Lax 9/25
 

Just can't pass up those BOS-LAX $216.00 RT fares on AA, so here I go again (and again in Oct.!).

Arriving at 12:30pm and leaving at 9:45pm, gives me quite a few hours to get into trouble. Anyone up for a late lunch or early dinner somewhere in the area?

Maybe for lunch
 

DEK, I have a wedding that aft or evening but need to look at invite to see what time. If it's later I might be able to do a quick lunch w/ you. Cheers.

Sharon

I have a flight out of T5 at 9pm or so.

Actually now that I think of it I'm going to be in LA next Saturday as well. AA has IAD-LAX r/t's at $218.70 so I booked a bunch of them several weeks ago.

I'll be arriving at 11 a.m. or so on Saturday the 25th and returning on the redeye Sunday, and would be happy to do a late lunch, preferably somewhere on the Westside or Manhattan Beach area (not sure where i'll be staying yet).

Come to SAN on one of these runs, DEK. I'll show you a bit of my city - I owe you after the wonderful Maine Do last year.

I'll be around next wknd. Did you want to do anything besides lunch or dinner?

I don't know what your budget or interests are, but I would be willing to pick you up and take you if you wanted to do something else before dinner, such as -

- spa treatments and robe & wine lounging on the private oceanview spa patio at the Montage

- casino gambling, spa treatments and a rural indian village tour at Pala

- bicycling along the boardwalk in Huntington with a stop at dog beach to watch the pooches frolic, unleashed, and a surf lesson thrown in if you want

- beach coving, snorkeling and bodysurfing in Laguna, ...

Afterward, we could meet up with others at 777Brit's fav restaurant, Thai something, 3 minutes from the United dropoff curb.

What do you wanna do?

Wow lisamcgu thanks for your generous offer! It all sounds good to me!

Would a late lunch in Manhattan Beach work for most? I will take lisamcgu's offer to pick me up and we could meet others there say around 2-3PM?

SanDiego1K, I would love to come to SAN and indeed check on fares quite often. At the end of Nov. I'll be about 5,000 miles short of qualifying for EXP for the first time. So maybe a SAN run in December?

I'm out
 

I coulddo an early lunch, but the wedding I'm attending is at 6pm in Thousand Oaks, so no lunch for me. Have fun DEK; see you next trip. Cheers.

Sharon

Sorry to miss you this time Sharon.

Also sorry to lisamcgu about not answering her questions! Budget's pretty tight this weekend so I don't mind just walking along a beach and people watching.

I've never had a spa treatment ( do men do that? ;) ).

DEK, I didn't know if you were a guy or a girl, but YES!, guys love spa treatments!

Anyway, how about, instead of a Manhattan Bch lunch, which involves lots of drink money, and sitting indoors without a view on what will probably be a beautiful day, a sin, how about this:

LAX 9/25/04 12:30 - 1:00 pm
Pick up DEK

2:00 pm
On Huntington boardwalk, bike down to surf beach for surf lessons.

4:00 pm
Bike up to Dog Bch, stopping at Subway, to watch the dogs frolic and have a beach picnic.

5:30 pm
Take DEK to Thai restaurant by LAX.

6:30 pm
Drinks & Dinner at cheap but good Thai restaurant.

8:30 pm
Drop DEK off curbside for his 9:45 pm flight.

And if anyone wants to join us for any of this, no problem. For DEK, just bring your bathing suit and sandwich money, unless you don't want to get wet. And, I don't know what kind of shape you're in, but if it matters, we will be going to surf on a part of the beach no one really goes to, just tourist families sometimes, so no one will care if you (or me) isn't in such great shape.

Are you up for this?

We may be around for lunch in Manhattan Beach. I need to check with auh2o

Lisa, get him ice cream. He'll be happy! He can walk and lick (and look) at the same time! :)

Er lisa, isn't that a rather scheduled kind of day for something that was going to be rather laid-back, who's around, let's get together? And it's all supposed to be cheaper than just a casual lunch in MB? :confused:

I'm not sure how lunch in MB is expensive or no view, given the pier & ocean is right there, but my 2cents (which is about all it's worth given I can't make it due to wedding up north) is figure out where the majority of the folk are & meet there. DEK can always catch a shuttle bus (the free one) to MB if that's the place - or if Huntington is the plan, then lisa can pick him up.

