UMTravels

A customer at the shop today was paying with an Alaska Airlines branded credit card and I ask, “Where are you planning on travelling on your miles?” He mentioned a destination, but he also mentioned that there was an award sale going on that I didn’t know about (and I thought I knew EVERY sale)….40,000 frequent flier miles for a round-trip to France. Just FYI – that’s a 20K discount off what it normally is – though it turns out that this is the standard award chart which discounts early fall trips on American.

My response – the end of the day at the shop was busy, so I had to wait until I got home (and had dinner) before logging in and seeing what I could find. I found:

• Dates: mid-October to early December
• Cities: London, Paris, Amsterdam
• Only works with Alaska/American or all American Airlines flights – but you can book them all from the Alaska Airline site.

My problem is that I need to go out on a Monday (though I just realized that there are some Sunday red-eyes that would have worked) and fly back on Monday, so Paris 10-31 (Halloween!) to November 4^th was the answer – booked it for 40,000 Alaska frequent flier miles (in Main Cabin Extra since I’m MVP Gold on Alaska) and $119 in taxes/fees. If you are travelling on other days, like over a weekend, then there are MANY more dates available for all three cities.

THEN, having booked that, made myself a congratulatory drink and realized that I’d only checked Europe – what about SOUTH AMERICA. Here is what I found:

• Same date range
• Cities: Buenos Aires, same as Europe (40K)
• Citites: Lima, Quito (even cheaper: lowest was 30K frequent flier miles roundtrip)
• Same airline combinations

I might have made the wrong choice – BUT, I can redeposit those miles I used for Paris and rebook to Lima (or Quito) which I haven’t been to. Must talk to Courtney at dinner tomorrow night and see if she’d kill me if I went to Lima before she did.

And then you keep searching…

Tokyo for 50,000 miles – seems what the REAL thing is redeeming your miles in the early fall when less people travel. Which also means that if you are paying real money for those flights, they should be cheaper. Downside is that Business or First Class awards are the same throughout the year.

Stay tuned for the update on where I go in November before my trip to Santa Fe to hang with The Colonels in their new time share.

[214.2]

Sort of a quick year in review…lost Mom in July along with a number of others of my contemporaries that lost their moms this year – final count was six. Add another friend who decided to check out early – makes me reflect on life a little more than usual.

But those were the low spots – everybody has some every year. Focus on the positive, try and get the most out of life before your knees (or whatever) give out.

No surprise that I’ve been travelling a bit this year:

 

OK – that looks scary when I put it into a chart, but the stats from all those trips in 2015…

• Alaska Airline flight mileage count: 54,229
• Alaska Frequent Flyer freebie flight miles: 24,682
• United flight mileage count: 1,000
• United Frequent Flyer freebie flight miles: 1,500
• Points-(35,000) related free overnight long distance train trips: 2
• Car miles: couple of thousand
• Coastal cruises: 3

Wow, that’s 75,000 butt-in-seat miles this year. Not a record (110,000 I think is the record, but that didn’t cover redeemed miles).

Already planned for the New Year are:

• Sacramento (January)
• Vietnam via Dubai (January)
• Victoria, BC (February)
• Santa Fe & Albuquerque to Seattle train (February)
• New Orleans (February)
• Greece (June)
• Cabo San Lucas (September)

And I have to figure out how to book almost 50,000 Amtrak Guest Rewards points before they are devalued on January 14^th, so think two more long distance multi-night trips in 2016.

Hard to believe that I can do all this travel AND still work my hours at the shop (Madrona Wine Merchants). Just finished inventory today (we’ve got it down to two hours), figured out the year-end numbers – now it’s just the impending hell of getting the tax information to the accountant. Overall, it was a good year, and I love being able to by my personal wine at wholesale prices – means I tend to be drinking a little better quality, so not really much money savings. Then there is the fact that when people come to dinner at my place, they are now afraid to bring wine.

I’ve been blessed this year with spending quality time with friends and families over many a good meal, especially over this holiday season when I’ve been baking/cooking up a storm.

Some random food shots from the last couple of weeks:

Baked pork spare ribs

Baguettes

Adult corn dogs – chicken sausages baked inside bread

Chicken thighs poached in chili plum glaze

Dog-turd looking dinner rolls

Dinner rolls on the inside, cinnamon buns (channeling the Savoy Grill in Kansas City) on the outside

Puff pastry stuffed with shrimp, mushroom and onion

And a couple of my favorite dinner guests enjoying ginger, onion, mushroom fried shrimp with apricot, clove, saffron rice (and salad, because we all need roughage

Here’s wishing everyone a happy and prosperous New Year. May life bring you joy.

[216.0]

It seems like it was only a couple of weeks since I was on the Ruby Princess – wait – it WAS just a couple of weeks ago!

New partner this time, and a different itinerary, but with all the same stops, just in the opposite direction.

Now – just point the arrows in the other direction – I couldn’t find a graphic for our trip, and it seems that next late summer they are making other stops coming down the coast.

Our trip started with an early morning Amtrak ride to Vancouver, BC where I spied this “private car” parked at King Street Station. It is the Silver Rapids, part of the California Zephyr fleet. They mostly rent out the cars to parties, tours, etc., though they do some of there on tours as well – check on this page – but sit down before you read the prices.

As for Rache and I, we didn’t have such luxury, but they did assign us four seats in Business Class which was nice and roomy.

I do wish they would run a mid-day train. Getting into Vancouver at noon means waiting around the condo until our room is ready. Luckily it was at 2:30 rather 4pm which is the real check-in time. The extra time allowed me a nap in the rec room, Rache a walking tour of the city, lunch and grocery shopping for both of us.

Once we got into the 2-bedroom, 2-bath unit, the view was lovely – we even had one of the rare units that has a tiny balcony:

Dinner tonight is with Solus+, a longtime friend (and dinner companion.

Solus+ is on the left, Rache is on the right. Great dinner of chicken thighs poached in Salsa Verde, a nice salad, loaf of bread, two bottles of wine (rosé to start, then red), and amazingly a bottle and a half of bourbon. Rach claims (rightly so) that it was Solus+ and I who did the most damage to the bourbon.

Out of the condo a little before noon, cab to Canada Place and a relatively smooth boarding process. I’m afraid I’m spoiling Rache with Business Class on the train (first through immigration/customs), Elite passenger check-in a boarding for the Ruby Princess, and the mini-suite that we got for $179 plus $45 port fees per person. I can’t believe I didn’t take any shots of the interior; you can find them here on the previous trip on the Ruby. Here is the layout from Princess:

Of course, you’d have to flip our, but that’s basically it, except double the size of the deck since we were the last cabin on the side:

Since we were actually on before 1pm, we actually got to do a sit-down lunch! Tasty!

And, of course, we had to have dessert…both of which were EXCELLENT:

No shots of the mandatory life-boat drill. Rache got some so maybe I’ll link to his trip report at some point.

The boat was all decked out for Christmas:

As was Vancouver, BC:

Before you knew it was we’re departing, passing under the Lions Gate Bridge:

Then quickly off to the LGBT gathering set for 5:30 in the Adagio Lounge, deck 16 aft:

There were at least 25 of us who showed up – the group pictured I’ve been on other cruises with – probably upwards of 10 previous cruisers – seems there are a lot of us who like the little under a week cruises.

When 7pm approached, a couple of the ring leaders invited us next door to SHARE, a Curtis Stone (LA restaurant guide whose restaurant, Maude, is in Beverly Hills) venture. They’d gotten a tabel for eight. What the hell, opening night, new restaurant put in while the Ruby was in dry dock – I’ll swallow the $39 (per person) upcharge.

And, oh my god, the food. There were enough of us that we got to try EVERYTHING on the menu:

Said menu:

By the time all the dishes started coming out it became clear that there wasn’t going to be a cover charge for us tonight – I celebrated by ordering a $48 bottle of wine.

Truly a stunning meal – I wa even more stunned when I realized that the wine was going to be comped as well. Had I know that, I would have suggested the following pairings:

Shramsburg Brut Rosé (California) for the charcuterie platter

Boutari Moscofilero (Greece) for the starters

Patz & Hall (California) & Ridge Vineyard Lytton Springs Zinfandel for the mains

Punch reviewed the resaturant at 2am after dinner – by the morning, it had 2,000 views, by afternoon 5,000 views… read the thread here. First post is the about half the menu, scroll down for the rest of it.

