*A, *A Flights... Across two oceans and the USA...
Dec 5, 2010, 12:24 am
#16
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: SIN
Posts: 543
T-3 hrs was closing in on my flight; check-in was opening soon, and I had no passport. Words cannot describe the steady pain and stewing pain I felt. I sat down on a bench which just so happened to be near the left luggage service. I was running through my head how I was going to get out of this - look up the Australian consulate, rebook or cancel my flights, call my travel insurance, etc. etc. All seemed like inevitability to me but it was the most painful set of actions I ever had to contemplate before. Just then, I so happened to stare up at the left luggage attendant who looked at me as well, and he was beckoning me to him.
"I believe you left this behind..." He hands me a navy blue plastic slip pocket with a magenta "Do Not Load" sticker from NZ on the front. Yep, you guessed it...my passport!!! I can't remember how many times I exclaimed, "Dōmō arigatō gozaimashita!!!" and bowed profusely. Frankly, I don't think enough.
Dec 24, 2010, 11:16 pm
#19
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Brisbane
Posts: 1,950
Tuesday 26 October
..."We now return you to your scheduled program"...
*G check-in for NRT-hub airlines
Once I headed back to the *A side of the terminal, the *G check-in had opened, so I strolled up to the pretty much empty set of desks and was guided towards a free counter.
The computer age is supposed to make things easier for people to track, and use less paper. Cloud computing is supposed to move away from static storage to mobile storage. Oh the irony....
The kind ladies at check-in basically guided me through the kiosk prompts, i.e. I could probably do it, but the “premium service” appeared to be that they would push the right buttons for you (no puns!). Then came the question, “What is your address in the United States?”
I knew it was my Godmother’s house in North Las Vegas, as I had read the address in the email she sent me, but I never bothered to write it down or download the email to my laptop.
“Is it a hotel?” asked the kind check-in agent.
“No,” I replied, although I suppose my Godmother would be happy if it were.
No laptop signal that I could pick up at the check-in area. Anyway, so whatever black magic the agent did after that (probably entered in a “dummy” address), she advised me to specify this address at the service counter once airside. I was then handed a gold UA BP wallet and two very, very plain looking boarding passes. What was not so plain on the BPs were the four letters that tend to incite dread on the FT boards here. You guessed it: SSSS. My first time...
I passed through NRT security fairly quickly, and they don’t seem all that picky or pushy. I thought I’d be pulled aside due to my SSSS marking, but nothing happened. So then down to immigration, through that quickly enough and onto NRT airside.
NRT T1 airside has a clean appearance that is acceptable to the eye. Whilst it lacks high rooves or plenty of glass like some newer airports, it nonetheless is tidy and not overly old fashioned. As I sort of found out at the end of my trip, there are three *A lounges in NRT T1: two NH lounges and a UA RCC; all lounges having J and F sections. During my entire trip, I forgot about one of the NH lounges, so I only went to two of them. But I digress a bit... my first priority was to head to the UA RCC, where I could fire up the internet, write down my Godmother’s home address and get this information that was required. A shower would be really good, too, since I hadn’t had one since... ummm, maybe I shouldn’t say that....
UA RCC at NRT T1
The UA RCC is quite big, although it would have to be to accommodate (or attempt to accommodate) all the eligible pax on the various UA flights which depart from NRT within a matter of hours from each other. Wood paneling seems to feature a lot in the lounge, trying to recreate a Japanese feel, which was also helped by some Japanese adornments and exhibits about the lounge. The walls help divide the lounge up into multiple zones, rather than having just one huge space with no walls and rows and rows and rows of lounge chairs.
I found a spot on a long bench next to a window with a decent view of whatever tarmac view that could be had outside this lounge. There also happened to be a power port nearby, which was useful since I’d almost exhausted my laptop battery and hadn’t been able to reliably charge it for hours.
Food selection at the lounge was sufficient, with the more substantial offerings consisting of some standard flavour sushi, plastic-wrapped packaged sandwiches and some filled, rolled mini crepes-in-cones.
Selection of food from UA RCC. No, it is not ice-cream in the crepes as suggested by the wrapper.
Connecting to the wireless was a breeze and I quickly retrieved the email and address I needed. Back to the service counter, I had the detail punched in and now I was good to go. I asked the kind lady who served me what exactly does “SSSS” mean, but she said, “Nothing.” Hmmm... OK... am I automatically a terrorist now and she didn’t want to agitate me?
Now that I think about it, perhaps I should think about printing off my hotel confirmations, just in case they ask for it. OK, so how’s about a printer in the lounge? They don’t have one? Alright, what about a shower so I can feel better again? Negative on that, too. Argh! When I asked one of the lounge attendants, she said that I could find both of these at the NH lounge, and there was one near gate 46 which is the closest lounge to my gate. Sounds great – so let’s get out of here and to the NH lounge! Besides, the UA RCC was starting to get very, very crowded...
Once I arrived at the NH lounge, I must say I was very impressed. Beats the UA RCC hands down.
Entry to NH lounge at Gate 46.
A clean, sleek front desk presented itself to entering pax and I was greeted warmly as my details were checked. The NH lounge at Gate 46 (at least the J part) doesn’t have any windows, unlike the UA RCC, so it may feel a bit like a dungeon for some people, especially in areas where the lighting is rather more subtle. Nevertheless, this lounge had enough to make almost every passenger comfortable: showers (
), a nice array of computers with a colour printer (), a bar, a decent selection of self-serve food and hot noodle soup made to order (udon or soba).
Inside the NH lounge at Gate 46.
Whilst the sushi may still be "cheap", it's tastier and slightly more variety here.
This is where this lounge is at: hot noodle soup bowls made to order.
Filled myself up with some hearty treats, then went seeking for a shower. I was directed to the shower desk whereupon my boarding pass was retained so they knew I was in there. The shower rooms are a good size and definitely did the trick. Walking out of the room after a long soak and a freshly cut-up face made me feel all new again.
Bathroom at the NH lounge at gate 46. Not overly fancy schmancy, but it does the job - good shower and I feel much better after that!
Did I mention that you can get ice-cream in this lounge? Just ask, and a Fauchon mini tub of ice-cream was proffered. Niiiiice... (hey, I was just following the instructions on the fridge...) I settled down with one and another drink as I used one of the lounge computers to print off my hotel confirmation records.
More treats whilst hard at work - including ice-cream by Fauchon
It wasn’t long after this and another drink that my flight was about to be called, and it was probably worth getting to the gate on time so I don’t have to fight over overhead locker space. Yes, I’m well aware that when flying a USA-based airline, one always has to be mindful of the overhead locker space wars that may arise. Aversion of that kind of trouble is well worth leaving the lounge early.
*G check-in for NRT-hub airlines
Once I headed back to the *A side of the terminal, the *G check-in had opened, so I strolled up to the pretty much empty set of desks and was guided towards a free counter.
The computer age is supposed to make things easier for people to track, and use less paper. Cloud computing is supposed to move away from static storage to mobile storage. Oh the irony....
The kind ladies at check-in basically guided me through the kiosk prompts, i.e. I could probably do it, but the “premium service” appeared to be that they would push the right buttons for you (no puns!). Then came the question, “What is your address in the United States?”
I knew it was my Godmother’s house in North Las Vegas, as I had read the address in the email she sent me, but I never bothered to write it down or download the email to my laptop.
“Is it a hotel?” asked the kind check-in agent.
“No,” I replied, although I suppose my Godmother would be happy if it were.
No laptop signal that I could pick up at the check-in area. Anyway, so whatever black magic the agent did after that (probably entered in a “dummy” address), she advised me to specify this address at the service counter once airside. I was then handed a gold UA BP wallet and two very, very plain looking boarding passes. What was not so plain on the BPs were the four letters that tend to incite dread on the FT boards here. You guessed it: SSSS. My first time...
I passed through NRT security fairly quickly, and they don’t seem all that picky or pushy. I thought I’d be pulled aside due to my SSSS marking, but nothing happened. So then down to immigration, through that quickly enough and onto NRT airside.
NRT T1 airside has a clean appearance that is acceptable to the eye. Whilst it lacks high rooves or plenty of glass like some newer airports, it nonetheless is tidy and not overly old fashioned. As I sort of found out at the end of my trip, there are three *A lounges in NRT T1: two NH lounges and a UA RCC; all lounges having J and F sections. During my entire trip, I forgot about one of the NH lounges, so I only went to two of them. But I digress a bit... my first priority was to head to the UA RCC, where I could fire up the internet, write down my Godmother’s home address and get this information that was required. A shower would be really good, too, since I hadn’t had one since... ummm, maybe I shouldn’t say that....
UA RCC at NRT T1
The UA RCC is quite big, although it would have to be to accommodate (or attempt to accommodate) all the eligible pax on the various UA flights which depart from NRT within a matter of hours from each other. Wood paneling seems to feature a lot in the lounge, trying to recreate a Japanese feel, which was also helped by some Japanese adornments and exhibits about the lounge. The walls help divide the lounge up into multiple zones, rather than having just one huge space with no walls and rows and rows and rows of lounge chairs.
I found a spot on a long bench next to a window with a decent view of whatever tarmac view that could be had outside this lounge. There also happened to be a power port nearby, which was useful since I’d almost exhausted my laptop battery and hadn’t been able to reliably charge it for hours.
Food selection at the lounge was sufficient, with the more substantial offerings consisting of some standard flavour sushi, plastic-wrapped packaged sandwiches and some filled, rolled mini crepes-in-cones.
Selection of food from UA RCC. No, it is not ice-cream in the crepes as suggested by the wrapper.
Connecting to the wireless was a breeze and I quickly retrieved the email and address I needed. Back to the service counter, I had the detail punched in and now I was good to go. I asked the kind lady who served me what exactly does “SSSS” mean, but she said, “Nothing.” Hmmm... OK... am I automatically a terrorist now and she didn’t want to agitate me?
Now that I think about it, perhaps I should think about printing off my hotel confirmations, just in case they ask for it. OK, so how’s about a printer in the lounge? They don’t have one? Alright, what about a shower so I can feel better again? Negative on that, too. Argh! When I asked one of the lounge attendants, she said that I could find both of these at the NH lounge, and there was one near gate 46 which is the closest lounge to my gate. Sounds great – so let’s get out of here and to the NH lounge! Besides, the UA RCC was starting to get very, very crowded...
Once I arrived at the NH lounge, I must say I was very impressed. Beats the UA RCC hands down.
Entry to NH lounge at Gate 46.
