Barbecue coda
AA1664 BOS PHL 1100 1233 321 4F
This aircraft has the tightest first-class section around,
and I was almost sorry to get upgraded out of my favorite
seat 23A; it is after all an hour flight, during which one
can easily go without free booze and snacks. That said,
flying is always fun, especially when I almost always get
good seats these days. We took off a quarter hour late but
landed on time. Pleasant flight. I hightailed it directly
to the club, where Evan Williams was on sale at a great
price (free), and Pete the bartender, now the supervisor,
poured me a double and on the second round had to be
dissuaded from doing that again.
You now can walk to the commuter terminal inside security,
but they've kept the buses going. I took the bus and arrived
right at boarding time.
AA4083 PHL BWI 1515 1558 CRJ 8A
Only to find half an hour delay, and the flight did not
make up any time, so we ended up about half an hour behind
- and this being the day when I was meeting my friends Dale
and Gail and thus, unlike usual, on a kind of schedule.
I hustled out of there as quick as I could, and it turns
out they were also delayed by bizarre traffic, so we
coordinated okay if tardily.
Dinner was at the Urban BBQ, at which experiences have been
mixed. My usual order of fatty brisket came for some reason
extra lean, but that was easily fixed. The food was decent,
not more. D&G were of the opinion that the entire experience
was not up to par, to which I attributed the cause as the
B team being on.
This was a quick visit; we chatted a bit, then I went to
take a nap, then back to the airport.
UA 332 BWI IAH 0530 0745 73G 2F
They served breakfast on this flight; the flight attendant
described it as a spicy omelet, which, surprisingly, it was.
Two eggs folded over cheese and quite a hit of hot pepper
and some Tex-Mex spices. It was worth the pills.
Croissants (horrid); the other choice was the famous
cinnamon bun, which has changed a lot since its heyday -
it's shrunk, less sweet, less buttery, perhaps dietitian
sanitized.
With the long layover, there's not much to do but have
more breakfast. I had a banana and fell asleep instead.
UA 859 IAH DFW 1015 1131 73G 2F
This flight is what, 200 miles, and I had barely enough
time to choke down a Courvoisier and we were landed.
lili was there to greet me, and we had a freshener up at
the Admiral's Club - a glass each of some nasty red blend,
a slightly less nasty Malbec, and a respectable Merlot for
which they were charging $12 or 14.
As last time we had been seriously burned by the toll roads
(being charged automatically even when we paid manually and
also, we suspect, being charged even when we were on the
free access road), we decided to do public trans all the
way, which turned out to be just fine.
To get to Fort Worth, you have to go on two separate buses,
changing within the airport, to the TRE train, which takes
you right in town, actually a quick though confusing process.
Our hotel was up north in the Stockyard district, another
20-minute bus ride. What the heck, beats subsidizing Texas.
We checked in to the Stockyards Hotel, a 19th-century-style
place whose authenticity I doubt (fake bullet holes in the
shutters, that sort of thing), pleasant enough. lili was
asked if she wanted a courtyard room or overlooking the
street, and surprisingly she chose the latter, saying that
she wanted to see what the nightlife was like but without
actually risking anything.
In the later afternoon, a commotion, why, because it was
time for the cattle drive! So we went off into the 95-degree
heat to see some bored-looking cowboys (probably Equity
members) halfheartedly coaxing some bored-looking cattle
(look at the long horns, daddy), and off they went, and off
we went. We toured the Stockyards district, which reminded
me of Disneyworld Frontierland, then back to the hotel.