spicy shrimp. As a rule I don’t eat dessert but Emeril’s has a very delicious banana cream pie so we split just one piece. Dinner came to $50 or so for the excellent food. We walked over to the lion habitat and looked at the cubs sleeping above us on the Plexiglas, then we headed back to the Trop. We both joined the Winners Club and they were having a special double cashback bonus so I played a half-hour of video poker, losing $100 but qualifying for a free T-shirt. Tired after a long day, we went up to bed around midnight.


------------------
Get my trip reports mailed to you! http://www.egroups.com/subscribe/liontales

OH NO Lion and Hunnybear! I would be terrified too!

But I pray for you both daily and I send positive cat vibes daily so I"m glad they worked and you both are relatively ok.

Go break the bank in Vegas! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

The spoiler light was stuck on because you said "La Guardia airport, driver, and step on it!", using the wrong airport. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

Did you at least get a 500 mile minimum segment credit for that extra takeoff/landing? http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif

Vegas, Baby!!
Hope your weekend is the BEST!! -- i assume the video poker is to brush up your lessons for teresa -- she can't wait for the chance to learn -- The best part of your writing is that all days seem like weekends -- love your adventures, and yes you have inspired me to get a bit deeper into FT... more later

[QUOTE]Originally posted by QuietLion:
After meeting her in person the illusion was gone so I crossed Charlize off my list of five and added Natalie Portman now that she's 18.[QUOTE]

Well, since you bring her up, there is a running joke in the Linux geek community about "Natalie Portman, naked and petrified" http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif
JD

Glad you are both safe and now having fun.

Originally posted by Jet'Dillo:
Well, since you bring her up, there is a running joke in the Linux geek community about "Natalie Portman, naked and petrified" http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif
JD

with hot grits :P

QL, Music Man is also one of my favorites. Music Man...what an awesome musical. Meredith Wilson was a genius, an absolute genius, having wrote both words and music.

Thanks for the encouragement everyone!

Willson only wrote one other show, The Unsinkable Molly Brown.

Don’t splash the chips

Dawn from the 22nd floor of the Tropicana was a stunning pastiche of mountain, shadow, and black pyramid. Hunnybear had made haircut appointments for the both of us at Bally’s for 10 a.m. so we walked there in the perfect morning air, stopping at Starbucks for a mild blend and at the new Aladdin to poke our heads into the casino. Hunnybear thought it was well done and it was quite a bit nicer without the crowds there. I bet the Aladdin management doesn’t think so though.

Our two stylists were waiting for us but the price had gone up because of the high cost of prices. We proceeded with our haircuts anyway. Naturally I finished first so I went up and played a couple hands of Pai Gow Poker to no avail. Hunnybear snuck up from behind and gave me a bear hug so I cashed out and we walked through the passageway to Paris for an early lunch.

The plan was to have lunch at Mon Ami Gabi, which Arnie the Compmeister recommended highly although he failed to tell me how to eat there without paying for it. We had to wait 15 minutes for it to open so we played some Chairman of the Board Monopoly. Hunnybear hit the bonus game for the first time and had an incredible run, hitting property after property. Since she didn’t know what to expect she had no idea that she was doing so well, collecting several monopolies and cashing out for $69 on her $5 investment.

We got in line and when the restaurant opened at 11:30 got seated right on the rail overlooking the Strip and Bellagio. A French deliveryman on a bicycle rode by and called up to us, “Bonour, mes ami!” Hey, wazzup? We both had the brie omelet which was very good and came with a baguette and two triangles of perfectly buttered toast. The baguette for some reason was served with shredded carrots, which Hunnybear liked but I though tasted like orange dirt. At noon the gorgeous Bellagio fountain show fired up, accompanied by Copeland’s “Variations on a Shaker Melody.” (“’Tis a gift to be simple”). We had a great view through the palm trees in the median of the Strip. Lunch came to under $25 for the two of us. Sorry, Arnie.

We walked back to Tropicana to play some Pai Gow Poker but they had the stupid rule that only lets a player bank once every six hands so we went to play video poker instead. It was just as well because it was the only thing I could win at this trip. I hit a wild royal and cashed out for a modest profit.

