Wintery Weekend in Toronto
Jan 11, 2001 | 1:18 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: Kirkland, WA
Posts: 321
Wintery Weekend in Toronto
Last weekend I went back to YYZ for one of my regular visits, to see my family and friends (assuming I could find them under the heaps of snow). Since I wanted to attend the Long Beach dinner where QuietLion was presented with his OMNI award, I had booked the dreaded redeye through ORD.
Check-in was handled by a crusty schoolmarm who was inexplicably unable (or unwilling?) to answer any of my questions. They were not difficult questions; I was not seeking the answers to conundrums or riddles. I just wanted to know which other seats were available in FC, and how many certs were required to upgrade to Chicago only. For the record, I knew the answer to the latter question was 4, but I was hoping she'd tell me to forget about it and upgrade me for 4 certs all the way through to YYZ). However, she crustily collected 5 certs and sent me on my way. Must be part of Uniteds new Customer Repellent Program.
This was a very full flight, and I was sitting next to a very nice but painfully chatty programmer who was just getting a taste of FC, as he had been traveling to Argentina for business lately. Of course, I didnt know he was a newbie when I stated that this was quite possibly the most uncomfortable FC cabin I had ever been inI felt bad because until then, he was impressed. The 767 was configured in the usual format, but for some reason the cabin felt even more cramped than usual. The seats were those awful teal blue jobs with no amenities, and they were harder than the bleachers of a Bills game in December.
By the time I had seen my seat opponents wedding picture and learned the names of his wife, kids and 19 dogs (wife is a dog breeder), it was time for United to not show the scheduled movie (Remember the Titans), as it had not been boarded. Instead we got Fantasia 2000, which has nice music isnt bad for dozing.
The flight from ORD was great, considering I was asleep before we even pushed back. This was clearly the planes first flight of the day, because it was really really really cold inside when we were boarding. Jonathan picked me up at the airport, pointing out ACs new terminal under construction and all of the huge heaps of snow along the way.
We went directly (with a short layover at the car wash) to my parents house to have brunch, and to see my niece Hannah, who at 16 months, is very yummy indeed. Since the last time I saw her a few months ago, shes learned to walk and make an excellent police siren sound, which she uses quite often. It was great to spend time with my two brothers and respective wife & girlfriend, as well as my parents its pretty rare to have us all together these days.
I entertained myself playing with the toy I had brought them, a Fart Machine. Its a little battery-operated speaker that can be hidden and activated by a small remote control carried by the joker (me, in this case). There are 5 different sounds that you can blame on other people (or the dog) when they least expect it. I havent had the guts yet to bring this onto an airplane, but a kid had one in the MGM elevator in Vegas last weekend! I saw through his ploy, though, having one of the gadgets myself.
It being 2001, Jonathan had a new capital expenditure budget, so we went out to buy him new shoes. I always love shopping in Canada using US dollars, however this trip I limited the spending to Jonathans money. Three pairs and 3 hours later we returned to his house, where I napped in preparation for dinner at the well-camouflaged 5 Doors North, a fairly new hole-in-the-wall Italian kitchen by the owners of Giaos (a.k.a. the Nose), which is located 5 doors south. There is a certain degree of satisfaction obtained in finding and then securing a table in one of these trendy, signless restaurants that dont take reservations. At least Giaos has a big nose outside so that you can identify it if you know what youre looking for all 5 Doors North has is a ratty old chintz sofa, perched precariously on a snowbank.
Because of the fact that I had called ahead and tried to schmooze a reservation for 8 on the basis that I had flown in from LA specifically to eat there, we only waited about hour for a table. Jonathan, my brother Cary & Monica, my brother Carl and Meghan, and friends John & Marcie, and of course Moi, partook of a very tasty and fun dinner which, including tax & tip, came to $40 p.p. CAD for a three-course dinner with wine.
The next morning I briefly saw the family, but they all left early because Cary, Mo & Hannah were embarking on the snowy 2-hour ride home, and the parental units were going to see Carls sensational a capella group Cadence www.cadence-unplugged.com sing at an unusual Sunday morning gig.
I visited Jonathan and then dropped him at the airport for his business trip to Trinidad on the BWIA nonstop. An uneventful, relaxing afternoon passed and led us to Carls birthday dinner at Trappers, a wonderful primarily seafood place at Yonge/York Mills. I had never been there before but the food and service were both super, so Ive added it to my list of places to take QL if I can ever entice him out of the desert and back into the wilds of the Canadian north.
Monday was a day of visiting more friends, and worrying about whether US immigration was going to happily let me back into the US. It turned out that I got the grilling of the millennium, plus a bit of gratuitous questioning by the customs guy, but made it through. It could have been much worse, i.e. being hauled into their little room, and Im sure it will be next time.
