Posted by Seth on December 14, 2011 under Mileage Run, Trip Reports | 
A visit to Hiroshima can be exhausting. Thank goodness for the island of Miyajima, just south of town, where a visit is rejuvenating and uplifting. It is a great counter to the emotional drain of the Peace Park in the center of town.
Miyajima is actually just a nickname for the island; it means "shrine island." The real name is Itsukushima and the island holds a long and storied history of religious significance. It was in 806 CE that a monk ascended the mountain on the island and established it as an ascetic site for the Shingon Buddhists. The island also has great significance in the Shinto religion as well, and the two have coexisted in an impressively symbiotic manner through the years. This is a great thing for visitors as the two present great sites to visit in a very condensed area.
Perhaps the most famous site on the island – and a UNESCO World Heritage Site – is the Itsukushima Shrine. Known mostly for its floating torii gate, the shrine complex is actually on stilts to help preserve the sanctity of the island. It doesn’t hurt that the stilts also keep the temples out of the water as the tides roll in, but the idea of keeping the commoners off the sacred soil is pretty nifty, too.
The temple itself includes a number of buildings, all lacquered in bright red, but the focus is the "floating" gate. It doesn’t really float; it is solidly planted in the ground just off-shore. But when the tide rolls in the base goes underwater and the visual is awesome. There are boats that offer tours of the gate, taking passengers out to see it up close. There is also a kayak rental shop on the island if you want to get up close on your own. Or, you can do what most tourists do and just take a photo from the shore, either inside the temple grounds or out. That’s what most the folks I saw were doing, including some incredibly cute kids dressed up in their finest.
The other main shrine complex on the island is the Daisho-In. For me this one was much more impressive. Maybe because it wasn’t packed wall-to-wall with tourists. Maybe because it seemed more dedicated to prayer. Or maybe just because I thought the architecture was more impressive. Likely a combination of all of the above. It was pretty awesome.
Just walk 5-10 minutes inland and uphill from the Itsukushima and you run right into the Daisho-In. The grounds are dotted with small prayer statues (hundreds of them and they all appear to be different) and there are a number of prayer wheels on the grounds. Some are on the stairs and others along the paths. All of them are said to bring great fortune to those who touch them as they visit.
There is also an impressive collection of prayer offerings at the shrine. The island is, for some reason, known for its wooden rice spatulas, and that is one of the main souvenirs that is on sale in the markets on the island. It is also apparently one of the more common prayer offering vehicles at the Daisho-In shrine. There were hundreds of them with prayers offered up on them. Some of the prayers were less traditional than others.
The town itself is supposedly maintained in "classical Edo-era" style but I didn’t see much evidence of that as I visited. It mostly seemed like a series of shops all selling basically the same trinkets or food options. And there were a ton of people crowding the area and trying to avoid having their snacks stolen by the local deer which are known for such shenanigans.
But snack options were yummy, including grilled oysters, a variety of street meats (including seafood) and some sort of potato thing wrapped in bacon and then grilled. Mostly delicious, all cheap and worth a try to provide nourishment as you’re wandering around the island. Oh, if you do go for a snack on the street buy your beer from the vending machines scattered about; way cheaper.
My trip was limited in time due to a pressing need to get back to the ferry to get back to the train to get back to the bus to get to the airport so I could take my flight on the 787. I missed the ropeway and the hike to the top of the island, known for great views of the surrounding area. I also missed seeing the island without the throngs of tourists, most of whom leave as afternoon turns into evening. Still, it was an awesome follow-up to the gravity of visiting the Peace Park; the two really do go hand in hand. Plus I got to ride the local train and a ferry as part of the deal, both of which were fun.
Read more from this Trip Report under the Dream2011 tag here.
Posted by Seth on December 4, 2011 under Mileage Run, Trip Reports |
There are few things more fun than a behind the scenes view of how companies operate. For a travel junkie like me that means behind the scenes at airport operations, getting to "ride along" for the day while watching how the many people I never get to interact with work together to make sure that my flights run. In other words, getting to play airline for a day.
Thanks to the folks at United Airlines I had that opportunity this weekend. It was AWESOME!