It was time to hit swim-up blackjack, the reason we stayed at the Trop. Today was the last day of the season it would be open. We changed into our bathing costumes and headed down to the beautiful pool, certainly the jewel of the hotel. The stakes were higher than usual because it was a holiday weekend. One table was $5-$25 and the other was $3-$25, both played with what appeared to be eight-desk shoes with about 70% penetration. I started off small and couldn’t hit anything. Then I bet the maximum for a few hands and continued getting hoovered. I sipped my free $200 margarita while Hunnybear enjoyed a Gilligan’s Island, made with Malibu rum, pineapple juice, and cranberry juice. When we had been beaten badly enough we dried off and went upstairs.

I wanted to play some serious Pai Gow Poker so we went to MGM Grand to try to get a good game together. Hunnybear went off to play Monopoly while I continued getting the vacuum treatment. I had had enough so we crossed the skybridge back to the Trop, changed into our nice clothes, packed up Hunnybear’s things, and took the Excalibur tram over to Mandalay Bay to play a little more before dinner. No luck. I dropped some more and declared my unconditional surrender as it was time for our early reservations at Rumjungle.

Rumjungle spells their name with a lower-case “r” but I think that’s affected so I don’t. As we approached, two attractive girls in ankle-length black coats trimmed with faux snow-leopard fur greeted us. We got a primo table by one of the waterfalls. Service was excellent. The manager came by several times to ask how we were doing and even cleared a plate himself. I ordered the signature fire pit dinner, similar to the churrascaria we had had in New York Friday night. Waiters came by with meat on skewers and dished out all I could eat, which in this case was one helping of everything. The pork and chicken were best. Hunnybear ordered a coconut-curry beef satay appetizer that was out of this world and a Hawaiian Caesar salad. Next time I’ll try some of the other intriguing dishes instead of the fire pit. After dinner the place turns into a nightclub and at 11 there is a show with flaming stuff. A receipt from dinner gets you into the VIP line for the club.

By now it was time to send Hunnybear to the airport for her five-star United Shuttle flight home so we retrieved her bags from the bell desk and I put her into a cab, telling the driver to take this precious package to United Airlines. I stayed in Vegas to get the first flight out to Seattle in the morning.

It was only 7:30 so I thought I’d try the Pai Gow at MGM Grand again so I walked over and tried to find a good game. I played for a good three hours but couldn’t put anything together. I decided to go back home to the Trop to play another half-hour of video poker before my double-cashback bonus expired. I hit a five-of-a-kind and a wild royal one after the other and cashed out up a couple hundred. I got a generous cashback bonus and my first room might comped so that added almost another couple hundred in value to eat into my Pai Gow Poker losses. Late, I went up to bed and told the wake-up-call-o-matic to ring me at (ouch) 4 a.m.


------------------
Get my trip reports mailed to you! http://www.egroups.com/subscribe/liontales

You crack me up! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif
Great report, I especially like the humor on account of its funniness. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

Hey!! Hunnybear always beats me with the quick come backs. Doh! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif

Originally posted by QuietLion:
Our two stylists were waiting for us but the price had gone up because of the high cost of prices.

JetTroop:

You've got to wake up pretty early in the morning to be quicker than a Hunnybear! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

$200 margaritas have a bit of extra salt (in the wound) don't they?

Do you know if rumjungle delivers? http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

Happy Birthday Microsoft

I woke up in my Tropicana penthouse relatively painlessly a few minutes before four and hopped in the shower. The water pressure was terrible and they had one of those gizmos hooked up to it to make the water come out faster by adding air to it. It was still terrible. Not a bad room though and a great view. Maybe the water pressure was better on lower floors.

I had some time before checkout so I decided to play some $5 video poker. I hit five of a kind and broke the bank for a $250 profit. I did great this trip in video poker but terrible at the Pai Gow Poker table. I went to check out and that short stint at the $5 machine had credited me with another $19 in comps so the room only ended up costing $40 for the two nights. I probably earned a few more dollars in cashback too but I didn’t have time to check.

