Return to Seattle
Aug 13, 2000 | 9:55 am
#1
Original Poster
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Kirkland, WA
Posts: 6,932
Return to Seattle
Comp City, North
We had a couple of gift certificates for the Metropolitan Grill due to expire soon so Hunnybear and I booked an overnight trip to Seattle. The night before, Hunnybear’s employer threw a big bash at a movie studio in famous Culver City, California, so I walked from Marina del Rey to Culver City and met everybody at Tony’s house where I poured lemon drops for the entire company prior to taking a school bus to the party. It was a jammin’ night. Hunnybear was wearing glasses in preparation for having her eyes zapped in a couple weeks so everybody was telling her how cute she looks in glasses. She looks cute no matter what. That’s the nature of Hunnybears. Around 11:15 I rested for a moment on a big foam cushion in front of the band. Then at 1 a.m. Hunnybear woke me up and said it was time to go so we called a cab. It took 40 minutes for the cab to come but eventually we got home four hours before we had to wake up.
We were on an Alaska Airlines $50 companion ticket upgraded to First Class with complimentary upgrades. We drove the white Pontiac convertible to LAX and parked in the Terminal 3 parking ($16/day). For two days it was the same price as taking a taxi both ways. Alaska’s ticket counter was a mob scene. We wheeled by people in the huge economy line talking about what compensation they were going to demand and made it to the empty First Class/MVP line. The worst checkin agent I’ve ever had reached out and took our tickets without breaking a conversation with a coworker. When she finally finished that conversation she stared at her terminal without looking up.
“Hello,” I said. She looked annoyed and said, “Do you want to axe me a question?” “No,” I said, “just ‘hello.’” She went right into the security questions. Hunnybear and I played serious and looked at each other as if racking our brains after each one. “Are you OK?” asked the agent. “Yes,” I said. “Do you always talk like that?” I explained that we were entertainers. Hunnybear explained that we were smartasses. I asked if there was a Board Room at this airport. Yes, she said, but it’s run by TWA. “Does that mean I can’t use it?” I asked. “Not if you’ve got those blue coupons.” Still unpleasant, she demanded two upgrade coupons from each of us and sent us on our way. The security line was 10 minutes long at Terminal 3 and the sensitivity was set so high that the rivets on my blue jeans set off the metal detector. This was one of the worst boarding experiences I’d ever had.
Fortunately that all changed on board. The stewardess was young, tall, blonde, and beautiful and gave us great service throughout the flight. It was a new 737-400 with leather seats in First Class. We had seats 1A and C. We took off a few minutes late. As usual for Alaska there was preflight orange juice, which we don’t like, but the stewardess brought us each a glass of water on request. Breakfast was disappointing: cold cereal and fruit with a biscuit. With no hot breakfast and no audio or video entertainment, Alaska is strikingly inferior to United on this route, especially when you consider the difficulties boarding. I asked the flight attendant if this was a Concorde, because I was scared to fly Concordes. She assured me it wasn’t.
We landed at Sea-Tac and taxied to gate C1. Having no bags to collect we wheeled up to the ticket counter to take care of a future flight. Alaska had no separate “ticket purchase” line at either LAX or Sea-Tac so we stood in the First Class/MVP line. This time we got a great, friendly, helpful agent who happily ticketed Hunnybear’s partner award on Canadian, a Business-Class round-trip from LA to Toronto for 30,000 miles, a great deal even though she had to be routed through Calgary and Vancouver. We vented to her about the LAX staff and wondered what had happened to my two favorite airlines, Alaska and United.
Hunnybear and I took the limo to town ($30 plus $5 tip). It was a gold limo formerly used by the Mirage in Las Vegas and had the logo still affixed to the interior upholstery. We felt right at home. Traffic was terrible on I-5 because of the Mariners game but eventually we got to the W Seattle at 4th and Seneca. For the third straight stay here, whoever was in charge of greeting guests who pull up to the hotel was nowhere to be found. We wheeled our luggage to the front desk without so much as a glance at or from a bellman. But as usual the front-desk staff was friendly and helpful. We got our choice of a deluxe room ready now or a junior suite ready later. Naturally we took the junior suite.
