Reno and Airport Praises/Gripes

I am not a gambler and I'm typically not into the kind of vacationing that exists in places like Vegas, Biloxi, and Reno. But I must say that a giant hotel-casino-resort is a good place to have a bridge tournament. The drinks after the game and meeting your peers in the bar/casino is lots of fun and it's not something that exists at most bridge tournaments where people tend to scatter off to different places after the game. In 4 days in Reno for the Spring nationals, I left the hotel once to go out to dinner at a nice Italian restaurant. If what you're looking for is somewhere to gamble, drink, eat, sleep, shop, relax all in one place, Reno is the place for you. From most places in the US, there aren't direct flights but once you get there, there are free shuttles to all the major casino hotels. Reno doesn't have the glitz and glamour of Vegas or Atlantic City but the idea is the same - you can get the same things in Reno as in Las Vegas, just a litte cheaper and without so much fanciness. There really isn't much else to do in Reno, unless you go out to Lake Tahoe for some water or mountain sports. I wish I had taken a day to go to Tahoe and maybe go skiing, but that requires more planning and finding someone else who wants to go skiing. Skiing is something I've been wanting to try for awhile but the last couple of times I tried organizing such a trip, it failed miserably. Perhaps if and when I move north, my friends will be more interested in skiing.

In other news, I finally realize why people hate LAX so much. In all my travels, it's kind of amazing that I never flew to Los Angeles but my trip to Reno involved chaning airlines in LAX because that's what was the cheapest thing that fit my time parameters. I'd be totally fine if that's my last trip through LAX. It is very inefficient. Signs directing you how to get from one terminal to another are few and far between and a bit unclear. I had no problems with it but I did a little research before hand. The worst part of the airport, though, is that each terminal has a separate security line so delays are lengthened, and it makes passengers connecting in different terminals have to go through security again. It seems that this kind of setup with 6 different terminals each with it's own ticketing, baggage claim, and security comes from an airport that has expanded several times because no one in their right mind would design it like this from the beginning. Yes, if you have a giant security line for all passengers, there may be delays but they will be short and predictable whereas having a different line for each airline creates a much more variable wait time. It all makes me appreciate ATL more. It is the epitome of a well-designed, well-run airport. The fact that it is the busiest airport in the world just makes it even more impressive.