I grabbed a taxi to the airport ($8 including tip) and found a zoo at the United checkin. I guessed a lot of people were flying back early to go to work after the holiday weekend. I waited a few minutes in the First Class/Premier line and checked in with the agent who asked for two 500-mile certs for the LA-Seattle portion. On my way to the gate I played a little Monopoly and hit two bonus rounds for a $75 profit. My flight was boarding as I got to the gate so I didn’t play any Deuces Wild on my traditional machine but instead wheeled down the Jetway and settled into 1D on the 737 Shuttle. The early-morning desert scenery was utterly spectacular! I enjoyed the flight and as usual the flight attendants on this particular run were friendly and helpful.

We landed on the south side of LAX for a change, which meant we didn’t have to taxi forever to get to gate 85. I had a little time so I checked email in the Red Carpet Club but I passed on the biscotti because I was feeling good after low-carbing yesterday. The 757 to Seattle was at gate 68A, far away, and by the time I got there they were boarding all rows so I turned left and took seat 1B. There was just enough room left in the overhead bins to place my stuff.

Service was good. The video program was the same one Hunnybear and I saw on the ill-fated flight 1111 on Sunday including the horrible That ’70s Show which I didn’t watch again but instead fired up my Toshiba laptop and wrote. Breakfast was a choice of fruit plate or sampler. I took the latter, which had a spinach-polenta concoction, a sausage, home fries, and two silver-dollar pancakes. It was a little too high-carb for my pleasure but tasted good.

We vectored farther north than usual landing in Seattle and turned final over Ballard. It was overcast and 60. The North Satellite subway was under construction and I weaved my way through obstacles heading for the escalators. I decided to take the Gray Line bus to the Westin ($14 round trip) rather than $60 worth of taxis. When the bus stopped at the Four Seasons Olympic I decided to walk the rest of the way just to stretch my legs. It was only five blocks to the Westin and I was on wheels so I enjoyed the cool moist air.

I went in the back entrance to the Westin and headed for the incredibly opulent private Starwood Preferred Guest checkin, a private marble room with a private clerk, an attractive blonde German girl. She had me upgraded to the Preferred Guest floor but I asked if any suites were available. She checked for me and found a suite that could be made up of adjoining rooms on the 19th floor but told me the view was poor. I decided to try it anyway. Unfortunately, although the two rooms were adjoining, they were not adjoining each other but instead the two rooms on either side of them. So I went back down and instead asked if any guest offices were available since I wanted to print something out from my laptop. She found me one with a city view on the 23rd floor so I took it. It was very nice and the view was OK but the Lake Union and Puget Sound views are nicer. I didn’t really care too much so I unpacked and got ready to head out. No Platinum amenity this trip but I may have faked them out with the room switch.

I needed to get to the new ballpark where the Microsoft 25th anniversary celebration was being held so I walked to First Avenue and then turned south. At each bus stop I looked up the street and saw no buses in sight so I kept walking. I got all the way to Pioneer Square before a bus came so I took it the last two stops to the ballpark. Buses in downtown Seattle are free during the daytime but they don’t run with enough frequency to be a dependable form of transportation.

The celebration and party were nostalgic and reassuring for me. Bill Gates gave a great speech recounting the history of the company and then gave a glimpse into the future showing a very cool demo of the forthcoming XBox video-game unit and reiterating that he was betting the company on the .NET architecture. Traditionally, every year at the company meeting Bill promises that the company will continue to give its employees free Coke forever. He showed a chart that indicated Microsoft spent more money on free Coke last year than total revenues were when I started with the company in 1981. I sat up in the Mariners owners box with old friends for awhile and caught up with others of the first 100 employees, many of whom were still there. Comedian Sinbad did a hilarious routine lampooning the corporate culture. I didn’t stay for Cheap Trick but instead headed back to the Westin to see Kevin and a very pregnant Lara.

We had the concierge make reservations at Icon Grill for us and had drinks in the lobby bar while we caught up. Icon Grill was great as always. They served a complimentary salmon-cake appetizer because the Westin concierge made the reservation for us. I had the New York Steak, which arrived way overcooked but was quickly replaced with a rare one. As a rule I don’t eat dessert but they had a hot-fudge sundae to die for so we split just one. Roni arrived in time for dessert and helped us out but we still didn’t come close to finishing. The thing must be made with a quart of ice cream. With a very reasonably priced bottle of my favorite wine, the Willakenzie Pierre Leon Pinot Noir (Oregon) for $52, the bill came to under $170 for the three of us.

