A Trip of “Firsts” to the USA

It may have been a short trip to the United States, but our member Amaroo certainly travelled there in style! Our member flew Qantas First class to Los Angeles, en-route to Las Vegas and New York. But that wasn’t the only “first” on a trip that also saw our member trying out new airport lounges and luxury hotels for the first time.

A short but fulfilling trip to the USA starts tomorrow. Overnight my entry into the QF F upgrade lottery came up trumps, and I have my fingers firmly crossed for the return journey on QF12..

This trip will see a few “firsts”… First visit to the QF LAX lounge …  actually, I have three visits planned. First stay at the Bellagio … have stayed at 6 other strip hotels. First stay at the Park Hyatt NYC. First visit to JFK AA Flagship lounge. First AA 32B Transcon lie flat.

The trip began with a pleasant flight across the Pacific in the pointy end of an A380. After enjoying the tasting menu, our member managed a restful night’s sleep before on board.

On arrival into Los Angeles, our member decided to try out the American Airlines flagship lounge. The lounge offers some great views, and was fairly quiet during the morning. However, the food and service is considered to be considerably better in the nearby Qantas lounge. Our member headed over there after the passengers travelling to New York had departed.

The first stop of the trip was Las Vegas, where a stunning view of the Fountains of Bellagio awaited from the hotel room. Although it was our member’s first stay at the Bellagio Hotel, it was not the first visit to Las Vegas. It seems that the city has grown on our member since their first visit two decades ago.

I first visited Vegas 1996 – hated it! Didn’t gamble, and didn’t have a clue what the place was about. Fast forward 20 years, and I’ve now clocked up my 5th stay… I still don’t gamble!

All but the first trip have been business related. These business trips have educated me on what Vegas offers – a) Shopping b) Food c) Entertainment. If you like any of those things – put it on the list! Leave the gambling to the professionals, and addicted.

After Las Vegas, our member spent a day flying across the country on American Airlines to New York! Using the luxurious Park Hyatt hotel as a base, our member traversed the city taking in many of the sights that New York has to offer. Between sampling the delicious local food, sights visited include the Brooklyn Bridge, Broadway and the moving 9/11 museum.

Follow the journey and enjoy the many accompanying photos HERE.

The editor of Australian Frequent Flyer, Matt's passion for travel has taken him to over 90 countries… with the help of frequent flyer points, of course!
Matt's favourite destinations (so far) are Germany, Brazil & Kazakhstan. His interests include economics, aviation & foreign languages, and he has a soft spot for good food and red wine.

You can connect with Matt by posting on the Australian Frequent Flyer community forum and tagging @AFF Editor.
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