Anyway, have fun - see you next time DEK. Cheers.

Sharon

Oh there are so many things I'd like to say in response to this but better not here on this board! ;)

I will say however that even though we only spent one (wonderful) afternoon together in SEA, ILP knows me quite well (as far as ice cream goes)! ;)

Lisa, that itn sounds incredible! Thanks so much for thinking of it. I'd like to try and balance things out a bit, so how about lunch in Manhattan Beach since it looks like the majority would like that (wahooflyer and possibly wingless and auh2o ) and then maybe some beach stuff after with dinner at the Thai restaurant? If the others can't make it then I'll put myself in your capable hands.

I can't do lunch, but perhaps dinner? I could check in for my flight at say 6:30 or 7pm then do dinner at Encounters or nearby if anyone is interested. My flight is at 9:30pm.

lisamcgu mentioned us having dinner at a Thai restaurant near the airport around 6:30pm would that interest you? My flight is around 9:30pm also.

DEK, if the concensus is to have a Manhattan Bch lunch, please do. My goal, as SKidaddock contends, was not to push you or anyone else into doing anything not laid back enough, I was just trying to help you make the most of your one afternoon since it seemed, initially, no one was else was offering to pick you up, let alone be able to meet up with you.

I could do no less for a friend of ILuvParis :)

Why don't you have lunch with those able to make it, and I will join up with you and those able to make dinner. Then, I would be delighted to drop you curbside after dinner.

I always forget the name of the restaurant, but it is called Thai something or other and its on Manchester. Is that where you want to meet? I don't want to appear to be insisting on a dinner location. Perhaps Skidadock has another suggestion.

The Thai restaurant (Siam) in Westchester that lisamcgu mentions is a good location, good food (and a LOT of it), good prices & is an FT hang-out when folk have flights departing in the evening (5 minute drive from LAX), so I'd say dinner there would be a good choice for everyone. They have a hot sake machine which lisa loves.

For those who want to do lunch in MB & not spend too many $$, there's lots of options. If you want the direct view of the ocean, then Beaches overlooks the pier. Also on Manhattan Beach Blvd is a pizza place (just up from Beaches), The Kettle, Hennessy's, Shark's Cove (where we were in June), Rockfish Tavern, Manhattan Brewing Co, and something else I'm forgetting. On Manhattan Ave there's also an Italian Place (follow the garlic smell! think it's called Mama D's), a fish taco place, a Italian/Greek place, mexican place (sorry, can't remember their names).

Have fun all - see you next time DEK. Cheers.

Sharon

That sounds good. 6:30 or 7pm. I don't know about you, but I want to get my boarding pass before dinner. That way I won't feel rushed and I might even get an upgrade. That also means I'll need a ride from LAX to this restaurant. I could take a cab, but they get real upset if you want a local destination. ;)

Stimp, I'll give you a ride in exchange for some info, in really, really basic terms, on forwarding a broadband phone line if I'm traveling in a foreign locale, without a toll charge :)

It's a deal Lisa.

My schedule Saturday is flexible, so I can do either lunch in Manhattan Beach, Thai dinner in Westchester, or both.

I'll let the rest of you come to a consensus and will tag along wherever we decide to go!

-wahoo

Thanks everyone!

For those who can, let's meet up in Manhattan Beach for lunch say at 2:00pm, that'll give me time to go the the LAX Admiral's Club after my flight to take a shower and then find my way to MB. I'll get my butt back to LAX around 6PM to check in early (good idea stimpy) and hopefully catch a ride to the Thai restaurant with lisa and stimpy if I may (lisa,I don't have any info. to exchange except maybe some "dirt" on ILP ;) ) I'm leaving from Terminal 4 and I think stimpy's leaving from Terminal 5 so I could walk to T5 after checking in and meet up with you guys around 6:30PM, does that sound o.k.?