The event was in Tampa, which isn’t so far away that it was a bad thing to have to make the trip. In fact, making the trip also put me over 150K EQMs for the year so that means more upgrade certificates, too. And that was part of the justification I had for making the trip. Even still, when faced with a VDB opportunity I declined to make sure I’d get the tour and I’m incredibly happy I did. Getting to the airport for a 7:45am departure after a night of drinking can be a challenge. In my case it meant no sleep and being still drunk when I got to the boarding area. Whoopsie. No matter; I was running on adrenaline by the time the tours started and there was no holding me back.
The tour involved about 15-20 customers and guests as well as a comparable number of employees from United. It was great to see them come in on the weekend and shmooze with the customers. And, if the few bits I overheard are to be believed, many of them were getting to experience some of the behind the scenes stuff for the first time as well, so it was fun for them, too.
The initial part of the day was meetings with these managers and talking through a number of the different services they represent. One of the guys who helps run the contact centers was available to talk about some of the difficulties being experienced as part of the merger (roughly the same number of calls but handling times are WAY up due to inter-carrier complexities, for example). There were questions about the computer systems merging, the loyalty program (I had more answers than many of the UA employees there on that category) and many other thins. After meeting everyone and talking about the Tampa station and some of the potential future changes it could see (yes, there is a space that could work quite nicely as a United Club once corporate real estate gets through the relocation aspect of the merger) it was time to head out airside for the tours. And by airside, I mean out on to the apron.
We visited a number of different departments on the tour. The maintenance guys have two different roles, working on ad hoc tasks during the day as planes come and go. On the overnight shift they are responsible for running basic scheduled maintenance operations for the planes that RON at the station. Even when there are no flights operating the folks working there are busy.
Flight operations is still split between the Continental and United subsidiaries but progress is being made, with some systems already aligned on the Unimatic platform for dispatch. Still, there are differences in things like fuel planning reporting, where United is a computerized system and the Continental folks are still filling out paperwork by hand and filling the various copies. Pretty interesting differences.
Back inside and up in the terminal we all got to take turns working the various aspects of the gate agent jobs while a flight was boarding. I got out of there before they were forced to handle an oversold F cabin for a flight to Newark but I did get to play with the computer system to make sure that the flight was fully boarded, make the announcements for the few passengers who were late getting to the plane and hand out BPs to the non-revs as they cleared onto the flight. Apparently my announcement style is "a bit curt" (I blame my Newark training) but otherwise I’m apparently pretty good at talking on a PA. Not that it is any surprise; I will talk about anything. We also got to take the final paperwork out to the plane, chat with the crew and close up the door (well, the real employees did that part) and send the plan on its way.
Back outside it was time to get a flight loaded up and ready to push back. In addition to being allowed up the conveyor belt and into the hold of the plane (apparently I have a penchant for finding myself in such areas) we also got to see how the folks working the ramp prioritize loading of the bags, handle the tracking and otherwise make sure that the bags get where they are going. I got to play with the scanner to "load" the bags and even found one that was supposedly missing to help the agents at the ticket counter verify that it was actually checked through as expected.
Finally it was time for the flight to depart. A few last-minute bags came sliding down the chute and were loaded into the plane and then things were sealed up and we walked the plane out for departure. Standing out under the wing as the plane pushed back was awesome. There were definitely a few confused customers on the plan wondering why the guy "working" out there was also waving at them and taking photos. Because I can.
Oh, and I got to drive the jet bridge. Those things handle like a pig and make for a very bumpy ride. Still, I managed to get the wheels back in the red box where they belong after driving around for a minute or so. I think I’ll put that in the "skills" section of my resume next time I apply for a job.
One other very cool thing they showed off was a special baggage cart. As one of a few stations located adjacent to a large military installation the airline is often used to help repatriate remains. The support this function they actually have a dedicated carrier which is specially equipped for the task. Just another little thing they do to make things better for all customers.
And then, sadly, it was time to get back on the plane and head home. I was in and out of Tampa in about 6 hours. Six glorious, wonderfully fun hours of playing with all the toys and getting to experience what operations are like for the airline. On a slow day. With no weather or mechanical issues. Sure, it was the intro-level version of the experience but that didn’t make it any less fun. And the icing on the cake was that my upgrade cleared just as they were about to close the door. A big comfy seat to sleep in on the way home, dreaming happy thoughts of aerophile fun.
