Travel Blog


2014 Trends – CES show

January 8th, 2014 ernie Posted in Las Vegas No Comments »

CES showThe CES show is on in Las Vegas every year in January. There are lots of new devices being shown at the CES show. Which grab the attention of all the computer geeks around the world. It also grabs the attention of many people who are just interested in the evolution of technology that is taking place in the industry. Whatever your motivation, this is one of the premiere conferences and shows to go to every year. Book early, room rates skyrocket during this period.

What to Look for at the CES show

Three major areas that consumers should watch over the next year are going to generate many new technologies and devices that will change our lives.

The cloud has been talked about for the past year and will continue to grow as more and more people place information in the cloud. This means that you store your files and information on a server somewhere, just not on your local PC.

Miniaturization of devices so that we can wear them on our person, on our clothes, and purses and wallets. Computers, hard drives, thumb drives etc are all getting smaller. Our phones are physically getting larger, but the capabilities are expanding exponentially.

Sensors that will keep track of our daily activities, exercise, heart rates, blood-pressure. Also how much we walk and on and on. There is less privacy due to sensors and reporting information to computers, but with huge amounts of information available to the individual

This is just a sample of what is available and will be shown at the CES show every year. Keep track of the evolution of technology by attending shows like this one.

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Fashion View Mall – Las Vegas

March 23rd, 2013 ernie Posted in Las Vegas No Comments »

Fashion View MallThe Fashion View Mall in Las Vegas is a must to visit and explore. You cannot miss this mall since it is right on the strip located across the street from the Wynn Hotel, TI and across the corner from the Palazzo Hotel & Casino which is part of the Venation hotel and casino. Located on the strip is a huge saucer like structure that dominates the strip in this area. If you see this saucer, you know you have arrived at the Fashion View Mall in Las Vegas.

The mall is huge with well over 200 stores of all kinds. There are many clothing stores for women and let’s face it is a place for the ladies to shop, but there is something there for the men as well. There are a number of gadget shops which the writer likes to visit every time I am in Vegas. Brookstone is one of my favorite places to spend half an hour in to see what new gadgets they have added to their selection. I also like to sit in one of their comfortable chairs and enjoy a massage.

Fashion View Mall

The other store that draws a lot of people is the Apple Store. I have never been there when there was not a crowd of people in the store. Either making a purchase or talking to a sales associate about some problem that they may have. These guys are great at providing advice. They can help for any issue you might be trying to resolve with your Apple products.

The Fashion View Mall really has something for everyone. If you are looking for an inexpensive place to eat there is a fast food court on the 3rd level that provides ample seating both indoors and out.

The only complaint that we have is that the music they play on the mall area outdoors is far too loud and repetitive. They could subdue it a little and provide more variety if they want patrons to be attracted to this particular area.

For posts about Las Vegas and area hotels, click here.

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Encore Hotel – Las Vegas

December 21st, 2011 ernie Posted in Las Vegas No Comments »

Encore HotelWe recently had the chance to stay at the Encore Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas during  the month of Oct 2015. What a nice treat, especially when it was free.

For those of you who may not be aware, always obtain a free slot card when you are staying at any casino. The cards are free and if you use them when you are playing the slots or the tables, the hotels will often send you deals to get you to stay at their casino hotels. These deals will range from discounted rooms to free rooms Sunday through Friday, to also including free meals and free play. Free play is money that is available to you play on non progressive slot machines and potential win money. We have done this several times and made up to a thousand dollars on our free play.

Wynn or the Encore Hotel

We had a choice of staying at the Wynn hotel or staying at the Encore. They are sister casinos and hotels and they are connected by an atrium filled with restaurants and shops. You really do not have to leave the hotel if you don’t want to with the choice of restaurants, two casinos and many pools to spend your time at.

We chose the Encore, since we had never stayed there before. Also because the rooms were advertised as suites. We were not disappointed. We have stayed at the Wynn previously and these rooms at the Encore lived up to that reputation and more. The rooms are larger with a living room area and a bedroom area. The bathroom is large with both a large shower as a tub to soak in. There is a small TV in the bathroom and a large flat screen TV in the main area as well. The room also has a large couch and table for entertaining and a work desk if you must keep up with emails and office work while in Vegas. Note that you will pay $13.00 a day for internet access.

The Room was Great

We stayed on the 11th floor of the hotel which is not that high. There was some concern that the view would not be that great. We were wrong of course. I don’t think there is a bad view in the place. We looked out over the strip to the north with the Las Vegas Hilton and Circus Circus casinos in the distance.

If you are heading to Las Vegas, we can confidently recommend this hotel, however it may be a bit expensive if you have to pay for the rooms. For first time traveler to Las Vegas, you should go on a package deal, get a slot card and in the future you might be able to come to Vegas on some sort of deal. The hotels want their rooms full, so in slow periods they will mail out all kinds of offers to fill up their rooms. If there is a large conference taking place, chances are that the rooms are going to be very expensive.

Restaurants

We ate at the Switch restaurant one night and found it good but quite expensive. The neat thing about switch is that the walls and ceilings change every 20 minutes or so providing a different atmosphere in the restaurant. We also found the service good, but felt that they rushed us a bit as well. We wanted to take more time with our meal and felt that they were in a hurry. They were not even that busy.

At the other end of the scale is the food court across the street at the Fashion Show Mall on the 3rd floor. They have all of the standard fast food places in the food court and you can also sit at tables outside weather permitting to enjoy your meal.

Of the two hotels, Wynn and Encore, we would probably stay at the Wynn from now on. The Encore Hotel is very nice, but we like the Wynn Casino better and it is actually a long walk from the Encore to the Wynn even though they are side by side and joined.  These are 3000 room hotels with conference facilities, large pool areas and a golf course.

When you come to Vegas always bring good walking shoes. You are going to need them regardless of were you stay! For more information about Las Vegas, click here.

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