Lots of free food
By this time we felt like slurping back some oysters at Elliott’s so we walked down the hill and got a nice table inside. It was a but chilly in Seattle, only about 68, and our thin LA skins couldn’t take sitting outside. We ordered a dozen Westcott Bay Euro Flats, the world’s best oyster, and two blackened-salmon Caesars. The total came to $50.85 before tax and we had $50 worth of customer-service certificates so we ended up paying only the tip for lunch. After lunch we walked along the waterfront and up Wall St. to our old apartment. We stopped in at Tully’s, the world’s greatest coffee, soon to open in LA, and I got a double huge iced decaf americano, which they refused to let me pay for. I tipped them a million dollars as Hunnybear chatted and got the latest Tully’s poop.
Coffee in hand, we walked over to Seattle Center to check out the new Experience Music Project and our favorite, the International Fountain. There was a bit of a line to get into the EMP and since it was such a glorious day we decided to wait for another day to see it. Instead we camped out at the International Fountain and watched the kids playing and screaming down below, kind of a water-sports version of the Roman gladiators. They were having some kind of kids festival at the Center so the place was crawling with even more rug rats and strollers than usual.
After a while we took the monorail back to town ($1.25) and walked the rest of the way to the W. Our room was ready, a long but narrow corner room on the fourth floor with a peek of the water. The clerk apologized for putting us on such a low floor but I said there aren’t really any views from this hotel anyway so big deal. The junior suite was decorated like the rest of the rooms only more so. There was a striped chaise longue in a corner with an oversized floor lamp behind it. Windows were everywhere. Most importantly there was high-speed Internet access ($9.95). I phoned “Whatever Whenever” and got an Ethernet cable delivered in minutes at no charge. I plugged in and it just worked. What an amazing testimony to Microsoft engineering that what only a few years ago took $1000 worth of special software and a certified professional to set up now came plug-and-play, included free with Windows 98 by the evil consumer-hurting monopoly.
Hunnybear caught up on her beauty sleep while I caught up on FlyerTalk. Around 5:30 we took a cab over to the studio of John Sisko ( www.siskoworks.com ), one of Seattle’s most prominent sculptors, to see his brand-new work commissioned by the Seattle University Law School. It was my favorite work of his to date, a slender, rational-looking man focusing upward through a strange glass instrument he is holding. In addition to being a prominent artist and intellectual, Sisko works as a bartender at my favorite local hangout, Cutters, a couple nights a week, which is how we met. If you go to the bar there on a Sunday or Monday night you may find him there and you’d be in for a treat.
We enticed Sisko to come with us for an Emerald Drop at the W, where we were meeting Pluto for a drink prior to dinner at the Met. Hunnybear had been looking forward to the Emerald Drop for weeks. We had a couple rounds, then bid Sisko goodbye and headed over.
The Met
Keoke, the maitre d’, greeted me like a long-lost brother, or at least like a brother who was a big tipper. Long before I ever tipped him one dime, though, he had made such an impact on my dining experience here, and at Elliott’s before that, that I had him rated as the top Maitre d’ anywhere. I just love him—he takes full responsibility for everything that goes on at his restaurant. Our table wasn’t ready so he gave us a tour of the area being renovated (it was closed starting tomorrow for two weeks) and set us up in the bar with a bottle of champagne. After a few minutes we were escorted to a nice booth near the front, where I ordered the phenomenal beef carpaccio to start off.
We asked the wine steward for his recommendation for a pinot noir and he suggested a New Zealand wine. I raised my eyebrows but we tried it anyway. We all thought it was drinkable but not a $90 bottle of wine so I let him know. He insisted on bringing up a bottle of Domaine Drouhin Oregon pinot noir, one of the best, to replace it. Great service.
For dinner Pluto and I shared the chateaubriand, medium rare, while Hunnybear had her usual Petite Filet with peppercorns, rare. The meal was superb as usual although I though both meals were done slightly more than we ordered—not enough to send back, though. The crust on the chateaubriand was amazing. Keoke showed up with the world’s best dessert, the nine-layer chocolate cake, with his compliments. As usual three of us could not come close to finishing this monster. The gift certificate took a chunk out of the bill and Pluto picked up the rest with his Plutonium card before I could utter a whisper of protest. The Compmeister had nothing on me when it came to getting free stuff in Seattle.