Posted by Seth on October 31, 2011 under Dining, Flying, Mileage Run, Review, Trip Reports |
About half way between San Francisco and Beijing I awoke from my nap and headed to the lav. Time for a quick break to stretch my legs. I had absolutely no expectations of anyone waiting for me when I got out. Apparently I should have.
A flight attendant approached me in the aisle, addressed me by name and asked what she could get me from "up front." Knowing that a bigger seat – my likely answer – probably wasn’t going to actually do much in terms of being successful as a request I was rather dumbfounded. Partly because I had just woken up, I like to think, and partly because I honestly had no idea what I was supposed to answer.
She then offered up that they had no extra amenity kits as the forward cabins were both full, but that I could ask for anything else I wanted, finishing the suggestion with the phrase, "You know the drill, don’t you?" Alas, I was somewhat embarrassed that I have no idea what the drill is or what I’m supposed to ask for or be able to get. Eventually she suggested that perhaps a glass of wine or a snack would be suitable.
And the snack was.
Seriously, compared to the mid-flight snack offered up in Economy is was like a bit of heaven.
And the mid-flight snack was probably better than the first meal. That first meal was a piece of sponge-like reconstituted chicken-esque product soaking in a tomato-based sauce. It was pretty bad.
The last of the three meals was the most edible of the bunch, but still not phenomenal. I chose the noodles over the turkey sandwich.
And then I was in Beijing. Woohoo!
As always, more to come…
Tags: Beijing, China, Dining, Dream2011, Flying, Mileage Run, Photos, review, San Francisco, Trip Report, United
Posted by Seth on October 31, 2011 under Dining, Flying, Mileage Run, Review, Trip Reports |
When the check-in machine at the airport informs you that it is unable to rebook your connection that’s a bad thing. When the agent behind the counter has to back away from the computer and call in reinforcements to figure out the rebooking it is even worse. But, when they eventually work together to figure everything out it isn’t all bad.
With the snow in New York City not expected to begin until early afternoon I figured my 10:30am flight out of JFK was going to be just fine. And the connection on from Dulles to Seattle would be fine, too. After all, Dulles has plenty of spare capacity and nicely separated runways meaning that operations there rarely suffer. But they did. And so the issues in DC, combined with the rain in NYC, meant that my reasonably easy connection on the way to Seattle was not going to happen. Ruh roh.
The issue was made even more challenging by the fact that the United Airlines operations at JFK are so limited. There aren’t a whole lot of alternate options out there once you’re stuck. Fortunately they managed to scare up space on the JFK-SFO flight and then connect me onward from there. I’m pretty sure there was some sort of overbooking involved to make that space appear but the flights ended up going out with folks clearing the standby list so that was apparently not a huge issue. And, even though I didn’t get the new line on my flight map (IAD-SEA) I did actually get to Seattle the same day I intended to. And that was pretty critical for catching my onward flights to China. Even better, I did it from the comfort of United’s p.s. Business Class.
The seat was much more comfortable for sleeping than the A319 seat I was supposed to be on. And the food was, much to my delight, quite good.
The past few times I’ve done the p.s. flights it has been on the morning departures and the breakfast options aren’t much to get excited over, but the lunch I had was most impressive.
If I had to quibble at all it would be on the fact that they don’t have as many toppings on offer for the sundaes, but they have the ones I like and they have chocolate and vanilla ice cream rather than just one. Hardly worth getting worked up over.
Add in plenty of leg room and a blanket that I really should have kept for my onward flight to Beijing and I managed to both eat and sleep quite well for the five and a half hours I spent on the plane.
The onward connection to Seattle was on a CRJ-700, not my favorite aircraft by any stretch. But it was a smooth flight and the approach in to Seattle offered up phenomenal views of downtown as we flew up the Sound and then circled back to land to the South.
Only about 3 hours later than originally expected and many, many hours ahead of my originally scheduled flights, even if I hadn’t missed the connection. Not bad at all in the end.
Tags: Beijing, China, Dining, Dream2011, Flying, Mileage Run, New York City, Photos, review, San Francisco, Seattle, Trip Report, United
Posted by Seth on September 12, 2011 under Flying, frequent flyer, Mileage Run, Trip Reports |
Anyone ever tried to buy a round of drinks for an entire airplane? I did today and the logistics were surprisingly complicated. Maybe that’s because no one ever does this sort of thing. Or because it is ridiculous. But that mostly just describes me so I gave it a go.
