PE.com - Tourism Blog

Something potentially awesome this way comes. Discount bus company, megabus.com, has announced it will start service to and from Los Angeles. The company has been limited to the Midwest and United Kingom. West Coast routes touted for starting at $1.50 each way (that includes a 50 cent reservation fee) will include Los Angeles to Las Vegas, Oakland, Phoenix, San Diego, San Francisco and San Jose.

The company plans to host a press conference on Thursday at 10:30 a.m. at 800 North Alameda St., according to a press release. Looking for a buck? They're also planning on handing out dollar bills to commemorate their West Coast arrival.

Alas, I've never felt the need to ride a bus from Indianapolis to Louisville -- but for those of you who have tried out the Mega Bus, what's it like? Enlighten me.

Posted by Kimberly Pierceall at 5:18 AM, July 31
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Reaction to how life is portrayed behind the scenes at the Parker Palm Springs has been mixed since its premiere. But the New York Daily News downright disliked it, even mentioning "annoying California neuroses" with specific geographical disdain.

I had posed a couple questions to readers in an e-mail alert asking what they thought of the show:

Loved it!!!!!! watched every minute! Great TV -- wrote John P.

... and what they thought of the antics of an "international food critic" on the premiere episode who ate her way through thousands of dollars of food at the Parker for free:

You’re right—truly legit food critics typically pay their way (or their outlet pays) and they go incognito -- wrote Jerry D.

I have never heard of a food critic that the hotel knows is coming and pays for her room, food and drink.She mentioned that she was just at the French Laundry, I can't imagine that they comp'd her! I also can't believe the amount of food she ordered and wasted. -- wrote Alan

What'd you think of the show?

Posted by Kimberly Pierceall at 5:30 AM, July 30
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Oh Parker Palm Springs ... your show on Bravo is far more entertaining and scenic than Hidden Palms was (rest in peace short-lived CW show that was also set at the Parker), but there's only been one episode and already the "reality" seems a little suspect.

For folks who didn't watch the premiere episode Thursday at 10 p.m., a major plot point included an "international food critic" named Leslie McElroy. A quick Google-ing of Leslie McElroy reveals little except for another blog that mentions the convenient lack of online food reviews from McElroy and McElroy's own site where her food critic duties involve a weekly Internet radio show. That's all you need to stay and eat thousands of dollars worth of food on the hotel's dime at the Parker? Not too shabby.

Posted by Kimberly Pierceall at 10:08 AM, July 27
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A crew of local broadcast news investigators in Phoenix. hung around Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport with secret cameras from midnight to 4:30 a.m. and watched employees barely pause to flash a badge at a private security guard with bags, uninspected, in tow.

Public outrage ensued, the city's mayor defended and the Transportation Security Administration benched the airport's security director while they investigate.

But since the story broke, I've gotten bits and pieces of info about the security situation at LA/Ontario International Airport and Palm Springs International Airport.

According to the TSA: "National policy dictates that people working in concourses, as well as goods sold in the so-called 'sterile area,' are screened before entering those concourses."

With that said I had a few questions for the TSA and got less than a few answers back.

My e-mail to a helpful TSA press officer:

As for the national policy -- does that require a human being, either TSA or some other law enforcement official, to check badges and bags of those entering a secure area 24/7? Does national policy condone using secured badges to open locked doors (with no human presence checking)?

What is LA/Ontario International Airport's after-hours security policy in regards to employees? When does TSA leave for the evening and come back in the morning, if that's the case? Do employees just swipe badges or is there an official on duty 24/7 checking badges.

And the response:

"The airport has 20- and 21-hour operations in 2 terminals, so almost 24/7 but during the closed time no one accesses the sterile area. The airport provides the guard and when it reopens, at approx. 0330, the police do sweeps prior to."

So at LA/Ontario, when the TSA crew leaves for three to four hours, no one is allowed in the secured area of the airport.

At Palm Springs International Airport, TSA leaves the airport from 9:16 p.m. to 4:29 a.m. when no passenger flights are departing or landing. During that time, employees needing to get into a secure area must have security clearance to open the door.

So here's the thing -- should TSA be inspecting airport employees 24 hours a day, seven days a week? Or would the agency be stretched too thin?

Posted by Kimberly Pierceall at 4:41 AM, July 26
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It's still summer travel season so if you're booking flights and can manage to choose your choice of airports to fly into you might want to check out the advice of frequent flyers at the FlyerTalk forums online and US News World & Report who rank several of the nation's airports in the Airport Misery Index.

There are some winners, at least, who are less miserable than others.

Posted by Kimberly Pierceall at 8:04 AM, July 23
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So Virgin America's site is up and running. Here are a few quirks I've noticed so far.

- It costs $15 extra to sit in an exit row.
- You're limited to one checked bag up to 50 lbs. The second bag would cost you $10. Another bag, and you're looking at $50 more.

Also, I forgot to mention earlier that each seat has its own electrical plug, so your iPod won't fizzle out mid-air.

Posted by Kimberly Pierceall at 4:23 PM, July 19
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Airlines can be finicky, frustrating, downright rude ... but I may have fallen for one. Granted, I haven't flown it - no one has - but on first glance it looks like it could be the one. But I gush.

Virgin America started selling tickets today for domestic flights. And those of you who booked online before their site crashed (yes, that makes me love Virgin America less), will have a few features to look forward to, namely chatting with your neighbors via the on-board computers ("why hello seat 10F, I'm thoroughly enjoying the music emenating loudly from your ear phones. Please turn it up"), ordering your choice of food and beverage and not having to rifle through wallets for cash - they'll take plastic, and having the mood set for you with mood lighting

Southern Californians will have to head to LAX for flights to San Francisco (starting Aug. 8), Washington D.C., and New York.

