gfunkdave

The seat without lid is very common in US commercial settings.

TheFlyingDoctor

AS1208
Dep: SFO San Francisco International 11:00 13th January 2022 (local time)
Arr: ORD O’Hare International (Chicago) 17:19 13th January 2022 (local time)
Flight duration: 4 hours 19 minutes
Seat: 3F Cabin: First
Operated by: Alaska Airlines (N853VA Airbus A320-214)

The Best Western shares a shuttle with several other hotels; as it commences there that means a tour of the rest, but even so, I am kerbside at the airport in about fifteen minutes. Alaska uses Terminal 2, where - as documented in one of my first big trip reports - I spent a thoroughly miserable seven hours in the grip of flu almost a decade ago.

I am pleased to be able to update my opinion of the place, as this was an excellent airport experience from start to finish. I immediately found an empty first class lane which meant bag drop took all of two minutes; security was similarly swift. I manage to walk straight past the lounge, but that’s a happy accident, which leads me to a museum space - host to an exhibition on “Mathematics: Vintage and Modern”. As a lapsed mathematician myself, this was a great find - and in one of those strange small-world coincidences, some of the items on display I had seen before during my academic visits to the US.

The Alaska Lounge, once I found it, turns out to be a small but attractive space, apparently a recent refurb of what used to be AA’s Admirals Club. Particular highlights are the fire pit, extensive tarmac views, and a pancake printer .

One odd touch: the departure board is arranged alphabetically, not chronologically, so it’s hard to get a sense of the cadence of boarding calls and departures. Playing it safe, I set off at 10am, and after a short walk to the gate, learn that proceedings will commence at 10:20 - not a bad call! I don’t quite hustle hard enough to be first aboard, but third turns out be good enough for a couple of cabin photos before the plane filled.

This is my first time flying Alaska Airlines; they are sufficiently integrated into Oneworld that I was able to book using avios straight from BA’s website. A business redemption - 22K points and Ł4.10 in taxes - put me into first class. On this ex-Virgin America A320, that’s a few fixed rows of decent sized seats arranged in pairs, plus complimentary food and drink.

Doors close at 10:40, but the APU is broken so we need whatever the aviation equivalent of a jump start is to get going. This is eventually delivered by one of those hyper-specialised bits of airport kit you see dotted about, which I get a good view of from row 3. Pretty sure that wherever you were sat, you’d be able to hear it!

Its work done fifteen minutes later, we set off, and are given Alaska’s take on a memorable COVID policy: “after you sip or snack, please put your mask back”. Not sure if that’s a better or worse tagline than Amtrak came up with, but the intent is the same.

In-flight WiFi is available at $6.5 for an hour, $15 for a flight, $49.95 for a month. I’m happy to go without once I discover the portal offers a moving map for free. Thanks to that, by 11:30 I’m able to confirm that, yes, I’m already looking at the Sierra Nevada and Lake Tahoe; and thus we’ve already undone most of Tuesday’s eight hours of train ride in a matter of minutes.

The scenery is soon replaced with a perfectly bisected world - absurdly blue skies in one half, uniform white cloud below. So as my week of travel unwound over the course of a leisurely lunch, the only clue to my newly accelerated pace was the rapid progression of familiar waypoints on the map.

At 12:10 warm nuts and hand sanitiser packets are handed out. Ten minutes later, we pass Salt Lake City - albeit from further North, our aerial route skipping Colorado for Wyoming, a state entirely unserved by Amtrak.

Lunch proper appears at 12:45, and I cherry pick the components I recognise as food (couscous and salad do not make the cut). The chicken itself is good - not too dry, and the blend of citrus and spice is a satisfying flavour combination. The brownie is not the best I’ve had this trip - but to be fair, I’ve had quite a few.

Around 1 there is a brief break in the clouds as we enter Nebraskan airspace. But this doesn’t last, so I investigate a few more of the plane’s features. The bathroom is well on its way to flooding, as the sink drains far too slowly for the tap. Hopefully with only twelve of us with access, it might hold out. On the way back I spot a snack basket in the galley, but resist. The in-flight entertainment has clearly been influenced by silicon valley: should you wish, you could settle down for a seven part lecture course in artificial intelligence, or various LinkedIn Learning training modules.

