Posted by Seth on July 31, 2011 under Trip Reports | 
Yes, it was only 9am local time when I walked into your bar an ordered a pilsner (and a water). Yes, I was the only person drinking in the lounge at that hour.
Yes, I am ridiculous.
Still, you shouldn’t judge me. You don’t know what time zone my brain was on at the time (yours, sadly) or whether I have a real problem or am just thirsty. You don’t even know if yours was the first beer I consumed that day (it wasn’t).
All I’m saying is that when I pass through a lounge, I might not be so normal. Actually, I know I’m not so normal. Still, don’t judge me. After all, I really do like beer.
Also, thank you for singing "Easy like Sunday morning" to me as you served said beer. I had, in fact, forgotten what day it was. No, really, I had no idea.
Posted by Seth on July 30, 2011 under Dining, Review, Trip Reports |
Our journey through the Canadian Maritime provinces was yet another in the long list of trips where I truly wish I could eat more. The food was delicious at every turn. One particularly difficult choice we faced was lunch on our last day in the area. We had just finished up our kayaking trip so we had definitely earned a good meal. Alas, there are two restaurants in Neil’s Harbor to choose from and we had only one meal to eat.
We ended up at Sea Breeze, supposedly sacrificing the view slightly for a better seafood chowder. After lunch we walked out to the lighthouse and saw the other restaurant and I cannot believe that the view there was sufficiently better to justify giving up anything on quality of food, mostly because the food at Sea Breeze was delicious and the view didn’t particularly suck.
The restaurant only operates seasonally and doesn’t appear to have changed much over the seasons. The full menu is on display but there’s always a chance that something isn’t available if the seafood isn’t fresh. No crab, for example, when we visited. There are specials, too, adding to the choices. In our case this meant more lobster options, keeping our streak of lobster every day during the trip alive.
Dine inside or out; either way the view is divine, as is the food. The photo above shows the steamed mussels, chowder and lobster burger that I had for lunch.
The Sea Breeze is only open in the summers and is located just off the Cabot Trail.
Posted by Seth on July 29, 2011 under Trip Reports |
There is, without a doubt, a reason that the Skyline Trail in Cape Breton National Park is considered the go to trail when visitors have a limited amount of time to experience the park. Sure, choosing a favorite trail is sortof like choosing your favorite child. They’re all wonderful in their own way and picking just one doesn’t really make a ton of sense. Still, the Skyline Trail generally gets quite high marks and of the trails we hiked it is definitely my favorite.
The Skyline Trail is a rather easy hike across mostly level ground on well groomed gravel trails and boardwalks. The round trip from the parking lot takes 2-3 hours to do the loop, depending on how often you stop to take photos and admire the scenery. Needless to say, our version was a bit on the longer side thanks to my stopping all too often.
At the end of the trail the boardwalk descends out to a point from which the views are simply unbelievable. Full panoramas of the ocean in front and the mountains behind, The boardwalk also serves to protect the area as it is a quite delicate ecosystem that experienced significant erosion prior to the construction of the pathway. And the benches provide great spots to rest, relax and picnic if you’ve remembered to bring food with you (ours was fried chicken and it was delicious!).
There is also an "advanced" version of the trail where part of the loop is less well groomed and less level. No gravel or boardwalks in this area but it is still quite a reasonable track and not particularly strenuous. It also adds a different set of flora and difference vistas to the hike and I highly recommend it.
Oh, and bring your windbreaker. The point juts out into the water in an area where the trade winds meet each other, creating an area where the breeze is more like a gale. You can see this in some of the segments of the video.
Words don’t really do justice to the beauty that is the Skyline Trail. Even the photos and video only show a small chunk of just how beautiful the area is. It certainly isn’t just this one hike that makes the Cabot Trail area a UNESCO World Heritage Site (my 46th visited!) but it doesn’t hurt the cause either.
Posted by Seth on July 29, 2011 under Mileage Run, News |
Philippine Airlines is now offering the FLY ASIA PASS, an unlimited flight pass, similar to the BluePass announced by JetBlue yesterday. The Fly Asia Pass is valid for a 7 week travel period, beginning on 15 August 2011. In addition, the pass can include positioning flights from Europe or North America to the Philippines to get started. And, at $270 for economy class or $1070 for business class it seems like a great deal. Seems like one.
The most significant drawback of the Fly Asia Pass is the taxes and fees that will be assessed on the pass flights. More than just the actual taxes and fees, Philippines Airlines will also be assessing "surcharges" for each segment flown. And the surcharges are severe in some cases.
Those numbers will add up pretty quickly. That said, they’re actually not all that dissimilar to the taxes paid for international travel in the Caribbean area which JetBlue BluePass customers would be subject to, but these are not government-imposed which is unfortunate for customers.