We hugged Pluto goodbye and walked in the dying light back to the W.
------------------
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[This message has been edited by QuietLion (edited 08-13-2000).]
We had a couple of gift certificates for the Metropolitan Grill due to expire soon so Hunnybear and I booked an overnight trip to Seattle. The night before, Hunnybear’s employer threw a big bash at a movie studio in famous Culver City, California, so I walked from Marina del Rey to Culver City and met everybody at Tony’s house where I poured lemon drops for the entire company prior to taking a school bus to the party. It was a jammin’ night. Hunnybear was wearing glasses in preparation for having her eyes zapped in a couple weeks so everybody was telling her how cute she looks in glasses. She looks cute no matter what. That’s the nature of Hunnybears. Around 11:15 I rested for a moment on a big foam cushion in front of the band. Then at 1 a.m. Hunnybear woke me up and said it was time to go so we called a cab. It took 40 minutes for the cab to come but eventually we got home four hours before we had to wake up.
We were on an Alaska Airlines $50 companion ticket upgraded to First Class with complimentary upgrades. We drove the white Pontiac convertible to LAX and parked in the Terminal 3 parking ($16/day). For two days it was the same price as taking a taxi both ways. Alaska’s ticket counter was a mob scene. We wheeled by people in the huge economy line talking about what compensation they were going to demand and made it to the empty First Class/MVP line. The worst checkin agent I’ve ever had reached out and took our tickets without breaking a conversation with a coworker. When she finally finished that conversation she stared at her terminal without looking up.
“Hello,” I said. She looked annoyed and said, “Do you want to axe me a question?” “No,” I said, “just ‘hello.’” She went right into the security questions. Hunnybear and I played serious and looked at each other as if racking our brains after each one. “Are you OK?” asked the agent. “Yes,” I said. “Do you always talk like that?” I explained that we were entertainers. Hunnybear explained that we were smartasses. I asked if there was a Board Room at this airport. Yes, she said, but it’s run by TWA. “Does that mean I can’t use it?” I asked. “Not if you’ve got those blue coupons.” Still unpleasant, she demanded two upgrade coupons from each of us and sent us on our way. The security line was 10 minutes long at Terminal 3 and the sensitivity was set so high that the rivets on my blue jeans set off the metal detector. This was one of the worst boarding experiences I’d ever had.
Fortunately that all changed on board. The stewardess was young, tall, blonde, and beautiful and gave us great service throughout the flight. It was a new 737-400 with leather seats in First Class. We had seats 1A and C. We took off a few minutes late. As usual for Alaska there was preflight orange juice, which we don’t like, but the stewardess brought us each a glass of water on request. Breakfast was disappointing: cold cereal and fruit with a biscuit. With no hot breakfast and no audio or video entertainment, Alaska is strikingly inferior to United on this route, especially when you consider the difficulties boarding. I asked the flight attendant if this was a Concorde, because I was scared to fly Concordes. She assured me it wasn’t.
We landed at Sea-Tac and taxied to gate C1. Having no bags to collect we wheeled up to the ticket counter to take care of a future flight. Alaska had no separate “ticket purchase” line at either LAX or Sea-Tac so we stood in the First Class/MVP line. This time we got a great, friendly, helpful agent who happily ticketed Hunnybear’s partner award on Canadian, a Business-Class round-trip from LA to Toronto for 30,000 miles, a great deal even though she had to be routed through Calgary and Vancouver. We vented to her about the LAX staff and wondered what had happened to my two favorite airlines, Alaska and United.
Hunnybear and I took the limo to town ($30 plus $5 tip). It was a gold limo formerly used by the Mirage in Las Vegas and had the logo still affixed to the interior upholstery. We felt right at home. Traffic was terrible on I-5 because of the Mariners game but eventually we got to the W Seattle at 4th and Seneca. For the third straight stay here, whoever was in charge of greeting guests who pull up to the hotel was nowhere to be found. We wheeled our luggage to the front desk without so much as a glance at or from a bellman. But as usual the front-desk staff was friendly and helpful. We got our choice of a deluxe room ready now or a junior suite ready later. Naturally we took the junior suite.