American Express offers a $200 credit to platinum charge cardholders to offset the various fees airlines will hit you with these days. The catch is that it can only be used against one airline and once you choose the carrier you’re stuck with that choice for the whole year. Most of my flying is on airlines where I have status and I rarely check a bag, even when I don’t have status. Plus I get upgraded a fair amount so food and booze are often part of the deal. Nearly a year into the program’s existence I haven’t figured out a scenario where I could reasonably spend that $200.
Sitting a lunch with a friend in Anchorage I decided that today would be the day. I was going to commit my $200 in "fees" credit to Alaska Airlines and get my money’s worth. It is my first flight ever on Alaska and probably my last for the year so committing to spending the $200 on my own is too tall a task. But with a little help it shouldn’t be much of an issue. After all, it is a flight to Honolulu and folks should mostly be pretty happy about that, right? A free drink should make it even better.
After stowing my bag in the overhead bin I made my way back to the galley to explain my plan to the flight attendants.
Me: Hi there! I’ve got a strange situation here. I want to buy drinks. A lot of them.
FA: Huh?
Me: I want to buy the first round for the whole plane. That’s probably 40-50 drinks, right?
FA: Huh?
OK, so the quotes aren’t entirely verbatim, but the confusion expressed by the FAs was pretty close. We spent the next 10 minutes chatting about my scheme and trying to figure out the best way to handle the logistics. One option was for her to run the card 30+ times and have me hand the receipts to the lucky drinkers. We threw that one out pretty quickly as way too much work. Eventually we agreed that they’d just do a normal beverage service but rather than charge everyone they would just tally the total drinks consumed and I’d pay the bill at the end of the service.
Because the offer was only revealed after the drink was ordered the initial damage was actually rather limited. We didn’t quite get to the $200 threshold on the first pass. This, of course, raised another issue of trying to figure out how to spend the rest of the credit on board. I made a sign, figuring I’d walk through the cabin offering up the drinks that way.
Ultimately, however, that seemed less friendly. So I just started asking folks if they wanted a drink. I’m wearing a Hawaiian shirt that is similar in color to that of the flight attendants so A few people confused me for that; I even had one ask how to fill out the agricultural declaration form. But once I explained that I’m just a guy buying drinks for anyone who wanted one I did manage to get a few takers. Pretty soon my sales efforts were rewarded and the $200 credit (and a few dollars more) was over. I was willing to keep going (a bit) but the third beverage service is about to start and that means free mai tais for everyone!
I had entirely too much fun on this flight. I don’t know why but flights to Hawaii make me want to have more fun than most. Also, a special thanks to the crew from Alaska Airlines who were willing to help me out on this ridiculous bit of entertainment.
Related Posts:
Tags: Alaska, Alaska Air, Alaska Airlines, American Express, Anchorage, elite status, fees, Hawaii, Honolulu, Mileage Run, PacificLines, Trip Report, upgrade
Posted by Seth on August 12, 2011 under frequent flyer, Mileage Run, points |
The rumor mill is running strong these past 24 hours with Lucky pointing out a possible new scheme for elite status on United Airlines. Yes, it is a rumor, but the framework is pretty well defined so let’s take it for a spin and see just how crazy it is.
The basic qualification requirements would shift from a simple metric – how often/far you fly – to a rather more complicated one. It would still include miles/segments flown (EQMs) but on top of that there would be a count of flights taken on United metal. Most recently Air Canada announced that they would require a certain number of segments as part of their qualifying requirement and several other programs have similar requirements. This is not a particularly controversial change to the program and the number of segments required is pretty low.
And there would be a spend metric.
Yes, after years of wondering when a program would finally start to consider spend as part of their elite qualification it seems that United is going to be first to give it a try. And I actually think it is a smart idea. The spend thresholds are not trivial: 8 cents/mile is the number being rumored. Personally I probably would not qualify at the top level given that number as I do not think I spend $8,000 in airfare on United in any given year. But I’m also not so sure I’m the customer that the airline should be rewarding.
By every rational metric spend should have always been included in calculating the value of a customer to a carrier. Many airlines have done little things here and there to approximate such value (e.g. more points for higher fares) but until recently no one has gone 100% in that direction. And United is not proposing a 100% shift in that direction either, but spend will play a significant role in the qualification process.
