Lost in Austin

We popped over to Starbucks to drug ourselves for the 73-mile drive to Austin. It’s a straight shot, all freeway. When we arrived, we asked Neverlost for the closest restaurant and found ourselves at a Schotzky’s Deli, a chain of fast-food delis that I hadn’t tried before. It was OK. My Reuben had homemade discus-shaped individual loaves of bread surrounding unremarkable corned beef. Next we asked Neverlost what the local attractions were. We decided to pass on the state capitol and instead went to the Austin Zoo. It’s a medium-sized zoo with a very nice selection of well cared-for animals, including two big male lions(!) and my favorite, the capybara. If you’ve never seen a capybara, it’s a hamster the size of a pig. I can never decide if they’re cute or revolting.

After the zoo, Neverlost took us to the Bats of the Bridge. We sat on a grassy knoll with a hundred other bat watchers waiting for the million bats who live under the Congress St. Bridge to wake up and fly from their roosts at dusk. Well, unfortunately the bats had already left for Mexico, because we only saw about three bats instead of a million. The sign said the bats only hang around till mid-November, so I guess we just missed them. On the other hand, the sign also said that this was one of America’s most popular tourist attractions, so I’m not sure how much it can be believed. We sat for 45 minutes or so watching a guy who looked a bit like Brad Pitt’s character in Fight Club use his Boston Terrier to flirt with all the cute girls in the park.

We had hoped to have dinner at Sullivan’s. The Austin branch of this steakhouse chain has an adjoining jazz club where I once saw a fabulous quartet and ate their signature mint baked Alaska. Alas, it was closed Sundays. So we hopped across the street (without the aid of Neverlost) and had a great meal at Gilligan’s. Three of us had the Tuna Mignon, a seared rare tuna filet that was just incredible. Margaritas were the “Hairy Dog,” made with Herradura and Cointreau.

We strolled up and down Sixth St., which was pretty dead on a Sunday night, then headed back to San Antonio for a nightcap at the horse bar in the Westin. The construction dust flew as I pulled up to the valet parking. Our friendly waitress Sonia was just leaving, so the bartender Richard took care of us. We ordered four of the special margaritas, which turned out to be pineapple-mango-cointreau, not midori as previously thought. He approached the table and said he had miscalculated on the quantity, so we had a little extra. He brought us about one and three-quarters margaritas each. So I miscalculated on the tip and left him about 25%.

The return home

We woke up at 5 (3 Seattle time) and set the Neverlost for the nearest gas station. It took us to a deserted lot halfway across town. So we decided to head for the airport instead. Once there, we again set Neverlost for the nearest station, and it found a Texaco a mile away. We filled up, returned to Hertz, and were at the checkin counter with plenty of time to spare. I gathered a stack of IDs and Mileage Plus cards and handed them to the First Class/Premier agent. She took the and spread them out on the counter like a blackjack dealer. Then she asked me a question I’ve never heard before: “Are any of you under 18.” I looked back and asked Hunnybear if she was under 18. She said no. The agent then proceeded to check us in. I couldn’t stand it. I had to ask.

“So that question about us being under 18…? What was…that about…?” I asked. “Well,” she said,” I don’t have to check photo IDs of anyone under 18.” avek00 take note! I wonder if a memo just went out because of avek00’s “incident”! The thought that immediately comes to mind is, what if we had said we were all under 18? Would she have to check IDs to see if we were under 18 and therefore she didn’t have to check ID?

Anyway, First Class was sold, so there was no way to upgrade Kevin and Lara on this 727 to Denver. Hunnybear and I sat in seats 1A and B. The purser on this flight, Geraldo Domingo, was just terrific. We had an extremely attentive preflight drink service and even the vaunted pre-flight hot towel, something usually seen only on international service, unheard of on domestic flight and certainly on a 90-minute short hop from San Antonio to Denver! He said he had done international for eight years.

One big disappointment marred this otherwise wonderful flight. Seat 1B had a gaping hole where the recline button was supposed to be. I’m a guy who likes to recline (lions spend 18 hours a day reclining). What I find upsetting is that United clearly knew the seat was broken (because of the gaping hole) but sold it anyway. I’ve fired off an email to Dave United, Jr., telling him just what I think about that. I’ll expect a seat-recline button shipped to me by Federal Express.

Again we were treated to a superior meal service on this short flight. Breakfast was a choice of fruit and cereal or a hot sampler. HB and I took the sampler, which turned out to have a fabulous French toast with cinnamon-apple sauce and a decent egg-potato dish with a slice of ham. It was a bit high-carb for our taste, but very good.

We landed at DEN on time but our gate was briefly occupied, so we taxied very slowly through the SNOW! It’s the first snow I’ve seen in quite some time, so I’m excited. Upon arrival I had a few minutes to download email at the RCC East, where they kindly allowed my entire entourage up. Kevin, Lara, and Hunnybear sat at a very nice window table watching planes and snow while I attempted to break through the busy circuits to reach AT&T Global Network. Finally I succeeded in using the toll-free number. That complete, we headed down to B46 to catch flight 875 to Seattle. This is the same flight number, although not the same aircraft, that goes on to Tokyo and Bangkok (it becomes a 777).

They were giving the final boarding call as we arrived 20 minutes before flight time, and I once again asked about upgrading Kevin & Lara. Full again. But wait! Incredibly, after HB and I had boarded, the gate agent followed us on and said there was a seat available and did I want to upgrade one person? I was very grateful for the service, but declined. But moments later he returned, saying there were actually twoempties! I gave him Kevin and Lara’s names and 2000 miles in certs and presto! Kevin and Lara were upgraded. Thanks, Gerry Boyer!

I started to hang up our jackets myself, knowing that the 2 stewardesses in FC on the 757 had a lot to do before takeoff. But one of them insisted that she do it, so I gracefully yielded. As we were boarding, Lara found a copy of the same Harry Potter book she had inadvertently left on the 747 en route to Denver! It’s a pretty good coincidence, even if it is the world’s best-selling book right now. I wonder how many copies are floating through the UA system right now.

We taxied over to the de-icing area and watched the War-of-the-Worlds-like spraying machines clear us of snow before takeoff. We did a full-power runup, I guess because of the icy conditions, and took off like a shot. The video on the flight began once again with the Y2K message from United, then continued with “It’s Like…You Know” and a nice short on toys from The Learning Channel. Our second breakfast of the day was even better than the first, with a mini-quiche, a wedge of bread pudding, sausage, ham, and fruit.

We landed hard, probably an autopilot landing due to low overcast, and quickly got to our gate. When we reached baggage claim I immediately went over to the problem desk, just to get in line in case our bags didn’t show up again. But they did, although the First-Class neon tags were ignored as usual. MasterPark arrived seconds after I called them and the car, as always was waiting with the trunk open.

The drawback to the secret freeway that goes from the airport to our apartment is the drawbridge. We got to be first in line for the 6-minute show, but for some reason I never actually see a boat go through. I think the mast must be one inch higher than the bridge, so they need to raise it but I never see it. I dropped Hunnybear off at work, and Kevin and Lara off at their places, and we all agreed it was a fabulous weekend.

The end


[This message has been edited by QuietLion (edited 11-23-1999).]