Lots of free food
By this time we felt like slurping back some oysters at Elliott’s so we walked down the hill and got a nice table inside. It was a but chilly in Seattle, only about 68, and our thin LA skins couldn’t take sitting outside. We ordered a dozen Westcott Bay Euro Flats, the world’s best oyster, and two blackened-salmon Caesars. The total came to $50.85 before tax and we had $50 worth of customer-service certificates so we ended up paying only the tip for lunch. After lunch we walked along the waterfront and up Wall St. to our old apartment. We stopped in at Tully’s, the world’s greatest coffee, soon to open in LA, and I got a double huge iced decaf americano, which they refused to let me pay for. I tipped them a million dollars as Hunnybear chatted and got the latest Tully’s poop.
Coffee in hand, we walked over to Seattle Center to check out the new Experience Music Project and our favorite, the International Fountain. There was a bit of a line to get into the EMP and since it was such a glorious day we decided to wait for another day to see it. Instead we camped out at the International Fountain and watched the kids playing and screaming down below, kind of a water-sports version of the Roman gladiators. They were having some kind of kids festival at the Center so the place was crawling with even more rug rats and strollers than usual.
After a while we took the monorail back to town ($1.25) and walked the rest of the way to the W. Our room was ready, a long but narrow corner room on the fourth floor with a peek of the water. The clerk apologized for putting us on such a low floor but I said there aren’t really any views from this hotel anyway so big deal. The junior suite was decorated like the rest of the rooms only more so. There was a striped chaise longue in a corner with an oversized floor lamp behind it. Windows were everywhere. Most importantly there was high-speed Internet access ($9.95). I phoned “Whatever Whenever” and got an Ethernet cable delivered in minutes at no charge. I plugged in and it just worked. What an amazing testimony to Microsoft engineering that what only a few years ago took $1000 worth of special software and a certified professional to set up now came plug-and-play, included free with Windows 98 by the evil consumer-hurting monopoly.
Hunnybear caught up on her beauty sleep while I caught up on FlyerTalk. Around 5:30 we took a cab over to the studio of John Sisko ( www.siskoworks.com ), one of Seattle’s most prominent sculptors, to see his brand-new work commissioned by the Seattle University Law School. It was my favorite work of his to date, a slender, rational-looking man focusing upward through a strange glass instrument he is holding. In addition to being a prominent artist and intellectual, Sisko works as a bartender at my favorite local hangout, Cutters, a couple nights a week, which is how we met. If you go to the bar there on a Sunday or Monday night you may find him there and you’d be in for a treat.
We enticed Sisko to come with us for an Emerald Drop at the W, where we were meeting Pluto for a drink prior to dinner at the Met. Hunnybear had been looking forward to the Emerald Drop for weeks. We had a couple rounds, then bid Sisko goodbye and headed over.
The Met
Keoke, the maitre d’, greeted me like a long-lost brother, or at least like a brother who was a big tipper. Long before I ever tipped him one dime, though, he had made such an impact on my dining experience here, and at Elliott’s before that, that I had him rated as the top Maitre d’ anywhere. I just love him—he takes full responsibility for everything that goes on at his restaurant. Our table wasn’t ready so he gave us a tour of the area being renovated (it was closed starting tomorrow for two weeks) and set us up in the bar with a bottle of champagne. After a few minutes we were escorted to a nice booth near the front, where I ordered the phenomenal beef carpaccio to start off.
We asked the wine steward for his recommendation for a pinot noir and he suggested a New Zealand wine. I raised my eyebrows but we tried it anyway. We all thought it was drinkable but not a $90 bottle of wine so I let him know. He insisted on bringing up a bottle of Domaine Drouhin Oregon pinot noir, one of the best, to replace it. Great service.
For dinner Pluto and I shared the chateaubriand, medium rare, while Hunnybear had her usual Petite Filet with peppercorns, rare. The meal was superb as usual although I though both meals were done slightly more than we ordered—not enough to send back, though. The crust on the chateaubriand was amazing. Keoke showed up with the world’s best dessert, the nine-layer chocolate cake, with his compliments. As usual three of us could not come close to finishing this monster. The gift certificate took a chunk out of the bill and Pluto picked up the rest with his Plutonium card before I could utter a whisper of protest. The Compmeister had nothing on me when it came to getting free stuff in Seattle.