By 13:46 we pass Omaha, and a second drinks run is made. This holds no appeal for me, but I am able to get that snack basket set in motion. A little after two we are able to see the frozen fields of Iowa turn into the frozen fields of Illinois; our descent starts some 130 miles from O’Hare. Traffic is light, and we touch down at 14:44 (or rather, 16:44 local): in just three and a half hours aloft, a week of transcontinental travel has been erased.

Trip thus far, by the numbers:
Masks: 37 (+5)
Miles flown: 5799 (+1846)

lamphs

I've also found this trip report very interesting. When I retire, I intend to try a few long-haul Amtrak routes, knowing that those routes may not have the timeliness and the services that I've found on European trains. That said, 'Flyover Country', which also has a political connotation, includes many of the 48 states that I've had a chance to visit. No matter my 'politics', I've found multiple substantial, interesting activities in every state, whether cultural, a natural resource, historical, something more 'touristic', or sometimes just drives on backroads. Every state is very diverse in so many ways.

Bear96

Agree, but that is not what happened here.

camsean

Thanks for a great TR. Your writing is very evocative.

TheFlyingDoctor

My second arrival in Chicago is into marginally better conditions than the first; snow showers rather than the storm I encountered before. I, however, am better prepared - my warmest hoodie is on, rather than buried irretrievably deep in my backpack; and this time I accept google’s directions rather than going rogue.

Today I am headed for Hilton’s Magnificent Mile Suites. The closest El station is the confusingly named Chicago (as with Grand, one of two, and the blue line one would be a mistake); emerging to street level I spot some familiar golden arches, and, well, you can predict how that went.

Fuelled by fries, the remaining half mile on foot requires a single direction: turn left on Mies van der Rohe Way at the Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art. This route also takes me past 360 Chicago, which is practically a neighbour of the Hilton - so with better planning, perhaps I should have saved my visit for this part of my trip.

I have been having quite the run of luck for upgrades to high floors - in both Salt Lake and Reno I made it all the way to the top, and here I once again manage not only that, but receive the highest room number in the building. Yet even from the lofty heights of the 29th floor, I still have several skyscrapers to look up at.

This property won’t help any with my growing taste for suites, but at less than Ł100 for the night, it’s actually far more affordable than the room at the Intercontinental I sampled last week. Without the Ambassador discount, this would probably be my choice of the two in the future.

With snow now swirling outside, and having had dinner on the move, my only remaining plan for the evening is to snag a better seat on tomorrow’s flight home. Although A350s had been scheduled for both flights back when I booked, these had long ago been swapped out (hence my 777 outbound). Fortunately I would still be guaranteed BA’s new Club Suite on the way home, as this leg would now be operated by one of the two 787-10s in the fleet.

So whilst seat assignment would be less critical than in old Club World, I was still keen to switch from my assigned 16F: one of a middle pair that seems better suited for a couple, and right at the back. However, before check-in opens seat selection starts at Ł84, which, obviously, I’m far too stingy to pay. Although the testing requirement has been dropped, it takes 20 minutes to run the gauntlet of the UK passenger locator form and Verify and then wait for BA’s IT to notice my eligibility for check-in. But I make it through as sequence number 5, and just squeeze into the forward Club cabin with a solo window seat, 11A, that would otherwise have run me Ł103. So if you lack status, it still pays to be organised!
I would once again be seeking out architectural highlights for my last day in Chicago. The weather is far from ideal for sightseeing: exactly freezing, with thick clouds promising more snow. So instead of more wanderings amongst the soaring skyscrapers of downtown, I would be heading further afield for some carefully selected studies in horizontality.

Top of my list is Frank Lloyd Wright’s Robie House. Wright is arguably the most influential American Architect of all time; eight of his works, including Robie House, share a spot on the UNESCO world heritage list. The building exemplifies his Prairie style phase, and thanks to a twenty year restoration programme (after years of neglect and occasional threats of demolition) today acts as a museum.