The other significant limitation of this Fly Asia Pass is that all flights must be booked within two weeks of purchase. Changes will accrue an additional $50 fee per transaction.
The pass is a reasonable deal if you’re going to be in the region or if you want to fly around the region a lot, but only really if you can fix your travel dates and you’re willing to pay the fees. With standard return fares at around $300-400 on many of the regional routes, if you can commit to the timing of a few trips this pass can be quite reasonable.
Like most crazy deals there will be some winners and some losers. This deal seems to have options for both.
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Posted by Seth on July 28, 2011 under Trip Reports |
Cape Breton is certainly not lacking for incredible beach areas. Both inside the park and out there are many options, all of which are likely to please. Situated at the junction of the old coastal road and the new Cape Breton Trail is the small town of Neil’s Harbor. Just outside the border of the park the beach at Neil’s Harbor offers up some great views, along with a couple dining options and a cute – though small – active harbor and lighthouse worth walking around.
The day we were there the sky happened to have some pretty awesome clouds overhead which made for dramatic photos, though not necessarily sun tanning weather.
A visit to Neil’s Harbor is quite unlikely to be a life-changing experience. Still, it is a pretty place to take a break during a journey through Cape Breton.
Posted by Seth on July 28, 2011 under Trip Reports |
Our arrival at the Kichaka Game Lodge was met by a most unexpected interloper: rain. Lots and lots of rain. So much that they had roads washed out and flooding across parts of the region by the end of the week we were there. Still, we were there for a safari adventure and we were going to have one. A little rain couldn’t hold us back. It probably should have.
We spotted what appeared to be a small break in the rain, changing from downpour to misting drizzle and decided that we’d like to have a go at it. Geoff, our steadfast and dedicated guide agreed to head out, though it wasn’t hard to see that he considered it a somewhat foolish plan. Still, in the face of our unwavering desire he agreed to suit up and take the truck out for a spin.
The roads were, well, not really roads in many areas. The rains had caused small ponds to overflow their banks, turning portions of the park lands in to rivers.
Shortly after our arrival in the park we spotted some antelope. This was incredibly cool to us. Geoff seemed less enthused. It turns out the antelope are everywhere and can be spotted pretty much anywhere and anytime on the reserve. As such, they weren’t nearly as special a sight. Still, they were very cool for us the first time.
An hour or so into the drive we spotted a light yellow splotch on a hill across the way. An animal? A rock? The only way to find out was to drive up and check it out. As we bounced across the hills the light yellow splotch didn’t move. We were convinced it was a rock. It was not. It was this carcass, recently killed by cheetahs and not yet fully picked over.
Looking at it from the road way was fine but not completely rewarding. Given all the rain it was somewhat questionable as to whether we should press forward off the dirt road. Geoff asked our thoughts and I replied with my usual thought, "What’s the worst that could happen??"
This.
We were quite quickly axle-deep in mud, getting rained on, with no way out. And did I mention that we were about 100 feet from a fresh carcass that was not yet fully picked over? Ruh-roh.
We jacked the truck up, filling the mud pit under each of the four tires with rocks gathered from the area. We eventually were able to move about 5 feet before sinking right back into the same mud. Not good at all. All the while, we could feel the animals watching us from the brush, or so we thought. Turns out the cheetahs really were there as we’d discover the next morning. Zoinks!
Eventually another truck drove by and was able to help us out of the mud with a tow rope. And we made it back to the lodge in one piece to the warm welcome of the staff and the bar where hot toddies were consumed n front of the fire to restore warmth to our cold, soaked bodies.
We made it back to the lodge in one piece so the drive can certainly be considered a success. We even spotted a couple animals along the way. Still, it was most definitely not what we expected from our game drives on safari. Fortunately the drive the next morning was much better. Details on that trip coming soon.
Posted by Seth on July 28, 2011 under All You Can Jet, AYCJ, News |
I was quite disappointed when JetBlue announced earlier this year that their wildly successful All You Can Jet program would not be returning this year. The company has apparently not left the "unlimited" flight coupon game completely, however. They announced today are offering BluePass, a three month unlimited flight ticket, with a few limitations.
Most significantly, the pass is targeted at residents of Boston or Long Beach. Each flight must be either to or from those airports, depending on which pass you purchase. Open jaw, circle trips and multi-destination trips are prohibited. This significantly limits the flexibility of the pass relative to the AYCJ passes of the past two years. That said, connecting itineraries are permitted so there are quite a number of interesting routes that can be flown with the unlimited pass.
