Friday Travel Ticker: Vegas prices plunge

Las Vegas leads Hotwire.com's list of cities where hotel, air and car rental rates have dropped the most as compared with November last year. Vegas saw a 10% drop. Palm Springs ranked fourth with a 6% decline . . . . Superstorm Sandy has created a shortage of rental cars for Thanksgiving weekend travelers. Existing reservations are mostly being honored, but those booking last minute found almost no cars left . . . . Meanwhile, all but a handful of New York attractions and hotels are open following the storm, though the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island remain closed. The 9/11 Memorial park is back to normal, as is nearly all subway service. Gas rationing ends in the city today (Friday) . . . .  The Curry Village Ice Rink is now open for the season through March 6. The rink dates to 1928 when the Yosemite Winter Club flooded an unused parking lot. Now a permanent fixture, the outdoor rink is located in the western part of Curry Village, below Glacier Point  Fees are $9.75 per adult, per session, and $9 per child. Skate rentals are $4 . . . .  Heading to LAX to pick up friends or family returning from the holiday? Be sure to check real-time flight status at www.lawa.org/fsw.  Traffic conditions can be found at http://trafficinfo.lacity.org/html/lax.html . . . .North Lake Tahoe ski resorts hold their annual Learn to Ski and Board Weekend on Dec. 8-9. The event is geared for beginners, costs only $30 and includes an all-day beginner lift ticket, group lesson and gear rental. For details, click here . . . . San Diego's Little Italy presents a tree lighting and Christmas village, beginning Dec. 1, 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. . . . Travel quote of the day:  "Everything is funny as long as it is happening to somebody else." (Will Rogers)