A clean, sleek front desk presented itself to entering pax and I was greeted warmly as my details were checked. The NH lounge at Gate 46 (at least the J part) doesn’t have any windows, unlike the UA RCC, so it may feel a bit like a dungeon for some people, especially in areas where the lighting is rather more subtle. Nevertheless, this lounge had enough to make almost every passenger comfortable: showers (
), a nice array of computers with a colour printer (), a bar, a decent selection of self-serve food and hot noodle soup made to order (udon or soba).Inside the NH lounge at Gate 46.
Whilst the sushi may still be "cheap", it's tastier and slightly more variety here.
This is where this lounge is at: hot noodle soup bowls made to order.
Filled myself up with some hearty treats, then went seeking for a shower. I was directed to the shower desk whereupon my boarding pass was retained so they knew I was in there. The shower rooms are a good size and definitely did the trick. Walking out of the room after a long soak and a freshly cut-up face made me feel all new again.
Bathroom at the NH lounge at gate 46. Not overly fancy schmancy, but it does the job - good shower and I feel much better after that!
Did I mention that you can get ice-cream in this lounge? Just ask, and a Fauchon mini tub of ice-cream was proffered. Niiiiice...
(hey, I was just following the instructions on the fridge...) I settled down with one and another drink as I used one of the lounge computers to print off my hotel confirmation records.More treats whilst hard at work - including ice-cream by Fauchon
It wasn’t long after this and another drink that my flight was about to be called, and it was probably worth getting to the gate on time so I don’t have to fight over overhead locker space. Yes, I’m well aware that when flying a USA-based airline, one always has to be mindful of the overhead locker space wars that may arise. Aversion of that kind of trouble is well worth leaving the lounge early.
Dec 25, 2010, 12:08 am
#20
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Brisbane
Posts: 1,950
Tuesday 26 October
One of these UA aircraft might be operating my flight...
Flight: United Airlines UA852 Tokyo Narita (NRT T1) – San Francisco (SFO International)
Depart: 1740h Sched; 1740h Actual
Aircraft: N796UA Boeing 777-200
Distance: 5,120 mi (8,246 km)
Class: Business
Seat: 12D
Upon arrival at the small-ish gate area, I saw a plethora of people crowding around, with the only breathing space appearing to be the yet to be filled lines demarcated by queue tape. Oh...wait for it...wait for it...
On your marks... Get set...
<musical tones> “United Airlines flight 852 to San Francisco is now ready for boarding...”
Cue bugle call. Some guy to holler out, "FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLL IN!" OK none of that happened, but it might have helped in the commotion. Then again, maybe not.
Elite and general alike, the boarding lines were quickly filled as pax scrambled to ensure their space in the overhead lockers. Elite boarding proceeded first, and as a *G I was entitled to use the lane. I fronted up and was scanned...
“Excuse me, can you please go over there...” No, the kind gate agent was not pointing towards the jetway. I had a look where she was pointing, and there appeared to be a table, a chair and an explosives detector machine there. Oh right, so this is the SSSS treatment.
Alright... shoes off, swab of everything for the test machine, quick feel down. Twiddle thumbs, green light, all good. Maybe they should have one of those “back to normal” like messages similar to The Simpsons when Homer manages to stop a meltdown, “Thank you for being screened. Everything is super. Please board your flight. Have a nice day!”
Now where was I... oh right I need some shoes on my feet first... done. Now back to boarding. A lot of people have a go at UA staff in that a lot of them are quite old. Maybe they don’t age as gracefully, but there is some truth in that when I boarded my flight. Nevertheless, their service for most part was very much acceptable. Maybe as a *G I don’t feel the love as much as a UA 1K, but the staff had a pleasant yet professional disposition and did their jobs quite well.
Bulkhead of the UA 772 in old J class. You can see the "carpet" like material adorning the bulkhead.
The 777 aircraft on this sector was an old type with old J product, which features 150 degree recliners rather than any kind of flat bed seat. Luckily I sleep on almost anything anyway, although QF J is usually Skybed (lie-flat at 10 degree angle, although A380s have Skybed II). Frankly I think there’s a huge brouhaha which is being beaten to death all over the world that the only way to fly in J is with fully flat beds. You have to wonder how people coped with no fully flat beds in J some close to two decades ago (some or all of them must have been able to sleep in them!) and now here we are where supposedly we all need fully flat beds in order to be able to sleep in them.......
I’m digressing again...
My seat - 12D
Legroom in 12D
J configuration is 2-3-2 on this aircraft. It turned out in the end that 12E was not occupied, so having a spare seat next to me for the entire flight was excellent. Preflight drinks were offered. I selected the champagne, or whatever was the bubbling white that was on offer. I had asked what it was, but the FA never came back to me. I’m not sure if it was the same as the champagne which I drank later which was shown on the menu. Wasn’t great stuff, but it was tolerable.
Pre-flight champagne. Notice the plastic wine glass. I'll leave you to form your own opinion.
Amenity kit. Disappointing.
Amenity kits and menus were placed on seats before boarding. Amenity kit is a rather sorry affair, with a rather flimsy-ish bag sporting a bare minimum array of items, with a couple of special items from Murad. Just confirms my theory that high quality amenity kits in J is going the way of the dodo. The menu for the flight outlined the dinner and breakfast service both in English and Japanese. There appeared to be no indication of what one could have if they were peckish in between meal services, perhaps UA don’t have such a thing.
More and more people poured onto the aircraft. Upgrades from Y to Y+ were being sold over the PA. I'm surprised with the chaos and so on that we managed to leave on time, but we did. Perhaps they get very strict about leaving on time so no waiting for dawdling passengers even if they got stuck in the terminal toilet, or those who simply couldn't be buggered running for their flight. Whatever the reason, we pushed back on time and took off towards the United States.
Soon after the seat belt signs were off, the flight's head purser Sunny came through to introduce herself and take orders for dinner. The menu looked fairly boring in terms of appearance and selection, but at least the Japanese meal looked rather fascinating. Not too surprisingly, it must be a popular selection, as I was asked for a second preference in case they run out of Zen meals.
Something of note...
The Japanese meal was billed in the menu as Washoku Zen. Washoku simply means "Japanese food" or "Japanese cuisine".
The Japanese meal was billed in the menu as Washoku Zen. Washoku simply means "Japanese food" or "Japanese cuisine".
)
Pommery Champagne and warm nuts. And can we please grow up and not have any double entendres
. Notice that all the small napkins have advertising all over it. Tacky...The warmth of the nuts (stop laughing!) isn't what makes them addicting as it is the salt. I fell for it too so when Sunny came around offering more nuts to people (that's it! I give up! *door slam*), I answered in the affirmative and my ramekin was filled up again. This time the refills were not warm (at least I think they couldn't have, as Sunny was ladling out the refills from a metal bowl with a metal ladle and she was not wearing any gloves - a big metal bowl of warm nuts would have surely burnt her hands!).
The refill was probably welcome as there was a long delay between pre-meal drinks and the first course.
Table cloth laid out with small IFE screen deployed.
Lucky for me they had not run out of Zen meals, so here's the meal in its entirety:
Extensive appetiser selection from the Zen meal
In case you're wondering, the bowl on the bottom left is green tea, not soup.
Although I could probably handle it, I wasn't quite in the mood for having alcohol with my meal. Not that I know what kinds of Western wines fit a Japanese meal, although there was the option of sake on the menu.
The nice appetiser selection was followed up with a comparably low-key but tasty main:
Main course of the Zen meal
After clearing away the mains, a short delay was followed by an offer of dessert or cheese. I asked if I could have both and I was able to. The menu simply said that the dessert was the "specialty dessert". Turns out it was a bowl of chocolate ice-cream with wafer biscuit. Interesting specialty dessert; certainly something I haven't seen a lot in Japanese sweet cuisine. Perhaps it has something to do with it being a signature dessert of many USA based airlines (i.e. ice cream, sundaes, etc.)
"Specialty dessert" and cheese/crackers, with a side of port
IFE on this aircraft is multiple-channel loopback, and a fairly boring selection all around. I ended up viewing one of my childhood favourites Mary Poppins, but soon after dessert was cleared I was ready to go to sleep. Brush teeth, change into QF F pyjamas, put away belongings, recline seat and nod off...
I can't remember when I woke up relative to breakfast, but I do remember waking up at least once but then trying to go back to sleep. When I woke up for the final time, I could smell breakfast being prepared in the still well and truly dark cabin.
Breakfast was a fairly standard warm affair, beginning with some pastry and fruit...
First course of breakfast
...and then followed by the substantial warm item.
Main course of breakfast. It tastes better than it looks - trust me.
Now as everyone knows, once a meal service is over, usually there's a rush for the bathrooms. I knew that too, so I didn't waste time after finishing breakfast. I carried the whole tray and table cloth to the galley, then got changed back into street clothes. Just as well, as the rest of the cabin started to slowly awaken, chomp down breakfast and make their last toilet break before landing.
It still surprises me to no end how we managed to be so much ahead of schedule as we arrived into SFO. (I know that somewhere like SYD you have no chance of arriving ahead of schedule thanks to SYD ATC provisions). As we taxiied to the gate, our purser filled up our entire taxi time between "Welcome to San Francisco" and "On behalf of United Airlines, we'd like to thank you..." by rattling off about two dozen connecting flights with gate information. Handy, but cumbersome.
Last edited by anat0l; Dec 25, 2010 at 5:35 am
Dec 25, 2010, 12:17 am
#21
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Brisbane
Posts: 1,950
Menu: UA852 NRT-SFO Business - Tue 26 Oct 2010 (Dinner, Breakfast)
United Airlines Business Class Tokyo Narita - San Francisco
Tuesday 26 October 2010
Dinner
Express Dine
For your convenience, United is pleased to offer an expedited primary meal dining experience allowing you to make the most of your time onboard. You can choose to have your starter, salad and entree selection served all at once, followed by dessert.
Please note: The Washoku Zen meal is not available as an Express Dine option.