There are "select" passes available to a limited number of destinations (13 ex-BOS, 9 ex-LGB) or a "full" pass that permits service to all airports in the route network from Boston. The price for the passes are $1299 for the LGB limited pass, $1499 for the BOS limited pass and $1999 for the BOS unlimited pass. Taxes for international destinations are extra.
The passes are valid for travel between August 22 and November 22, 2011. Limited destinations for LGB are: LAS, OAK, SFO, SMF, SLC, PDX, SEA, AUS and ORD. Limited destinations for BOS are: JFK, EWR, BWI, BUF, DCA, IAD, RIC, PIT, RDU, CLT, ORD, BDA, and JAX.
The limitations of only one trip per day and originating or terminating in Boston certainly make this deal a bit harder to call an immediate win given my base in New York City. Were I based in Boston the purchase would already be made. Still, it is quite tempting. I’ll mostly be spending the next few hours trying to figure out if the route map out of Boston is interesting enough and if connecting flights will be permissible such that I can get real value from the deal.
Hopefully they don’t sell out before I figure it out for myself.
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Posted by Seth on July 27, 2011 under Trip Reports |
One of the most enjoyable things about Cape Breton National Park in Nova Scotia is that there are a wide variety of hiking options available. Some trails are many miles and hours long while others can be done in a few minutes from the nearest parking lot. Mary Ann Falls certainly fits in the latter category, making it a great place to visit quickly after hitting up some of the other, more significant bits of the park (or other activities in the region). Oh, and you can go cliff jumping there, too.
The falls are accessible via a dirt road that runs several kilometers up into the park off the main Cape Breton Trail. From the parking area it is only a 10-15 minute walk down to the foot of the falls. The pool at the bottom is swimmable, assuming you can get over the chilly water temperatures. And from the edge of the rock formation one can make a leap into the pool. It isn’t quite so elegant as to be considered proper cliff diving, but it is definitely possible.
After our morning spent kayaking out of Dingwall we had a delicious lunch in Neil’s Harbor before making the drive up to the falls. When we got to the pool we saw some other folks making what appeared to be rather ridiculous leaps into the water.
As ridiculous as the jumps may have appeared, the folks making them survived repeatedly, suggesting that it was probably safe. Before I knew what was happening Linnea had climbed up and was leaping off. After watching her survive the jump I set up my camera and headed over to perform my own jump into the water. Needless to say, it is not the most elegant of moves I’ve ever made. Still, I didn’t flop nor did I injure myself, so I’ll take it.
Easy to get to and lots of fun once you’re there. What more can you ask for??
Posted by Seth on July 24, 2011 under Dining, Flying, Mileage Run, Review, Trip Reports |
Every time I board a long-haul flight with a ticket for a premium cabin seat my expectations are high. When it is a flight in Continental‘s BusinessFirst cabin those expectations might be (probably irrationally) even higher. I’ve had a number of great BF experiences and when I used my last system-wide upgrade to confirm into my favorite seat on that plane – 8E – I had pretty high expectations. I suppose it is no surprise that they were not met given that setup. Still, it was a bit disappointing.
Don’t get me wrong – the seat was still just as awesome as I expected. The foot-well in the bulkhead rows is notably larger than that of the other rows and that makes a big difference for a taller passenger. And the overall seat + IFE experience was top-notch, giving me time to watch a few movies interspersed amongst some naps to pass the time.
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| The difference in the foot-well space in the bulkhead and other rows in the new BusinessFirst seats is noticeable for taller passengers. |
Dinner was a typical multi-course affair. The appetizer and salad were fine, though not particularly special. I was somewhat impressed that the flight attendant took care of one of the nearby passengers and his request for more of the garlic bread even before the service got into full swing but that level of service didn’t extend very far.
For the main courses there was no misSteak™ on the menu. This made my choice a bit harder. I decided against the pork chop and went with the salmon instead. I got what I deserved: a somewhat overcooked piece of salmon.
The cheese course was, as always, pretty if not particularly flavorful.
And apparently I consumed my ice cream sundae so fast that I forgot to take a photo of it. So that’s a good sign, I suppose.
Still, there were a few misses in the service that made the overall experience less than stellar. The drink service was slow on the refills, somewhat surprisingly for a flight with 30% of the cabin empty, and there were a number of requests made that weren’t filled. None significant enough at the time to be an issue but overall the pattern was such that it was apparent the crew wasn’t really in to actually providing service on this particular flight.
Breakfast time – served well after noon in the arrival time zone – was the real service miss that defined the flight for me. Given the choice between cereal and eggs I actually asked what the cereal was. Apparently this was an insult to the flight attendant taking my order; things went downhill from there. I ultimately did choose the Corn Flakes as my breakfast as when they were thrown down on my tray table I realized that apparently asking what the cereal option would be was a bad idea.