When talking about spend rates to requalify for status or to earn points there are a lot of thresholds tossed around. Three or four years ago it would not be uncommon to find deals in the 2.5cpm range without too much trouble. These days those same deals are in the 3.5-4.5cpm range. And there are certainly some people (self included) out there flying on them and accruing a ton of award miles and elite status, too. And the airlines treat those customers the same as the business traveler who is buying full fare tickets and who is actually profitable. That is hardly a rational way for a business to behave.
Just looking at the average numbers, the cost to fly a seat on United last quarter was $0.1423. That’s averaged across all the available seats, not just the occupied ones. If you include the 84.1% load factor (n.b. all numbers from the Q2 2011 10-Q filing) then the cost of operating a filled seat was about $0.1692. It costs nearly 17 cents per mile to operate the seat on average and they’re willing to consider you a loyal customer if you’re paying just under half of that over the course of a year. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe the plan is completely irrational because the threshold is still too low.
When JetBlue announced their revamp to the TrueBlue program 18 months ago spend was almost entirely what the focus was on. Virgin America‘s Elevate has a similar structure. The new Rapid Rewards program from Southwest is similarly focused on spend, though still with some variation in the minutiae. Of these, only Southwest currently has an "elite" program and they permit qualifying via spend. So does the Hilton HHonors hotel program. It isn’t like this sort of policy is ground-breaking.
What is revolutionary about it is that the company might just finally be willing to step up and cast off the hangers on. The leeches. The folks who are not profitable to their operations. In other words, Me.
I know that I’m not a profitable customer to United. I realize benefits far in excess of the value I bring to the company. And if this policy becomes real then I’ll be looking at the numbers and deciding if I can meet them or if I’ll be finding another program from which to leech. Certainly the folks at United will not be sorry to see me and my STLKNG fare habit that gets upgrades 80%+ of the time disappear. And anyone who has a similar purchase pattern and believes the company will miss their departure is delusional.
Related Posts:
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.
 |
| Waiting for a train on the subway platform. |
 |
| A quick visit to the shrine outside Tsukiji market. |
 |
| There is something very meta and entertaining to me about this image. |
 |
| Getting over the heat by playing in the water in one of the local parks near Roppongi. |
 |
| Young girls enjoying the spoils of their shopping adventures. |
 |
| Looking down on the amphitheater at Roppongi Hills. |
 |
| A strange (and quite large) spider statue at Roppongi Hills. |
 |
| Local hipsters on the train to Narita. |
Related Posts:
Posted by Seth on July 13, 2011 under Dining, Mileage Run, Review, Trip Reports |
Tucked away under the tracks of Japan‘s famed Shinkansen bullet trains in central Tokyo is a dining experience that is hard to beat: Yakitori Alley. The area has become rather developed lately, with "real" restaurants filling in a number of the old shop areas and changing the feel a bit. Still, show up any evening and slide on to a stool and you’ll likely be left with some of the same thoughts I was.
They serve what?!?!
Everything, apparently. Given the translation mistakes that happen from time to time between Japanese and English part of me wants to think that these weren’t really options on the menu. But I know that is not true. They really are serving up gizzards, liver, heart, intestine, bowels and uterus, among other things. Turns out I’m not all that adventurous an eater, especially when the minimum order is two skewers and I’m on my own at the table and want to try more than one stall. Still, I did venture out to such "crazy" options as chicken meatballs and leeks.
One other minor bit on the ordering options: each shop seems to only offer one type of beer. So if you’re looking for Asahi and you’re in a Sapporo stall you’ll be out of luck. I figured out eventually that the ones out on the street advertise their beer choice in the bins that make up the tables. I also learned long ago that I don’t really care that much about the beer amongst those choices so I just drank whatever was available.
I regret that I have but one stomach to give for my travels
In addition to all the choices of animal parts (and some veggies, too!) there are a number of stalls to choose from. Two sit in what appears to be the original area, literally in a passage under the train tracks. The others line an adjacent block, setting up their stools and tables out into the street to accommodate the large number of customers and to keep the social outdoor scene alive.
That’s a dozen or so restaurants, all vying for customers and all of which I wanted to try. The food is cheap enough (JPY160-200; $2-2.50 for most skewers) and the beer not too unreasonably priced (JPY550-600;$6-7.50 for a pint) that one can certainly try a number of the shops without breaking the bank. But there was no way I was only ordering one skewer at each stall. I’m sure the owners wouldn’t appreciate it and it is a horribly way to get a feel for the quality of a restaurant. But I really, really, really wanted to try more of them.