Posted by Kimberly Pierceall at 11:45 AM, July 19
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Looking to buy a hotel?

Hotel Zoso in downtown Palm Springs has been on the market for quite some time but a $25.4 million offer from the American Property Management Corp. in San Diego may send the hotel to the highest bidder eventually.

Check here for my story in today's business section, but in the proverbial nutshell, a US Bankruptcy Court in Las Vegas will decide July 27 if the company's offer will be the minimum bid for a potential auction by October. It's called the "stalking-horse" in bankruptcy termonology.

To find out why the Hotel Zoso, which is still open, has been involved in a Chapter 11 bankruptcy situation, check out my prior story here.

Interested bidders should contact Jim Matthews, president of Prime Locations LLC, who is overseeing the hotel's sale for the bank at 972-412-2997.

Posted by Kimberly Pierceall at 11:41 AM, July 19
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Any Palm Springs-ians looking for a lengthy vacation (more like a lease and a new life) in Beijing for next year's summer Olympics -- might get a kick out of one of the city's high-rises.

The Palm Springs International Apartment complex doesn't really resemble Palm Springs ... no palm trees, no Wexler-inspired modern architecture, no tramway ... there is an angry lion in the logo though

Rent ranges from $2,400 to $9,250 a month. The pool looks downright Hearst-ian.

Posted by Kimberly Pierceall at 5:52 AM, July 18
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Elvis died 30 years ago on Aug. 16, 1977 - but if visiting his shrine and/or town that week is too costly ($535 round-trip from Ontario to Memphis with one stop on American Airlines ... and kiss the city's Heartbreak Hotel goodbye, it's booked) or checking out the British version of Elvis in concert in London and Nottingham isn't possible, the owners of Elvis and Pricilla's Honeymoon Hideaway in Palm Springs are hosting tours and a gospel concert.

Tours are 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and cost $20 per person. If you want a tour and want to witness the gospel concert featuring James King, an Elvis impersonator, it'll cost you $45.

Posted by Kimberly Pierceall at 5:52 AM, July 17
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I've never had the slightest desire to visit Detroit -- my automobile mecca is Oxford, England. But I'm a sucker for flashy hotels.

The proposed MotorCity Casino Hotel has at least one quirky attribute -- a "pillow library" so whether you like the feeling of resting your head on a piece of slate or cotton candy - you'll have your choice of pillows. Me, I like to swim in pillows like Scrooge McDuck used to swim in gold coins.

The other hotel features are so-so:

iPod dock - standard

37 inch plasma screen TVs - what self-described resort doesn't have one?

robes - since when did robes become a feature worth touting?

portable room telephones that can be carried throughout the resort - isn't that what cell phones are for?

Posted by Kimberly Pierceall at 5:22 AM, July 16
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Why hasn't anyone thought of building an Elvis-themed resort in Las Vegas before now?

Hopefully they won't skimp on the "burning love" suite.

Posted by Kimberly Pierceall at 5:07 AM, July 12
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"Hidden Palms" may not have done for Palm Springs what the "OC" did for Orange County and "The Sopranos" did for New Jersey. Its short eight-episode existence ended July 4 at 8 p.m.

But the desert will get another chance in the television spotlight starting July 26 at 11 p.m.

That's when the Parker Palm Springs hotel becomes a reality show on Bravo. Really, it was about time a hotel became a reality star -- what when chefs, hair stylists, interior decorators, Paula Abdul, real estate agents, and fashion designers have all had Bravo document their lives.

While I'm wary of how real the "reality" show will be, I did see at least two names I recognized among the cast that were at the hotel long before Bravo set up its cameras -- general manager Thomas Meding and human resources director Lynne Dibley.

Of course drama will ensue - as Bravo promises - when "an over-the-top food critic puts everyone in a tizzy, or a group of Hollywood insiders trash the hotel's most expensive suite with a tricycle and too much beer." Ah, hotel hijinks.

Posted by Kimberly Pierceall at 5:43 AM, July 11
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If it's been a while since you've driven to Vegas and you like to map out where to take breaks along the way (me -- I prefer the giant temperature guage in Baker to remind me it's just going to get hotter), one blog reader pointed out that the Kelso Depot Visitor Center in the Mojave National Preserve has been spruced up and outfitted into a full-blown visitors center with an, "excellent book store and friendly rangers. Also, excellent public restrooms, which are important in the middle of the desert," she wrote.

According to the National Park Service, it's accessible from Interstate 15 and about 35 miles south of Baker and open every day but Christmas from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Posted by Kimberly Pierceall at 6:11 AM, July 09
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Ever at a loss for what to do for vacation?

How 'bout getting dropped off at the U.S. border with Mexico and walking straight up to Canada. That's what La Quinta residents Marty and Norma did. With a little leave from work and a few carefully positioned pre-sent packages to pick up along the way, the two are already into their second month and thousandth mile of trekking.

From what I've read (and bear in mind I'm generally averse to to camping) the adventure isn't for the unprepared, both mentally and physically.

Their friend Joe sent me a link to their trail journal -- the first one titled Prep #1 in the pull-down menu explains a little as to why these two would want to tackle such a feat.

Keep on Walkin' Marty and Norma (aka Reaper and Hot Pants)

Posted by Kimberly Pierceall at 5:39 AM, July 05
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