Viva Las Vegas
Since last Sunday night, the city that never stops partying has turned somber after a gunman killed at least 58 people and injured more than 500 spectators during a country music concert on the Las Vegas Strip. Packs of news cameras, police and investigators abound. A memorial with balloons, devotional candles, flowers and signs has materialized near the site on Las Vegas Boulevard. Meanwhile, according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, all hotels, casinos and attractions are open. Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino is accepting reservations for rooms and performances, and all of its restaurants are serving guests and gamblers. Only the 32nd floor, the staging ground of the shooter, is off-limits. Visitors in cars might run across several road closings and detours, especially on Las Vegas Boulevard between Tropicana Avenue and Sunset Road.
Washington Post
Diamond status gets harder
Delta Air Lines has made it a lot harder for frequent fliers to attain the coveted Diamond status by making purchases with their SkyMiles American Express card. Amex cardholders used to have to spend $25,000 annually to reach the Diamond level, the highest status in Delta's frequent flier program. But starting on Jan. 1, fliers will have to spend $250,000. "I don't know personally of very many people who can spend $250,000 on all their credit cards in one year," said flier Andrew Hiscox of Chanhassen. Christopher Elliott, the ombudsman for National Geographic Traveler magazine, said if Delta's goal was to make the Diamond medallion more special by reducing the number of people who qualify, it's "mission accomplished." "Plain and simple, this is a way for Delta to make more money," Elliott said.
John Ewoldt
A Lego shrine in Denmark
The Legoland theme park draws about 2 million visitors annually to the tiny town of Billund, Denmark, where the Lego company has its headquarters. Now, there's a new attraction on the block. Lego House, which opened in September in Billund, is a brick-shaped behemoth in the center of town that is both a shrine to the toy and a place to let loose. Each part of the 130,000-square-foot building has been designed with Lego in mind, from the climbable exterior of yellow and blue Lego bricks (scaled up to human size) to its "tree of creativity," a nearly 50-foot-tall, 6.3-million-brick centerpiece built as an homage to Lego's roots as a wooden toy. "My vision with this house is to create the ultimate Lego experience which truly unfolds the endless possibilities there are with our bricks and our Lego system of play," said the Lego Group's majority owner, Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen, at the house's opening, "and [have] together all these experiences in one house, the home of the brick."
New YOrk Times
Early-bird ski discounts
Wyndham Extra Holidays is offering savings of up to 20 percent at 16 ski resorts. The promotion applies to Wyndham vacation ownership resorts in 10 U.S. states, including Utah, Colorado and Vermont, and three Canadian provinces. For example, a one-bedroom suite at Utah's Wyndham Park City in mid-December is $159 a night (plus $16 taxes), a savings of $40. Stay Nov. 22-April 10; holiday blackouts apply. Book by Nov. 20 at extraholidays.com/promotion/wyndham-vacation-ski-resort-deals with promo code SKI.
Washington Post