Standard Selection
To Begin
Grilled Pacific Cod Salad - Fresh baby greens with grilled fillet of cod, Belgian endive, julienned radish and sliced tomatoes offered with our Signature Yuzu dressing
Main Course
Pan-Seared Filet Mignon with Bearnaise Sauce - Baked potato wedge with herbs and broccoli with sliced almonds
Tropical Barbecue Chicken - Herbed basmati rice and green bean, carrot, pepper saute
Washoku Zen Selection
Appetisers
Main Course
Deep fried salmon with mizore-an and julienne bamboo shoot, shiitake mushroom, carrots and green beans served with steamed rice and Japanese pickled vegetables
Green Tea
Dessert
International Cheese Selection - Mimolette Jeune, Gorgonzola
Specialty Dessert
Breakfast
Mushroom Omelette with Mornay Sauce and pork link sausages
Fresh Seasonal Fruit Plate with creamy yoghurt
Today's menu features beef from Australia
Beverages
Aperitifs, cocktails, spirits, liqueurs and beer
Sandeman Founders Reserve Porto - Offered during the main meal's dessert
Starbucks coffee - Available throughout the flight
Featured Wines
Champagne
Pommery Brut Royal NV Champagne
White Wine
Selbach Reisling Kabinett "Feinherb" Mosel
Germany 2007
Kapuka Savignon Blanc
Marlborough 2008
Jean-Claude Fromont Chablis
2008
Errazuriz Chardonnay
Casablanca (Chile) 2008
Red Wine
Altos "R" Tempranillo
Rioja 2007
Cave La Suzienne Racines Profondes
Aoc Cotes-du-Rhone 2007
Finca La Escondida Reserva Malbec
San Juan 2007/2008
Sake
Gekkeikan Sake
Tuesday 26 October 2010
Dinner
Express Dine
For your convenience, United is pleased to offer an expedited primary meal dining experience allowing you to make the most of your time onboard. You can choose to have your starter, salad and entree selection served all at once, followed by dessert.
Please note: The Washoku Zen meal is not available as an Express Dine option.
Standard Selection
To Begin
Grilled Pacific Cod Salad - Fresh baby greens with grilled fillet of cod, Belgian endive, julienned radish and sliced tomatoes offered with our Signature Yuzu dressing
Main Course
Pan-Seared Filet Mignon with Bearnaise Sauce - Baked potato wedge with herbs and broccoli with sliced almonds
Tropical Barbecue Chicken - Herbed basmati rice and green bean, carrot, pepper saute
Washoku Zen Selection
Appetisers
- Grilled pepper shrimp
- Grilled duck with burdock-flavoured miso
- Scallop with egg
- Stuffed shiitake mushroom
- Simmered vegetable sushi roll
- Poached shrimp and snapper marinated in rice vinegar
- Buckwheat soba noodles with simmered eggplant
Main Course
Deep fried salmon with mizore-an and julienne bamboo shoot, shiitake mushroom, carrots and green beans served with steamed rice and Japanese pickled vegetables
Green Tea
Dessert
International Cheese Selection - Mimolette Jeune, Gorgonzola
Specialty Dessert
Breakfast
Mushroom Omelette with Mornay Sauce and pork link sausages
Fresh Seasonal Fruit Plate with creamy yoghurt
Today's menu features beef from Australia
Beverages
Aperitifs, cocktails, spirits, liqueurs and beer
Sandeman Founders Reserve Porto - Offered during the main meal's dessert
Starbucks coffee - Available throughout the flight
Featured Wines
Champagne
Pommery Brut Royal NV Champagne
White Wine
Selbach Reisling Kabinett "Feinherb" Mosel
Germany 2007
Kapuka Savignon Blanc
Marlborough 2008
Jean-Claude Fromont Chablis
2008
Errazuriz Chardonnay
Casablanca (Chile) 2008
Red Wine
Altos "R" Tempranillo
Rioja 2007
Cave La Suzienne Racines Profondes
Aoc Cotes-du-Rhone 2007
Finca La Escondida Reserva Malbec
San Juan 2007/2008
Sake
Gekkeikan Sake
Last edited by anat0l; Dec 25, 2010 at 5:37 am
Dec 25, 2010, 7:07 am
#22
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Brisbane
Posts: 1,950
Tuesday 26 October (again! You know why...)
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to San Francisco, United States of America, where the local time is...yesterday..."
Alright, that wasn't what was announced, but it isn't everyday that you get to live a date again.
Anyhoo, as I keep a FlightMemory record of all my flights and aircraft, I forgot to note the registration (or "rego" as we shorten it in Australia) of the bird we were flying whilst I was in NRT (although it was getting too dark anyway), so I tried to ask it from the FAs. I learnt that FAs typically have this information as part of their schedules or other info that they have with them; at least, that's my experience with QF FAs.
Didn't work this time. The first FA I asked had no idea what I was on about, before replying that perhaps head purser Sunny might know. Sunny didn't quite know what I was talking about either, but she proffered the tail number of the aircraft. It didn't help at the time, but I wanted to note any information and hope it was easy to look up later. Thanks to the knowledge base that is FT, I managed to find out (deduce) the registration.
Back to SFO, there was a long-ish walk to immigration, and just like any other country in the world, the line for residents was easily shorter than that of visitors. Although there were quite a few desks open, the line still progressed fairly slowly. I finally got to an officer, answered my two questions, got fingerprinted and photographed and with a final messy stamp in my passport, was on my way.
Once I had worked out my baggage carousel, luggage was already running around it from our flight. I went down to the end of the carousel to see someone lugging off a whole bunch of luggage and putting it in a line. No idea what this was for (more *G priority handling? But no one was around to say this), but one of them belonged to me. Grabbed my bag, went to customs and headed for Domestic Connections.
If your bag is tagged to your final destination, Domestic Connections simply involves dropping your bag - nice and simple. What was not so simple after that was making sure you went through the correct security channel corresponding to which terminal (or wing) you need to go to. The signage was a little bit ropy but I eventually found the correct security screening point which was quite crowded as the queue tapes didn't really allow for a very long line to form. There was a line for First Class customers, but it too was quite long (but certainly not as long as the regular line).
The no-nonsense approach to security in the USA: pockets empty; shoes off; liquids out; laptops out; coats off. The line moved pretty slowly so I had time to prepare for all of this before getting to the machine. I didn't see any of those much dreaded Nude-o-scopes, so that was a relief. Now I can't pull off a security dance with the grace of Ryan Bingham in Up in the Air, but I did try: grab two trays, laptop in one, shoes and liquids in the other, coat on top, shove 'em through the machine (and check they go through). Walk through the WTMD. Now I don't know about you but I personally hate stuff stacking up and choking the output of the x-ray machine. So I picked up everything I could and moved away to a nearby bench. That's when I put my shoes back on, put my laptop back in and so on.
And now... we're not through yet... the UA RCC and my gates are a fair walk away from the security point I went through. Down some stairs, a left turn here, a right turn there... eventually I find the UA RCC.
Entry to the SFO UA RCC
Entry to the RCC was granted via my *G status (and not being a member of the USA based FFPs); a wifi card was offered to me upon confirmation of entry. The dark entry hall had a handful of corridors which eventually led to a brighter lounge.
A busy scene inside the UA RCC
Views of the SFO tarmac from the UA RCC
Food selection was really just snacks - everything on offer either was laden full of salt or sugar (or both). The bar appeared to be open and dispensing drinks of the alcoholic kind, but I didn't feel in the mood. I picked out a banana and a glass of water, then found a cubicle in the workstation area to plug in my laptop and catch up on email, Twitter and Facebook.
Once again, I was in a lounge with no showers.
My connection time was not all that long in SFO, and once again not wanting to tempt fate on missing out on overhead lockers space, I decided to leave early for my gate. Luckily I did so, as my gate was located at the very end of the concourse.
A busy SFO circular concourse
Once I got to my gate, I noticed already quite a few people already at the gate awaiting the boarding call. Departure gate FIDs could not be more detailed, showing the time remaining until boarding, the next flight due to depart at a gate, and in some cases the next flight going to the same destination as that of the current flight awaiting departure.
There's also the other, more important information to many people, which is the upgrade and capacity information for the flight: the number of people checked in, the number of seats remaining in the premium classes, and finally the upgrade list, showing the passengers on the waitlist in order of upgrade preference.
Upgrade list. If I were any of the 9 people on this list, I wouldn't be clinging onto hope. Doesn't stop people from trying, though.
Seriously, with all the free upgrades for elites and so many upgrade instruments and pathways, who honestly pays for domestic First in cash these days? It's an insane game in the USA. Even when the premium capacity is 0 and everyone has checked in, there are still scores of people on and off the upgrade list accosting the gate agents to see if there are upgrades available. You have to feel sorry for the gate agents at times.
Flight: United Airlines UA461 San Francisco (SFO T3) – Las Vegas McCarran (T1-D)
Depart: 1301h Sched; 1301h Actual
Aircraft: N537UA Boeing 757-300
Distance: 414 mi (666 km)
Class: First
Seat: 2A
Upgrades on USA airlines is a brutal contest. So is overhead locker space.
Boarding started on time and I was second on the red carpet to board in the first group. Our 753 was loading from door 2, which conveniently sets up a nice split between the traffic of First and Economy (or Coach as it's called in the USA) passengers. I was greeted aboard and then made a left turn. The First class seats were a lot like the QF J Millennium seats except covered in leather rather than fabric.
UA domestic First class on a 753
Leg room in a First seat on UA 753, with a couple of pillows thrown around.
Pre-flight drinks were offered. Unlike some other parts of the world where someone comes around with a tray of pre-poured selections, we were asked what we wanted to have. I asked for a sparkling water with lemon. For some reason, some of my Australian friends have sometimes had trouble trying to ask for such a drink, but I had no trouble requesting for sparkling water. My seat mate, an enthusiastic businessman, ordered a G&T. If you took away my lemon piece balanced on top of my cup and did a bit of a switcheroo, you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference between our two drinks without tasting them! My seat mate told me about this, and also told me that this is how he manages to finagle a few more alcoholic ones secretly when travelling with SWMBO. Cunning fellow.
Sparkling water with lemon. Plastic cups again. No grace on supply here.
I plugged in the headphones and tuned into Channel 9, the much talked about radio channel that allows you to tune into the conversations from the flight deck. From the sounds of things, we were ready to go but SFO ATC wasn't letting us get pushed back in a hurry. I don't know if it's just QF or an Australian thing, but push back and taxiing in the USA seems to proceed at a fairly fast speed. Do the pilots here push the accelerator a bit more than usual? Whatever, must be me.
Once we were up in the air, we were offered another drink (again, for me a sparkling water with lemon, and my seat mate another G&T). For food, we were offered a simple snack service - a choice of as much wave chips, chocolate and cookies that we wanted to eat. I didn't really want too much, so I took some chips and chocolate (the latter for later). A real shame about the service, as I was looking forward to some sort of meal, especially since the flight was around lunch times. Anyway, was not to be.
Snack service
A little bored, I decided to read the inflight magazine...
Busted!
I believe the "graffiti" is part of a game that's played by some FTers in the UA forum.
Our flight to LAS seemed to be tracking at an excellent pace. Our first officer came onto the PA to inform us that we were starting our descent into LAS, at least 20 minutes ahead of schedule. They must be pretty liberal with the throttle here...
Some out-of-window shots along the way to LAS
Whatever the reason, regulation or ritual behind the fast flight, we landed in LAS with the proud purser announcing to everyone that we were 20 minutes early. Our taxi was not too long and before long we were parked at the gate and into the terminal.