But, then, of course we had to go see some of the entertainment…

Something about “Colors Of The World” or some such thing…kept us amused until it was time to return to the cabin be explore how the pull down bed worked.

Of course, you have to have a “special key” to drop the bed down, but I happened to have one in my suitcase – it’s called an “emergency tool”:

Good for beds, electrical cabinets, hose bibs, random screws…

There is a “downside” of a wonderful meal of shared plates – at 3am you are starving, and unfortunately room service is merely a phone call away – and oh, did we order:

Because, of course, by 3am, all the ice had melted – that would be “Ice – Bucket Of” – if you look two pictures up, you can see Rach ordering the above (as seen in the mirror). I didn’t need really need breakfast when IT showed up at 9am. I went back to bed.

Onboard, you can always see where you are (and there is always “The Love Boat” on one of the channels):

At that moment, I was basically off my brother and sister-in-law’s places in Coos Bay/Corvallis – but this was my view:

The weather is starting to get a little better, at least no rain. I REALLY like this extra large balcony!

Another think about cruise ships is that they like to carve things, luckily not the guests. This was from the Elite Lounge on night two where it was salmon (most likely farm raised) on toast points with capers and Bermuda onions.

You should see what they do with a watermelon!

Another BIG gathering at the Adagio Lounge for the LGBT gathering – more cocktails, after we’d finished the cocktails brought from our suite…and then it was off to dinner – which the queue up for the dining room was MASSIVE so we opted for the buffet on the Lido Deck. My meal:

Not bad, but I prefer sit-down service – but hunger trumped waiting.

The entertainment for tonight was “The Uncle Markie Show” – featuring yours truly posing on a pedestal meant for a poinsettia:

And then there was tragedy on the “dis-mount”:

I hit the marble with a thud, and suddenly there were four Princess staff swarming in – luckily I’m padded (and was lubricated). Of course, I need a room service bacon cheeseburger to ease the pain. Please notice the absence of fries (bucket of ice not shown):

Our final day at sea was STUNNING – and made the balcony more worth it.

This give a nice idea of how big out balcony was, and these too give you an idea of how the weather was:

Another well attended (25+) gathering of the LGBT crowd – not bad considering that this isn’t a “gay” cruise:

No shots of dinner, just a couple of shots of dessert:

We shot for another show after dinner and I made it through ½ of one song – it was like a bad junior-high-school musical. I abandoned Rache to go grab another cocktail from the room, but walked past the remodeled Wheelhouse which now has another “upcharge” restaurant called “Salty Dog Gastro Pub” and found “the boys” trying out the other new venue:

Technically, that’s one of the waitresses in my puss print Santa hat.

And the menu – mind you, I was just eating the lukewarm leftovers which still weren’t bad!

Sigh, out last night aboard, and our final shot of the post. Moon off the balcony…

We had to vacate the cabin before 8am – but we had squirrelled away muesli, bananas and yogurt so we didn’t have to brave the morning buffet line or have a lackluster final sit-down meal.

Reporting to the Elite Disembarkation Lounge (thankfully in Club Fusion, one deck below so we didn’t have to brave the elevators) we had a little coffee, juice, pastries, though not enough for the MASSIVE delay in getting off the board. The phrase “clusterfuck” comes to mind. When we got to the lounge boarding groups were running 20 minutes early – always a good sign. And then there was the announcement. “There will be a delay in disembarkation, we will have details soon.”

We were an hour late disembarking, then another hour in line for customs. It seems that MANY of the passengers decided to ignore their designated times and swamped the customs/immigration lines. This seems to be a problem with cruises between Los Angeles and Vancouver. I hear even worse stories of cruises terminating or ending on Hong Kong. Must be a cultural thing. Serious points off to Princess for not checking people’s disembarkation numbers

Add another hour waiting for people to get to the airport transfer, and I’m starting to stress out. Our flight is at 1:25pm and I’d planned on getting a couple of hours of work in at the airport in the Board Room. By the time we got checked in and through security (EVEN with TSApre for both of us) I barely had time to slurp down two cups of soup, a salad, and a couple of drinks.

We were number one on the upgrade list, but First was stacked full, at least I had the seat next to me open, and we both got a free cocktail (me for my MVP Gold Status, Rach’s from the middle seat MVP who didn’t want hers).

A wonderful trip marred at the end, but still a fun way to spend five days.

[215.6]

It seems over the last couple of years that I’ve always ended up in Santa Fe early to mid-December. It’s the combination of cheaper tween holiday’s airfare and my work schedule on said holidays. This year was no different, except that I’m down to two people to visit in Santa Fe – my sis and bro-in-law. Mom died last July, and the last niece is out of the house – back east for her first year of college.

Had a good meal the night before with friends, including Roxy who has gone from vegan before I knew him, to vegetarian, to pescatarian, and now to “freegan” which means he’s feeling a money pinch and will eat whatever (including pork ribs) is put in front of him.

And they were good considering it was the convection oven, not the smoker that produced these.

It being the holidays (anytime between Thanksgiving and Christmas, I’ve broken out the pussprint Santa hat for my travels. It’s hard for fellow travelers to be grumpy with a dumpy Santa in pussprint (and a Red Baron in the Board Room).

And you get better service onboard as well:

That would be a Cobb Salad with blue cheese, a cookie, and a cocktail. And while I prefer the aisle, a freebie upgrade a First Class bulkhead window is fine considering the view:

The original plan was to take the Rail Runner north, but the lateness of my flight meant getting a rental car was easier, and it allowed me to do some shopping on the way north.

Tiny, but it worked. Here is the stuff I’m planning on taking back with me:

That would be Mom in the middle, well, the ashes of Mom – she’ll be joining Dad in the Rattan Elephant they bought in India in 1976,

Good to see sis and bro-in-law, though the house is so oddly quiet without any teenagers around! We ate in the first night, but the second night we went to Harry’s Roadhouse and had a meal that started with an appetizer of Latkes – which in the Seattle tradition should always be accompanied by tequila because of a tradition dating back to the Great Snowstorm of 1999 in Seattle. At 3pm, everyone in the Seattle Metro Area looked out the window and said, “Oh, shit!”, and all got into their cars to head home at exactly the same time. Result? Instant snowy gridlock. It took me an hour to get around the block and back into the parking lot at Microsoft where I promptly requisitioned a magnum of bubbles from the storeroom and popped the cork. A concerned co-worked expressed worry that I was going to drink all that and then drive. My answer, “I’m planning on sharing this with everyone else who is going to be stuck here sleeping under their desks for the night.” In the end, one of the woman in our department who lived snowshoeing distance took in a dozen of us for the evening. It being the last night of Chanukah, what she had in the house was a bag of potatoes, Costco-sized apple sauce and sour cream and a ½ gallon of Tequila. Hence, a tradition was born, but I’ve forgotten the lyrics to the Chanukah songs she taught us in Hebrew. Here is this year’s celebration:

No Commenortivo Tequila, think it was Hornitos.

It was a quick visit – Thursday morning I got an email from the tasting room at the Gruet Winery in Albuquerque responding to my late Sunday request for a behind-the-scenes tour of their winery since we had just featured their Blanc de Blanc Method Champenoise the previous Saturday. Since I hadn’t heard back I was still in my robe! Up and out the door to the winery I go.

Since the bottling line was running and the Production Manager busy, they started be having me taste ALL their wines, both still and sparkling:

And that only HALF of them – the full list (with my notes) below:

There is a much more in-depth report on my trip to Gruet on the Madrona Wine Merchants site.

Time to return the rental car and get the hell out of Dodge (I mean Albuquerque)., but I have to share this sculpture that is outside the fire department the exit before the airport – it’s too damn cute:

Got through security and up to the observation lounge to do the blog for the shop, post some entries on other sites, catch up with mail. The nice thing about the Albuquerque Sun Port (the name of their international airport) is that it’s also a working military base, so you get to see lots of interesting planes and helicopters:

Sorry the contrast is so bad – nothing like shooting into the sun. Four-prop bulbous nose military plane of some sort.

Got the last night upgrade to first on the way back – even a last minute bulkhead aisle – and some of the flight crew even remembered my Santa Hat! And even better than that, Mr.Whippet gave me a ride home from the airport, and in exchange I took him out for dessert (dinner for me):

At the end of the day, my parents were reunited in the rattan elephant in my living room…

Dad’s is the dark set of ashes, Mom the lighter set.

Guess I need to build a pedestal for them now.

