Day 20
Monday December 31, 2001
Up early today right when the alarm went off. I really hate having to leave, not so much because it means vacation is over but more because I can’t stand the whole airport scene. Traveling in a tube for the rest of the day is no picnic either.
After I got ready and the rest of my things packed it was time to go check out. I’ll be amazed if they get this right because there have been some problems with the way my hotel bill is showing up on the TV.
After I loaded up the car I needed a quick breakfast so I stopped at the Java in the Park Hut in the park. There were a few people ahead of me but for some reason the girl working the stand was moving in slow motion. After about 15 minutes of waiting it was finally my turn to order. I went with 2 jelly donuts and a Snapple iced tea. I’m sure glad that it was comped because the total was $5.33. A little pricey for a couple of donuts if you ask me.
After breakfast it was time to check out. Of course the clerk tried to charge me $170 and change until I told her that those nights were comped. She went to my file and got the comp slips. I was responsible for the local calls I made and they also charged me that friggen energy surcharge for the 4 nights that were paid for with comp dollars. When I asked why I was being charged the energy surcharge on comped nights she told me it was because the rooms were not actually comped, but they were booked at casino rate and “paid” for with comps. I told her that it was a bunch of crap and agreed to leave it on the credit card. I’ll be calling my host when I get home to see if something can be done about that.
After check out I had to fill up the gas tank. I went right to the 76 station out in front of Sam’s Town. Regular was still $1.03 like it was last week when I got gas here.
I had to make one stop at the post office on Sunset Road. This was convenient since I had to drop the car off at Alamo too. Alamo is located on Bermuda Road, which is off Sunset. I took Flamingo to the Strip and I could see how many more people there were in town today compared to this time last week. There were plenty of people walking around and traffic was heavy. After my quick stop at the post office I headed over to Alamo to drop off the car. This went quick and easy and before I knew it I was on my way to the airport.
To my surprise there were few people in line at the American counter. There were only 2 people ahead of me and each agent was with a customer. Of course of these customers they had to have their little kids running all over the check in area. When are people going to learn not to let their little kids run all over the airport?
When I finally made my way to the counter working my suitcase around 2 little kids and numerous toys and back packs (why do people let their kids spew toys all over the airport check in?) I was checked in quickly but there was a slight problem. My suitcase was almost 5 pounds over the allowed weight of 70 pounds. The options were to pay American $100 to keep the weight or to remove a few items and put them in my carry on. I chose the latter.
As I got closer to the security checkpoint I could see that there were lines but again not nearly what I was expecting. I of course got stopped with my laptop and they hand checked my bag that had my casino chips in it too. After the short delay here with security I was on my way to the monorail and the D terminal. I had an hour to spare so I watched people play slots. One lady was doing very well on a Wheel of Fortune machine. Everyone else seemed to be losing though. There’s a surprise.
The boarding process went smooth and we were soon on our way. I was on flight 756 to Chicago. Our flight time was to be just over 3 hours at an altitude of 33,000 feet on a Boeing Super 80. The flight came with a Bistro meal that you pick up on the jet way when you board. It consisted of a turkey ham sandwich with turkey from Perdue and a slice of cheese. There was also a small bottle of Crystal Geyser water, a small bag of Sun Chips and a 2-pack of Pepperidge Farm Milano cookies. The sandwich was on bread that seemed like it was supposed to be a croissant just without the shape. It was pretty good. Later on in the flight I noticed some people were eating the same granola crunch that I had on the flight out. Damn, what a rip off. I didn’t get any granola!
We landed a little early in Chicago but by the time we taxied to the gate quite a bit of time passed. We entered in at gate H-10 and of course my connection was at H-1 clear on the other side of the terminal. I had plenty of time but it was a drag carrying all the extra crap with me that made my suitcase too heavy.
This plane boarded on time and we took off on schedule. This plane is a Fokker 100. This is flight 848 to Stewart-Newburgh. Our flight time will be just under 2 hours. Right now they are passing out our beverage and snack. It’s a tiny bag of Frito-Lay Rold Gold Pretzels. Sometimes I wonder if they can actually spare the 3 or 4 pretzels they cram into these bags. The captain just came on and said we should arrive in Newburgh a little early and it was clear and 22 degrees. Quite a difference from the 62 degrees I had in Las Vegas yesterday and the mid 50’s that it was when I left earlier today.
When we arrived in Newburgh the wait for baggage wasn’t too bad. I was dreading the fact I had to lug all this crap down to where I worked to get my car. It’s a little tough trying to get someone to pick you up at 11:30pm on New Year’s Eve when the plant is closed. I finally made my way back down to the car and headed home. Vacation and another trip to Las Vegas was now history. I’m already looking forward to going back in the spring.
Total win/loss for the day $0
Total comps for the day $5
Final Thoughts
Total win/loss for the trip -$400
Total comps for the trip $1808