Kevin and Lara had a long ferry ride and drive home so we bid them farewell and Roni helped me walk my dinner off before she headed back home. I went up, set three alarms for 7 a.m., and had as Heavenly a sleep as can be expected minus one Hunnybear.


------------------
Get my trip reports mailed to you! http://www.egroups.com/subscribe/liontales

Thank you for another wonderful trip report.

Out of (shareholder) curiosity: any idea how many of the original 100 are still with the company? And out of just plain old curiosity: did all 100(assuming they're, um, still physically with us, for lack of a more tactful phrase) show up for the anniversary?

(I was recently part of a reunion of former employees of a dc radio station. This is was nowhere near as big a deal as the 25th for Microsoft, but I was shocked at the number of folks who came from miles and miles to celebrate.And these were all former employees---firings being quite the norm in this biz)

I only saw one other non-current "alumnus" there. I would guess about 20 of the original 100 are still there.

I was invited to and attended the Windows 95 launch event... what a party that was!

Everyone focuses on the technology, but I can't think of any company that can match Microsoft's marketing prowess.

I’m National, fly me!

I awoke again without the aid of the three alarms I had set and used the video checkout. Local calls were 85¢ for the first hour. I hustled downstairs and waited out in front of the Westin, sitting on a concrete fence in the refrigerated gloom. At 7:20 I caught the late 7:10 Gray Line bus. There was no traffic to the airport so we got there in good time. I headed for the 1K room and chatted with the angel for a few minutes, then dialed up and read email. I told her how I missed the Seattle 1K room, a warm, welcoming place staffed by angels who want to do special favors for their best customers. Other 1K rooms around the country would do well to take whatever Seattle has and bottle it.

My 737 to Los Angeles boarded on time. I had seat 1D because the bulkhead aisles were taken. My seat opponent ate a fruit plate and then snored through the remainder of the flight. I ordered the sampler, which was quite good: a rosemary-topped frittata, a wedge of croque monsieur (grilled ham and cheese sandwich), sausage, and fruit. Oddly, we had blackberries, a Seattle specialty, on the way up to Seattle but not on the flight catered in Seattle. Seattleites think blackberries are a weed and hack them to death constantly. They grow at an unbelievable rate, though, and quickly return. But boy are they delicious. There was no video on the 737 of course so I whipped out my laptop and used the time to write. Service was great and the stewardess kept my decaf and water refilled.

We landed early at LAX so I went to the Red Carpet Club and read FlyerTalk. The 12:15 connecting Shuttle to Las Vegas boarded on time but quickly developed a problem with the pressure framitz so they announced a half-hour delay. Mechanics came on board complaining about their lack of a contract and slowly replaced a unit that looked like it had nothing whatsoever to do with pressure. It didn’t solve the problem so I went out to the gate and had them rebook me on the 1:30 National Airlines 757.

I begged both the United agent and the National agent for First Class but the best offer I got was to pay $50 for the upgrade. If the flight had been a bit longer I would have done it but for a 40-minute flight I didn’t think so. The United agent was super nice and even filled out and mailed a form for me to request credit for the original flight. I had thoughtfully pre-joined National Comps (great name for a Vegas-based airline’s frequent-flyer program) and gave my number. Since they do points for dollars spent I have no idea what I’ll get for this flight. The program didn’t look attractive to me because you have to spend $8000/year to make elite and that’s tough to do just flying from LA to Vegas.

The National 757 was generous in legroom but stingy in width. I wouldn’t have liked to fly much farther than we did in that seat, especially with a chattering fat couple next to me. First Class, on the other hand, looked exquisite. They had row after row of natural tan leather seats and stewards dressed in fancy butler uniforms. The Economy flight attendants wore polo shirts. I thought the distinction was a great idea. They had video screens but did the safety announcement live anyway. Apparently they show movies on longer flights with a headset-rental charge in Economy. They gave a typical drink service but they had real peanuts instead of Krap-Snax™.