[216.4]

Tis the season for cruising apparently – with Princess offering $179 per person (plus $45 port fees) for a mini-suite on the three-day cruise from Los Angeles to Vancouver.

But first I have to get to LA, which was being a little problematic. Made it to the Board Room on my usual schedule, even to my favorite seat on the plane (1C):

I’m still in my jacket because they had just pulled the plane from the hanger. Maybe they should have left it there. We were headed down the runway when the captain came on to say we were going back to the gate because of a mechanical issue…never a good sign. After 30 minutes they let us off – this is the dead plane:

Yes, I was in First Class, but the plane wasn’t going anywhere. This is me in my office of two hours – since they kept changing boarding plans, no time for a quick cocktail and snack in the board room:

A call to Princess was next (to tell them of the flight delay since we’d contracted for the Princess Transfer Package), an energy bar after that. Two hours later we finally loaded – my plane that was supposed to land at 10:20 was now landing at 12:33 – the guy in seat 1D on his way to Santiago, Chile (and several other 1^st class passengers) abandoned the trip. I was seriously hungry (that energy bar didn’t last that long) and we were at least 45 minutes in when food showed up – at least it was good food:

Landed, found Craig, found luggage, and then…another hour wait – this time for other passengers on delay flights. I should have used the transfer ticket Alaska gave me for the inconvenience of almost missing my Princess Transfer, it was a shared van rather than a shared bus:

In fairness to Alaska – even while I was seated waiting to take off I got both a text and an email apologizing for my delay, and telling me that there would be a $125 eVoucher within the next 24-48 hours for a future flight. As it turned out, the voucher was in my inbox when I finally landed. I may have been frustrated at missing lunch on the Ruby Princess, but at least Alaska came through with compensation without asking (which I would have).

Got to the boat at 2:30pm, the upside is that there is NOBOBY in line, no booze check, no mandatory embarkation photo portrait – just through all the hoops and onto the boat. The downside is that we had 15 minutes to slam down our mini-suite welcome champagne and grab our life vests for the mandatory lifeboat drill. What we both wanted was food – which after the drill the only thing open was the burger/dog stand. But we are on the boat at last. At the drill, champagne in hand:

And this, taken after the drill – don’t I look much calmer?

And yes, that would be LA Tap Water in my water bottle – actually, its swag courtesy of Craig from Los Angeles Water & Power emblazoned with “Pure, Clean, Refreshing TAP”. In through that would be bourbon and ginger. Notice the Pilot Boat in the background. And a beautiful sunset:

Complete with black hawk helicopter following us (sorry for the crappy shot, didn’t have the real camera on the trip):

The schedule had the LGBT gathering is at the Wheelhouse Bar at 5:30….Craig and I get there 5 minutes late to find 20+ people already there and by the time I did a count it was closer to 45 people. WOW.! No picture – privacy issues.

But there are plenty of other random photos to show…The Atrium (and then the deck):

The food (first is the fettuccini alfredo in the parmesan basket):

And not one meal at the “famed” buffet. I’d rather be served than serve.

Let’s not forget our lovely mini-suite:

We didn’t get our room steward trained to bring us ice, so we had to order from room service which brought us the “gigantico” size – this is the one that they serve half a dozen mini-Dos Equis in at 8am:

And the bars – this one set up for the Elite nightly cocktail party (tonight = salmon on toast points):

Or the shows after dinner (or before, depending on your schedule):

But really, most of the reason that I cruse is to do nothing at all other than look at the sea, day or night:

And to occasionally see old friends (several of which I’ll see on the Ruby December 15^th as well):

On the second day of our cruise – just after I’ve finished watching an episode of The Love Boat (they have a separate channel on the TV for Love Boat reruns) – Craig decides to get some news. I’m a news hound so this isn’t a problem with me, well, until this was the news:

After three nights we disembark in Vancouver, British Columbia, CanadaLand.

We are spending the night at the WorldMark at The Canadian – so off by cab we go. And no, at 10am our room isn’t ready. My response is to go to the Recreation Room and curl up on the couch for a nap – Craig went our exploring.

After nap, it’s shopping for lunch, then praying that the room will be ready before 4pm (which is the official check-in time) – they got us in by 2:30 so I’m not complaining. It’s only a one-in-ten chance (or less) that the room would be ready in the morning.

And the room, it’s a two-bedroom, two-bath compact, no dining room (I hate that part, but it was what they had in a 2-bedroom):

The view isn’t too bad either:

One of Craig’s main reasons for signing onto this trip was the chance to visit our mutual friends Raspberry and Rosario who got married the week before our visit – I made them a post-wedding feast of chicken thighs poached in Salsa Verde (and I found the salsa in CanadaLand!), salad, bread, broccoli…

They brought wine – I brought whiskey – Craig just looked pretty. No pics of the wedding party or us – guess we were just having too much fun for tomorrow I head back to Seattle, while Craig stays on for a couple of days.

In the early afternoon the next day – Craig is off to the boys and I’m off for the train station for my trip back to Seattle. For a couple of hours, this was my office:

It was grey and drippy outside, figured it was time to catch up on some reading.

But if I’d wanted to buy some BitCoin in Pacific Central Station, it was available at the convenience store:

Before long I was at the American Border – handing over my customs form and drinking leftover wine that I’d put in those refillable shampoo bottles.

And a final shoutout to Whippet, who picked me up from the train station. I must keep inviting him to dinner to pay back these favors.

[215.8]

Falling in the category of “no justice in this world” would be a recent fortune cookie fortune:

Guess it’s time to go to Kansas City to pick up some BBQ for the store, hang with some friends, listen to jazz.

With me running late (for me) and my flight leaving from the North Satellite at Sea-Tac, I got to check out the new Alaska Airlines Board Room location:

Small – but it will do until 2017 when the whole terminal is renovated and they add gates and move the club to the roof.

It was great to be leaving this:

But it’s pretty above the clouds:

And in seat 1A, free entertainment:

No photo of lunch, but it was the turkey ensalade capresse warm sandwich of other trips. And more funny bits of reading material:

Lots of that arranged for Kansas City!

Dinner with Paul and Gail the first night around the part of town the old Subs Pub was located at Café Trio. Interesting drink menu:

I started with the Fig Manhattan before moving onto the Rosemary and Maple Whiskey Sour – Gail went with the White Icicle:

And for my dessert, something with a little Foie Gras:

It was pretty, but the little roll things needed to be room temperature, not chilled.

Gail headed back to Greenwood (their “summer residence”) where they have taken the cat to make my visit easier and Paul and I headed to The Green Lady, a 7-day-a-week jazz bar – and it was amazing. Not often to you see a trio composed of vibes, Hammond B-3, drums:

And here is a little of the music:

And, of course, a couple of more Manhattans:

The nice thing about staying with Paul is that we BOTH sleep in super late – so that breakfast was actually LUNCH at Arthur Bryant’s. Paul had the pulled pork/beef combo sandwich:

I went for the “Pig On A Bun”:

After lunch, bought two cases of Arthur Bryant’s Original BBQ Sauce for the shop, then we swung by Gates to pick up a case of their original sauce – and the trunk shows it:

Tonight’s gathering is at Harry’s Country Club where the gang plans to meet.

Oddly enough I didn’t get ANY pictures of all eight of us gathered in a little mini-reunion. Paul and Gail from Kansas City, Phil, Diane, Byron, Vicki, and Retta from Lawrence – I was amazed that the Lawrence folks would drive over for a mid-week dinner.

I DID get pictures of my lunch the next day back at Harrys – the pastrami sandwich lunch special with potato salad:

No cocktails for me at lunch, just iced tea – but if I wanted whiskey – man do they have a selection!

Before you know it, it’s time to load up for the airport, and my return trip – just A LITTLE luggage:

Yep – it was easier to use a cart to get it all down stairs.

No upgrade for the way home – I was number 11 on a list of 27 – on a THURSDAY! At least I got one of the 4 empty seats between me and a MVP Gold 75K flier in the window:

And with the complimentary cocktail when I don’t get upgraded:

Whippet picked me up at the airport (handy with all that luggage!) so I took him to an old-school Seattle institution, The Thirteen Coins. Must be a theme…. Pastrami for lunch, Ruben for dinner. Actually, we both had the Rueben, mine with a Manhattan side:

A quick,but fun, trip back home.

[215.4]

There has to be a dirty limerick in their someplace – I’m taking suggestions!

