US1193 BOS PHL 0715 0852 321 3C
was 1735 BOS PHL 0930 1100 733 2F

I had this plan. I was on the 0930 flight, but having woken
at 3 and checked to find the earlier flight was still F8,
I decided to take the 0510 bus, which doesn't go where I
want, walk half a mile to the subway, and get to the airport
about 0615, when there should still be seats in first. Well,
this wonderful bus showed up at 0530 and kept getting
behinder and behinder, so the next bus (which went to
Wonderland) caught up with it; I was too lazy to switch
buses but stuck with what I had, a mistake. I was barely at
West Lynn at 6, so I decided to bail in favor of the bus
that was supposed to leave there at 0608 and get me to the
airport at 0626. How wonderful it is to have so many choices
in public transport. How nasty to have them all not work on
the same day. Anyhow, this airport bus showed up half an
hour late, and I got to Terminal C at 7. Walked as fast as
my little legs could take me to US Air, checked in, went
into the priority security, and, despite making way for a
pilot or two, was at the gate at 0710. There was still room
in F, yay. In fact, the flight left with two empties in F.

A bit of a snooze and a tiny delay (flow control as usual),
and here we were, beautiful Filthydelphia.

US3121 PHL IAH 1005 1301 175 3F
was 3257 PHL IAH 1405 1650 175 2A

Got to the gate in plenty of time to stand by for the early
flight, and the grumpy agent said, "it'll cost ya." I
pointed out I was Gold, so she warmed up a bit and
acknowledged that there was room, and I could get it for
free. Onto the little regional jet: why they are running
humongous half-empty planes up and down the east coast and
these little guys halfway across the country I can't figure.

I got one of the few seats with an empty next, but at some
point a woman vacated 4A to sit by me. This was not because
of my undeniable charms, but because 5A was noisy and kept
kicking her seat (it was a child of some sort). I told her
I was happy to have her sit by me, but I was going to ignore
her and go to sleep. This was fine with both of us.

It got extremely bumpy half an hour before landing, and I
woke a little prematurely, so my seatmate and I perforce
started chatting, first about bumpy flights and noisy
children, and then about Houston - it turns out that she
knew some faculty at my high school (whose reunion I was
attending), plus she gave me a useful tip about the Central
Market, which she said was just down a few blocks from it.
I like food shopping and so promised to check it out.

SuperShuttle came pretty soon after I hit the counter, and
it was completely full - I had to sit in the death seat.
And, lo and behold, the Renaissance Greenway Plaza was the
first stop: LIFO, a good way to travel. I felt a tad guilty,
but then the van emptied out. They'd managed to fill the van
with Renaissance passengers.

I was shown to a very nice room on the 10th floor. Never
mind that it was next to the elevators - turns out that in
contrast to my experience at the Hilton Atlanta, the Ren
elevators were whisper quiet.

==

Luling City Market - this is not the real thing but rather a
facsimile 138.4 miles due east of the original. It's
pleasantly tacky and seedy, with the bar area in front and
the food out back. As with many such places you get your
sustenance and then wend your way to the bar for your
sustenance.

I asked for my brisket extra fatty, and the guy pulled a
new one from the steam table and sliced me some off the
top: quite delicious, properly smoked, salted just this side
of too much, meltingly tender. A hot link was appropriately
hot, smoky, and nicely not too salty; on the other hand the
meat was ground too fine and was a bit mushy (steam table
issues?), and there was an unaccountably large amount of
sugar in the mix.

The blonde bartender (rather cute) was more interested in
chatting with her regulars than finding me beers, so I had
only two. Shiner Bock = 3.25, a good price.

A six-minute (counting wait at the stop) bus ride back to
the hotel.

==

Bayou City Seafood & Pasta is in the same block as the
Luling Market, and for my next meal I tried it. The brunette
bartender was (almost by definition) more forthcoming than
the blonde down the way. From 2 to 6 a pound of boiled
crawfish is $5, and I just squeaked in to the happy hour
price. Great crawfish, not the Chinese farmed junk we
usually get (and that I was expecting). Shiner Bock here
is a whopping 4.50, and I had only one, for my second
carbohydrate hit ordering a link of boudin ($6, no happy
hour break) - lots of pigskin ground in, which lends a
peculiar and I think toothsome flavor, but it was way
underseasoned.