In particular, guided tours are available, and I was lucky to find I was the only participant this lunch time. That meant I could ask as many questions as I wanted, and was also able to set the pace of the interior tour, getting whatever photos I wanted. I’ll try not to spoil too much - despite my studies, I doubt I can really do the place justice anyway - but I thoroughly recommend joining one of these tours. I also award full marks to the gift shop located in what was once the garage - I don’t think there is a single item in there I wouldn’t want to own…

I grab one last Starbucks lunch to keep me warm whilst waiting for a bus back to the El - once again it is impossible to dine in, presumably as they don’t want to deal with verifying vaccination status.

I make a break of journey at the Illinois Institute of Technology for my second target - the S.R. Crown Hall, the purest expression of Mies van der Rohe’s architectural style. This unrelenting modernism might be more divisive than Wright’s work, but is arguably as influential. From a brief exploration of the IIT campus, I find other variations on the theme - Grover M Herman Hall, the Paul V Galvin Library - but by this point it is brutally cold and I have to admit that once you’ve seen one, you’ve kind of seen them all.

And so I call time on the city of architecture - for this trip - and make my way slowly back on the El to the Hilton (where I’d stashed most of my non-camera belongings), and then O’Hare.

48vpat

Just maybe, your idea of a vacation is not the same as someone else's?

FallenPlat

Thank you so much for posting such a wonderful trip report, meta-commentary and all. Really, the whole thing is a cut above, both stylistically and substantively. I say this, too, as someone who came to loathe trains during the course of a long-ago train trip from London to Istanbul and then (unfortunately) most of the way back again -- with a backpack. I thought I knew at least most of the USA but surprisingly many of your adventures and photos are truly new to me, including the office building (!) right on top of Robie House. In other words, your trip report is so good that it enthralled even a train-hater like me, and that's saying something.

Bear96

Alas, what was meant in my first post in this thread as a light-hearted comment was not taken as such, despite the . Since this was so for more than one person here, the blame must be with my delivery, which apparently wasn't as clever as I had intended.

I will accept responsibility for my poor communication skills. TheFlyingDoctor, I sincerely apologize if you took offense or felt disrespected, which was certainly not my intent; and for detracting from what is an amazing trip report.

Firebreaker7

Really enjoyed following the trip! Thank you for writing this up.

Not an easy trek making your way from the Loop to Robie House. Hope you took the Metro instead of the CTA!

TheFlyingDoctor

Robie House certainly has a close neighbour, but from the sounds of things, it's a miracle it survived at all. Despite the name, the Robie family lived there for just 14 months. After a couple more residents, it came into the ownership of the Chicago Theological Seminary in the 1920s. Their tenure was one of neglect, and demolition was threatened in both the 40s and 50s. It then passed to the University of Chicago, and eventually to the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust 25 years ago. It has taken millions of dollars to restore it!

No offense taken! "What on earth were you thinking" is a suitable response to most of my mad plans. For example...

The metro looks like it would be a sensible option. I hiked a mile to the underground, swapped to a bus at Garfield, then hiked some more. Then reversed all of that later (plus the minor detour to IIT).

TheFlyingDoctor

BA296
Dep: ORD O’Hare International (Chicago) 20:35 14th January 2022 (local time)
Arr: LHR London Heathrow Terminal 5 10:15 15th January 2022 (local time)
Flight duration: 7 hours 40 minutes
Seat: 11A Cabin: Club World (Business)
Operated by: British Airways (G-ZBLB Boeing 787-10)

I present myself at check-in a questionable three hours before departure; there is a priority lane for Club World, but I am ignored in favour of the economy queues for a bit. After two weeks of backpacking, I guess I didn’t really look the part.

Bag drop, document checks and security are a fairly swift fifteen minutes, which I make up for by wandering the terminal in confusion for just as long, having once again blundered past the lounge.

Once found, it is clear this is not a highlight of the lounge network - a series of small rooms, rendered smaller still by low ceilings, being rammed full of seating and a lack of natural light.

