New Orleans Flavor in Las Vegas

I recently stayed at the Orleans Hotel and Casino in Vegas and found it to better than I expected. The hotel is about 2 miles off the strip on Tropicana but they run a shuttle bus continously to their other strip properties, the Barbary Coast and Gold Coast casinos.

For an off strip hotel I was surprised at how large and busy the place was. Security is ever present as you must show your room key before getting on the elevator. The rooms are comfortable and for an additional $9.95 you can get wired or wireless internet in your room.

I was attending a convention and so I ate mostly banquet food and that was pretty good. I did make it to the Marketplace Buffet on my last night and for $12.95 plus tax it was a pretty good deal. The food wasn't great but for the price I can't complain. Plus the variety was wider than most that I have experienced in Vegas. There were stations for pasta, barbeque, mongolian barbeque, mexican and the good old U.S.A. The desserts were very good including mini eclairs creampuffs.

So the next time you go t Sin City and want to be off the strip but in a casino give the Orleans a try.

Inexpensive Vegas Hotel

On the south side of town and just off the strip the Fairfield Inn and Suites has opened and provides some welcome relief to the pricier Vegas hotels. I was attending a convention at the nearby Mandalay Bay Resort Hotel and rather than pay the $200 a night plus room rate I was able to stay at the Fairfield for a modest $85.50. Plus you get free hi speed wireless internet and a free breakfast from 6-10 daily. The hotel also provides a shuttle every half hour to the strip and is less than 4 miles from the airport and just off of I-15.

A clean comfortable room at a resonable price and no casino for those looking for some peace and quiet.

Cheap Transportation in Seoul

My recent trip to Seoul Korea proved just how low the fares really are. The minimum fare is 900 won or about 90 cents at today's exchange rate. That gets you around to most of the local stops. When I went to Incheon with my wife the trip cost 1400 won or about $1.35 at the current exchange rate. Compare that to a train ride I took in Japan for a similar distance that cost about $15. Taxis are also relatively cheap starting about 2000 won, but a local trip will still cost you four or five times what a subway ride would. The trains arrive every few minutes, and stop precisely at set points on the platform for easy boarding so you never have to wait very long if you miss a train. The cars are comfortable and large enough to hold plenty of riders, so you rarely have overcrowded cars.

Unlike the Metro system in Washington DC where transferring from one line to another means going upstairs or downstairs, in Seoul it could mean walking a fair distance before you find the right line. It isn't handicapped friendly as there are very few elevators and just a handful of wheelchair climbers available.

I can't believe that the system is profitable with the low fares, but I guess the government feels that it is better to subsidize riders who might otherwise take to driving cars in an already traffic choked city. I shudder to think what it would be like if that were the case. Plus many of the drivers of taxis and buses in Seoul drive like maniacs making a difficult situation worse.

So if you are in Seoul go underground. It's fast, it's cheap and it's safe.