pseudoswede
Jun 19, 02, 11:06 pm
(first, remove your mind out of the gutter...I'm talking about the band!) http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif
This is my first trip report--compliments and criticism are welcome. Also, thanks to Chexfan for the "inspiration" for the title.
Preface
For those that don't know, Barenaked Ladies are a 5-man group from Canada whose biggest hit, One Week, doesn't really display their true musical talent. Their concerts are their forte, as they truly personalize each concert with witty remarks and create improvised songs about the city they're in--not to mention just great music. In fact, here is an mp3 (http://ft.xpdsl.com/BarenakedLadies-BistroBag.wma) that has them talking about an American Airlines flight back in 1996 (fans of the Bistro Bag should definitely download it http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif).
When I heard last year that the Barenaked Ladies (BNL) were going to take a year off to record a new album and "recharge their batteries," I was a little disappointed, as it would be my first year not seeing them in concert since 1998. Even with their declared "time off," they still have managed in 2002 to perform at the Super Bowl, the Olympics, and a free concert in NYC for Intel (none of which I could attend). In about March, they announced they would be performing a charity concert in their hometown of Toronto dubbed 'The Barenaked Circus.' I hadn't given it much thought, as my lack of funds (as I was about to be laid-off) prevented me from going. Aside from another charity event in Ontario in September, this would be pretty much my last chance to see this band perform.
One week before the concert, I was chatting with some fellow BNL fans, when a stark realization hit me: I have enough AA miles to get me to Toronto! A quick check of the account confirmed that. So I called AA to see about availability of an economy class award from Denver to Toronto. No dice. But, the CSR did mention that there are business/first class seats available. Since I was 2000 miles short, I quickly bought miles from AA, and reserved a P40R award. I had to wait for the purchased miles to post before I could ticket it.
AA's Award Desk is simply fantastic. I think I changed my itinerary 3 times before I ticketed, then two more times afterwards. Every agent I spoke to was helpful and friendly.
I secured a hotel room and a fan club ticket (which are usually reserved within the first 6 rows of the stage), and my trip was finalized three days before I left.
07 June
DEN-ORD AA 1320
B737-800 Seat 4E
312p - 632p (scheduled)
Traffic was light on a early Friday afternoon in Denver, so the trip to the airport was quick and painless. There wasn't a line in First Class check-in, and I had my ticket in less than 3 minutes. I was only carrying a backpack of clothes and books, so security wasn't very difficult either.
About two minutes before boarding was announced, a GA scanned the crowd near the entrance, walked up to a business man, and told him to go and have a secondary screening! The shock and anger on this man's face was unforgettable. Boarding was called, I slipped myself into third in line, and proceeded on-board.
Economy class looked almost full, and there were two empty seats (window seats on each bulkhead side) in First. Pre-flight drink orders were taken and distributed. Given that this was an early afternoon flight, only warm nuts were served. The flight was pleasant (I really like these 737s), and flight time was 30 minutes shorter than scheduled. We arrived at the gate about 10 minutes early.
Upon arriving at O'Hare, I wandered about the concourse, talked to some friends on my cell phone, and tried to find something appetizing to eat. Suddenly, I run right into my childhood friend (and Best Man at my wedding)! He lives in Chicago, and was flying back from Dallas. We chatted for a while, then he had to run off to retrieve his luggage and get ready for a date. It was a pleasant surprise to see him, and made my day even better. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif
07 June
ORD-YYZ AA 0564
Super 80 Seat 4E
748p - 1029p (scheduled)
Boarding was quick and painless, and the flight was completely full. Pre-flight drinks were taken and distributed. The captain announced that flight time would be reduced from 90 minutes to 60 minutes. Unfortunately, what wasn't told to us was that we had to taxi to the farthest runway from the terminal, then wait in an ever-increasing line, which took an additional 45 minutes--thus, we actually arrived almost on time. The flight was uneventful, snacks were served, and drinks were refilled often as I read a book.
Customs/Immigrations was a breeze, although I did get funny looks when I said I'd be here just a weekend to go see a Barenaked Ladies concert. I stepped outside, and hopped into a car service to the hotel.
Saturday
Toronto is a fabulous city. I can't wait to come back and tour it some more. I met many great people from the BNL bulletin board that I visit (side note: three people flew from the England, one from Germany, one from Switzerland, and one from Israel; in addition to many Americans and Canadians).
The concert was also fantastic. The gal from Switzerland held up a sign saying she flew 6550km to attend the Barenaked Circus rather than attend Ozzfest in her hometown. The band saw it and said, "We'll give you the best of both worlds." Needless to say, it was quite interesting hearing Ozzy Osbourne's Crazy Train being played on a banjo.