Ryan actually booked early November THREE MONTHS AGO and it’s a good thing he did – every other week or so I’d email him, “still coming?” since there was always some good travel deal for that week.

He’s doing a leisurely not anything really scheduled West Coast ramble with an initial stop in Colorado before he headed to Seattle. I made an exception and I’m hosting him for more that my normal three day max – in the end it turned out to be five days (maybe a record).

First night he arrived – sent him this picture so he would know what house he was looking for:

Yep – my house, my car, my untrimmed front yard.

Nice guy – lives on Nantucket, works in his families wine/liquor store – hence the reason for the exception to stay limits. I think this was dinner the first night with my buddy Whippet:

Surf and turf with King Crab Legs – I wanted to show him how we grow crabs on the west coast.

He was excited that I had a pass to the Museum of Flight – trying to get the MOST use out of that pass before it expires at the end of the year – took him over there and checked us both in and gave him my tour of the Concorde that they have open to the public, plus they’ve added some new plane in anticipation of opening their new airplane display space that’s completely under a roof:

You can see it in the background even though it’s actually on the other side of East Marginal Way.

I left him to explore and on my way back to car, caught this great shot of 737 fuselages headed from Wichita, Kansas to Everett for final assembly:

Just add some wing and a few other parts…

He also made use of my “North American Reciprocal” pass (came with the Tacoma Art Museum membership I bought to support the AidsArtAmerica exhibition) to go back to the Experience Music Project ($22 the first time he visited) to go play the old video games – not worth $22, but totally worth it if it’s free. Most of his days were spent exploring the city and trying to decide whether he was headed north or south after my place.

I convinced him that since he was so close to Canada AND he had his passport that he should head north – dropped him off at the BoltBus on my way to work.

Thanks for the great visit Ryan, come back anytime.

Safe travels.

[216.4]

This time of year I like a little sun – and this week it was Palm Springs with my buddy Craig.

Why I booked the “1-stop” to Palm Springs (SFO was the stop) I don’t know why – probably the cost. Downside it that to get the upgrade it has to be available on both legs. And I couldn’t even get an aisle seat so I’m in the window….

On the upside, I did see a Seattle buddy of mine boarding and caught up with him when we landed early – and those of us continuing on were allowed off the airplane:

He recommended a snack place in A Terminal, and then I remembered I had time to hit the Cathy Pacific Lounge which my Alaska Board Room – alas, it was past lunch and so the “noodle bar” was closed, and I was down to free drinks, bags of chips and cookies.

Got back to the gate, got my window seat in 6A (bulkhead) when I got an unexpected new ticket….

3F, not my favorite, especially with a “bag of dog” under the adjoining seat – who was actually a sweet dog, unlike other dogs I’ve seen in First Class. And the view wasn’t bad:

Craig is an hour plus late – the usual fun traffic getting from Los Angeles to Palm Springs – at least I have dinner protein with me – just need to find the vegetables and Bourbon.

Veal chops off the grill (on the deck) with a little Bonny Boon white wine.

Before I forget, shots of the two-bedroom condo at the WorldMark Palm Springs:

But after dinner, this is what happened to Craig… the stress of driving in from LA…

No late night partying for us – and we were greeted with this in the morning….

Unfortunately you can tell that it’s a little on the cool side, and there is a big breeze – no pool-side time today. View is from our 3^rd floor balcony. And our breakfast!

We could have gone to Denny’s on the next block, we have 15% off coupons!

Both Craig and I have work to do while we are on this trip so half the dining table is work space:

He even brought a second monitor! That said, we had to get a power strip from housekeeping.

One of the interesting things about this building (one of the older in the WorldMark system) is the elevator, which smells of wire-rope grease – considering it’s age, not surprising. Look at the floor plate:

Which, of course, led me to track down all these companies that have their logos cast in aluminum. In trying to track down company information I found a video – a video of an ELEVATOR, another one from California. Who takes video of elevators? With commentary about all the features:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSZkZPRb2yM

Tempted to imbed, but it’s just too odd, even for me. Really – who takes videos of elevators?

Another day, another dinner. Rack of ribs on the grill (coffee rub), asparagus, chanterelles, salad. Hard life in The Springs.

After dinner Mr. Craig is headed out to some underwear night at a local bar. No wearing underwear, I decline.

If it’s an underwear night – guessing he isn’t going “commando”, which, it’s weird to hear that phrase used in toilet paper commercials.

Before you know it, its breakfast time – and the standard “Uncle Markie” breakfast – eggs and whatever meat is left over from the previous evening:

Though we both have work – after yesterday’s blustery weather we need pool time! And look what we find:

That would be Craig in the center with a couple of boys from Seattle and yours truly poolside. Beats the Seattle rain.

Meanwhile, Palm Springs is preparing for their annual Gay Pride Parade:

Right in front of our condo:

And before you know it – it’s time for lamb ribs off the grill – gotta love a grill in a condo:

Eatin’ on the road ain’t too bad, but soon it’s back into the air headed home. The Palm Springs Airport reminds me of the open air terminals in Hawaii:

Drinks on board, yep, got upgraded to First:

And scenery:

And the turkey caprese warm sandwich on a bed of salad – should have put the salad in the sandwich, but damn good either way:

Before I knew it – back at Sea-Tac waiting for my bag filled with booze:

Got work in the morning.

[219.6]

Friends of mine (Hummingbird & BamBam) bought a Greek Orthodox Church & Hermitage on the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia.

But first I have to get there – and with the ferry on the tail end, decided to stop at the WorldMark Blaine. After dinner I have a Friend from Bellingham stopping by for a bit – student, so it’s a quick visit. Hopefully he’ll like the place:

The view – earlier and later.

And the interior:

Not bad for $56 for the night – 2-bedroom condo with a fireplace and a view – made myself a nice steak dinner, and breakfast for the boy since he was famished from studying all day.

Had the offer to do “The Owner Re-education” for breakfast and some money – passed – made breakfast for myself and headed north.

Stopped at duty-free and got a really good deal – my punch card from Pac-Can Duty Free was full – meaning $10 off on my $22 Jack Daniels 1.14 liter bottle. No THAT’S a deal. And even better – NO ONE in line, either NEXUS or regular – it was like the zombie apocalypse had passed through.

Another hour and I was in line at the ferry from Horseshoe Bay to Langdale – and the boys.

And the Indian Vegetarian Snack Stand in the parking lot.

Welcome to the jumping off point to hippy land. And the view is nice….

And a little snack that is NOT on the diet plan – wanted the soft drink, came with fries:

The approach to the island….

The boys are pretty close to the harbour (since I’m now in CanadaLand, I’ll use the Canadian spelling)…this is the Hermitage where I’m staying (4-bedrooms, full kitchen):

The church is down the hill, which, oddly, I didn’t get any pictures – complete with chapel and monastic “cells”, though the boys sleep in a more standard size bedroom. Here is the view from my deck:

This is why they call it the Sunshine Coast:

I had the Hermitage to myself except during the days for meals – which we ate together in the cat-free Hermitage. There was Tobias (Toby) that followed the boys everywhere:

Yep, that’s a whippet – strangely a whippet that has never raced which is a rarity – most are rescue dogs, a lot from Spain.

Good meals, good times:

 

In the morning (late) it was off to town on an errand run… and lunch! Off to Gibbons we go through the fog:

Lunch is in the old part of Gibsons….

Cute little town, complete with a sushi restaurant (our choice after checking out the menus of the places that were open). That would be Sushi Bar Nagomi.

We both got the “box set lunch special” for $10 CAD – with BamBam getting the noodle salad option, and me getting the gyoza option – both came with Miso Soup and a California Roll. $9 for the large Saké. I love their FaceBook review sign in the window: “No Tempura, No [Something Else], Just Fresh Seafood.” True it was.

Back to the house for dinner – just staying the two nights. But not before a little Jinga:

Yep – open floor plan!

Lamb Roast on a bed of potatoes, salad, blood of Christ.

And before you knew it, I was on the road back to Seattle, straight through so I can get ready for dinner with friends on Friday.

[219.8]

My East Coast contingent has been begging for a visit so off I go (it doesn’t take much convincing, just a decent fare and hopefully an upgrade or two).

Paid more than I’d like (close to $500), but I was able to use my last two MVP Gold Upgrades for a guaranteed First Class on the Monday night red-eye to Boston, coming back through Portland on the dinner flight.

Uber’d to the airport since who knows what state I’ll be in on my return.