We arrived early in Vegas and I dashed to Las Vegas Limousines to get a ride to Mandalay Bay ($4). My aim this afternoon was to break the bank at the progressive $2 Deuces Wild video poker machines, but instead I got a major hoovering. I strolled over to the high-limit slot area to play a few rounds of $5 Deuces Wild. Theoretically, with perfect play and counting the cash back, the house has a very small advantage at these machines (about 0.5%). When you count the value of comps you can break even if you are really hard core about learning the optimal playing strategy, which of course most people aren’t. It remained to be seen if I was or not, but it fell under my general mission statement of finding ways to be treated like a VIP.

I met a nice slot host there who noticed all the money I had lost playing the $2 machine and comped me to a gourmet meal for my very first time, not including the comp to Drai’s that Arnie had procured at Barbary Coast. I asked for Red Square, one of several fabulous restaurants at Mandalay Bay. No problem.

I played Pai Gow Poker for an hour before dinner and made $22.50.

I cashed in my meager chips and walked over to Red Square. “VIP table for one, please,” I said. “I have a comp reservation.” Once again service and food were excellent. A short curvy brunette in a cat suit with a small red square on the chest brought over some bread but I waved it off with a smile. “As a rule I don’t eat bread,” I said. I ordered the lobster martini appetizer ($19), which I didn’t get last time because it wasn’t free, and the Roquefort New York steak. Both were superb, although I had to request extra mustard remoulade for the lobster. It arrived quite sparsely sauced, which is more than I can say for myself, having drowned my sorrows in a Manhattan at the Pai Gow Poker table and then ordered a couple of specialty vodkas here at Red Square. I started with the waitress’s recommendation, the Scottish vodka Brilliant, which lived up to its name. Then I returned to my favorite from last time, Charodei, from Russia. It was still great. They had the chocolate indulgence but I passed since as a rule I don’t eat dessert and I was at the top of my comp limit anyway.

I signed the bill, left a cash tip, got my luggage out of hock, and asked the bellman to call the casino host and order me a limo to the airport. I should have reserved it in advance but I’m still learning from the Master. It took a couple minutes to approve it but soon I was on my way. I asked the driver to take me to the zero level so I could go directly to the gate. I didn’t have a five so I tipped him $10 and I had a new best friend.

I stopped by the Prickly Pear for a frozen Patron margarita and then lost another $60 at my traditional video-poker machine. It was finally time to board the Shuttle home to LA for the last leg of this journey. I had seat 1D on the 737 and sat next to another 1K, a retired executive from TRW who now consulted on government contracts. The flight was quick and we landed 15 minutes early! Hunnybear was nevertheless waiting for me at the secret place and whisked me home through the beautiful moist California night. I was glad to be home.

The end.


------------------
I hope you enjoy my Lion Tales. For photos, past travelogues, subscriptions, and more, see www.liontales.com (http://www.liontales.com)

Originally posted by QuietLion:

I hope you enjoy my Lion Tales. For photos, past travelogues, subscriptions, and more, see
www.liontales.com (http://www.liontales.com)


I take it the website is brand new? Looks blank to me http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif Is it not finished (i see the javascript code) or is Netscape acting up on me again?

[This message has been edited by markbach (edited 09-07-2000).]

I just tried it (using IE of course) and it worked fine. It redirects you to http://communities.msn.com/liontales

The page displays fine on my system in both IE 5.5 and Navigator 4.08 (to give it its correct name).


Next, I tried it in (the renamed) Netscape 6 Preview Release 2 (gecko/mozilla) and again it came up, however, the lower-case word "dot" appears in two places, at the top left of the blue 'spiral binder' and also at the top left of the photo.


The truly amazing thing is that all 3 browsers are open simultaneously on my NT 4.0 - SP5 PC without the fear-inducing BSofD !! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

works fine now with both Netscape 4.75 and Mozilla M17 for Linux. Guess it was just netscape being a PITA.

... take whatever Seattle has and bottle it ...
For starters, furniture that doesn't look like relics from an old high-school language lab; and lastly, the Seattle staff.

I KNEW I'd seen that furniture somewhere before, violist! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif

QL i'm getting a blank screen at your site. I'm useing IE 5.00.2314.1003

Stewart

ps Great report as per normal.