As I had talked my way onto the AC nonstop to LAX instead of the cumbersome connection through ORD that I had booked originally, I was now pretty happy of the prospect of firstly getting home at all, and secondly getting home at 9:36 instead of 12:50. I had also managed to use the AC upgrade certs that Jonathan had traded me, so I was really happy. I went to the MLL and passed the time until the flight, which was already mostly boarded by the time I arrived.
This 767 Business Class cabin was, especially in contrast to the aforementioned United cabin, one of the nicest and most comfortable Ive been in. AC usually does a good job of making their flights, even in coach, very comfortable and spacious. The flight was delayed due to baggage and then being blocked in at the gate by other traffic, but the winds were light and we arrived at 9:30, 6 minutes before the original flight time. The movie we were supposed to see, some nonsense called Most Valuable Primate, was broken (aw, darn!) so we saw Remember the Titans, which was passable, and since I didnt get to see it on outbound flight, it was funny that they showed it by accident on the way back. The FAs were very friendly on this flight, a refreshing change! I took a taxi home since QuietLion was still in LV with Pluto, thinking what a nice trip it had been but thankful for the balmy 60 degree weather in LA.
[This message has been edited by Hunnybear (edited 01-11-2001).]
Check-in was handled by a crusty schoolmarm who was inexplicably unable (or unwilling?) to answer any of my questions. They were not difficult questions; I was not seeking the answers to conundrums or riddles. I just wanted to know which other seats were available in FC, and how many certs were required to upgrade to Chicago only. For the record, I knew the answer to the latter question was 4, but I was hoping she'd tell me to forget about it and upgrade me for 4 certs all the way through to YYZ). However, she crustily collected 5 certs and sent me on my way. Must be part of Uniteds new Customer Repellent Program.
This was a very full flight, and I was sitting next to a very nice but painfully chatty programmer who was just getting a taste of FC, as he had been traveling to Argentina for business lately. Of course, I didnt know he was a newbie when I stated that this was quite possibly the most uncomfortable FC cabin I had ever been inI felt bad because until then, he was impressed. The 767 was configured in the usual format, but for some reason the cabin felt even more cramped than usual. The seats were those awful teal blue jobs with no amenities, and they were harder than the bleachers of a Bills game in December.
By the time I had seen my seat opponents wedding picture and learned the names of his wife, kids and 19 dogs (wife is a dog breeder), it was time for United to not show the scheduled movie (Remember the Titans), as it had not been boarded. Instead we got Fantasia 2000, which has nice music isnt bad for dozing.
The flight from ORD was great, considering I was asleep before we even pushed back. This was clearly the planes first flight of the day, because it was really really really cold inside when we were boarding. Jonathan picked me up at the airport, pointing out ACs new terminal under construction and all of the huge heaps of snow along the way.
We went directly (with a short layover at the car wash) to my parents house to have brunch, and to see my niece Hannah, who at 16 months, is very yummy indeed. Since the last time I saw her a few months ago, shes learned to walk and make an excellent police siren sound, which she uses quite often. It was great to spend time with my two brothers and respective wife & girlfriend, as well as my parents its pretty rare to have us all together these days.
I entertained myself playing with the toy I had brought them, a Fart Machine. Its a little battery-operated speaker that can be hidden and activated by a small remote control carried by the joker (me, in this case). There are 5 different sounds that you can blame on other people (or the dog) when they least expect it. I havent had the guts yet to bring this onto an airplane, but a kid had one in the MGM elevator in Vegas last weekend! I saw through his ploy, though, having one of the gadgets myself.
It being 2001, Jonathan had a new capital expenditure budget, so we went out to buy him new shoes. I always love shopping in Canada using US dollars, however this trip I limited the spending to Jonathans money. Three pairs and 3 hours later we returned to his house, where I napped in preparation for dinner at the well-camouflaged 5 Doors North, a fairly new hole-in-the-wall Italian kitchen by the owners of Giaos (a.k.a. the Nose), which is located 5 doors south. There is a certain degree of satisfaction obtained in finding and then securing a table in one of these trendy, signless restaurants that dont take reservations. At least Giaos has a big nose outside so that you can identify it if you know what youre looking for all 5 Doors North has is a ratty old chintz sofa, perched precariously on a snowbank.
Because of the fact that I had called ahead and tried to schmooze a reservation for 8 on the basis that I had flown in from LA specifically to eat there, we only waited about hour for a table. Jonathan, my brother Cary & Monica, my brother Carl and Meghan, and friends John & Marcie, and of course Moi, partook of a very tasty and fun dinner which, including tax & tip, came to $40 p.p. CAD for a three-course dinner with wine.
