you know you’re on vacation when…

you’re wearing purple sandals with green socks, blue pants, a red shirt, and black sweater.

Filed under: Travel

you know you’re a frequent flyer when…

you pull out the on-board crossword and realize you’ve already done it.

Filed under: Frequent Flyer, Travel

sadness is…

realizing that after a long day you’ve arrived at the wrong hotel. And then realizing your hotel doesn’t offer HGTV or TLC.

Filed under: Frequent Flyer, Sadness is...

new york, new york

Andy and I met up with Massachusetts and North Carolina friends for four days this past week to experience the sights, sounds, and tastes of the Big Apple. My first introduction to the city was walking out of the train station on Saturday onto 33rd and Broadway where we quickly headed towards the Empire State Building. Shortly thereafter, us and the C’s were viewing Manhattan from all directions and getting oriented to the city. It was a bit windy up there, but worth it none the less.

We then traipsed off to rendezvous with Bret, Rachel, and Jason for lunch at a pizza place and a visit to Times Square. After having our picture taken with Ugly Betty, we headed towards the Metropolitan Museum of Art via a gyro vendor, Bryant Park and Grand Central Station.

The Met was amazing and overwhelming at the same time (not to mention that hoards of people headed towards the Met as it started to rain making me claustrophobic). Even so, I was surprised and excited to see the large number of pieces by Degas and Rodin.

We ended the day with dinner in Greenwhich Village eating salmon, pork, and fish tacos. Good stuff.

After running around the city on day 1, we decided that day 2 should be a bit more chill. We caught the last five minutes of Redeemer Presbyterian’s worship service and took the time to use their bathrooms and eat their muffins. The C’s found us a great soup and sandwich spot for lunch that we then took to Central Park. We ate, walked around, and ended up on this beautiful green expanse where we laid around and Andy, Bret, and Jason threw the frisbee with the locals. Afterward, we headed back to New Jersey where we had been staying with the C’s family.

On Monday, we began touring the city without the benefit of our New York-savvy friends. We took the train in from Jersey where we followed our guide book to a yummy sandwich spot, walked through Rockefeller Center, and headed to the Museum of Modern Art. Unfortunately, we had our luggage with us and they wouldn’t let us check it in the coat check and were thus turned away. But we didn’t despair! And decided to go ahead and check into our B&B in Brooklyn.

Being near lower Manhattan and with the threat of rain for the next day, we decided to walk around Wall Street, Battery Park, and take the Staten Island Ferry where got good views of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

Our legs were feeling a bit wobbly by this time and instead of walking across the Brooklyn Bridge, we took the metro over to Brooklyn Heights. We loved Brooklyn. Gorgeous homes and quiet streets (a welcome change from the bustle of the city). We meandered through Brooklyn Heights and ended up at a Middle Eastern restaurant where we chatted with our waiter about the upcoming election and ate shawarma and kabobs. We then stopped in at a cool Trader Joe’s for fruit and beer and went back to our B&B.

On Tuesday, the rains came. We braved the rain and cold to go to Tom’s Restaurant for brunch, a staple of Brooklyn, that was just a few blocks away. The rain finally let up in the early afternoon and we set out again towards Manhattan. The first stop was the Guggenheim Museum, which we were a bit disappointed in (though the architecture was interesting), followed by a visit to the New York Public Library. The latter was a definite favorite. An impressive building with huge ceilings, murals, and reading rooms where we spent a good bit of time reading, writing, and taking pictures. It was also cool that it functioned largely as a public space for New Yorkers and less of a tourist spot. The day ended with dinner at a French restaurant and a really good glass of wine. Yum.

The next morning we stopped at a bagel place and stocked up on food for the train ride up to Amherst, where I am now writing. It’s been a lovely time of resting from our days in the city! Even with all this activity, it feels like we’ve barely scratched the surface in experiencing the city and look forward to many happy returns. My favorites: Empire State Building, Degas & Rodin, Central Park, New York Public Library, Brooklyn, and the FOOD! What are yours?

Filed under: Travel

you know you’re a frequent flyer when…

You notice changes in the price of bottled water.

RDU charges $1.97, but in Charlotte it was $2.43!

Filed under: Frequent Flyer, Travel

cracking the code

Over the past year or two, airlines have gone to a “Zone” boarding process. You are no longer called by rows as in, “Rows 20-29 may now board.” Rather it’s “Zone 1 and 2 may now board.” My question is: How in the world do they decide which person gets to board in each zone? My boss and I have a contest as to who has the better zone number. I often win, but there seems to be no reason for it. I don’t have more frequent flier miles, we check in often at the same time, and even people sitting next to me have different zones. Does anyone else know the secret formula that determines your zone number?

Filed under: Travel

and so it goes

A trip to DC is usually quick, painless and makes me feel a bit cosmopolitan — hop on a plane with just a carry-on, take the metro to my hotel, have dinner with friends, and attend whatever meeting has been scheduled.

Yesterday’s story was a bit different:

Arrived at 1:30 at RDU with a home-printed boarding pass and walked directly onto the plane as soon as I approached the gate.

Sat on the tarmac while the pilots turned the plane on and off to see if the “erroneous warning signal” would go away.

It didn’t.

We returned to the gate and got off the plane.

The RDU spokesman informs us that the mechanics and parts are being flown in from Charlotte.

The Charlotte flight is delayed. That Charlotte flight is canceled.

I get rebooked for a 10:30pm flight.

At around 7:30 they tell us that our plane is fixed. How could this be true without the appropriate parts?.

It wasn’t. We boarded the plane. Sat on the tarmac. And the warning signal came back on.

We get off the plane.

At 8:30 they tell us to “stand at gate A23.”

We do. And we wait.

A plane shows up. From where I cannot tell you.

At 9:30 we board the plane. Keep in mind we’ve boarded a plane twice and many of us do not have any documentation left (original boarding pass and stubs are now gone). They start writing our names down on a piece of paper as we walk on the plane.

We take off!

I arrive at the taxi stand at around 10:30 and wait in line for at least 20, maybe 30, minutes for a cab.

Arrive at the hotel around 11:30.

Since the only dinner I had was 3 chicken tenders, I call for the 24-hour room service. They’re out. They’re out of room service. No more food.

I almost cry.

They provide me with a delivery option. And at 12:30 I’m eating a greasy tomato-mushroom pasta.

At 1am I fall asleep.

This is definitely in my top 3 worst plane experiences. Ever.

Blerg.

Filed under: Travel