Welcome to LAS McCarran
From the D wing, one has to take the rail shuttle to get back to the main terminal for baggage claim and so on.
USA people don't seem to waste any time with bags. In Australia, even though the terminals can be relatively smaller, it can take at least 20 minutes before the first bag hits the baggage belt. In LAS, it had already started when I arrived at the belt, and that certainly was not 20 minutes. I found my bag easily and headed outside to the car park. My godmother and uncle arrived by car not long after and after the usual kisses and greetings were exchanged, I hopped into the car.
Thus ended my saga of almost 30 hours of flying, and a hell of a lot of time in terminals. That, my friends, is the long way to get from Australia to the United States. This is also the last of the premium travel I ever did on this trip. So it's Y from here on in...
Alright, that wasn't what was announced, but it isn't everyday that you get to live a date again.
Anyhoo, as I keep a FlightMemory record of all my flights and aircraft, I forgot to note the registration (or "rego" as we shorten it in Australia) of the bird we were flying whilst I was in NRT (although it was getting too dark anyway), so I tried to ask it from the FAs. I learnt that FAs typically have this information as part of their schedules or other info that they have with them; at least, that's my experience with QF FAs.
Didn't work this time. The first FA I asked had no idea what I was on about, before replying that perhaps head purser Sunny might know. Sunny didn't quite know what I was talking about either, but she proffered the tail number of the aircraft. It didn't help at the time, but I wanted to note any information and hope it was easy to look up later. Thanks to the knowledge base that is FT, I managed to find out (deduce) the registration.
Back to SFO, there was a long-ish walk to immigration, and just like any other country in the world, the line for residents was easily shorter than that of visitors. Although there were quite a few desks open, the line still progressed fairly slowly. I finally got to an officer, answered my two questions, got fingerprinted and photographed and with a final messy stamp in my passport, was on my way.
Once I had worked out my baggage carousel, luggage was already running around it from our flight. I went down to the end of the carousel to see someone lugging off a whole bunch of luggage and putting it in a line. No idea what this was for (more *G priority handling? But no one was around to say this), but one of them belonged to me. Grabbed my bag, went to customs and headed for Domestic Connections.
If your bag is tagged to your final destination, Domestic Connections simply involves dropping your bag - nice and simple. What was not so simple after that was making sure you went through the correct security channel corresponding to which terminal (or wing) you need to go to. The signage was a little bit ropy but I eventually found the correct security screening point which was quite crowded as the queue tapes didn't really allow for a very long line to form. There was a line for First Class customers, but it too was quite long (but certainly not as long as the regular line).
The no-nonsense approach to security in the USA: pockets empty; shoes off; liquids out; laptops out; coats off. The line moved pretty slowly so I had time to prepare for all of this before getting to the machine. I didn't see any of those much dreaded Nude-o-scopes, so that was a relief. Now I can't pull off a security dance with the grace of Ryan Bingham in Up in the Air, but I did try: grab two trays, laptop in one, shoes and liquids in the other, coat on top, shove 'em through the machine (and check they go through). Walk through the WTMD. Now I don't know about you but I personally hate stuff stacking up and choking the output of the x-ray machine. So I picked up everything I could and moved away to a nearby bench. That's when I put my shoes back on, put my laptop back in and so on.
And now... we're not through yet... the UA RCC and my gates are a fair walk away from the security point I went through. Down some stairs, a left turn here, a right turn there... eventually I find the UA RCC.
Entry to the SFO UA RCC
Entry to the RCC was granted via my *G status (and not being a member of the USA based FFPs); a wifi card was offered to me upon confirmation of entry. The dark entry hall had a handful of corridors which eventually led to a brighter lounge.
A busy scene inside the UA RCC
Views of the SFO tarmac from the UA RCC
Food selection was really just snacks - everything on offer either was laden full of salt or sugar (or both). The bar appeared to be open and dispensing drinks of the alcoholic kind, but I didn't feel in the mood. I picked out a banana and a glass of water, then found a cubicle in the workstation area to plug in my laptop and catch up on email, Twitter and Facebook.
Once again, I was in a lounge with no showers.
My connection time was not all that long in SFO, and once again not wanting to tempt fate on missing out on overhead lockers space, I decided to leave early for my gate. Luckily I did so, as my gate was located at the very end of the concourse.
A busy SFO circular concourse
Once I got to my gate, I noticed already quite a few people already at the gate awaiting the boarding call. Departure gate FIDs could not be more detailed, showing the time remaining until boarding, the next flight due to depart at a gate, and in some cases the next flight going to the same destination as that of the current flight awaiting departure.
There's also the other, more important information to many people, which is the upgrade and capacity information for the flight: the number of people checked in, the number of seats remaining in the premium classes, and finally the upgrade list, showing the passengers on the waitlist in order of upgrade preference.
Upgrade list. If I were any of the 9 people on this list, I wouldn't be clinging onto hope. Doesn't stop people from trying, though.
Seriously, with all the free upgrades for elites and so many upgrade instruments and pathways, who honestly pays for domestic First in cash these days? It's an insane game in the USA. Even when the premium capacity is 0 and everyone has checked in, there are still scores of people on and off the upgrade list accosting the gate agents to see if there are upgrades available. You have to feel sorry for the gate agents at times.
Flight: United Airlines UA461 San Francisco (SFO T3) – Las Vegas McCarran (T1-D)
Depart: 1301h Sched; 1301h Actual
Aircraft: N537UA Boeing 757-300
Distance: 414 mi (666 km)
Class: First
Seat: 2A
Upgrades on USA airlines is a brutal contest. So is overhead locker space.
Boarding started on time and I was second on the red carpet to board in the first group. Our 753 was loading from door 2, which conveniently sets up a nice split between the traffic of First and Economy (or Coach as it's called in the USA) passengers. I was greeted aboard and then made a left turn
. The First class seats were a lot like the QF J Millennium seats except covered in leather rather than fabric.UA domestic First class on a 753
Leg room in a First seat on UA 753, with a couple of pillows thrown around.
Pre-flight drinks were offered. Unlike some other parts of the world where someone comes around with a tray of pre-poured selections, we were asked what we wanted to have. I asked for a sparkling water with lemon. For some reason, some of my Australian friends have sometimes had trouble trying to ask for such a drink, but I had no trouble requesting for sparkling water. My seat mate, an enthusiastic businessman, ordered a G&T. If you took away my lemon piece balanced on top of my cup and did a bit of a switcheroo, you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference between our two drinks without tasting them! My seat mate told me about this, and also told me that this is how he manages to finagle a few more alcoholic ones secretly when travelling with SWMBO. Cunning fellow.
Sparkling water with lemon. Plastic cups again. No grace on supply here.
I plugged in the headphones and tuned into Channel 9, the much talked about radio channel that allows you to tune into the conversations from the flight deck. From the sounds of things, we were ready to go but SFO ATC wasn't letting us get pushed back in a hurry. I don't know if it's just QF or an Australian thing, but push back and taxiing in the USA seems to proceed at a fairly fast speed. Do the pilots here push the accelerator a bit more than usual? Whatever, must be me.
Once we were up in the air, we were offered another drink (again, for me a sparkling water with lemon, and my seat mate another G&T). For food, we were offered a simple snack service - a choice of as much wave chips, chocolate and cookies that we wanted to eat. I didn't really want too much, so I took some chips and chocolate (the latter for later). A real shame about the service, as I was looking forward to some sort of meal, especially since the flight was around lunch times. Anyway, was not to be.
Snack service
A little bored, I decided to read the inflight magazine...
Busted!
I believe the "graffiti" is part of a game that's played by some FTers in the UA forum.
Our flight to LAS seemed to be tracking at an excellent pace. Our first officer came onto the PA to inform us that we were starting our descent into LAS, at least 20 minutes ahead of schedule. They must be pretty liberal with the throttle here...
Some out-of-window shots along the way to LAS
Whatever the reason, regulation or ritual behind the fast flight, we landed in LAS with the proud purser announcing to everyone that we were 20 minutes early. Our taxi was not too long and before long we were parked at the gate and into the terminal.
Welcome to LAS McCarran
From the D wing, one has to take the rail shuttle to get back to the main terminal for baggage claim and so on.
USA people don't seem to waste any time with bags. In Australia, even though the terminals can be relatively smaller, it can take at least 20 minutes before the first bag hits the baggage belt. In LAS, it had already started when I arrived at the belt, and that certainly was not 20 minutes. I found my bag easily and headed outside to the car park. My godmother and uncle arrived by car not long after and after the usual kisses and greetings were exchanged, I hopped into the car.
Thus ended my saga of almost 30 hours of flying, and a hell of a lot of time in terminals. That, my friends, is the long way to get from Australia to the United States. This is also the last of the premium travel I ever did on this trip. So it's Y from here on in...
Last edited by anat0l; Dec 25, 2010 at 7:16 am
Dec 25, 2010, 11:48 am
#23
Moderator, Hilton Honors
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: on a short leash
Programs: some
Posts: 71,422
Nice report so far anat0l ^^^
BTW you can always use an airport hotel as an address. Pick a chain that is commonplace and will be easy to remember. [I sometimes have to do this because they don't like "transit" as an answer if have multiple connecting flights in USA and on to another country.]
BTW you can always use an airport hotel as an address. Pick a chain that is commonplace and will be easy to remember. [I sometimes have to do this because they don't like "transit" as an answer if have multiple connecting flights in USA and on to another country.]
Dec 29, 2010, 12:08 am
#25
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Brisbane
Posts: 1,950
Tuesday 26 October
Viva Las Vegas
As soon as I was picked up from the airport after not having slept in a real bed for over 36 hours, most people would probably ask to be sent home, a shower, a soft bed and get some rest, right? Well, my godmother had other ideas, because she knew I was only in LAS for just over 24 hours...
Our first stop was the famous Las Vegas Strip, which is mere minutes from the airport. There had been a decent amount of change to the Strip since I'd last been in Vegas, which was all but 16 years ago when I was still a minor. We parked at The Bellagio and set out to do some walking around. Gambling is never on any of our lists of things to do, but casinos are well set up to cater for both gamblers and non-gamblers. As it was getting near Halloween, the Americans do not take the occasion lightly, and there were several gardens and displays set up.
Large garden in The Bellagio themed up for Halloween
Going outside, we saw the famous large show fountain of The Bellagio. We also happened to be around for one of their regular dancing water shows.
Outside The Bellagio
What is this? Looks gross.....