The next morning I briefly saw the family, but they all left early because Cary, Mo & Hannah were embarking on the snowy 2-hour ride home, and the parental units were going to see Carls sensational a capella group Cadence www.cadence-unplugged.com sing at an unusual Sunday morning gig.
I visited Jonathan and then dropped him at the airport for his business trip to Trinidad on the BWIA nonstop. An uneventful, relaxing afternoon passed and led us to Carls birthday dinner at Trappers, a wonderful primarily seafood place at Yonge/York Mills. I had never been there before but the food and service were both super, so Ive added it to my list of places to take QL if I can ever entice him out of the desert and back into the wilds of the Canadian north.
Monday was a day of visiting more friends, and worrying about whether US immigration was going to happily let me back into the US. It turned out that I got the grilling of the millennium, plus a bit of gratuitous questioning by the customs guy, but made it through. It could have been much worse, i.e. being hauled into their little room, and Im sure it will be next time.
As I had talked my way onto the AC nonstop to LAX instead of the cumbersome connection through ORD that I had booked originally, I was now pretty happy of the prospect of firstly getting home at all, and secondly getting home at 9:36 instead of 12:50. I had also managed to use the AC upgrade certs that Jonathan had traded me, so I was really happy. I went to the MLL and passed the time until the flight, which was already mostly boarded by the time I arrived.
This 767 Business Class cabin was, especially in contrast to the aforementioned United cabin, one of the nicest and most comfortable Ive been in. AC usually does a good job of making their flights, even in coach, very comfortable and spacious. The flight was delayed due to baggage and then being blocked in at the gate by other traffic, but the winds were light and we arrived at 9:30, 6 minutes before the original flight time. The movie we were supposed to see, some nonsense called Most Valuable Primate, was broken (aw, darn!) so we saw Remember the Titans, which was passable, and since I didnt get to see it on outbound flight, it was funny that they showed it by accident on the way back. The FAs were very friendly on this flight, a refreshing change! I took a taxi home since QuietLion was still in LV with Pluto, thinking what a nice trip it had been but thankful for the balmy 60 degree weather in LA.
[This message has been edited by Hunnybear (edited 01-11-2001).]
Jan 11, 2001 | 5:05 pm
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: Kirkland, WA
Posts: 321
BlondeBomber: the food was icky. I had seabass which was overcooked - I thought it would be better than overcooked beef and I think I thought wrong. However, I will give the FA's credit for something - when they brought around the trays with the salad and dessert on them, I noticed that mine looked kinda skimpy. I later noticed that my tray looked different from everyone else's, and asked the FA about it. She said it was indeed different, and apologized because they didn't board enough Business trays to accommodate upgrades, but they had done their best to make this look as nice and elegant as the others. I really respected that! They must have boarded extra entrees though, because the seabass was a Business class choice.
On a separate note, I neglected to give QuietLion credit for coining the term "Customer Repellent Program" in reference to United's seeming indifference to customer service. Thanks QL!
On a separate note, I neglected to give QuietLion credit for coining the term "Customer Repellent Program" in reference to United's seeming indifference to customer service. Thanks QL!
Jan 11, 2001 | 5:18 pm
#5
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Canada
Programs: AC SE 2MM, HH Dd, Bonvoy G; IC S; AA; DL
Posts: 14,496
Too bad about the sea bass. My experience with AC's steaks has not been good so you probably did make the right choice. Their fish is usually OK and sometimes exceptional.
Jan 12, 2001 | 4:32 pm
#6
Join Date: May 1999
Location: New York City
Programs: UA MM-1P, Hilton Life Diamond, Marriot Life Gold, ICH Spire
Posts: 4,080
It seems to me that having brothers named Cary and Carl is almost, but not quite, like the two brothers named Daryl on the "Newhart" show.
I was not previously aware of your fascination with mechanized flatulence... then again, seems to me you started another notable thread on the general subject last year. Quiet Lion is a lucky fellow indeed. 
Here's a riddle: What is the plural of "conundrum"?
I was not previously aware of your fascination with mechanized flatulence... then again, seems to me you started another notable thread on the general subject last year.
Quiet Lion is a lucky fellow indeed. Here's a riddle: What is the plural of "conundrum"?
Jan 16, 2001 | 9:34 pm
#9
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 1,778
Great report Hunnybear! I always like reading about trips to YYZ!
Trapper's in about 3 blocks from my home in Toronto when I'm not at school! Glad you had a nice time there
[This message has been edited by Fisch (edited 01-16-2001).]
Trapper's in about 3 blocks from my home in Toronto when I'm not at school! Glad you had a nice time there
[This message has been edited by Fisch (edited 01-16-2001).]