We hugged Pluto goodbye and walked in the dying light back to the W.
------------------
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[This message has been edited by QuietLion (edited 08-13-2000).]
Aug 13, 2000 | 10:31 am
#2
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: CLT US Chairman's, AMEX Centurion, salesman, college dropout
Posts: 39
a word about airline ticket counter and gate agents in general -- pathetic -- another word -- apathetic -- these people are under the mistaken impression that they are paid by the airlines -- every once in a while i remind them the source of their paycheck -- and they ALWAYS respond in a defensive or offensive manner, or both -- to their (ounce of) credit, they are not as bad as government workers -- but they are real close
Aug 13, 2000 | 11:17 am
#4
Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: Bellevue, WA, USA United Premex, Delta Silver Medallion, Starwood Platinum, Hilton Gold, Marriott Silver
Posts: 25
Nice trip report. It's great to have you guys back in Seattle, if only for the weekend.
Nice work on the "comps". I think I learned quite a bit from you about how to get VIP treatment in a fine restaurant.
Nice work on the "comps". I think I learned quite a bit from you about how to get VIP treatment in a fine restaurant.
Aug 13, 2000 | 11:55 am
#5
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: Wa, U.S.A.
Posts: 5
. . . got an Ethernet cable delivered in minutes at no charge. I plugged in and it just worked. What an amazing testimony to Microsoft engineering that what only a few years ago took $1000 worth of special software and a certified professional to set up now came plug-and-play, included free with Windows 98 by the evil consumer-hurting monopoly.
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ROFL
I consider the anti-trust suit against Microsoft a communist plot (i.e., a bunch of socialists striking a blow against successful capitalism). So, I especially enjoyed this bit!
Great report, as ever.
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ROFL
I consider the anti-trust suit against Microsoft a communist plot (i.e., a bunch of socialists striking a blow against successful capitalism). So, I especially enjoyed this bit!
Great report, as ever.
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Aug 14, 2000 | 10:22 am
#8
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: ORD/MDW
Programs: BA/AA/AS/B6/WN/ UA/HH/MR and more like 'em but most felicitously & importantly MUCCI
Posts: 19,809
Great report, QuietLion...
You confirm my suspicion that LAX is the WORST station for ground handling in the Alaska Airlines empire... I have had check-in experiences similar to yours, though my cold stares and brush-offs have been mostly down at the Gates 31A-B-C mob scene. One time as we pushed back the lead FA on board our flight actually apologized over the P.A. for the behavior of the LAX gate agents.
As for your rhetorical question, "What has happened to my two favorite airlines, Alaska and United?"....
... nothing good, lately, and as I commute SEA-LAX and back two or three times a month it's a serious issue. There's no good option anymore on this route. I'm trying to talk work colleagues into trying Southwest and changing in San Jose.
You confirm my suspicion that LAX is the WORST station for ground handling in the Alaska Airlines empire... I have had check-in experiences similar to yours, though my cold stares and brush-offs have been mostly down at the Gates 31A-B-C mob scene. One time as we pushed back the lead FA on board our flight actually apologized over the P.A. for the behavior of the LAX gate agents.
As for your rhetorical question, "What has happened to my two favorite airlines, Alaska and United?"....
... nothing good, lately, and as I commute SEA-LAX and back two or three times a month it's a serious issue. There's no good option anymore on this route. I'm trying to talk work colleagues into trying Southwest and changing in San Jose.
Aug 14, 2000 | 11:01 am
#9
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: New York
Posts: 7,983
Seattle is one of favorite cities in the US. I really enjoy the beautiful scenery and the wonderful people.
Concern about AS service lately, I had been disappointed since June. AS really needs to return the hot breakfast service to F class on its SEA-LAX route. Without an entertainment system, it has no excuse for serving cereal on first (not even a yogurt) and seving light sandwiches on lunch flights.
I missed the Omelette and French Toast service on March, 2000. Things change so quickly...
Look forward to the rest of your report!