One of the things I really like about Alaska Airlines is their on-time rate (and best in the US for fuel efficiency):

…had a soup and salad dinner at The Board Room:

That would be (clockwise): green leaf salad with ranch and cheese cubes, molasses cookies (which I packed away for later – actually had a spare zip-lock bag courtesy of the TSA), chili, Yankee pot roast soup, whiskey/diet. On the red-eye, it’s always a crap shoot of what you will get served on-board, definitely not a full meal.

And no, that isn’t a potato, that’s a dark roll to go with the Caesar Salad.

For the first couple of hours the service up front was great, even with just one attendant working the section, but as three quarters of the cabin went to sleep – service quality died. Snack basket make a quick trip down the aisle missing me (had to go ask – and I’m in the first row aisle with the light on. Forget more drinks without asking even though there were several of us waiting TV. It seemed that the Fall Fashion issue of Elle was more important than customer service. And yes, I know flight attendant’s main duty is to protect our safety.

That said, I did log on and leave comments after I returned home about the flights going and coming, and the STARK difference in service levels in the same cabin. I’m used to the crew at American, United, Delta on the red-eyes and long international flights being happier sitting there with their reading material, but not on Alaska (usually). The return crew were all 20 year plus at Alaska and were fantastic on the dinner run from Boston to Portland. In less than 24 hours after my comments were submitted (on a weekend!) I got this response back:

Good Morning Mr. Souder,

Thank you for completing our survey regarding your flight. As a valued passenger, I sincerely apologize that you didn’t receive customer service that met or exceeded your expectations while seated in first class. Being unhelpful or unfriendly, even if it is on a “Red Eye”, is certainly not our norm or something we condone at Alaska Airlines. We strive to provide exemplary service on each and every flight to all of our passengers and it sounds like we fell short.

By taking the time to contact us and giving us your feedback, you have not only given me the opportunity to hear your concerns, but also an opportunity to be proactive in preventing a similar situation from occurring again. I would like to offer you the following compensation of a $50.00 e-certificate which you should expect via email within the next 10 business days.

I am confident that on a future flight you will enjoy the high level of service that Alaska Airlines is known for and that you deserve.

Kind Regards,
Nicole XXXX
Alaska Airlines

And this is another reason I’m a huge Alaska Airlines fan.

Saint Jill picked me up at the airport in Boston on my very early arrival – hence the name, “Saint Jill“.

After a long nap it was out for “loooobsterrrr”….Belle Isle Seafood here we come. Not cheap, but a ton of lobster (could have used just a tiny bit more mayo):

Did a little sightseeing in the afternoon…

Before I started in on dinner called “what’s near the end of its life in Saint Jill’s fridge. The base of ground beef, sautéed onions, peppers, etc.

Then toss in spinach and cheese for a one skillet meal:

Served over spaghetti… not a bad meal, all and all:

Hooked up with Pucci after he got off work – staying there because Saint Jill’s place is small, I snore, and Murphy sheds. Aisling is out of town so it’s a long night of drinking and catching up.

Breakfast/Lunch at Strip T’s – I opted for the Turkey Rubin with Pucci opting for the buttermilk fried chicken:

GREAT pickles – but a seriously non-OSHA bathroom in the basement, labeled with a sign saying, “Use Extreme Caution Using This Restroom” – certainly worthy of a picture:

Yep – the toilet is up several steps.

Pucci needed to go back to work so he dropped me off in Harvard Square where Jill was to meet me for a little culture. Kind of fun hanging out on Harvard Square – under the watchful eyes of Dewey, Cheetham, & Howe right about the Curious George store:

Lovely fall day…

Turns out Netta was also floating around after a doctor’s appointment (same thing as Jill was doing) so we all met up at Starbucks…

Great to hang out and catch up, but soon Jill and I were walking across the quad to the museum:

The Harvard Art Museum was having a showing of a pop artist that Jill likes. Name is Corita Kent…no photos of the exhibition (forbidden) but one of the inside:

All that culture made us want a little snack at The Russell House….

After culture and cuisine, it was time to walk over to Jill’s Mom’s place for cocktails and dinner…forgot to take a shot of her view of The Charles from her 3-bedroom condo, but I did get some food shots!

By the third bottle we finally found an old white that wasn’t off…

Amazingly it was the oldest (2000 Cheverny) that was OK, while the 2004 Pouilly Fume and the 2001 Latour Pouilly Fuse were both off but in different ways. The Cheverny went quite nicely with the Oysters (yes, more oysters) on the half shell:

Followed by some appetizers (grave lox, salamis):

Followed by the salad course (greens, pears, beets, Blue Cheese dressing):

Then the main: (swordfish, roasted potatoes, asparagus):

Then dessert with a lovely 1985 Sauternes:

Why go out when Jill’s mother cooks like this!

Back to Pucci’s after dinner – and in the morning Jill swung by to take me lunch and then to the airport – lunch Greek at Demos. This would be the lamb shish kebab salad.

After doing a little more sightseeing – like the Mystic Brewing in Chelsie:

Yes, I drank be, 4 different 4 ounce samples. Then it was off to the airport.

Contrary to rumors, terminal C for Alaska isn’t too great – they are off in a little wing with its own TSA checkpoint and little in the way of food/drink:

I had to walk to Terminal B to use the American Admirals Club – which is huge and the food good:

But, it’s a 15 minute walk in each direction. Oh well, walking is good for me. And there was also good food on the dinner flight home starting with a nice salad:

Then the main course:

And ending with dessert:

Not a direct flight home – I connected in Portland. Good thing I took a cab home!

{217.8]

Birthday time in Berkeley, California, just not mine. The birthday boy is Lunetta – who is turning an unspecified age. But first, I have to get there, and it’s a morning flight, so this is what I look like in my favorite seat, 1C:

But they wake me up with food – it’s an hour and a half, so it’s the fruit/cheese/cracker plate (with a Seattle Chocolate):

And finally awake by the time I’m at the Oakland airport….

I should have stepped further down to be under the Alaska sign – as that’s my airline of choice.

Lots of plans this trip. Booze shopping (maximum per checked bag is 5 liters, all of which must be under 120 proof), dropping off my passport at the Vietnamese Embassy for a visa for my January trip to visit Sean, and, of course, cooking the birthday boy a birthday dinner of braised lamb shank.

Here is my adventure in pictures….

After a lovely welcome dinner (scallops and a citrus salad prepared by the boys), it was time to get out of bed and get to the Embassy to stand in line, but first I have to get there. BART to the Civic Center exit:

But when I got there – a police involved shooting that shut down many intersections (and most of the Civic Center BART exits):

Walked a handful of block to where traffic was moving and hailed a cab – when I mentioned 1800 California, I’m going to the Vietnamese Embassy – he corrected me, “That is 1700 California, I’m Vietnamese – when are you going?” The Embassy’s Visa Section is on the 8^th floor of a random medical building:

But since I was early (they have a LONG lunch from Noon to 2:30), I popped across the street for a Vietnamese snack (Summer Rolls) from Whole Foods:

I was third in line when the Visa Section opened….

Took less than 15 minutes….and $100 – maybe I should have just showed up at SGN (Ho Chi Min airport, though the code is left over from Saigon) with the “invitation letter” and paid the $46 – oh well, less time at the airport in January.

An amusing truck in front of the embassy – modified with tape…

So much for the Budget brand.

This morning in a moment of clarity I emailed my buddy Moody to see if he was around since he hadn’t been answering text messages – he was, so after I was done at the embassy, I started the zig-zag walk to the Union Square area where he goes to school. It has been years since I’ve walked around San Francisco as a tourist, especially in The Tenderloin. Here are some of my favorite photos:

That would be a bad deal on their part for me as a customer…

Love these old neon signs around The Tenderloin:

And who can’t resist an amusing Chinese restaurant name…

That’s how I like them, Hung Phat. It actually looks like it’s permanently closed with someone living in the space.

Hooked up with Moody at the Powell BART station for the ride to Berkeley for dinner with the boys. It’s good to see him again – last time was in July – way too long!

Tonight’s dinner was BBQ’d Chicken Breasts with a lovely salad.

Wish he could have stayed the night, but it’s a school night for him – damn higher education!

