"Anonymous" wrote in message
...


LA to Las Vegas is a long boring drive, so consider flying on one of
our discount airlines. The Grand Canyon is less than a five hour
drive from Las Vegas. It is four hours from Phoenix, Arizona and
there are more interesting things along the way.


It's a one hour flight to Las Vegas. Checking in requires getting to the
airport two hours early. If you check bags, you can easily wait 45 minutes
to retrieve them. Taxi waits in Las Vegas can be as long as half an hour.
That's four to five hours flying, or four to five hours driving.

I'll take driving any time.



Southwest Airlines currently has a special from the LA area to Las
Vegas of $109 for airfare plus two nights at Circus Circus Hotel.
Other discount airlines to check out are JetBlue, Frontier, Allegiant
and ATA.

Circus Circus is, without question, one of the worst hotels on the Strip.
First, it is on the far north end, and not near anything. Second, it is
over-run with families with children -- the kind of families who let their
kids run wild (and who think bringing children to Las Vegas is a good idea).
Southwest is _not_ a discount airline -- depending on market, its airfares
can be the same or higher than the legacy airlines. Southwest also has no
interline agreements with other carriers -- if they oversell or cancel,
you're simply stuck. They'll refund your money or book you on another
Southwest flight up to several days later. They are also the Greyhound bus
of the skies -- a fitting partner for Circus Circus.


4. are there any other destinations that we should see while in CA?

In the LA area, I suggest that you visit 1) Santa Monica and Venice
Beach (take the Wilshire Blvd bus to the ocean),

It's been a few years since I lived in LA, but when I did, this was one of
the most dangerous bus lines in the city.

Your suggestions for destinations, however, are good ones.

2) Old Town Pasadena
(a short train ride from downtown LA), 3) the Getty Museum in Malibu
(they keep their Greek and Roman antiquities there), 4) the Gene Autry
Museum (www.autry-museum.org - cowboy museum north of downtown), 5)
the San Diego Zoo (www.sandiegozoo.org), 6) Old Town San Diego, 7)
Mission San Juan Capistrano (where the swallow return each year).

If you venture to Northern California, San Francisco is fabulous,
Monterey and Carmel are quaint, the Big Sur Coast is our Great Ocean
Road, but, alas, we have no Apostles. Hearts Castle is a must see if
you like architecture and art (www.hearstcastle.com). There are also a
number of places along this route where you can stop and see seals and
sea elephants. San Luis Obispo (where I currently live) is a nice
place to stop and Santa Barbara is even nicer.