Carfield
Concern about AS service lately, I had been disappointed since June. AS really needs to return the hot breakfast service to F class on its SEA-LAX route. Without an entertainment system, it has no excuse for serving cereal on first (not even a yogurt) and seving light sandwiches on lunch flights.
I missed the Omelette and French Toast service on March, 2000. Things change so quickly...
Look forward to the rest of your report!
Carfield
Aug 14, 2000 | 11:44 am
#10
Original Poster
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Kirkland, WA
Posts: 6,932
A Long Walk
We already bought the Heavenly-like bed. Now we may have to go for the pillows. The W bed is the most comfortable I’ve ever slept on. With rare sunlight filtering through the window slats, reluctantly, we got up. I hit the Play button on the great W CD we had been listening to all weekend as we made plans for the day. The first order of business was a long walk to work off some of last night’s meal and prepare us for tonight’s. We walked down Fourth Avenue all the way to Belltown and had breakfast at our old haunt CJ’s. Construction in Belltown was continuing apace. New residential towers were going up everywhere we looked. As we passed Pike St. we noticed a canopy was being constructed between Seventh and Eighth Avenues reminiscent of Las Vegas’s Fremont St. Experience. Cities are always copying each other. I thought they should build a Riverwalk here except that given the water level they’d have to call it the Sewerwalk.
Hunnybear and I both had the special scramble at CJ’s ($21 plus tip). Then we walked through Myrtle Edwards Park all the way to the commercial pier. They were doing something very weird to the foot- and bike-traffic patterns in the park: there were orange signs every few feet warning people about keeping right and left and merging and so on. Everyone seemed very confused by it. We walked back along the waterfront to the Bell St. Fish Bar where we sat down, had a couple bottled waters, and watched the Norwegian Sky load up. Then we walked through Pike Place Market and saw the famous Spoon Man, who now had a full head of hair. Last time I saw him he was completely shaved.
Checking out at the W
By that time it was almost three so we headed back to the W to pack up for our 4 p.m. checkout. They had turned off my Internet access and telephone already, which kind of defeated the purpose of having a 4 p.m. checkout, and they had charged the secret Free Saturday room rate to our bill for the third time in a row. I went down and talked with Nicole, the stunningly gorgeous blonde clerk, about the bill and she took care of it. Ninety percent of the best-looking women in Seattle work at this hotel. I mentioned that I had stayed here three times now and never been given a suite upgrade and what was up with that? As a Plutonium member I was outraged. Nicole said the hotel was fully booked and people actually were buying suites. Outrageous. Apparently they had three levels of suite at the W: the So Suite, the Very Suite, and the Way Suite. Regardless, the corner room we had (there seemed to be some terminology dispute among the staff as to whether it was a “junior suite” or simply a corner room) was delightful if a bit cramped. I expressed my happiness that the hotel was doing so well.
Roni met us at the W, having driven up from Olympia, and we descended the stairs to the bar so we could have a few Emerald Drops. Soon Kevin and Lara joined us and we munched on spicy almonds as we drank pastel-colored drinks from zig-zag-stemmed martini glasses and Lara, quite pregnant, sipped lemonade. Jody, the friendly and excellent day bartender, went home and was replaced by Dawniel, a stunningly gorgeous brunette bartender, and Kasie, a stunningly gorgeous cocktail waitress. Within minutes, five men immediately appeared at the bar trying their pathetic acts in a hopeless quest for Dawniel. The girls agreed that the only one who had a chance was the guy standing up and talking. The ones nervously looking into their drinks, working up the courage to speak, didn’t know it but they were already dead in the water. Such is the cruel reality of Darwinism.
We cashed out, making sure to get Starpoints for the drinks, and walked downhill to Second Avenue for our 6 p.m. early dinner reservations at the Brooklyn. This was one of those places where something has always gone wrong for me although some parts have always been excellent. Tonight it was Hunnybear’s salmon sampler that came out dry and overcooked twice. Fortunately the lamb chops they gave me were enough for two so we just split them. They were a bit fatty and cooked medium rather than the rare I ordered them, but they were still yummy. The manager came over and comped us all dessert for our trouble.