....gotcha! It's melted chocolate flowing...for the frontage of a chocolate shop
A short monorail ride later and we found ourselves in a shopping complex. Name brands abound, providing another adequate way to lose a whole lot of money other than the casino tables (and men, if you want to lose it six times faster, bring SWMBO along )
Weird and wonderful architecture. Here is slowly melting ice.
And here is another example of unusual architecture. This one is the extension of a bar.
Waterfall wall. No water crisis here...
A set of leaning buildings
With evening rolling in, we went to a Chinese buffet which was not on the Strip for dinner. Only in America, indeed perhaps in Las Vegas, you can sit down for a buffet for less than USD 12 per head with a drink and tips. Now of course Chinese food in Western countries is never great quality unless you seek out select restaurants. But since the price is right, we all didn't mind. They had packets of almond biscuits out as part of the dessert selection. Normally those kinds of delicacies are quite expensive to buy in Australia. Here they were offered in rows and rows. Insane.
After dinner we went to Downtown Las Vegas. This is the older part of Sin City, which not too surprisingly also has the highest concentration of red light establishments. There was beat music resounding all around the place and people dancing in the mall consisted of both the entertainers dancing on stages as well as people who just wanted to show off their skills (or more than that).
Downtown Las Vegas. Strip clubs abound.
One feature of Downtown Las Vegas is the biggest LCD you've ever seen on the roof of the mall. If it isn't the biggest, then it might just be the biggest one that isn't flat.
The eponymous Fremont Casino
Once again, it was a case of right time and right place as the mall started to darken and then light up again to the resounding tune of Don McLean's "(Bye Bye Miss) American Pie" (and not Madonna's forgery of a version). The ten minute show was impressive as many people looked to the sky at the sometimes hypnotising dance of colours, designs and the occasional object that shot from one end of the mall to the other.
Funny enough, I wasn't completely wrecked when we decided to finally head home. My godmother's home is in North Las Vegas, some 30-40 minutes away from the Strip. They have a property in a nice estate which backs onto a golf course.
We arrived home. I finally had a shower (how did I survive that long?) - mind the saline water - got connected and charged up, called the folks (an awkward thing to do when you're in the US but your home is Australia), and went to bed. A real bed.
Now I promise this is the last entry on this TR that you'll see dated "Tuesday 26 October"!
As soon as I was picked up from the airport after not having slept in a real bed for over 36 hours, most people would probably ask to be sent home, a shower, a soft bed and get some rest, right? Well, my godmother had other ideas, because she knew I was only in LAS for just over 24 hours...
Our first stop was the famous Las Vegas Strip, which is mere minutes from the airport. There had been a decent amount of change to the Strip since I'd last been in Vegas, which was all but 16 years ago when I was still a minor. We parked at The Bellagio and set out to do some walking around. Gambling is never on any of our lists of things to do, but casinos are well set up to cater for both gamblers and non-gamblers. As it was getting near Halloween, the Americans do not take the occasion lightly, and there were several gardens and displays set up.
Large garden in The Bellagio themed up for Halloween
Going outside, we saw the famous large show fountain of The Bellagio. We also happened to be around for one of their regular dancing water shows.
Outside The Bellagio
What is this? Looks gross.....
....gotcha! It's melted chocolate flowing...for the frontage of a chocolate shop
A short monorail ride later and we found ourselves in a shopping complex. Name brands abound, providing another adequate way to lose a whole lot of money other than the casino tables (and men, if you want to lose it six times faster, bring SWMBO along
)Weird and wonderful architecture. Here is slowly melting ice.
And here is another example of unusual architecture. This one is the extension of a bar.
Waterfall wall. No water crisis here...
A set of leaning buildings
With evening rolling in, we went to a Chinese buffet which was not on the Strip for dinner. Only in America, indeed perhaps in Las Vegas, you can sit down for a buffet for less than USD 12 per head with a drink and tips. Now of course Chinese food in Western countries is never great quality unless you seek out select restaurants. But since the price is right, we all didn't mind. They had packets of almond biscuits out as part of the dessert selection. Normally those kinds of delicacies are quite expensive to buy in Australia. Here they were offered in rows and rows. Insane.
After dinner we went to Downtown Las Vegas. This is the older part of Sin City, which not too surprisingly also has the highest concentration of red light establishments. There was beat music resounding all around the place and people dancing in the mall consisted of both the entertainers dancing on stages as well as people who just wanted to show off their skills (or more than that).
Downtown Las Vegas. Strip clubs abound.
One feature of Downtown Las Vegas is the biggest LCD you've ever seen on the roof of the mall. If it isn't the biggest, then it might just be the biggest one that isn't flat.
The eponymous Fremont Casino
Once again, it was a case of right time and right place as the mall started to darken and then light up again to the resounding tune of Don McLean's "(Bye Bye Miss) American Pie" (and not Madonna's forgery of a version). The ten minute show was impressive as many people looked to the sky at the sometimes hypnotising dance of colours, designs and the occasional object that shot from one end of the mall to the other.
Funny enough, I wasn't completely wrecked when we decided to finally head home. My godmother's home is in North Las Vegas, some 30-40 minutes away from the Strip. They have a property in a nice estate which backs onto a golf course.
We arrived home. I finally had a shower (how did I survive that long?) - mind the saline water - got connected and charged up, called the folks (an awkward thing to do when you're in the US but your home is Australia), and went to bed. A real bed.
Now I promise this is the last entry on this TR that you'll see dated "Tuesday 26 October"!
Dec 31, 2010, 4:35 am
#27
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Brisbane
Posts: 1,950
Wednesday 27 October
Wednesday 27 October
View from the back yard
I had a good sleep and upon awakening thought about plans for the day before I have to leave on my red-eye that night. Except what was there to do?
Lake Mead and Hoover Dam? Possible, but with at least a 1-3 hr drive each way, probably not worth the time (it was getting late once I had this discussion and packed up).
Shopping (e.g. factory outlets)? No money in the budget - I was here for the sightseeing! (As I found out later in the trip, there wasn't room in the bag either for more trinkets, clothes etc.)
What does my godmother and uncle do these days? Eat, sleep, watch TV and participate in the seniors slot machine competitions at the local casino. Yeah I can do that at home, except the last one, of course.
Finally decided that it was best that I do my own sightseeing walking up the Strip. One place I did want to try was the tall needle tower, which I later found out was called The Stratosphere. Yeah, I know every major city has one of these, but I thought the view would be pretty cool anyway.
First things first - although this is now progressing into a leisurely day - we went to the local casino for brunch. Once again, for a buffet selection that was about the size of a small shopping mall food court (and, in some cases, and then some), the price for the buffet was outrageously cheap. All we had to do was tip our waitresses and the nice chef who prepared omelettes on demand.
I must say it's not everyday you can get a nice omelette made with two kinds of cheese and jalapeno peppers. Delicious. I also managed to try some Texan food (in the BBQ section), which was rather fascinating.
We were there for a while - some time it was actually eating, and in other cases it was waiting for food to settle down before heading back to the buffet. Once we were finally stuffed, it was time to go, although not before my godmother did a quick round on the seniors slot machines.
One thing that never ceases to amaze me about Las Vegas is how a big colourful city thrives in the middle of a desert. The architecture of the houses and some buildings reflected the feeling of being in the climate, whilst the modern buildings and glitter of the casinos against the mountain ranges provided a most interesting juxtaposition.
The Stratosphere
We arrived at The Stratosphere and my godmother bought my ticket since she gets a resident discount. The attraction - like many of its kind around the world - is not cheap, even if in this case you get a couple of food vouchers with the ticket. After getting the ticket we parted ways and I ascended up the tower on my own. Oh, but not before having to pass through a WTMD.
The view at the top was great...
View of the mountain ranges against large expanses of residential
Desert? What desert? Lush greenery abound, green golf courses with water traps no less
The eponymous Las Vegas Strip
The observation level was not teeming with people and was relatively quiet, except for some media function which soon moved away, and the loud video booth advertising dance CDs (i.e. the ones where you mouth the words of a song and your head is superimposed on top of professional dancers' bodies, creating your own personal, very cheesy music video).
There is a bar at the observation level. I saw many people drinking from these rather cool blue bottles which I had only seen come with Skyy vodka (yuck). But on closer inspection, it was actually Bud beer (double yuck!).
I spent quite a while at the top as well as the "open air" observation level at the very top.
Moving on from The Stratosphere, I started walking my way back towards the other end of the Strip.
Since it's day time, it's a great opportunity to take photos (the simple ones), but of course night time is where all the lights and glitter come out of hiding. Still, the pavements on both sides of the road were full of people... and a lot of others (who - without prejudice intended - look like immigrants) who were clicking lots of piles of cards for call girls.
Big bold displays made themselves known. You can get away with a lot of provocative advertising (and displays and what not for that matter) in Las Vegas (or indeed almost anywhere in the Western world besides Australia and New Zealand), and there was no holding back.
This sign is supposed to say "World's Biggest Gift Shop". It certainly is big inside, filled with more tourist junk than you can poke a stick at.
Sahara
Circus Circus, showing the Las Vegas Strip big signs...
...and massive casino / hotel complexes
Twin complexes: Encore...
...and Wynn
I went into a few casinos and hotels, but admittedly apart from slightly different coloured uniforms and displays, everything starts to look the same - the casino tables, the people, the brand name shops, the bars, the restaurants...
Entrance to Encore
A leisurely looking hallway in Encore...
...and a more grandeur looking one
The interface between Encore and Wynn is marked by the meeting of these two theatre entrances
Yet another plush hallway in Wynn
A beautiful garden in Wynn
View from the back yard
I had a good sleep and upon awakening thought about plans for the day before I have to leave on my red-eye that night. Except what was there to do?
Lake Mead and Hoover Dam? Possible, but with at least a 1-3 hr drive each way, probably not worth the time (it was getting late once I had this discussion and packed up).
Shopping (e.g. factory outlets)? No money in the budget - I was here for the sightseeing! (As I found out later in the trip, there wasn't room in the bag either for more trinkets, clothes etc.)
What does my godmother and uncle do these days? Eat, sleep, watch TV and participate in the seniors slot machine competitions at the local casino. Yeah I can do that at home, except the last one, of course.
Finally decided that it was best that I do my own sightseeing walking up the Strip. One place I did want to try was the tall needle tower, which I later found out was called The Stratosphere. Yeah, I know every major city has one of these, but I thought the view would be pretty cool anyway.
First things first - although this is now progressing into a leisurely day - we went to the local casino for brunch. Once again, for a buffet selection that was about the size of a small shopping mall food court (and, in some cases, and then some), the price for the buffet was outrageously cheap. All we had to do was tip our waitresses and the nice chef who prepared omelettes on demand.
I must say it's not everyday you can get a nice omelette made with two kinds of cheese and jalapeno peppers. Delicious. I also managed to try some Texan food (in the BBQ section), which was rather fascinating.
