‘Iron Man’ Malibu & Lone Pine, CA cameo; Las Vegas hotel deals; Amtrak; L.A. ski, hike & surf

Good morning travelers! The weekend is already here. Do you have any fun plans? Who’s ditching work today to go see “Iron Man“? I am. Note that when Tony travels to Afghanistan, it’s really our local Lone Pine, California. And Tony’s house is in Malibu.

VEGAS | If you’re considering a spontaneous trip to Las Vegas, know that Friday night is cheaper than Saturday night. It’s a little windy out here but a room at Planet Hollywood today is $169 via Vegas.com. Their rates for other hotels are as follows: Tropicana ($91) Hooters ($103), Palazzo ($219), Caesars ($395) and Excalibur ($92). Rates are before taxes.

If you want to find a bargain at other Vegas hotels, return to the Daily Travel & Deal blog later this morning for our post on more Las Vegas hotel deals: Trump, Palazzo and the Signature.

LOS ANGELES | If the high price of gas has you sticking closer to home, check out The Guide’s local feature “Ski, hike and surf: It’s all in a California Day.”

READER COMMENTS | The return of Amtrak’s Coast Starlight is eliciting mixed response from our readers. Here are a few opposing views:

“I’m glad you will be adding this service. I have worked for the airlines for past 30 years, and have been trying to ride on a train not just locally, but a long-haul like this service from L.A. to Seattle, which is where I’m from and my daughters live. If the price is right I can see myself booking my next family trip via THE TRAIN.” — Ed Grinnell

“Last time I took the CS from L.A. to Salinas, it took twice as long as it would have to drive. Plus, families who bring their children feel secure enough to let their children run the length of the train and act like it’s a giant playground. NO THANKS!” — Andy Lucas

“Unfortunately, between Congressional pressure and the inefficiency of low-density service, Amtrak doubtless loses money on the Coast Starlight. Consequently, the question should be, what were Amtrak’s  ’savings’ from the prolonged shutdown!” — PQuincy

NEW L.A. TIMES TRAVEL NEWSLETTER | Readers can subscribe to a new weekly LAT Travel e-mail newsletter, “Getaway L.A.,” tailored specifically for Southern California travelers.
(Free LATimes.com site registration required.)

Delivered every Thursday, the dispatch will round up the best of the Travel website and highlight favorite travel deals, news, tips and hot topics of debate. Click here to see a sample issue >>
(no registration required).

— Jen Leo, Los Angeles Times Travel Deal Blogger

[Photo: Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times]

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This entry was posted on Friday, May 2, 2008 at 12:03 am by Jen Leo and is filed under Good Morning, News, Tips & Advice. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.