Bob traveled in June of 2004.

Delta's First Class Service: Flying round trip from NY to LA on Delta was a good, not great experience on Delta's Boeing 757. Check-in at JFK was a breeze. Food was better than average for airline food, but if you weren't sitting in the first three rows, the selections decreased rapidly. On the outbound breakfast flight, the eggs were gone immediately so it was down to a choice of two items. Service was very good and flight attendants were quite accommodating. Comfort level 4 on a scale of 1 to 5. I would always opt for first-class service for long hauls (>5 hours), so in this case, it was certainly worthwhile.

AMEX Membership Rewards Points: A wonderfully simple way to do things for free! I just converted points to get a first-class roundtrip airline ticket from NY to LA. Then, I used more points to get a $200 certificate toward a car rental from Budget Rent-A-Car. Did the whole thing on line through the AMEX website and it was a breeze. If you've got 'em, use 'em!

Crowne Plaza Beverly Hills: Situated within a mile or so of Rodeo Drive, I would rate this hotel as 3 stars out of 5. Accommodations were good though the rooms were a bit on the small side, especially with two double beds. Staff was courteous and helpful. Beds were comfortable having been recently refurbed with pillow top mattresses. "Business Center" has a computer with high-speed internet and printer available for $10 per hour. Parking structure next door was convenient and very reasonably priced at $12 per day. If you sure about when you're going to travel, you can save a lot of money by booking at least 21 days in advance and guaranteeing the reservation. Probably saved around $40 per night!

Diana deserves a great deal of praise for her prompt, professional handling of my travel arrangements to Southern California in June, 2004. She handled flawlessly the purchase of a first-class airline ticket (using frequent flyer miles!), hotel accommodations and rental car reservation. From the time I got to the airport until I arrived home, every step was in place as promised. The best part was that I didn't have to do the work myself!!

OK.that about covers it!