Morning with strata (and egg dish) and a shot of my work desk in Berkeley:

Life is hard on the road (#lifeishard, #unclemarkie, #ontheroadagain) and the birthday dinner is no exception. I did a shopping run of BevMo and the Berkeley Bowl (dangerous place) to get the supplies for the Birthday Meal of Braised Lamb Shanks….first you braise:

Then you boil:

Then you plate:

Then you eat:

My trip ended with a SERIOUSLY early from back from Oakland – at least I was in First coming and now going – easier for me to sleep, especially with a couple of Red Barons (Champagne & Cranberry Juice, also known as a Poinsettia) in me. Odd thing is what I was travelling with – a BBQ that I bought at BevMo because it was $9.95 (plus tax), and a couple of pounds of rabbit meat:

Landed at a little after 11am, so that I could have a quick nap before reporting to the shop at 1:30.

[217.8]

When you discover friends are in town (well, not your town), you hit the rails!

Dear friends of mine from the Midwest are in Portland – one having moved there from DC, the other who helped with the road trip. What a lovely way to spend a day – up early (OK, that part wasn’t so good), UBER to the train station early to see if you can use an “upgrade” coupon from Coach to Business (yes, but after much of the agent calling their help number, all was fine with a $3.50 extra fee because it couldn’t be used with my AAA discount).

After all that was said and done, went to check in for the Coach trip south, and the Amtrak agent said, “Thanks for knowing the drill and having your ID out – here, have two seats to yourself.” The day is getting better:

It was early, so it’s breakfast on the track, which wasn’t as bad as I was expecting….

I was texting my buddy Roxy on the way down – and sent him this photo of me in Olympia (where he lives):

Yes, that is a Bloody Mary with my breakfast bagel sandwich. Lunch was MUCH better at Olympia Provisions in the Produce District of Portland….

Yes, that is a Manhattan – cheers, Mom. That’s “The Morty”, mostly mortadella. The girls had “The Randy”….

And the three of us, with Retta “looking like a deer in the headlights.”

It was a quick visit, but a fun one. Got dropped off early to see if I could get a stamp for a Priority Mail envelope and maybe a passport photo. Turns out my old post office – the main branch for Portland – was swamped with people, so I just explored the station and took some great shots:

Gorgeous day, gorgeous station.

    

Yeah, this station is a class act – complete with incredibly stocked News/Cigar/Grill/T-Shirts/Postcards/TrainPins shop. Seattle needs something like that as there is at least as much traffic – guessing the rent would be crazy (but they did leave space for it in the station).

Saw a couple of private rail cars in the yard in Portland…

They belong to American Railway Explorer which owns three cars that they rent out. In the yard was the Kansas (pictured above) and the California.

It’s a lovely run up and down the coast – for now. Soon they will shave off a very beautiful piece and save 15 minutes and have less train traffic to contend with – but you will miss these views:

Can’t match those views – the new route is inland…

Those scenic shots were taken at about where Highway 16 (the Tacoma Narrows Bridge) crosses the water. New route will be faster, but I’ll miss the view.

Home in time for a late dinner, for tomorrow it’s off to Berkeley.

[? ? ?]

I didn’t realize how many people know about my phobia/dislike of hospitals so it came as a surprise when I got messages telling me what a good friend I was to actually FLY someplace to go to SOMEPLACE that I didn’t really like – but, it’s for a dear friend. Hard to imagine that two weeks ago we were travelling through the Midwest on our way to New Orleans to celebrate my birthday and now I’m here with him at the hospital. It was a planned surgery, one that was put off for two weeks so we could holiday first. The New Orleans trip had been planned for at least six months.

From the airport straight to the hospital:

Apparently the Catholics and the Jews can coexist in medicine, both on the outside of the building and the inside. Each room has both a cross on the inside and a Mezuzah outside on the door frame:

Guess we should a “before” shot…

And then there are the surgery shots….

Hard to believe that’s my buddy insides…but he has the photographs to prove it, along with the scar. Beside an aneurism (which they cut out) he had a leaky aorta, with only 60% of the blood making it through. Now he has a bovine (yes, as in cow) valve implant. He’s now a cross-species wonder to behold.

Here he is post-surgery with tubes and wires and whatnot coming out of him.

And resting semi-comfortably…as comfortably as one can who just had their chest cracked open – I took this shot the day after his surgery:

Wednesday afternoon (surgery was Monday morning) it was time to remove the drainage tubes – something I DID NOT stay to watch. I hung out with his father in the hallway. It’s still hard for me to look at these pictures, but I have to size them:

With the tubes out his color totally brightened as did his mood – sitting up and even walking:

Had to leave Thursday afternoon – dropped by to visit – and he was pretty out of it. Mostly just held space for him. Apparently it’s not unusual to have day four be a hard day – but they still let him go home later that afternoon, which is what he had been wanting.

As for me, after I left Dan I set up my office in the Admiral’s Club at Denver International Airport:

Not a bad way to fly considering I didn’t get upgrades in either direction – generally I was in the mid-teens on a 30+ person list. Lots of 75K flyers sitting around me. As for the blog – probably not anymore hospital posts, but I’ve got a ton of trips planned – finally had to organize the paperwork since it was getting out of control. Each of those unbound books is an upcoming trip!

And to wrap up this post, an update on my buddy Dan. He was readmitted to a hospital closer to home for a couple of days because of a little pneumonia – but according to him, the food was much better (flat iron steak and mac & cheese) with the built-in bonus of an emotional support dog:

Next week, Berkeley!

[? ? ?]

I had the rare (and free) opportunity to attend the opening of ArtAidsAmerica at the Tacoma Art Museum. It’s pretty amazing that this very controversial art opening in happening in the generally sleepy town of Tacoma, Washington, though I noticed some heavy hitters from the Seattle art scene in attendance. The exhibit runs through January 10th.

ArtAidsAmerica is AIDS seen through the lens of artists who lived through the epidemic, some of them making it through alive, many not so lucky.

And because you all know I love my food and booze, first that, then the art – as in, start off light, end heavy.

Good to know that The Tacoma Art Museum features my friend’s wine, Locus (they had the rose, which is lovely):

Funny how I totally got the focus of the shot to be their wine. And then there was the Macaroni & Cheese Bar (think bacon bits, green onions, shaved asiago, etc.):

But really this is about the art – it was a sobering display, one that at many times left me with tears streaming down my cheeks, and I was not the only one.

The last being a Keith Haring tryptic. An incredible exhibit – one that made me join The Tacoma Art Museum at the Pioneer Level which means guest passes, big discounts at the store, free entrances to other museums – INCLUDING EMP which I might finally see – that alone was worth the $125. That, and I wanted the Museum to know that I appreciated them being the launch city for this groundbreaking exhibit. When I got an email from TAM, I inquired as if more people had joined. They got a handful of new members that night. Yahoo.

My invitation was from one of the artists, who I will refer to as CIM since I don’t have his permission to use his name and suddenly he’s become VERY concerned about reputation/image/legacy, not truly sure, but I won’t include a non-controversial picture I snapped and DEFINATLY won’t include the “photo booth” candid shot that he was spitting mad that I posted on Facebook, that he saw, and INSTANTLY asked me to take down which I did, and sent him a photo of the physical photo ritually burning in a New Hampshire “Live Free or Die” ashtray – never one to waste a metaphor. Both actual and digital bits for both are now in the wind. Keep in mind – I’ve known this person for 30+ years – THROUGH the AIDS epidemic (some would say we still are in epidemic), published tons of his very edgy work, and yet, after all these years, this. Happy to bow to his wishes, but it has caused me to reevaluate our ongoing relationship. You either grow closer or you grow further apart. Personally I think he should lighten up – but everyone has their way of dealing with the world.

The exhibit is worth going to no matter your sexual persuasion.

[215.8]

All good things come to an end, hopefully in first class – which I’d prearranged with a coupon and a few extra dollars. They give me 4-6 a year, unfortunately they no longer work on the cheapest fares, but if I have to travel at the last minute (or month), they are handy since I’m already paying a premium.

New Orleans is trying to upgrade its facilities, but it suffers the same problem as Kansas City’s airport – it was designed BEFORE (or during, in which case it’s too late) hijacking, 911, radical security. The plan in those days was 50 yards from the gate (in Kansas City’s case) in concentric rings. The problem with New Orleans’s airport is it goes out like fingers with security at each beginning of the finger – with no way to get between terminals behind security (LAX also suffers from this problem). If you happen to be connecting from one airline to another – you are shit out of luck and need to exit and go back through security – or in my case, wanting to hang out with Dan in Terminal B, when I’m in Terminal C, and the airline club I have free access to is in Terminal D (I have no idea what is in Terminal A in New Orleans).