Damn, that was good
So I couldn’t eat at all the stalls or really even a lot of them. In the end I only made it through two before exhaustion, budget and beer consumption issues finally conspired against me. And they were damn good. The shop under the tracks (I ended up at the one with the pig in front) was better than the one outside, but it is also much smaller and harder to get a seat a if you aren’t there early. And neither was bad.
They grill the meat to order, which is to say that they put it on the grill when you order it and serve it when it is ready; you’re not going to ask for the intestines to be served medium rare. But the food is served up fresh and the beer is cold. Plus the food is actually really, really good, assuming you like grilled meats. Somewhat surprisingly to me the chicken was better than the pork (a bit rubbery on the latter in both places I tried it). Not surprisingly I preferred the regular chicken over the chicken meatballs (though I felt compelled to try both given some of the reviews I had read about the meatballs).
For better or for worse my visit was on a Saturday and that meant fewer locals enjoying the food and beer. It also meant that I could actually get a seat and eat and not feel like I was taking up space from folks who knew what they were doing there. Such is life, I suppose. Much like having not yet experienced the Tokyo subway at rush hour I think I’m willing to forgive missing that experience for the sake of my sanity.
Also, finding Yakitori Alley can be a bit of a challenge. The closest subway exit is A2 at the Hibiya station. Turn right at the top of the stairs and walk along side the railroad until you see the passage way with the glowing lights and the grill smoke rising from it. Exit C1 from the Ginza station offers more subway line connections and isn’t too much farther away. From here you’re closer to the "uncovered" yakitori stalls rather than the original ones under the tracks. You pretty much want to aim for the "o" in Yurakucho in the middle of this map.
Related Posts
Posted by Seth on July 12, 2011 under Hotel, Mileage Run, points, Review, Trip Reports |
Two years ago on my visit to Japan I slept in a plywood box. It was a crude approximation of the somewhat famous "pod" hotels as implemented by a hostel in the Asakusa region of Tokyo. On this trip I decided to actually plan a bit more in advance and find a proper pod hotel to try a couple nights. I ended up in the Hotel Nihonbashi Villa and, well, it was definitely a good deal for the price paid.
To be clear, I wasn’t expecting much. I needed a bed. And somewhere to shower in the morning. The capsule room at Nihonbashi Villa definitely met those requirements. They even threw in a small TV with a dozen or so channels and a radio/alarm clock, too. And it was cheap. I booked through hotels.com to get my Welcome Rewards credits and got a rate there of about $34/night, a bit less than the JPY2900/night advertised on the hotel’s site. For that price it probably rates a 3-4 star ranking.
The main negative bit about it was the heat. The capsule was stifling with the "door" closed. Cracking it just a couple inches at the bottom made a huge difference and the common room air conditioner kicked in nicely at that point. Plus pretty much all of Tokyo was on the verge of steaming in the heat and humidity. Still, the lack of ventilation was a bit rough. Jet lag can do amazing things, however, and I managed to sleep quite well both nights.
Also, if you’re much taller than 5’11" expect to fill the sleeping space completely. I was definitely "cozy" inside from head to toe, though there was plenty of width for me, even with the small shelf on the inside wall.
At check in you get a set of towels, a robe and a toiletry kit of a razor and toothbrush. It is clear that most guests are not book in advance types who plan the stay in advance.
My other (minor) complaint is that I was in a capsule on the 4th floor and the showers were on the first, with just a sweltering stairwell to connect them. Such is life.
Speaking of showers, the best analogy I can draw is a high school gym with a few semi-private stalls. Clean enough (though not necessarily clean) and more than functional, but definitely a shared use facility. There was also a small sink area for finishing up prep before returning to your room to get dressed and head out for the day.
The common area offers free WiFi but there is none in the room areas. The common areas also have a couch, vending machines and it is the designated smoking area for guests in the pods; fortunately the capsule areas are non-smoking.
Would I do it again? Probably if the trip was night or two. Would I do it again during the hottest week of the year in Tokyo? Absolutely not. Would I try to save some cash if it was more than one person by doing two of them? Not a chance. The capsule/pod hotels are great for the very specific demographic that they aim at. For most other folks they are a really, really bad idea.