A nice leisurely dinner and it was time to head for the airport so we hugged Kevin and Lara goodbye, picked up our baggage at the W, and Roni drove us to Sea-Tac. We headed right for the Alaska Board Room but it was closed so we headed for the gate. A friendly, smiling redheaded girl who looked 17 checked us in and waived the upgrade-certificate requirement. What a difference between the Alaska personnel at Sea-Tac versus LAX!
The flight boarded early. It was an MD-80 with leather seats in First and, I hoped, freshly inspected jackscrews in the tail. We took off just a few minutes late. I reclined the seat to its maximum, only a few inches, into a strikingly uncomfortable position but nonetheless fell asleep immediately and stayed that way until the landing announcement came two hours later. There was a fruit and cheese plate served on this flight but Hunnybear and I both slept through it. We used the reverse pattern and came in over the ocean for a beautiful approach. As we landed we passed a large airplane bearing a government seal, probably used for shuttling high officials to and from important functions. I couldn’t think of anything important going on in LA right now though, just the Democratic National Convention, so maybe I was mistaken.
It was only steps from the gate to my car, parked right on the gate level in the Terminal 3 parking. We paid the $32 to get it out of hock and sped home in the moist, almost tropical air.
The end.
------------------
Get my trip reports mailed to you! http://www.egroups.com/subscribe/liontales
We already bought the Heavenly-like bed. Now we may have to go for the pillows. The W bed is the most comfortable I’ve ever slept on. With rare sunlight filtering through the window slats, reluctantly, we got up. I hit the Play button on the great W CD we had been listening to all weekend as we made plans for the day. The first order of business was a long walk to work off some of last night’s meal and prepare us for tonight’s. We walked down Fourth Avenue all the way to Belltown and had breakfast at our old haunt CJ’s. Construction in Belltown was continuing apace. New residential towers were going up everywhere we looked. As we passed Pike St. we noticed a canopy was being constructed between Seventh and Eighth Avenues reminiscent of Las Vegas’s Fremont St. Experience. Cities are always copying each other. I thought they should build a Riverwalk here except that given the water level they’d have to call it the Sewerwalk.
Hunnybear and I both had the special scramble at CJ’s ($21 plus tip). Then we walked through Myrtle Edwards Park all the way to the commercial pier. They were doing something very weird to the foot- and bike-traffic patterns in the park: there were orange signs every few feet warning people about keeping right and left and merging and so on. Everyone seemed very confused by it. We walked back along the waterfront to the Bell St. Fish Bar where we sat down, had a couple bottled waters, and watched the Norwegian Sky load up. Then we walked through Pike Place Market and saw the famous Spoon Man, who now had a full head of hair. Last time I saw him he was completely shaved.
Checking out at the W
By that time it was almost three so we headed back to the W to pack up for our 4 p.m. checkout. They had turned off my Internet access and telephone already, which kind of defeated the purpose of having a 4 p.m. checkout, and they had charged the secret Free Saturday room rate to our bill for the third time in a row. I went down and talked with Nicole, the stunningly gorgeous blonde clerk, about the bill and she took care of it. Ninety percent of the best-looking women in Seattle work at this hotel. I mentioned that I had stayed here three times now and never been given a suite upgrade and what was up with that? As a Plutonium member I was outraged. Nicole said the hotel was fully booked and people actually were buying suites. Outrageous. Apparently they had three levels of suite at the W: the So Suite, the Very Suite, and the Way Suite. Regardless, the corner room we had (there seemed to be some terminology dispute among the staff as to whether it was a “junior suite” or simply a corner room) was delightful if a bit cramped. I expressed my happiness that the hotel was doing so well.
Roni met us at the W, having driven up from Olympia, and we descended the stairs to the bar so we could have a few Emerald Drops. Soon Kevin and Lara joined us and we munched on spicy almonds as we drank pastel-colored drinks from zig-zag-stemmed martini glasses and Lara, quite pregnant, sipped lemonade. Jody, the friendly and excellent day bartender, went home and was replaced by Dawniel, a stunningly gorgeous brunette bartender, and Kasie, a stunningly gorgeous cocktail waitress. Within minutes, five men immediately appeared at the bar trying their pathetic acts in a hopeless quest for Dawniel. The girls agreed that the only one who had a chance was the guy standing up and talking. The ones nervously looking into their drinks, working up the courage to speak, didn’t know it but they were already dead in the water. Such is the cruel reality of Darwinism.