We were there for a while - some time it was actually eating, and in other cases it was waiting for food to settle down before heading back to the buffet. Once we were finally stuffed, it was time to go, although not before my godmother did a quick round on the seniors slot machines.
One thing that never ceases to amaze me about Las Vegas is how a big colourful city thrives in the middle of a desert. The architecture of the houses and some buildings reflected the feeling of being in the climate, whilst the modern buildings and glitter of the casinos against the mountain ranges provided a most interesting juxtaposition.
The Stratosphere
We arrived at The Stratosphere and my godmother bought my ticket since she gets a resident discount. The attraction - like many of its kind around the world - is not cheap, even if in this case you get a couple of food vouchers with the ticket. After getting the ticket we parted ways and I ascended up the tower on my own. Oh, but not before having to pass through a WTMD.
The view at the top was great...
View of the mountain ranges against large expanses of residential
Desert? What desert? Lush greenery abound, green golf courses with water traps no less
The eponymous Las Vegas Strip
The observation level was not teeming with people and was relatively quiet, except for some media function which soon moved away, and the loud video booth advertising dance CDs (i.e. the ones where you mouth the words of a song and your head is superimposed on top of professional dancers' bodies, creating your own personal, very cheesy music video).
There is a bar at the observation level. I saw many people drinking from these rather cool blue bottles which I had only seen come with Skyy vodka (yuck). But on closer inspection, it was actually Bud beer (double yuck!).
I spent quite a while at the top as well as the "open air" observation level at the very top.
Moving on from The Stratosphere, I started walking my way back towards the other end of the Strip.
Since it's day time, it's a great opportunity to take photos (the simple ones), but of course night time is where all the lights and glitter come out of hiding. Still, the pavements on both sides of the road were full of people... and a lot of others (who - without prejudice intended - look like immigrants) who were clicking lots of piles of cards for call girls.
Big bold displays made themselves known. You can get away with a lot of provocative advertising (and displays and what not for that matter) in Las Vegas (or indeed almost anywhere in the Western world besides Australia and New Zealand), and there was no holding back.
This sign is supposed to say "World's Biggest Gift Shop". It certainly is big inside, filled with more tourist junk than you can poke a stick at.
Sahara
Circus Circus, showing the Las Vegas Strip big signs...
...and massive casino / hotel complexes
Twin complexes: Encore...
...and Wynn
I went into a few casinos and hotels, but admittedly apart from slightly different coloured uniforms and displays, everything starts to look the same - the casino tables, the people, the brand name shops, the bars, the restaurants...
Entrance to Encore
A leisurely looking hallway in Encore...
...and a more grandeur looking one
The interface between Encore and Wynn is marked by the meeting of these two theatre entrances
Yet another plush hallway in Wynn
A beautiful garden in Wynn
Dec 31, 2010, 5:23 am
#28
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Brisbane
Posts: 1,950
Wednesday 27 October
Next stop was The Palazzo. One interesting pattern I found is that most of the places I went to had a "sister" property. For example, Encore and Wynn, and The Palazzo and Venetian. If you were inside one property, you can find directional signs telling you how to get to the other. Sure, it helps they were side-by-side, although I went to one place and they offered a shuttle to their other property. I guess they are owned by the same person, or it's just a matter of proximity. Beats me.
The Palazzo
Grandeur waterfall, fountain and complex in The Palazzo. Oh yes, it is autumn here, too (or as our American friends would call it, fall).
This fine hallway I believe is in The Venetian. If you've ever been to Rome you'll probably recognise the design concept. I think I saw the floor design somewhere in about two dozen books of illusions.
No visit to The Venetian is complete (supposedly) without checking out the Little Venice complex, which is mostly shopping but is also replete with restaurants and cafes. It's much cleaner than Venice and not the same, but there you go. There's a casino in Johannesburg that I've been to that also has a similar thing.
Little Venice inside The Venetian. Complete with Venetian architectural buildings (shopfronts), fake blue sky...
...gondolas, engineered canal, and...
...female gondoliers (it is traditional and even until now in Venice that women cannot be gondoliers). I don't know if a ride is cheaper here than in Venice, but with the latter pricing at minimum EUR 80, I wouldn't be surprised if it was cheaper in Las Vegas. Then again, what isn't cheaper here compared to Europe (let alone Italy)?
In the Venetian, the ladies who frequent the gambling tables refreshing the drinks for the players wear something which looks reminiscent of what Roman guards would wear (i.e. leather like uniform and skirt). Just to demonstrate how you can get away with a lot in the US compared to Australia, I'd have to say that the skirts are so short that if it were even a mere millimetre (or sixteenth of an inch) shorter, let's just say that might be enough to start proceedings for indecent exposure.
Now why don't more guys think laterally on this, e.g. dropping a chip by accident and having them bend over and pick it up?
*shakes head vigorously* OK bad thoughts out, good thoughts in ...once I went outside, the imitations continued...
An almost perfect recreation of the Rialto Bridge
Last time I went to Las Vegas 16 years ago, we stayed at The Aladdin, which I found out doesn't exist anymore. Some of the older stalwarts I remember are still here...
Treasure Island
The Mirage
...and some others have just gotten way, way bigger...
Caesar's Palace, complete with faux Roman architecture, Colosseum re-creation...
...and the Forum Shops, with a likeness of the Trevi Fountain. The only thing that's missing is one of those person statues to be holding up a handful of gambling chips, some cash or a drink.
I kept moving along, but with about 2 miles of Strip left, I was no where near able to make my rendezvous on time.
Harrah's. Gambling is no joking matter once you're inside.
Outside Bally's, with the re-creation of the Eiffel Tower in the background.
Once I got to Bally's, I decided to take the Las Vegas monorail to the MGM, since it was the only way I was to have any chance of meeting my godmother at our rendezvous point on time. The monorail is pretty expensive for what turns out to be a short ride, but I guess for those that want to tour the strip up and down (perhaps shopping) and don't have a car, it's not a bad way to go.
Got my ticket for the monorail then made a n00b mistake. Yep, got on the monorail going in the wrong direction; still, better than getting on the wrong aircraft or the wrong airport. Get off, wait for the other monorail. Now we're talking...
The Palazzo
Grandeur waterfall, fountain and complex in The Palazzo. Oh yes, it is autumn here, too (or as our American friends would call it, fall).
This fine hallway I believe is in The Venetian. If you've ever been to Rome you'll probably recognise the design concept. I think I saw the floor design somewhere in about two dozen books of illusions.
No visit to The Venetian is complete (supposedly) without checking out the Little Venice complex, which is mostly shopping but is also replete with restaurants and cafes. It's much cleaner than Venice and not the same, but there you go. There's a casino in Johannesburg that I've been to that also has a similar thing.
Little Venice inside The Venetian. Complete with Venetian architectural buildings (shopfronts), fake blue sky...
...gondolas, engineered canal, and...
...female gondoliers (it is traditional and even until now in Venice that women cannot be gondoliers). I don't know if a ride is cheaper here than in Venice, but with the latter pricing at minimum EUR 80, I wouldn't be surprised if it was cheaper in Las Vegas. Then again, what isn't cheaper here compared to Europe (let alone Italy)?
In the Venetian, the ladies who frequent the gambling tables refreshing the drinks for the players wear something which looks reminiscent of what Roman guards would wear (i.e. leather like uniform and skirt). Just to demonstrate how you can get away with a lot in the US compared to Australia, I'd have to say that the skirts are so short that if it were even a mere millimetre (or sixteenth of an inch) shorter, let's just say that might be enough to start proceedings for indecent exposure.
Now why don't more guys think laterally on this, e.g. dropping a chip by accident and having them bend over and pick it up?
*shakes head vigorously* OK bad thoughts out, good thoughts in
...once I went outside, the imitations continued...An almost perfect recreation of the Rialto Bridge
Last time I went to Las Vegas 16 years ago, we stayed at The Aladdin, which I found out doesn't exist anymore. Some of the older stalwarts I remember are still here...
Treasure Island
The Mirage
...and some others have just gotten way, way bigger...
Caesar's Palace, complete with faux Roman architecture, Colosseum re-creation...
...and the Forum Shops, with a likeness of the Trevi Fountain. The only thing that's missing is one of those person statues to be holding up a handful of gambling chips, some cash or a drink.
I kept moving along, but with about 2 miles of Strip left, I was no where near able to make my rendezvous on time.
Harrah's. Gambling is no joking matter once you're inside.
Outside Bally's, with the re-creation of the Eiffel Tower in the background.
Once I got to Bally's, I decided to take the Las Vegas monorail to the MGM, since it was the only way I was to have any chance of meeting my godmother at our rendezvous point on time. The monorail is pretty expensive for what turns out to be a short ride, but I guess for those that want to tour the strip up and down (perhaps shopping) and don't have a car, it's not a bad way to go.
Got my ticket for the monorail then made a n00b mistake. Yep, got on the monorail going in the wrong direction
; still, better than getting on the wrong aircraft or the wrong airport. Get off, wait for the other monorail. Now we're talking...
Dec 31, 2010, 6:05 pm
#29
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Brisbane
Posts: 1,950
Wednesday 27 October
Why is it when you're in such a hurry that public transport seems to go slower? Not that the monorail did go slower...
Once I arrived at the MGM stop, I had to negotiate my way through to the front reception, which for someone not familiar with the place or indeed all these big casino / hotel complexes, is no easy feat. It wasn't helped by the fact I was rushing. In the end and between rather harried SMS messages, I eventually found the reception and my godmother, about 15 minutes later than our agreed meeting time.
My uncle picked us up and we thought about some dinner. Now where is good to go in Las Vegas for a simple dinner that wasn't an expansive buffet? (No, don't say McDonalds...) Rather stuck for ideas, my godmother asked me if I would like some food from the Philippines (my father is from the Philippines as are my godmother and uncle). At this point I hadn't made up my mind, so I just said yes. After all, it'd be nice to try something different for a change.
Our hunt went to a small mini-mall a handful of blocks away from the Strip which had a rather modest restaurant featuring - you guessed it - a buffet (!) of a small assortment of Filipino food. It was a very simple offering and equally simple quality of food, but not too surprisingly the restaurant had quite a few people inside who had come to get their fill to satisfy their homesickness. My uncle, who is known to demolish a bowl of cooked fresh prawns within minutes, helped himself to plenty of the fattening, deep fried parts of the pig, common to Filipino cuisine.
Over dinner I thanked my godmother and uncle for taking me in for the night. It was really good to see my godmother again. A new adventure beckoned, starting with a red-eye...