The problem with most airport designs is that they aren’t “blank slate” designs – they are cobbled together over years. In the case of the Kansas City airport, they had a “blank slate”, but as they were building it, the world changed. Here is their original plan – one that they are thinking about rebuilding at the other end of the runway and tearing down the current one. In each of the rings there are four+ small screening things for each 4 gates, so that’s four screening areas PER ring – forget TSApre (and forget any services POST security – you’ll be lucky to get a bathroom or a vending machine):

It was a great plan – before security concerns. Time to tear it down. But I digress….

So, arrived on The City of New Orleans, leaving on Alaska Airlines. After killing some time in the airport, which to be generous, is a pit. The problem with the “finger” layout is that most terminals don’t have a “sit-down” restaurant. In my terminal there was some “buffet” food, and a “bar” with a walk up window and plastic glasses – not what one would expect from the Food Capital of the South. I got a dog here – though they were down to one model (again, not good):

Like I said, I wasn’t that Lucky – no Cajun Dogs left at 3 in the afternoon. Luckily, this was a “tide me over” snack before the flight where there was real food (I know, I just said that about airline food).

It was worth the extra couple of bucks for the guaranteed upgrade rather than sweating it out an upgrade at 72 hours, then 48 hours, then 24 hours, then at the gate. It much nicer to be greeted with this:

The starter (HOT nuts, Jack & Diet, DigiPlayer):

The mezzo (bun, prosciutto, potato salad with mascarpone and truffle oil and a random tomato):

The main (herb roasted Mahi Mahi, lemon fennel rice with white bean, tomato and caper ragu):

The dessert I shouldn’t have eaten (chocolate chip cream filled cake):

THIS, on a three hour flight. And this is why I love long flight up front.

Luckily I had someone (Thank you, Kurt!) picking me up at the airport!

[? ? ?] The next day I got on the scale after 9 days on the road and was SHOCKED – I didn’t gain any weight. There is no god. Or I was walking multiple times more than usual.

One of my traditions on the first night arriving in New Orleans is to wander down the street and go to Houstons. Yes, it’s a chain, albeit a small one, but I know there will be live jazz and that I can grab a spot in the bar and just eat good food and listen to good jazz. Isn’t that what New Orleans is about? Even better when you don’t have to fight the crowds in the French Quarter. Oddly enough, I pulled the dinner menu for the Kansas City branch (since I’ll be there in November) and I wasn’t as impressed – the New Orleans menu is much better.

This visit I took Dan along on my tradition. No Colonels as they were a bit under the weather.

That would be the band over our shoulders and Manhattans in front of our shoulders. And the food!

    

    

Clockwise from upper-left-hand: Hand-cut Fries, Oysters St. Charles, Skillet Cornbread, Gulf Coast Style Fish Sandwich. Not a dog in the lot. Yep, wees in nawlins.

If this blog post doesn’t make you hungry I pray for your soul.

Sightseeing for the first full day both The Colonels and I have the same idea, The Southern Food & Beverage Museum which was closed for relocation the last time I was in NOLA. But first, a visit to their on-site restaurant, Purloo (which is a traditional dish made with whatever meat happened to be leftover). The food did not disappoint (nor the atmosphere):

The bar (and the cute hipster bar tender) above, and The Colonels below:

And even though it’s only noon, I had to try their Old Fashioned which warrants a full-size photo AND the recipe: Bourbon or Rye with Demerara Syrup, El Guapo Chicory Pecan Bitters and Citrus Peel. I went for the Rye (and I remember a little mint in there as well).

And the food – not sure where the last photo is! Pretty sure Mr. Colonel had with Fried Chicken with Tasso Mac & Cheese and pickled Okra. Mrs. Colonel had the marinated flank steak over Thai noodles:

Dan had the fried catfish with stone ground grits and collard greens with a smoked tomato gravy…

And I went for a fairly light dish, the Crab Beignets:

Starting to worry about getting on the scales when I return home!

Well nourished, it was time for the Southern Food and Beverage Museum ($10 regular, $8 if you ate at Purloo, $5 Military) which also includes the The Museum of the American Cocktail and the La Galerie d’Absinthe. What’s NOT to love about this place!

And the cocktail section:

With the world’s largest cocktail shaker – 4 at a time!

And for my friend Joe (of Lisa), a collection of Tiki items (he has a Tiki bar in the basement in Indianapolis):

And we close with the pig:

As The Colonels age they are less and less up for going out to dinner, preferring some light appetizers inside, which is what we had before Dan and I headed out to dinner. The thought was The Blind Pelican half a dozen blocks away – but as it turns out it was “Friday Night Fight Night” (Military with ID get in free).

Yep, the blocked off the street and put up a covered fence. Second choice was VooDoo BBQ, which wasn’t as good as I remembered it, and with no bartender (on a Friday night no less), no Manhattan – I had to settle for an alcoholic slushy of some sort (which at least they refilled on the way out). We spilt one of the larger dinners:

And the funky interior hallway…

Saturday we made our way to La Place, Louisiana, home to some of the finest andouille sausage makers in the world, but first, lunch at The Cajun Invasion, this odd mix of Cajun and Vietnamese (which considering the number of Vietnamese shrimpers in Louisiana isn’t all that surprising):

Clockwise from upper left: Mrs. Colonel’s crawfish fried rice, Dan’s fried oyster po’boy, and my jambalaya and meat pie (was supposed to be crawfish, oh well). All surprisingly good for a strip mall restaurant in the middle of nowhere.

But the main reason for the trip was andouille sausage – The Colonels favor Jacobs (and they have it shipped), but reviews differ between first and second place for Baileys – and they are almost on top of each other. For me it was a contest of who had the surliest counter people.

Dan ended up with 1 pound of chicken, 1 pound of pork andouille from Baileys, and the same from Jacobs who smokes theirs for 20 minutes longer (according to local lore). Mrs. Colonel just got stuff from Jacobs.

Tonight we finally got to try the Blind Pelican, and boy did we try it!

Got a table outside with a view of the shrimp boiler:

But we weren’t here for the shrimp, we were her for the oysters! 5 dozen to be exact – three dozen raw, and two dozen charbroiled and topped off with a rack of ribs and coleslaw. During happy hour (4-8pm) oysters on the half shell are $3 a dozen (I kid you not) and $7.50 a dozen for the charbroiled – but you have to buy an “adult” beverage for every dozen you order. With Dan and I this wasn’t a problem.

It takes 4 line guys to shuck that many oysters for a full house:

And my aren’t they pretty:

They are VERY strict in their rules around happy hour oysters:

Sunday was a rainy inside day so we stuck close to home – we’d been making breakfast in the room with eggs, bacon, leftovers, and for lunch we went next door to Igor’s Bar, Grill, Laundromat, Library & Pool Hall. It was so weird to be in there with no one smoking, though 50 years of nicotine was still on the walls. Dan got the burger, I got the sausage sandwich:

Dinner tonight was at Basin on Magazine – a little too far to walk, so it was Uber time again! More oysters on the half shell:

Followed by the corn and crab bisque and seafood gumbo:

And the crispy pulled pork creation (half way through) that wasn’t that crispy:

Birthday breakfast at The Trolley Stop Café – a whopping $3.50!

Packed up the bags, stored them at the desk, and hung around the hotel reading and sitting in the sun – killing time until lunch, and then killing time until the airport.

Lunch was at Pho Orchid, also on the same block as the WorldMark New Orleans. Bun (meat over noodles with broth) for Dan, Korean Beef “tacos” for me.

And then it was time to Uber off to the airport – makes like our 5^th
Uber trip in NOLA. Alas, we are in different terminals (Dan going out Southwest, me going out Alaska), and even the airport lounge I have access i to is in yet a third terminal. We say goodbye at the curb.

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After dinner with Dan’s work buddy, back to the Metropolitan Lounge we go – to pillage some of their snacks to bring along on the train – like we aren’t getting enough food. They have us show up for boarding at 7:10, and we do, in fact, board shortly after. Seems they board sleeping car passengers before the 8pm dinner cut-off so we can all have a real dinner.

Dinner on the train – steak. Not worth the $22 that it is on the menu, but since it was included – damn fine. At least for breakfast they had all the options, though Dan compared the “Railroad French Toast” to Denny’s right down to the Maple Flavored Syrup.