I also was somewhat excited for a cinnamon roll as part of my breakfast. When they didn’t show up in the basket I jokingly noted that they must not have been loaded on the flight. About 5 minutes later a plate with two of them, minus the frosting, was tossed on my tray table. Not good to skip confirming whether I wanted them or not. Pretty awful the way they were presented.
Overall the flight was fine. It really probably doesn’t deserve real complaints. Still, there were enough little things gone wrong that it bugged me. The service was definitely not up to the standards that I generally expect from a Continental BusinessFirst crew; definitely worse than my prior experience flying Hong Kong to Newark two months prior.
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Tags: Continental, Dining, in flight, Japan, Newark, Photos, review, Tokyo, Trip Report, TYO2011, upgrade
Posted by Seth on July 23, 2011 under Dining, Mileage Run, Trip Reports |
Trips to Tokyo are, for the most part, all about the food. At least they are for me. It starts with a visit to Tsukiji. There really is nothing finer. Whether you go for the fancy places, a yeoman’s shop or just pick a random stall with a line in front, odds of getting a great meal are incredibly high. This particular trip included a couple different bits at Tsukiji, in addition to the joy of walking the market, that were quite delicious.
As I meandered through the aisles outside the market early on a Saturday morning, lost while trying to find my way to the main entrance of the auction area, I happened upon a number of stalls offering up food stuffs. One in particular caught my eye, with a variety of bun-looking options on offer. I wanted to see the auctions, however, so I kept walking right past. I regretted that decision almost immediately from the moment I did so but I justified it with the higher purpose of getting to the auction. About five minutes later I realized that I was too late and too lost; the auctions were not to be this particular morning. Fortunately I was not yet far enough removed from the bun shop that I could not find my way back.
I retraced my steps and eventually found myself staring down what appeared at first glance as sweet buns of some sort. I could not have been more wrong, nor more happy about the mistake. It turns out that the buns were actually mostly scallops (I think, possibly some other similar seafood) and what appeared to be a sweet glaze wrapping them was actually bacon. It was like a little bit of heaven came down from above and ended up in a fried ball that I could buy for ¥250 (~$3 USD).
While taking advantage of the sustenance provided by the fried ball of goodness I wandered the stalls of Tsukiji, enjoying pretty much everything I saw. And then it was time for a real breakfast. I spent a bit of time – quite a bit too much, really – surveying the options and deciding upon the shop at which I’d be having my sushi breakfast. At the "basic" price point all good and the prices are generally similar. Eventually I chose one that wasn’t so crowded there was a line out the door but also not completely empty. I have no idea what the name was or if I could find it again. But the meal I got was pretty darn good. Not as good as the "upscale" place I went on my last trip a couple years ago but still quite tasty.
My last meal in town (other than the yakitori that deservedly gets its own post) was a lunch with an ex-pat who now lives just outside of town and who graciously agreed to come in on a Saturday and meet up for lunch. I probably should’ve paid more attention to where we went as I have no idea if I could find it again. After reviewing the menu and still not really knowing what the options were I chose one of the set plate lunches for ¥1000 and hoped for the best. I think I did pretty well.
The main course was some chicken over rice with an egg on top. Mixed together, along with some of the chili pepper they put on the side, it was quite tasty. There was also a shooter of a soup broth, some seaweed, pickled something and a gooey green tea dessert that probably isn’t something I’d try again. Still, the meal overall was rather good and quite reasonably priced for the amount and quality of the food.
Knowing that meals like these can be found at reasonable prices all over town, despite Tokyo’s reputation as exceedingly expensive, makes it easy for me to want to go back. After all, with a cheap fare, a cheap room and cheap meals it is possible to soak up quite a lot of the Tokyo experience without breaking the bank.
And when the experience is this delicious that is a glorious thing.
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Posted by Seth on July 22, 2011 under Mileage Run, Trip Reports |
Tokyo has no shortage of great visuals to keep one busy during a visit. Pick any neighborhood and just wander around a bit and you’ll come across awesome sights. With nothing particularly special on my itinerary this past visit it was rather easy to roam the streets, looking for scenes that caught my eye. Here are some of the results.
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| Waiting for a train on the subway platform. |
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| A quick visit to the shrine outside Tsukiji market. |
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| There is something very meta and entertaining to me about this image. |
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| Getting over the heat by playing in the water in one of the local parks near Roppongi. |
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| Young girls enjoying the spoils of their shopping adventures. |
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| Looking down on the amphitheater at Roppongi Hills. |
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| A strange (and quite large) spider statue at Roppongi Hills. |
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| Local hipsters on the train to Narita. |
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Yes, it was only 9am local time when I walked into your bar an ordered a pilsner (and a water). Yes, I was the only person drinking in the lounge at that hour. 