Dinner finished and my packed bag already in the boot (American: trunk) of the car, we were off back to McCarran. The light traffic on the road made what otherwise is a fairly quick commute a little longer, but soon I was at the departures level and at the US Airways counters. US allow *G to use their First Class check-in, which had only one other person at it who was quickly dealt with, leaving me to stroll leisurely up, get checked in, a good seat (5A) and a bag with priority handling routed to BUF. I received my two BPs and both clearly indicated I was in boarding zone 1. Excellent.
My flight was due to depart from a B gate, so after finding the correct security screening point, I went through without trouble or getting nude-o-scoped or rude-o-groped. Thank goodness for airports providing repacking benches away from the security complex. Now if only people were smart enough to grab their stuff and move away from the end of the security belt so stuff doesn't start backing up in the x-ray machine...
At such a late time at night, there wasn't much open at all in the A and B wings of LAS airport. Most I saw were a Burger King, a sports bar, and...
Slots machines (or "pokies" as we call them in Australia) inside LAS airport
My next thoughts go, "Wait a minute, isn't there a CO Presidential Club in LAS?" I think that was the only *A lounge in LAS. My thoughts were soon proven correct as I checked my sources, but it was located in the D wing. This would mean getting out of the A-B wing, going through D wing security, finding the lounge, exiting on time, clearing A-B wing security again and then finally boarding my flight at the B gates.
Worth the effort? Maybe. Did I want to put in the effort? No.
So I decided to wait for my flight loungeless. Luckily, there were options that made the time go rather easier. LAS has these random metal benches which have power outlets in them. Combined with free wifi throughout LAS, one can sit down, plug in their laptop and start working away. Indeed, I found a few people doing this (as were others who plugged in their mobiles and started using those). At least fiddling around on Facebook, Twitter, FT and AFF helped me while away the time before my flight was due to board.
HP plane with HP livery at LAS. No, this wasn't my aircraft, even though my flight was being serviced by an HP plane.
Flight: US Airways US66 Las Vegas McCarran (LAS T1-D) – Boston Logan (BOS TB)
Depart: 2215h Sched; 2214h Actual
Aircraft: N676AW Airbus A320-200
Distance: 2,381 mi (3,827 km)
Class: Economy
Seat: 5A
Red-eyes are almost always uncomfortable, even if you fly premium, and usually because they are too short to get enough "recovery" sleep. When I selected an overnight flight to save on accommodation and get the most out of the following day, I decided to take this option to BOS rather than via the usual US hub of CLT. The latter flight is 1 hour shorter, which means less sleep.
A decent crowd at our gate prior to boarding provided a pocket of rowdiness in an otherwise deserted terminal. Soon enough, zone 1 pax and other special assistance pax were asked to board. I made my way through to my seat and managed to find a spot for my bag in the overhead.
A friend of mine reminded me that flying US would be basically riding on a glorified flying bus. He wasn't wrong. Normally I'm not a fan of leather seats, but at least they were soft and comfy. The legroom was decent, although being rather short at 1.75m height has its advantages.
Looking across row 5 onboard US66. Taken before the rest of the riff-raff could take their seats.
Legroom in 5A.
A little later during the boarding process, a couple of ladies who I assume is a mother and daughter traveling together asked if they could sit together. The mother's seat was 5F, so I didn't think too long before saying 'yes'. After all, it was the same kind of seat, just on the other side of the aircraft. I guess I could end up sitting next to an idiot instead of the good looking daughter who assumed 5B, but oh well. Hopefully the big man upstairs put a tally on my karma count.
The plane filled up completely. My seat mate was a young active business school student studying in BOS. Unfortunately for him, he boarded late and had no choice but to put his backpack under the seat in front of him. He was unfazed however, and we made some good conversation whilst the PA wasn't blaring.
Without a doubt, most FAs love red-eyes. They run a quick service, then turn out the lights until landing. That's pretty much what happened. Once we were in the air, the FAs went quickly through the cabin asking if anyone wanted service. I asked for a cup of water and a cup of orange juice with ice. Thankfully non-alcoholic drinks are complimentary here, especially water. An FA returned to my seat with two very full cups of beverage which she very, very slowly handed over to me and which I very, very, very slowly and carefully took off her hands and placed onto my tray table. The effort of getting the very full cups of beverage onto my tray table without a single drop of spillage could be one of the challenges on Minute to Win It. I personally was really not wanting to spill anything on my seat mate who was still mostly dressed in his best for business.
I consumed my two beverages and not long after the lights were turned off. My seat mate had some rather urgent papers and presentations to read, so he whipped out his laptop which continued to shine through the cabin darkness. Not that it phased me - he was a student like me so having a compressed and "all-day" timetable is normal, if even that means you study when you "should" be sleeping. I simply shut my eyes and went to sleep.
Once I arrived at the MGM stop, I had to negotiate my way through to the front reception, which for someone not familiar with the place or indeed all these big casino / hotel complexes, is no easy feat. It wasn't helped by the fact I was rushing. In the end and between rather harried SMS messages, I eventually found the reception and my godmother, about 15 minutes later than our agreed meeting time.
My uncle picked us up and we thought about some dinner. Now where is good to go in Las Vegas for a simple dinner that wasn't an expansive buffet? (No, don't say McDonalds...) Rather stuck for ideas, my godmother asked me if I would like some food from the Philippines (my father is from the Philippines as are my godmother and uncle). At this point I hadn't made up my mind, so I just said yes. After all, it'd be nice to try something different for a change.
Our hunt went to a small mini-mall a handful of blocks away from the Strip which had a rather modest restaurant featuring - you guessed it - a buffet (!) of a small assortment of Filipino food. It was a very simple offering and equally simple quality of food, but not too surprisingly the restaurant had quite a few people inside who had come to get their fill to satisfy their homesickness. My uncle, who is known to demolish a bowl of cooked fresh prawns within minutes, helped himself to plenty of the fattening, deep fried parts of the pig, common to Filipino cuisine.
Over dinner I thanked my godmother and uncle for taking me in for the night. It was really good to see my godmother again. A new adventure beckoned, starting with a red-eye...
Dinner finished and my packed bag already in the boot (American: trunk) of the car, we were off back to McCarran. The light traffic on the road made what otherwise is a fairly quick commute a little longer, but soon I was at the departures level and at the US Airways counters. US allow *G to use their First Class check-in, which had only one other person at it who was quickly dealt with, leaving me to stroll leisurely up, get checked in, a good seat (5A) and a bag with priority handling routed to BUF. I received my two BPs and both clearly indicated I was in boarding zone 1. Excellent.
My flight was due to depart from a B gate, so after finding the correct security screening point, I went through without trouble or getting nude-o-scoped or rude-o-groped. Thank goodness for airports providing repacking benches away from the security complex. Now if only people were smart enough to grab their stuff and move away from the end of the security belt so stuff doesn't start backing up in the x-ray machine...
At such a late time at night, there wasn't much open at all in the A and B wings of LAS airport. Most I saw were a Burger King, a sports bar, and...
Slots machines (or "pokies" as we call them in Australia) inside LAS airport
My next thoughts go, "Wait a minute, isn't there a CO Presidential Club in LAS?" I think that was the only *A lounge in LAS. My thoughts were soon proven correct as I checked my sources, but it was located in the D wing. This would mean getting out of the A-B wing, going through D wing security, finding the lounge, exiting on time, clearing A-B wing security again and then finally boarding my flight at the B gates.
Worth the effort? Maybe. Did I want to put in the effort? No.
So I decided to wait for my flight loungeless. Luckily, there were options that made the time go rather easier. LAS has these random metal benches which have power outlets in them. Combined with free wifi throughout LAS, one can sit down, plug in their laptop and start working away. Indeed, I found a few people doing this (as were others who plugged in their mobiles and started using those). At least fiddling around on Facebook, Twitter, FT and AFF helped me while away the time before my flight was due to board.
HP plane with HP livery at LAS. No, this wasn't my aircraft, even though my flight was being serviced by an HP plane.
Flight: US Airways US66 Las Vegas McCarran (LAS T1-D) – Boston Logan (BOS TB)
Depart: 2215h Sched; 2214h Actual
Aircraft: N676AW Airbus A320-200
Distance: 2,381 mi (3,827 km)
Class: Economy
Seat: 5A
Red-eyes are almost always uncomfortable, even if you fly premium, and usually because they are too short to get enough "recovery" sleep. When I selected an overnight flight to save on accommodation and get the most out of the following day, I decided to take this option to BOS rather than via the usual US hub of CLT. The latter flight is 1 hour shorter, which means less sleep.
A decent crowd at our gate prior to boarding provided a pocket of rowdiness in an otherwise deserted terminal. Soon enough, zone 1 pax and other special assistance pax were asked to board. I made my way through to my seat and managed to find a spot for my bag in the overhead.
A friend of mine reminded me that flying US would be basically riding on a glorified flying bus. He wasn't wrong. Normally I'm not a fan of leather seats, but at least they were soft and comfy. The legroom was decent, although being rather short at 1.75m height has its advantages.
Looking across row 5 onboard US66. Taken before the rest of the riff-raff
could take their seats.Legroom in 5A.
A little later during the boarding process, a couple of ladies who I assume is a mother and daughter traveling together asked if they could sit together. The mother's seat was 5F, so I didn't think too long before saying 'yes'. After all, it was the same kind of seat, just on the other side of the aircraft. I guess I could end up sitting next to an idiot instead of the good looking daughter who assumed 5B, but oh well. Hopefully the big man upstairs put a tally on my karma count.
The plane filled up completely. My seat mate was a young active business school student studying in BOS. Unfortunately for him, he boarded late and had no choice but to put his backpack under the seat in front of him. He was unfazed however, and we made some good conversation whilst the PA wasn't blaring.
Without a doubt, most FAs love red-eyes. They run a quick service, then turn out the lights until landing. That's pretty much what happened. Once we were in the air, the FAs went quickly through the cabin asking if anyone wanted service. I asked for a cup of water and a cup of orange juice with ice. Thankfully non-alcoholic drinks are complimentary here, especially water. An FA returned to my seat with two very full cups of beverage which she very, very slowly handed over to me and which I very, very, very slowly and carefully took off her hands and placed onto my tray table. The effort of getting the very full cups of beverage onto my tray table without a single drop of spillage could be one of the challenges on Minute to Win It. I personally was really not wanting to spill anything on my seat mate who was still mostly dressed in his best for business.
I consumed my two beverages and not long after the lights were turned off. My seat mate had some rather urgent papers and presentations to read, so he whipped out his laptop which continued to shine through the cabin darkness. Not that it phased me - he was a student like me so having a compressed and "all-day" timetable is normal, if even that means you study when you "should" be sleeping. I simply shut my eyes and went to sleep.
