Travel Guide - ThePointsOfLife

The Mexico City Metro

thepointsoflife

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September 23, 2015

This is part of the Trip Report: The Greatest Diamond Challenge of All Time. Check out how I planned my Hyatt Diamond Challenge and how it cost next to nothing here.

In this report, I will cover:

Avoiding getting ripped off by the airport taxi is my number one objective when arriving in a new city. The hassle of getting from the airport for the right price is not something I’m equipped to deal with following a long journey. This isn’t as pressing a concern as it was once was with the emergence of Uber but a pain nonetheless.

Landing in Mexico City, I had yet to configure my Blackberry for m.uber.com. Blackberry doesn’t support the Uber app which is more hilarious than my insistence on keeping this great device. I had read about the terrible traffic in Mexico City and thought it would be more convenient, more cultural to take the scenic route via the Mexico City Metro.

To the point of convenience, it was not. To the point of cultural, it was worth the hour-long commute. The journey begins by walking the endless terminal of Mexico City Airport towards Terminal A. From there go under the white roof path to the metro entrance. Pay the incomparably cheap 3 pesos, or 17 cents, for a ticket. Stare at the incomprehensible metro map for a long time until you figure out that you are supposed to take Line 5 to Pantitlan. Change to Line 1, the pink line, towards Observatorio. Exit on Tacubaya. Switch to Line 7. Exit Auditorio. You have arrived in Polanco with much more than a discounted fare. You have arrived with a story.

First, I wouldn’t suggest taking the metro from the airport to Polanco not because it is unsafe but because it takes way too long and is way too hot. A few stops on the metro is enough to get the metro experience. This includes:

Hawkers calling out deals for discounted Doritos.
Preachers spreading the good word.
Young punks screaming and laughing hysterically much to the chagrin of all passengers.
Commuters enduring the long ride.

Basically it’s what you would find in the New York Subway but with much more personality and even more characters to observe.

Within the metro station, there was a Dominos ‘para llevar’ which was awesome and a McDonalds desert only shop which was strange. More noteworthy are the murals painted on the walls of the station that added to the experience.

But for street food, I would've stopped. — But for street food, I would’ve stopped.

While there is plenty to see and do in Mexico City, the trip would be incomplete without a ride on the metro.

Here’s the journey in pictures:

Keep walking, you're only at Terminal 2 — Keep walking, you’re only at Terminal 2

<==Back to Phoenician Scottsdale Golf Review – Onto Hyatt Regency Mexico City==>

Phoenician Scottsdale Golf Course Review

thepointsoflife

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September 23, 2015

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Phoenician Scottsdale Golf Course Review

This is part of the Trip Report: The Greatest Diamond Challenge of All Time. Check out how I planned my Hyatt Diamond Challenge and how it cost next to nothing here.

In this report, I will cover:

The Clubhouse

The Phoenician is an SPG Luxury Collection Hotel located in Scottsdale, Arizona right off of Camelback Mountain. Like a room at the Phoenician, a round of golf can get pricey. Summertime does provide guests with the opportunity to stay and play at a significant discount, a decision that I highly recommend.

The Course

The beauty of this golf club is second to none. It is divided into three 9 hole courses: Canyon Course, Oasis Course, and Desert Course. The Oasis Course is where I began and it’s more of a traditional golf course with houses along the side. The Canyon Course which I played as the sun was setting was breathtaking. I spent so much time taking pictures I struggled to complete the last two holes.

The Oasis Course

2015-09-02 17.37.05 (Copy) — Tricky hole with water hazards on both sides

2015-09-02 17.08.27 (Copy) — Beauty on the green

2015-09-02 16.50.59 (Copy) — Now teeing off

2015-09-02 16.45.54 (Copy) — Barking dogs interfering with my chipping

2015-09-02 16.32.03 (Copy) — A perfect day

The Canyon Course

2015-09-02 16.34.47 (Copy) — Right along the mountain

2015-09-02 18.10.06 (Copy) — Villas of the Phoenician

2015-09-02 18.37.57 (Copy) — As the sun goes down

2015-09-02 18.38.00 (Copy) — Huge greens

2015-09-02 19.00.58 (Copy) — View of Phoenix

The Breakdown

phoenician golf course review — The Phoenician

Cost: $40 for 18 & cart for Arizona residents. $200 in the winter.

Beer: $7 for foreign and domestic.

Cart: The cart had GPS and also provided warnings if you were entering restricted areas.

Ball Loss: I lost a few to the desert and the water.

Score: Happy day.

Favorite Hole: Canyon #7: Par 3: 188 Yards

Worst Hole: Canyon #8 and #9. It got too dark and that’s my excuse for losing the ball.

What makes it unique: It provides some of the best views of Phoenix in a tranquil, scenic setting. The course is so nice that those who do not golf go for walks on the grounds.

TPOL Grade: 5/5 Tees

<==Back to Talking Stick Golf Review – Onto Mexico City Metro==>

US Bank & Club Carlson: Giveith & Takeith Away

Points

thepointsoflife

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September 22, 2015

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US Bank & Club Carlson: Giveith & Takeith Away

Oh Club Carlson, oh US Bank, oh sometimes I get a feeling that they are messing with us for their own entertainment much like a boy shining a magnifying glass on an insect crossing the sidewalk. It’s a waste of time to retell the story of the devaluation, the lack of the e-certs, and the eventual jubilation of receiving them. There are two new, more pressing issues regarding these institutions.

Minimum night requirements:

I was casually browsing hotels around the world for New Years Eve and came across a few decent redemptions for Club Carlson with rooms available. As is my rule from the Vacationer’s Guide to Vacations, I planned on staying 3-4 nights in one city to see and do everything required to stay true to the Guns & Butter Travel Philosophy. The majority of hotels have minimum night requirements for peak season travel but nothing longer than 4 nights. Since that worked with my plan, I thought I could speculatively book some reward nights and cancel later if I found a hotel or city that was more appealing.

This could not be done because the e-certs can only be booked for one night and there is no way to override the computer to say e-cert for night one, cash and points for night two, points for night three etc. Contacting the hotel directly also proved fruitless. The only way to meet the minimum stay requirement is to book a room for the same rate for 4 consecutive nights. I burned my Club Carlson on a 2016 trip to Iceland so that wasn’t an option.

Where is my e-cert?

Had I convinced customer care or the local hotel that I was meeting the minimum stay requirement by using a mixture of cash, points, e-certs, and cash n points, it would all be for naught. While on hold for an hour, I thought it wise to have the certificate numbers handy in case the voice of reason interceded in my favor. Instead, here is what I found:

That’s right, no E-Cert. Speechless, angry, dumbfounded, all of the above, I hung up the phone and can’t be bothered to deal with either US Bank or Club Carlson.

[INSERT EXPLETIVE]

Talking Stick Golf Course Review: Golf in the Desert

thepointsoflife

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September 22, 2015

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Talking Stick Golf Course Review: Golf in the Desert

This is part of the Trip Report: The Greatest Diamond Challenge of All Time. Check out how I planned my Hyatt Diamond Challenge and how it cost next to nothing here.

In this report, I will cover:

Las Vegas, Nevada
San Diego, California
Carlsbad, California
Scottsdale, Arizona
Mexico City, Mexico

Talking Stick is a casino, resort, and golf club in Scottsdale, Arizona. I never won there gambling and didn’t do so well at golf either.