Lunch I went healthy – after yesterday’s no greens – NEEDED GREENS – and not the kind cooked in ham hocks, although those are mighty fine as well:

Dan went for the Turkey Meatballs with pasta – the meatballs were good (he let me have half a one) but it’s in a tomato sauce that would give me heartburn.

We get out at Jackson, Mississippi where a buddy of mine lives – but they don’t let non-ticketed folks onto the platform like many other cites – so I have yet to meet Ed in person. Ed is an old LRYer that grew up with many of the same people I did – and we share some interests – letterpress for one. He has a working linotype that he uses set the smaller lead type that my eyes are too old for. He also has a dozen jukeboxes that he services with vintage and new 45’s. Did I mention that he also has a (well, several) 35mm projector that he hauls out in the summer for movie nights to show his collection of “B” movies in their original format. Someday I’ll have to book a ticket where I can stop and sit a spell (as they say in the south).

As we leave Jackson, Mississippi, I shot this odd little scene from the front sleeper car hooked up in its normal configuration – closest to the engine after the baggage car (and transition sleeper for those two-night trains).

Not sure why I took this shot – other than it shows the beautiful clouds and trees of the south:

We while away the hours (the train, is, of course, running late) hanging out in the cabin making cocktails….

And eating jerky since my salad has long passed through my system:

And just watching the scenery roll by:

Before you know it, New Orleans is upon us – the view from the lot of the Amtrak station:

Not a bad view from our one-bedroom unit at the WorldMark Avenue Plaza…

Had a brief visit with The Colonels – they had to cancel picking us up at the train station due to some digestive problems on the part of Mrs. Colonel. They are staying at the Avenue Plaza but in one of the Wyndham units. Luckily Uber started up in New Orleans four months ago. Click on the Uber link and get a free ride (up to $20) and I get one too!

New Orleans here we are!

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I sometimes feels like I’ll be on the road all the month of September (and October and November). This installment if from the California Zephyr between Denver and Chicago. What I learned is that two people in a Roomette is a tight squeeze.

As you can see by how close our knees are!

Bring lots of booze and mixers, it’s OK according to Amtrak if you are in a sleeper – and they will even uncork your personal wine in the dining car (leave a GOOD tip!). Dwight taught me to give some of the tip up front for better service with the room attendants.

Boarded the Zephyr in time for dinner, went for the short ribs in red wine demi glaze…with a nice bottle of wine we packed with us. Only once have I had them refuse to open a provided bottle – usually all it takes is, “Ours is better, and we tip well.” As usual, I took my dessert “to go” while Dan ate his ice cream at the table. I should point out that there were no salads with our dinner as they had a refrigerator issue and FROZE all the lettuce.

And before you know it, it’s time for bed:

View from the end of the train, which oddly, the sleepers are at. Normally the sleepers are at the front of the train. Because of this:

Everyone’s phone went off at 7AM with flash flood warnings, luckily not for the railway. Almost as good as an alarm clock to get up and have the scrambled eggs – they were out of the omelet, but still had the Railroad French Toast (think Denny’s with the same corn syrup dressing).

Along the way be pass all sorts of stations in all architectural styles… here is the Creston, Iowa station:

But actually, THIS is the Amtrak station in Creston, Iowa:

Or the box that is Ottumwa, Iowa’s station. Extra points for the fictional television character from Ottumwa.

Answer: Radar O’Reilly from the TV series MASH.

It was at Ottumwa, Dan needed to do a little trackside yoga to combat the tight quarters – next time a Bedroom rather than a Roomette:

And here is our lovely room attendant who kept us well stock in ice:

Just after leaving Burlington, Iowa (on the border with Illinois) two hours late, we passed this lovely suspension bridge that I’d actually driven across a couple of years ago when I was visiting Galena, Illinois with Lisa and Joe (stayed at the WorldMark Galena). Galena is mostly known as the home of Ulysses S. Grant.

As you can see, the weather is clearing up. Just in time for lunch – bacon cheeseburgers for the both of us, oddly they’d acquired some iceberg lettuce for the burgers to go with the tomato and onion. And sure enough, the sun is out showing off the corn fields:

And better late than never, we finally arrive in lovely Chicago, a little over two hours late. Here is a shot of the old station which rumor has it they are bringing back to life:

And a GREAT shot of Chicago that looks like Seattle because:

• There are draw bridges
• There is a Boeing logo on their headquarters
• There is a Starbucks

Time for a little food – even though they say we are getting dinner on board, I’m skeptical…off we go after trying to reach his CDW rep he deals with…Dan does the logical thing – he goes on Yelp and looks for happy hour specials within 3 blocks. We ended up at Blackies, with half of Chicago hanging out in the sun:

Buffalo Wings and Manhattans – that’s a happy hour!

Dan is looking happy.

As we were leaving Blackies – Dan gets the call – so we are off for MORE cocktails with his CDW rep at the sports bar in the train station!

I love this photo – and before you know it, we are on the train headed to New Orleans. They were serious about the meal – they loaded us 45 minutes before The City of New Orleans was scheduled to leave. No rocking for dinner! Stay tuned for the next post.

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Rarely do I post on a specific venue in my travels, but Denver’s Union Station is nothing short of amazing. I wish Seattle’s King Street Station was this vibrant.

Dan and I had a couple of hours to kill before our train, so I really got a chance to look around the station, which not only boasts a hotel (The Crawford, $339+ a night) but an outlet of the famed bookstore (Tattered Cover). There are shuffle board tables, lots of couches (with outlets) to hang out and eat/drink/read/people watch.

Here are a few pictures of this bustling beauty.

Even the basement was treated with respect – right down to the modern elevator with the retro floor indicator:

I love how they left the limestone foundation showing:

And even saved the old safe door…

That with the renovation, is open at the back!

That’s just nice attention to details.

And then there is the outside of the station – modern blended with classical:

The tracks are for Amtrak and the soon to be completed Light Rail Link to the Denver International Airport – underneath the tracks is the city bus system hub:

All and all, a pretty cool intermodal transit center.

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Not that I haven’t been rambling enough this September, but this one actually includes my birthday.

Step 1: Get to Denver – snagged an upgrade to First Class, though no pictures this time. For the meal, refer to the last two posts of the pan fried gnocchi with a thick Bolognese topping. Yes, more heartburn on the way. Dan snagged me at the airport, but it was 11 by the time we got home. Just enough time to make a cocktail and set up my computer station for the night.

Nice that it swings over the bed.

Step 2: Enjoy the suburbs of Denver by running errands.

• Liquor Store for trip provisions
• Comcast, to exchange a cable box – that transaction took less than 5 minutes, barely giving me time to click a photo of the “museum” in their lobby, cable boxes through the ages.

• Lunch at the Iron Rail Tavern, which was stunning – we split the burger and fries with a side salad and they brought it all already split – with no extra charge!

• Pick up some meat from a meat co-op whose slogan is “Meat Is Murder – Tasty Tasty Murder”…

When I’d planned this trip months ago I didn’t know that this would be a holiday for Dan just before he gets his chest cracked up to repair a leaking aorta – at least he’ll have been of work for a week or so and all relaxed. He even had our evening planned months ago – attending this thing called, “The Moth“, but first, dinner at Curry n Kabob (Indian Food) where I had the goat chops:

Followed by a lovely sunset…

The show was at the old Boulder Theatre…

The best way to explain “The Moth” is storytelling done as standup. Three pieces in the first act, two (plus a story by the host) in the second. The last one brought me to tears, literally, as well as Randall, who had just lost his grandmother yesterday, and his girlfriend got the call during dinner that she had lost hers. Man did I need a drink after we got home.

Step 3: Get yea to the train.

Dan’s father George gave as a lift to the station, but we were hours early – at least it’s a nice station to be early at (see separate report on the Denver’s Union Station). Time for some happy hour action. First stop is a place I’d eaten at the last time I was through, Stoic & Genuine:

Oysters on the half shell (4 each of three kinds followed by a repeat 4 of our favorite – the Little Shemogues from New Brunswick) at $2 each with a glass of Muscadet ($3):

Round Two of our happy hour sampling was next door at The Kitchen Next Door Community Pub.

Where we had the salt/pepper calamari, fried pickles, and a couple of Mules.

Alas the waiter was better than the food. The waiter was damn fine.

Time to catch our train…and get a full steak dinner aboard. One of the conductors played us a few tunes while we waited – we wasn’t bad and could play anything that folks called out (though only the first verse):

Time to say goodbye to Denver.

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