We cashed out, making sure to get Starpoints for the drinks, and walked downhill to Second Avenue for our 6 p.m. early dinner reservations at the Brooklyn. This was one of those places where something has always gone wrong for me although some parts have always been excellent. Tonight it was Hunnybear’s salmon sampler that came out dry and overcooked twice. Fortunately the lamb chops they gave me were enough for two so we just split them. They were a bit fatty and cooked medium rather than the rare I ordered them, but they were still yummy. The manager came over and comped us all dessert for our trouble.
A nice leisurely dinner and it was time to head for the airport so we hugged Kevin and Lara goodbye, picked up our baggage at the W, and Roni drove us to Sea-Tac. We headed right for the Alaska Board Room but it was closed so we headed for the gate. A friendly, smiling redheaded girl who looked 17 checked us in and waived the upgrade-certificate requirement. What a difference between the Alaska personnel at Sea-Tac versus LAX!
The flight boarded early. It was an MD-80 with leather seats in First and, I hoped, freshly inspected jackscrews in the tail. We took off just a few minutes late. I reclined the seat to its maximum, only a few inches, into a strikingly uncomfortable position but nonetheless fell asleep immediately and stayed that way until the landing announcement came two hours later. There was a fruit and cheese plate served on this flight but Hunnybear and I both slept through it. We used the reverse pattern and came in over the ocean for a beautiful approach. As we landed we passed a large airplane bearing a government seal, probably used for shuttling high officials to and from important functions. I couldn’t think of anything important going on in LA right now though, just the Democratic National Convention, so maybe I was mistaken.
It was only steps from the gate to my car, parked right on the gate level in the Terminal 3 parking. We paid the $32 to get it out of hock and sped home in the moist, almost tropical air.
The end.
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Aug 14, 2000 | 12:24 pm
#12
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: CH-3823 Wengen Switzerland
Programs: miles&more, MileagePlus
Posts: 27,043
looking at Hunnybear, my last time live was at the Catman-Do-II, and now at the smiley she just posted above, I doubt that the described 'beauty sleep' is ever necessary 
Aug 14, 2000 | 1:15 pm
#13
Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: Bellevue, WA, USA United Premex, Delta Silver Medallion, Starwood Platinum, Hilton Gold, Marriott Silver
Posts: 25
I've stayed twice at the Seattle W, both complimentary stays. I've gotten a suite upgrade once and a corner room the other time. I checked in very early the time I got the suite.
I've also gotten a fabulous suite at the San Francisco W, and they told me that they only have three suites (all on the top floor). I really loved this hotel!
I've also gotten a fabulous suite at the San Francisco W, and they told me that they only have three suites (all on the top floor). I really loved this hotel!
Aug 18, 2000 | 9:58 pm
#15
Join Date: Jul 2000
Posts: 146
The other wierd thing is that Alaska has done away with any sort of curbside baggage service at LAX. You have to go inside and either use the kiosk or wait in line.
And, yes...I've decided that Alaska DID make some catering cutbacks in May. They did also bring Wall St. Journals to the First Class flights, but I don't consider that compensation for a bowl of cereal in First Class.
On the good side, Alaska's operation seems to be back in fine form. There wasn't a single delay on the monitors when I was in San Jose, Los Angeles and even Seattle during the past two weeks.
Naturally, just when one problem gets fixed another surfaces (Horizon Air delays).
[This message has been edited by West Coast Flier (edited 08-18-2000).]
And, yes...I've decided that Alaska DID make some catering cutbacks in May. They did also bring Wall St. Journals to the First Class flights, but I don't consider that compensation for a bowl of cereal in First Class.
On the good side, Alaska's operation seems to be back in fine form. There wasn't a single delay on the monitors when I was in San Jose, Los Angeles and even Seattle during the past two weeks.
Naturally, just when one problem gets fixed another surfaces (Horizon Air delays).
[This message has been edited by West Coast Flier (edited 08-18-2000).]