09 June
YYZ-ORD AA 1235
Super 80 Seat 6F
500 - 550p (scheduled)
After attending most of the Blue Jays/Rockies game at the Sky Dome, I went over to the Renaissance Hotel and picked up a car service to the airport. Check-in was empty, and security/customs/INS were a breeze--once again, got funny looks on what I did in Toronto. I was in the concourse within 15 minutes of walking into the airport.
With time to kill, I chatted with some people who were at the concert then I ate at the Friday's next to the gate. Boarding commenced, and I was selected for the secondary screening (IIRC, I was about 6th in line.). Flight load was light, as the first class cabin was only 75% filled.
Once again, the flight time was reduced from 90 to 60 minutes. However, we sat on the tarmac for about 25 minutes waiting for "our landing slot in O'Hare to clear." Drinks (refilled constantly) and snacks were served throughout the flight. In addition, surveys were distributed.
09 June
ORD-DEN AA 2013
B737-800 Seat 6A
703p - 834p (scheduled)
This where the fun begins. First, boarding was delayed about 15 minutes due to the broken front lavatory. They then decide to just lock the lavatory and board. After boarding, we sat on the taxiway for over an hour due to high winds closing one of the runways. After finally taking off, the captain announced the flight time was reduced 30 minutes. He was also nice enough to forewarn that because of the forest fires in Colorado, the cabin would eventually begin to smell of smoke as we got closer to Denver (and how!). Meal orders were taken (starting in the back). Choices were pasta or steak (half of the steak dishes only had A1 steak sauce; and the other half had only the toppings for the baked potato).
After some TV watching and snacking on warm nuts, we were presented with a sesame-crusted shrimp salad with either a vinegarette or caesar dressing and warm rolls. Quite tasty. The steak was a different story. I asked for medium-rare, but the filet was brown throughout, kinda dry, and kinda tough. I foolishly chose the A1 option, so the baked potato was kind of a loss as well. At least the strawberry cheesecake was tasty.
Once the meal was done, I relaxed by watching Everyone Loves Raymond and reading my book. The plane landed about an hour late. As soon as I got to the train, I realized that I had left my travel wallet (which contained my passport) on the plane, so I had to trek all the way back to the end of C-concourse. When I got outside, I was greeted with the horrible stench of burnt wood. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/frown.gif
It was a fantastic weekend trip, and I hope it's just the first of many. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif
Thanks for reading.
This is my first trip report--compliments and criticism are welcome. Also, thanks to Chexfan for the "inspiration" for the title.
Preface
For those that don't know, Barenaked Ladies are a 5-man group from Canada whose biggest hit, One Week, doesn't really display their true musical talent. Their concerts are their forte, as they truly personalize each concert with witty remarks and create improvised songs about the city they're in--not to mention just great music. In fact, here is an mp3 (http://ft.xpdsl.com/BarenakedLadies-BistroBag.wma) that has them talking about an American Airlines flight back in 1996 (fans of the Bistro Bag should definitely download it http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif).
When I heard last year that the Barenaked Ladies (BNL) were going to take a year off to record a new album and "recharge their batteries," I was a little disappointed, as it would be my first year not seeing them in concert since 1998. Even with their declared "time off," they still have managed in 2002 to perform at the Super Bowl, the Olympics, and a free concert in NYC for Intel (none of which I could attend). In about March, they announced they would be performing a charity concert in their hometown of Toronto dubbed 'The Barenaked Circus.' I hadn't given it much thought, as my lack of funds (as I was about to be laid-off) prevented me from going. Aside from another charity event in Ontario in September, this would be pretty much my last chance to see this band perform.
One week before the concert, I was chatting with some fellow BNL fans, when a stark realization hit me: I have enough AA miles to get me to Toronto! A quick check of the account confirmed that. So I called AA to see about availability of an economy class award from Denver to Toronto. No dice. But, the CSR did mention that there are business/first class seats available. Since I was 2000 miles short, I quickly bought miles from AA, and reserved a P40R award. I had to wait for the purchased miles to post before I could ticket it.
AA's Award Desk is simply fantastic. I think I changed my itinerary 3 times before I ticketed, then two more times afterwards. Every agent I spoke to was helpful and friendly.
I secured a hotel room and a fan club ticket (which are usually reserved within the first 6 rows of the stage), and my trip was finalized three days before I left.
07 June
DEN-ORD AA 1320
B737-800 Seat 4E
312p - 632p (scheduled)
Traffic was light on a early Friday afternoon in Denver, so the trip to the airport was quick and painless. There wasn't a line in First Class check-in, and I had my ticket in less than 3 minutes. I was only carrying a backpack of clothes and books, so security wasn't very difficult either.