Now to pick a place for lunch! wahooflyer et. al., any preferences?

Hot Saki Machine Love
 

So, I guess I'll be cruising by the departure curb outside of T5 at 6:30 pm looking for some guy with Stimpy,. Then, I'll pick your butts up and take you over to the Thai restaurant, dropping you off at the same place after dinner - sound okay?

I, actually, have never been to Encounters and have always wanted to go, but if our guest is on a budget, Thai it is. As Skidadock has noted, I really love that Hot Saki Machine :D

I'll be driving my new Honda Element - its silver and adorable :)

Thanks Lisa, sounds o.k. to me! I'll have a navy blue backpack (who doesn't? ;) ) with a flyertalk luggage tag on it, plus I have gray hair, reddish mustache, glasses. Geez come to think of it I've just described half the population! ;)

Tag Along?
 

I am arriving at LAX at 6:18 on US #019. Is there room for one more at dinner? I depart LAX at 10pm

Philly, of course you are welcome.

PHLBuddy, does someone have your cell, so we can coordinate with you, so we/I can swing over and grab you as well.

If your flight comes in early, that would be great - what terminal will you be standing in front of? Or, if you can make it over to T5, I know what Stimpy looks like, and now DEK, kind of, so just stand next to them and I'll be looking for some guy standing next to a redhead and a gray head w/a red mustache, one of them Stimp.

But if you're late, I'll just drop off the first two guys and come back and get you when you call - it is literally (we timed it once) 3 minutes from the restaurant to the United departure curb. How long are you here for - you don't have luggage do you?

I was w/ her when we timed it to 3 minutes - had my eyes closed the entire time! :eek: Have fun. Stimpy, sorry missing you this trip. Let me know next time you're in LA. Cheers.

Sharon

Lisa YGPM.
I'll try and make it over to T5 and meet you all there. I have no luggage, etc., so hopefully things will be smooth. Worst case I will taxi over to the Thai restaurant. I'd also be interested in checking out Encounter afterward.

Okay, 2:00 in Manhattan Beach it is. I've stayed in MB many times but don't know restaurants---lisamcgu or SkiAdcock, any suggestions?

If we don't have anything in mind beforehand, let's meet at Starbucks on Manhattan Beach Blvd at 2. Just take Sepulveda Blvd south from LAX for about 5 miles and make a right on Manhattan Beach Blvd. Starbucks is right in the central business district, on the right side of MB Blvd a couple of blocks before the beach itself. I'll try to sit near the window. I'm 6'2", dark hair, and will be wearing a blue oxford shirt and light khaki pants.

Then of course Thai around 6:30. phlbuddy, sounds like you'll be cutting it pretty close for your arrival at T1. If you'd like, I can pick you up so you don't have to walk or ride the bus over to T5.

PM me for my cell number.

Thanks wahooflyer, see you at Starbucks.

Lisa, I sent you mail for your cell a couple of days ago, but I know Flyertalk has been goofy lately. Can you email me your info?

Stimp -Didn't get your email :(

Oh well. No big, sent you my number via email and FT private mail

And I have DEK and PHLBuddy's cells, so I guess I will be the go between if someone's plan changes.

PHLBuddy -
See y'all tonite :)

Just got back in and many thanks for a fun evening. I pleasure to meet and re-meet you all!

Stimpy - perhaps you need a non-metallic chain to clip your wallet to your pants? :)

Sorry I missed all the fun. I had scheduled too many activities for Saturday and my normal departure routine got disturbed. When that happens I forget things. I hope everyone had fun and I'll just have to say "next time!".

Thanks everyone! It was nice meeting you all (and seeing you again auh2o).

Very enlightening as usual. Thanks for all the tips, guys. I am in the process, this very minute, making my reservations for Barcelona. Plus, I now know the barstools at Encounter are 8 years old!