Jan 1, 2011, 6:31 am
#30
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Brisbane
Posts: 1,950
Thursday 28 October
Thursday 28 October
I'm pretty sure I woke up at least 2 or 3 times during the flight. Each time I woke up I spent about 5 minutes shaking the legs to get blood flowing as well as staring out the window into the endless sky-plains of clouds, moon and stars (I really wish I could get a photo of something like this), eventually trying to work myself back down into slumber mode.
Our captain woke up most of the cabin with his PA on approach to BOS, even though the cabin lights were still off. Eventually with descent imminent, the rest of the cabin began to stir and the main lights were switched back on.
It was still well and truly dark outside on the rather early morning when we touched down in BOS and taxiied to our gate. We parked at the end of the B concourse of BOS airport, with barely any pax to speak of around the concourse except for those arriving into BOS. A couple of cafes starting to open offered a source of awakening the dead in the form of caffeine. And I was hunting down two things: (a) gate for my next flight, and (b) the US Airways Club, hopefully for entry, peace and quiet, some breakfast and a shower.
BOS Terminal B in the morning
You can tell this is US's side of the terminal
Rocking chairs?
BOS tarmac very early in the morning. The sun hasn't even come out yet.
My early morning navigation senses took me down a couple of halls before I happened upon a wooden door way that marked the entry of the US Airways Club. The entry looks rather imposing and odd, given that there were no windows looking in. It reminded me more of an entrance to a private association club or something like that (except there was no bouncer / greeter at the front door). You even had to buzz to get in through the door. (The password was "Iggy sent me". Alright, I made that part up.)
Entry to the BOS US Club
The kind woman at the entry desk checked my details; once again, my very plain looking and inconspicuous BD*G card claimed another victim of confusion, with the lady not knowing which FFP I belonged to until I said, "bmi"...
...no, actually not until I said, "British Midland"...
...no, actually not until I said, "BD"...
......and then convinced her it was a member of the Star Alliance. Geez, what am I taken for? One of those Asian gangsters involved in one of those credit card copying schemes and now we're forging FFP elite cards?
There are no showers in this lounge. What is it with no showers in lounges in this part of the world? I guess it's a water conservation measure of some broad description. My real refresher will have to wait until I get to the Hilton Fallsview, then.
The lounge is quite comfortable and pleasantly fitted out. There weren't many people in the lounge, so I guess the morning rush isn't at around 0630h.
Food is pretty simple, the basic continental breakfast was laid out. Coffee was the modus operandi style of the USA, which is filter-drip brewed for those not in the know. I tell you sometimes in the USA you have to kill someone or pay a little fortune to get a good espresso coffee. Everyone just seems to like the filter brewed stuff, and not awfully strong either.
It took me a bit of extra brain power for this time of the morning to work out how to operate the coffee machine, and liquid creamer (rather than milk) seems to be all the rage in this country as well.
A very quiet BOS US Airways Club
Continental (not the airline CO, I mean the breakfast type) breakfast courtesy of BOS US Airways Club
There is a bar in a secluded part of the lounge, complete with comfy bar stools, but it's obviously too early in the morning to be breaking out the alcohol (or paying for the bartender to serve them up). There is an office section that's also equipped with a printer, but you need to pay to use the printer.
Ate some breakfast, drank some coffee, watched some news on the television screens...and before long, my short transit ended and I started on my way to my next gate and next flight.
Flight: US Airways Express US3569 Boston Logan (BOS TB) – Buffalo Niagara (BUF) (operated by Air Wisconsin)
Depart: 0730h Sched; 0722h Actual
Aircraft: N457AW Canadair CRJ-200
Distance: 396 mi (635 km)
Class: Economy
Seat: 3F
Daylight had just broken in slowly as boarding preparations were being made.
There weren't many people flying this morning on this flight, so it looks like with any luck we might just be able to push back early. Pretty much every pax on this flight was the same (except me), however, all carrying their standard carry-on in one hand and cup of coffee in the other. No, I don't mean everyone had their own travel mug, I'm talking about the cardboard cups from the coffee shop with a thermal sleeve. Seems you just can't trust the coffee on board.
Down the jetway I went, down a set of stairs, across about 5m of tarmac, up the stairs of the CRJ and onto the aircraft. The overheads couldn't accommodate my backpack, so I ended up having to put it under the seat in front of me. When boarding finished, 3D was free so I was able to slide my backpack across to the left and enjoy my legroom all the way to BUF.
Legroom in 3F on the CRJ200
A friendly reminder: if you need to pass gas, please do so in the lavatory and not at your seat. Your life or the life of the next passenger sitting in your seat could depend on it.
Our taxi and take off were all textbook as our little aircraft soared into the sky and on direct course to BUF. Service was offered on this flight and I decided upon a juice and water like my last flight, and once again as per US's policy, these drinks were free of charge. US Airways Express flights have a smaller selection of items from service compared to regular US Airways flights, but enough to keep most people happy. I had an orange juice on my last flight, so I decided to get a cranberry juice this time. Whilst the juice I had probably wasn't 100% juice, I think I could get quite used to drinking cranberry juice (only that it isn't all that common at all in Australia).
Not much else to say for our short flight. We were informed that the ground temperature in BUF was cold (which I had to decode quickly in my mind, being a degrees Celcius minded person in a country where they talk of degrees Fahrenheit instead). It wasn't long before we descended and landed at the small airport at BUF.
Landscape shots taken from 3F during descent into BUF
I'm pretty sure I woke up at least 2 or 3 times during the flight. Each time I woke up I spent about 5 minutes shaking the legs to get blood flowing as well as staring out the window into the endless sky-plains of clouds, moon and stars (I really wish I could get a photo of something like this), eventually trying to work myself back down into slumber mode.
Our captain woke up most of the cabin with his PA on approach to BOS, even though the cabin lights were still off. Eventually with descent imminent, the rest of the cabin began to stir and the main lights were switched back on.
It was still well and truly dark outside on the rather early morning when we touched down in BOS and taxiied to our gate. We parked at the end of the B concourse of BOS airport, with barely any pax to speak of around the concourse except for those arriving into BOS. A couple of cafes starting to open offered a source of awakening the dead in the form of caffeine. And I was hunting down two things: (a) gate for my next flight, and (b) the US Airways Club, hopefully for entry, peace and quiet, some breakfast and a shower.
BOS Terminal B in the morning
You can tell this is US's side of the terminal
Rocking chairs?
BOS tarmac very early in the morning. The sun hasn't even come out yet.
My early morning navigation senses took me down a couple of halls before I happened upon a wooden door way that marked the entry of the US Airways Club. The entry looks rather imposing and odd, given that there were no windows looking in. It reminded me more of an entrance to a private association club or something like that (except there was no bouncer / greeter at the front door). You even had to buzz to get in through the door. (The password was "Iggy sent me". Alright, I made that part up
.)Entry to the BOS US Club
The kind woman at the entry desk checked my details; once again, my very plain looking and inconspicuous BD*G card claimed another victim of confusion, with the lady not knowing which FFP I belonged to until I said, "bmi"...
...no, actually not until I said, "British Midland"...
...no, actually not until I said, "BD"...
......and then convinced her it was a member of the Star Alliance.
Geez, what am I taken for? One of those Asian gangsters involved in one of those credit card copying schemes and now we're forging FFP elite cards?There are no showers in this lounge.
What is it with no showers in lounges in this part of the world? I guess it's a water conservation measure of some broad description. My real refresher will have to wait until I get to the Hilton Fallsview, then.The lounge is quite comfortable and pleasantly fitted out. There weren't many people in the lounge, so I guess the morning rush isn't at around 0630h.
Food is pretty simple, the basic continental breakfast was laid out. Coffee was the modus operandi style of the USA, which is filter-drip brewed for those not in the know. I tell you sometimes in the USA you have to kill someone or pay a little fortune to get a good espresso coffee. Everyone just seems to like the filter brewed stuff, and not awfully strong either.
It took me a bit of extra brain power for this time of the morning to work out how to operate the coffee machine, and liquid creamer (rather than milk) seems to be all the rage in this country as well.
A very quiet BOS US Airways Club
Continental (not the airline CO, I mean the breakfast type) breakfast courtesy of BOS US Airways Club
There is a bar in a secluded part of the lounge, complete with comfy bar stools, but it's obviously too early in the morning to be breaking out the alcohol (or paying for the bartender to serve them up). There is an office section that's also equipped with a printer, but you need to pay to use the printer.
Ate some breakfast, drank some coffee, watched some news on the television screens...and before long, my short transit ended and I started on my way to my next gate and next flight.
Flight: US Airways Express US3569 Boston Logan (BOS TB) – Buffalo Niagara (BUF) (operated by Air Wisconsin)
Depart: 0730h Sched; 0722h Actual
Aircraft: N457AW Canadair CRJ-200
Distance: 396 mi (635 km)
Class: Economy
Seat: 3F
Daylight had just broken in slowly as boarding preparations were being made.
There weren't many people flying this morning on this flight, so it looks like with any luck we might just be able to push back early. Pretty much every pax on this flight was the same (except me), however, all carrying their standard carry-on in one hand and cup of coffee in the other. No, I don't mean everyone had their own travel mug, I'm talking about the cardboard cups from the coffee shop with a thermal sleeve. Seems you just can't trust the coffee on board.
Down the jetway I went, down a set of stairs, across about 5m of tarmac, up the stairs of the CRJ and onto the aircraft. The overheads couldn't accommodate my backpack, so I ended up having to put it under the seat in front of me. When boarding finished, 3D was free so I was able to slide my backpack across to the left and enjoy my legroom all the way to BUF.
Legroom in 3F on the CRJ200
A friendly reminder: if you need to pass gas, please do so in the lavatory and not at your seat. Your life or the life of the next passenger sitting in your seat could depend on it.
Our taxi and take off were all textbook as our little aircraft soared into the sky and on direct course to BUF. Service was offered on this flight and I decided upon a juice and water like my last flight, and once again as per US's policy, these drinks were free of charge. US Airways Express flights have a smaller selection of items from service compared to regular US Airways flights, but enough to keep most people happy. I had an orange juice on my last flight, so I decided to get a cranberry juice this time. Whilst the juice I had probably wasn't 100% juice, I think I could get quite used to drinking cranberry juice (only that it isn't all that common at all in Australia).
Not much else to say for our short flight. We were informed that the ground temperature in BUF was cold (which I had to decode quickly in my mind, being a degrees Celcius minded person in a country where they talk of degrees Fahrenheit instead). It wasn't long before we descended and landed at the small airport at BUF.
Landscape shots taken from 3F during descent into BUF