About two minutes before boarding was announced, a GA scanned the crowd near the entrance, walked up to a business man, and told him to go and have a secondary screening! The shock and anger on this man's face was unforgettable. Boarding was called, I slipped myself into third in line, and proceeded on-board.
Economy class looked almost full, and there were two empty seats (window seats on each bulkhead side) in First. Pre-flight drink orders were taken and distributed. Given that this was an early afternoon flight, only warm nuts were served. The flight was pleasant (I really like these 737s), and flight time was 30 minutes shorter than scheduled. We arrived at the gate about 10 minutes early.
Upon arriving at O'Hare, I wandered about the concourse, talked to some friends on my cell phone, and tried to find something appetizing to eat. Suddenly, I run right into my childhood friend (and Best Man at my wedding)! He lives in Chicago, and was flying back from Dallas. We chatted for a while, then he had to run off to retrieve his luggage and get ready for a date. It was a pleasant surprise to see him, and made my day even better. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif
07 June
ORD-YYZ AA 0564
Super 80 Seat 4E
748p - 1029p (scheduled)
Boarding was quick and painless, and the flight was completely full. Pre-flight drinks were taken and distributed. The captain announced that flight time would be reduced from 90 minutes to 60 minutes. Unfortunately, what wasn't told to us was that we had to taxi to the farthest runway from the terminal, then wait in an ever-increasing line, which took an additional 45 minutes--thus, we actually arrived almost on time. The flight was uneventful, snacks were served, and drinks were refilled often as I read a book.
Customs/Immigrations was a breeze, although I did get funny looks when I said I'd be here just a weekend to go see a Barenaked Ladies concert. I stepped outside, and hopped into a car service to the hotel.
Saturday
Toronto is a fabulous city. I can't wait to come back and tour it some more. I met many great people from the BNL bulletin board that I visit (side note: three people flew from the England, one from Germany, one from Switzerland, and one from Israel; in addition to many Americans and Canadians).
The concert was also fantastic. The gal from Switzerland held up a sign saying she flew 6550km to attend the Barenaked Circus rather than attend Ozzfest in her hometown. The band saw it and said, "We'll give you the best of both worlds." Needless to say, it was quite interesting hearing Ozzy Osbourne's Crazy Train being played on a banjo.
09 June
YYZ-ORD AA 1235
Super 80 Seat 6F
500 - 550p (scheduled)
After attending most of the Blue Jays/Rockies game at the Sky Dome, I went over to the Renaissance Hotel and picked up a car service to the airport. Check-in was empty, and security/customs/INS were a breeze--once again, got funny looks on what I did in Toronto. I was in the concourse within 15 minutes of walking into the airport.
With time to kill, I chatted with some people who were at the concert then I ate at the Friday's next to the gate. Boarding commenced, and I was selected for the secondary screening (IIRC, I was about 6th in line.). Flight load was light, as the first class cabin was only 75% filled.
Once again, the flight time was reduced from 90 to 60 minutes. However, we sat on the tarmac for about 25 minutes waiting for "our landing slot in O'Hare to clear." Drinks (refilled constantly) and snacks were served throughout the flight. In addition, surveys were distributed.
09 June
ORD-DEN AA 2013
B737-800 Seat 6A
703p - 834p (scheduled)
This where the fun begins. First, boarding was delayed about 15 minutes due to the broken front lavatory. They then decide to just lock the lavatory and board. After boarding, we sat on the taxiway for over an hour due to high winds closing one of the runways. After finally taking off, the captain announced the flight time was reduced 30 minutes. He was also nice enough to forewarn that because of the forest fires in Colorado, the cabin would eventually begin to smell of smoke as we got closer to Denver (and how!). Meal orders were taken (starting in the back). Choices were pasta or steak (half of the steak dishes only had A1 steak sauce; and the other half had only the toppings for the baked potato).
After some TV watching and snacking on warm nuts, we were presented with a sesame-crusted shrimp salad with either a vinegarette or caesar dressing and warm rolls. Quite tasty. The steak was a different story. I asked for medium-rare, but the filet was brown throughout, kinda dry, and kinda tough. I foolishly chose the A1 option, so the baked potato was kind of a loss as well. At least the strawberry cheesecake was tasty.
Once the meal was done, I relaxed by watching Everyone Loves Raymond and reading my book. The plane landed about an hour late. As soon as I got to the train, I realized that I had left my travel wallet (which contained my passport) on the plane, so I had to trek all the way back to the end of C-concourse. When I got outside, I was greeted with the horrible stench of burnt wood. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/frown.gif
It was a fantastic weekend trip, and I hope it's just the first of many. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif
Thanks for reading.