However, I was pleased to find the at-seat food ordering system used in LHR was also in effect here - and if anything, the menu was more extensive. This included a beyond burger - perhaps an advance trial of the plant-based lounge offerings that BA has since announced as part of its sustainability efforts? If so, this is a great option to have - although I found the pairing with crisps odd. Perhaps the intention of chips (in the British sense) was lost in translation somewhere.

There are also some lighter self-serve options such as fruit, biscuits and more crisps, alongside various beverages (soft drinks, wine, tea, coffee)… but I instead dipped into the menu again to summon up a brownie. This was definitely superior to any I’ve had in the Heathrow galleries; what this lounge lacks in terms of decor, it makes up for with the catering!

Forgetting about the existence of First class passengers and gold card holders, I relocate to the gate way too early in the mistaken hope of being near the front of the queue for ease of photos. Instead, I get to watch one more gentle snow shower, flakes swirling around tonight’s aircraft, G-ZBLB. There are also repeated calls for any connecting passenger who has made it this far without a BA - issued boarding pass to present themselves for checks, else they won’t be allowed on.

Group 1 is called just after 8pm, and I am on the jet bridge five minutes later. 11A is about as close as you can get to the entry door - which unfortunately means any attempts to take photos will put me in everyone else’s way. Here’s the best I could manage before settling in:

Once seated, there’s plenty of privacy even before the suite doors are closed:

Although if you’re up and about the effect is diminished:

Gone is the old Club World foot rest - now the seat narrows into a cubby hole that slots into the row in front, and enforces the angle towards the window. I didn’t find this too restrictive, but I know not everyone is a fan!

A rather slim menu is handed out; whether COVID or the overnight nature of this flight is responsible I don’t know.

One minute before our scheduled 20:35 departure we are at “doors closed, boarding complete”; however, the snow is now heavy and we’ll need to be de-iced. It’s another twenty minutes before we push back - during that time, crew take dinner selections and note our preferences for breakfast vs extra sleep. The safety briefing also has to be given in two waves, apparently due to a lack of crew.

At 21:20 we thunder into the air, with an estimated flight time of just 6h45. Dinner plays out over the course of the next hour and a half - bottles of chilled water are delivered almost immediately, followed by a proper drinks run with mixed ‘nuts’ - not sure I’d count giant corn or chickpeas, but they’re in the mix! Figuring out how to deploy the tray table and select a suitable seating position takes me longer than I’d like to admit - my previous Club World experience is worthless now…

The main tray arrived to row 11 just before half 10. I’d chosen the sea bream with pea mousseline - attentive readers will already have concluded that I ignored the lentils and the entirety of the starter, but despite this being a second dinner after the lounge burger, heroically found room for the dessert.

After dinner I am keen to fit in some sleep, but I can’t seem to get the seat controls to cooperate. After a while I sheepishly head to the galley for assistance, but despite the best efforts of two members of crew it refuses to budge. Fortunately 11K, the equivalent starboard seat, is unoccupied; so I am invited to swap. Unfortunately, the door on this one is locked open; and the Club Suite has so many storage locations that I forget to clear out 11A completely and leave a pair of headphones behind. Hopefully all this (apart from my own forgetfulness) is just teething troubles!

In further foolishness, I decide to see out a not particularly good film to the end; between that and some turbulence, it’s midnight - or four hours to London - before I even try for some shut eye. I manage perhaps two and a half hours of sleep, before being woken for breakfast - my request having successfully migrated with me from 11A thanks to the attentive crew.

I neglected to get a photo before devouring the egg, tomato and cream cheese muffin (pocketing the granola bar for later); it wouldn’t win any awards for its appearance anyway, but tasted great to this unsophisticated reviewer. What I did manage to shoot was some more of the seat, as well as the wing now that daylight had revealed it.

Despite the brilliant sunshine up here, we are advised of fog at LHR - as a result of which we should expect some hold time. We also experience some delays on the ground - the electronic stand guidance can’t see us properly, so we need to be marshalled in… to a remote stand. The small group disembarking seems a bit pointless when we immediately join the previous groups on a bus, which sets off on a magical mystery tour of Heathrow. All told, it’s twenty minutes from wheels down to setting foot in a terminal. Despite many a failure to my left and right, I make it through the e-gate gauntlet unhindered; my prize of course just being a lengthier wait in the baggage hall. 20 minutes is slower than I’d like, but I guess they had a long way to travel too.