Related Posts
Posted by Seth on July 7, 2011 under Mileage Run, Trip Reports |
I’m sitting on a United Airlines 767-300 somewhere over the Pacific Ocean right now, wondering just which screws are loose in my head today. Yeah, I’ve always been a little crazy, particularly when it comes to travel, but today might be the nuttiest yet. And so, as we pass the half-way point to Hawaii (I hope I win the contest!) I’m wondering to myself just what was I thinking. I chose to downgrade myself for no good reason.
My flight itinerary is reasonably simple, if not a bit circuitous. I’m booked from New York City‘s LaGuardia to Denver to Honolulu to Tokyo‘s Haneda airports on the outbound half of a weekend mileage run to Japan. By virtue of my elite status I received upgrades on the first two segments and I happily selected my seats in row 1 as I often do. There was a bit of a delay getting out of LGA but we did eventually and I even had time to grab some food in Denver during the connection. Sure, I was upgraded but I like choosing my own meal when I have the chance so I grabbed a burrito for the flight and made my way over to the gate.
Boarding was pretty simple and I was all set to curl myself into my assigned seat, 1J, and enjoy the flight.
The guy sitting in 1H asked if I’d mind trading seats with his wife in 2A. Window for window and while I’d be losing the bulkhead row that I generally prefer I’d get to be on the port side of the plane which, when flying into Honolulu generally means better views on the landing (similar to San Diego). All in all a relatively fair trade and it doesn’t cost me all that much to make two other people quite happy. I gladly accept. That’s when things get strange.
The man in 2B, acknowledging that it is a long shot, asks if he can "make it worth my while" to trade with his wife who is seated in row 17. That’s in the Economy Plus section of the plane, not the first class cabin. I’m pretty sure I shocked him and his wife when I said yes. More so when I refused to take the cash he tried to offer me in trade. I know I was a little surprised at myself.
And so I ended up with this view for the 6.5 hour long flight.
Needless to say, the Purser was quite confused when they started to take meal orders up front as there was no Mr. Miller to be found. She eventually tracked me down in 17J and she too was surprised that I made the trade of my own volition and without remorse. She admonished me just a tiny bit but was accepting of my explanation that I did it of my free will.
Here’s the craziest part of the whole thing: I’m not really sure I got that bad of a deal. The 767-300 domestic configuration on United is called the "ghetto bird" for a reason; the first class cabin really isn’t all that significant an upgrade over Economy Plus. I had the meal that I wanted. I had the drinks that I wanted (I have more than enough drink chits anyways and there may have been a comp or two as part of the trade). I have enough leg room that I can cross my legs when I feel like it. Yes, my seat is a bit narrower, but it isn’t sufficiently so that I really notice. So why help another couple on their way to Hawaii start the trip off a bit special?
Yeah, I know that I’m nuts. A part of me is wondering while writing this why I don’t really care. After all, I was sweating the upgrade before it actually came through. In the end, however, I legitimately do not mind having made the swap.
Definitely a few screws loose.
ps- Just bought my seat mate a beer with my drink chits. Gotta use ‘em some how, right?
Posted by Seth on April 28, 2011 under Mileage Run, Trip Reports |
The São Paulo Cathedral, also known as the Catedral da Sé de São Paulo is the largest in South America. With a capacity of 8,000 people and towers rising 92 meters it is rather impressive in size. Plus it has the bonus of being stunningly beautiful, too.
Along side of the park leading up to the cathedral there were lots of folks shouting and preaching. The guy in the yellow shirt just behind the statue above was definitely towards the crazy end of the spectrum; sadly my lack of Portuguese knowledge precluded me from understanding much of what he said.
The stained glass windows are impressive, particularly in the afternoon as they cast beautiful rays of light down into the pews.
Looking up from the dead center of the area where the nave and the transept cross using a fisheye lens. One of my favorite views of any church.
The Cathedral is not particularly old; it was begun in 1913 and completed in 1967, replacing the previous structure that was constructed in the mid-18th century. The current cathedral was built to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the founding of Sao Paulo.
Like many of the other major landmarks of Sao Paulo, the Cathedral is a site not to be missed, particularly on a quick spin through town like the one I was on.
Related Posts:
