The Travel Thread - 2022 edition

Anyone here flown internationally out of RDU? I usually try to fly nonstop to London if possible and I'm willing to drive to do it. RDU has the British Airways non-stop overnight that I want and it's basically only 30 minutes farther away from me than Dulles. Also, a little bit cheaper, at least right now. Just thinking the customs process might be smoother at RDU? Took me close to three hours to get through customs the last time I came back via Dulles.

 

I have always been intrigued by the Panama Canal and kept it in the back of my mind for a future cruise. A couple of FB friends went earlier this year, posted comments and photos, etc.. I looked up some cruises and my opinion was, while I'm still intrigued by the canal, I have no interest in the other stops. Venezuela, Colombia, Mexico. I'm not a hiker (bad feet, ankles) and I don't care about some 300-year-0ld church made out of boulders, or some ancient ruins, and the crap they sell on the docks. The question was, is the canal (and the ship itself) enough of an attraction to warrant going despite the other unappealing stops?
We told the in-laws about this and they sort of agreed. Then they asked us if we wanted to be their travel partners. They are our age and never traveled, but suddenly are wanting to travel. We said no to a 21-day Mediterranean cruise they booked for next June. But then they booked a 14-day Panama Canal cruise for January, so we did, too. Princess cruise, no Venezuela. But Cartagena, Colombia, then Puntarenas, Costa Rica, and Huatulco and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
Now, we are trying to get Global Entry and running into the "no appointments available" for the interview. Travel is such a pain in the ass because of 9-11 and Covid.
Any comments, suggestions.

 

Any advice on Las Vegas? I'm going to see F1.

 

Best Japanese food in all LV —-Raku, amazing. Hope you can get a table.

 

Is Slots A Fun still as sketchy as I remember it?

 

Home of the porno dog! Also, $1 craps right on the street.

 

My kinda joint! Coldest beer on the strip too!

 

There’s a whole different strategy playing one-deck blackjack at slots o’ fun than playing six decks on the casino floor.

 

No craps on the street -- in fact, no table games at all -- anymore.

I loved that place, though. The 0-dark-thirty $1 blackjack, punctuated by periodic visits from the donut and coffee cart ... it truly was a helluva good time.

 

That's a bummer. It's been a good 20 years since I've been to Vegas so I assume some things must change...

 

I remember sitting at that $1 blackjack table surrounded by middle-age guys just like me: 1) not drunk or hung over; and 2) absolutely unable to adjust sleeping patterns to Vegas time. So there we were, basically just killing time at maybe a nickel an hour in expected loss. This fossil dealing noticed one of the guys wearing a USC shirt and started in on the history of the Trojans-Irish rivalry. The game slowed to a crawl, which usually gets somebody irritated. Not that morning. Nobody much gave a shit.