Ordinarily, that would be it, for both my airport experience and the report, but today I am able to chalk up another first - a visit to the arrivals lounge. First port of call is the enormous shower complex - booking is, confusingly, from the same menu app as food orders. Suitably refreshed, I figure it would be impolite not to try the vegetarian full english breakfast, at what could just about be considered lunch time:

And here, I think, the story should wrap - there’s little to note from my return to Bristol by coach, not least because I used most of it to catch up on sleep.

TheFlyingDoctor

So here we are. For those of you who have somehow slogged through 22,000 of my inexpertly-chosen words, I salute you - and suspect you may have precisely the patience required for the train journey I have so lengthily discussed. If you started with the initial posts on the first, you’ve been following the report for as long as I was travelling...

Here’s how the trip as a whole played out, by the numbers:

Miles flown: 9752
Miles by rail: 2438
Time on trains: 52h28
Train-related delays: 9h18
States: 7 (of which, 6 new)

Hotel nights: 11
Train nights: 2
Plane nights: 1

Avios earnt: 11,860
Avios burnt: 22,000
Tier points earnt: 280 (promotion to bronze)

Starbucks: 5 vs McDonalds: 4 (but calorie wise, the real winner may be bags of Reese’s Pieces, from which I consumed something like 24 suggested servings).

and last but not least…

Masks: 40


I draw a distinction between reporting and reviewing - I’d much rather share the facts as I see them, and let you decide whether they describe something that would appeal to you. After all, what use is a 10/10 review if it’s driven by factors you don’t care about (for me, that’s fancy food, the drinks menu, or suitability for a family)?

But if I had to make some assessments:

• I think Club Suite is a great improvement to BA’s business class offering, but still maintain there are good spots to be found in an old school Club World cabin.
• Meanwhile, I’d be happy to find myself on Alaska Airlines for future US domestic flights, and would willingly pay the extra avios for First class.
• Unless you have a similar desire to hit all the states, I’m not convinced you should split up an end to end run on the California Zephyr into quite so many pieces, although I’m glad I did it this once.
• Glenwood Springs was easily my favourite stop en-route; given its convenient location at the midpoint, if you only make one break of journey then this is the place to do it.
• Winter travel on this line clearly requires an appropriate mindset, but once I found that, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience despite its challenges.
• For one traveller, a roomette is fine; but I don’t think I could hack the whole thing in coach.

Finally, whilst COVID was still clearly having a chilling effect on travel, this and some shorter trips in Q4 of 2021 convinced me it was possible to get back out there and see the world. Since then I spent a few days in Meiringen, Switzerland and a couple of weeks mostly in Salt Lake City. Both trips were to attend (as a spectator) climbing world cups, a 2020 idea I have finally been able to make good on. As a result, neither of those will likely get a Flyertalk treatment, but a few thoughts and photos from the first are already posted on my blog and the other will hopefully not take until December to cover… I am hoping to step way out of my comfort zone with a trip to Armenia later this year, so that will probably be my next improbable tale. Until then, thanks again for everyone who liked, commented on, or just quietly enjoyed this report!

smooth

I am one of those people who “ just quietly enjoyed this report “, from start to finish. Beautiful pictures, very unusual topic, and exquisite writing. It is so refreshing to read about your travel adventures, as they are in such contrast to all these “La Premiere Suites, Wine Lists, Michelin Restaurants... etc.“ trip reports on FT. Thanks for giving me a chance to learn more about my country and its architecture. And I would love to visit Mount Pleasant, now that you put it on the map!

Thanks again for letting us travel with you. Looking forward to more of your trip reports.

By the way, I loved your 787 Selfie!

nequine

Thank you very much for a very enjoyable TR. I have really enjoyed reading it because its very different from the normal reports that are posted, so thanks for writing it up!