Tretakoff Musings
Friday, November 07, 2008
Happily Railroaded
Gizmodo points out that, in all of the other high profile CA state issues that went down to defeat, one victory was lost in the shuffle: Proposition 1A, which lays the groundwork for a bullet train between Southern and Northern California. I am a huge fan of any rail transit, but this one simply makes sense.
Kudos to the supporters for making this excellent video which dramatically demonstrates the allure, the benefits, and the real expectations for what could be a monumental day of change for rail travel in this country.
Wednesday, October 08, 2008
Gettin' Social With It
Nice move by Virgin America to append the ways to reach them on common social media platforms on the base of their emails. I've seen this on the web, with the "Add This" functions (see this end of this post, for instance), but great move to include this type of alternative communication to e-mail. I'd love to see this trend expand, much like RSS with web pages, to allow automatic detection and aggregation of social network presences from an e-mail sender. Maybe an Outlook plugin?
That's today's million dollar idea.
Nice move by Virgin America to append the ways to reach them on common social media platforms on the base of their emails. I've seen this on the web, with the "Add This" functions (see this end of this post, for instance), but great move to include this type of alternative communication to e-mail. I'd love to see this trend expand, much like RSS with web pages, to allow automatic detection and aggregation of social network presences from an e-mail sender. Maybe an Outlook plugin?That's today's million dollar idea.
Labels: business, social networks, travel
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
Airline Conformity
How is it that we have been able to book flights online for over a decade, but there is still a telltale ironic misspelling? I'd like to receive a confirmation, not a conformation. Reminds me of George Carlin's old airline speech riff, when he points out that he prefers to get IN the plane, instead of "on the plane." As he says, "Let Evel Knievel ride on the goddamned wing; I'm going inside!"
How is it that we have been able to book flights online for over a decade, but there is still a telltale ironic misspelling? I'd like to receive a confirmation, not a conformation. Reminds me of George Carlin's old airline speech riff, when he points out that he prefers to get IN the plane, instead of "on the plane." As he says, "Let Evel Knievel ride on the goddamned wing; I'm going inside!"Labels: travel
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
Clearly Insecure
When I wrote my blog post on the Clear program for airport security, I had no inkling of just how it could transform from a scam to an outright security threat. However, it seems it has come to pass, as a laptop with over 30K members' information has vanished.
Clearly, a bad decision.
When I wrote my blog post on the Clear program for airport security, I had no inkling of just how it could transform from a scam to an outright security threat. However, it seems it has come to pass, as a laptop with over 30K members' information has vanished. Clearly, a bad decision.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Schmap Redux
Just a quick note that Schmap, the travel guide site I mentioned in February, has released an iPhone version. Even better, in a burst of savvy viral marketing, they emailed the folks who contributed photos...or were harvested from Flickr. And, completing the viral circle, I have now fulfilled my blogging duty by letting you know. Congrats, my loyal minions. :-)
Just a quick note that Schmap, the travel guide site I mentioned in February, has released an iPhone version. Even better, in a burst of savvy viral marketing, they emailed the folks who contributed photos...or were harvested from Flickr. And, completing the viral circle, I have now fulfilled my blogging duty by letting you know. Congrats, my loyal minions. :-) Saturday, June 28, 2008
What Makes A 4 Star Hotel?
My recent trip took me to a 4 star hotel, the Westin, in Chicago. Thanks to Priceline and William Shatner, I was able to stay here for about the price of a 2 star hotel. I am often amused at the little touches that the hotel uses to distinguish themselves, catering to their expected clientele.
For instance, the shower. I have seen hotels tout the quality of their showers, and, specifically, their showerheads. Some actually offer them for sale. The water pressure, the rainfall, the "oxygenation"...the list goes on and on. Imagine my amusement at what greeted me at the Westin:
Yup, if one is good, two must be better, right? Truth to be told, it was a good shower, but the sheer audacity of it practically brought me to hilarity.
But the coup de grace was the in-room coffeemaker. Yes, you know this one. You wake up, want a cup, and stumble over to the scaled-down, no frills Mr. Coffee lookalike to pop in a pod of Maxwell House that is inevitably too cold or too bitter. But a 4 star like the Westin? Oh, no...
Note the details here. First, the coffeemaker is shaped and chromed like an expensive espresso dispenser. Second, no piddly Folgers here: we're talking top-shelf Starbucks. Finally, the cups: no poor porcelain cousins to be found, only a perfect facsimile of the classic white Starbucks cup...complete with paper sleeve to insulate your hands from the normally hot temperatures. Ideal for the business traveler who heads to the elevator without the embarrassment of actually showing they are drinking from that in-room poor excuse of a caffeine dispenser.
The Westin knows their clientele, and clearly went for broke. Of course, the following morning in my La Quinta cinderblock cell, as I sipped from the Maxwell House pot of lukewarm joe, I was yearning for my Starbucks....but wasn't that the point? ;-)
For instance, the shower. I have seen hotels tout the quality of their showers, and, specifically, their showerheads. Some actually offer them for sale. The water pressure, the rainfall, the "oxygenation"...the list goes on and on. Imagine my amusement at what greeted me at the Westin:
Yup, if one is good, two must be better, right? Truth to be told, it was a good shower, but the sheer audacity of it practically brought me to hilarity.But the coup de grace was the in-room coffeemaker. Yes, you know this one. You wake up, want a cup, and stumble over to the scaled-down, no frills Mr. Coffee lookalike to pop in a pod of Maxwell House that is inevitably too cold or too bitter. But a 4 star like the Westin? Oh, no...
Note the details here. First, the coffeemaker is shaped and chromed like an expensive espresso dispenser. Second, no piddly Folgers here: we're talking top-shelf Starbucks. Finally, the cups: no poor porcelain cousins to be found, only a perfect facsimile of the classic white Starbucks cup...complete with paper sleeve to insulate your hands from the normally hot temperatures. Ideal for the business traveler who heads to the elevator without the embarrassment of actually showing they are drinking from that in-room poor excuse of a caffeine dispenser.The Westin knows their clientele, and clearly went for broke. Of course, the following morning in my La Quinta cinderblock cell, as I sipped from the Maxwell House pot of lukewarm joe, I was yearning for my Starbucks....but wasn't that the point? ;-)
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Lost's Ideal Airport
For years now, I have wandered through San Francisco Airport's former International terminal with amazement. The building is deserted. Empty. Completely vacant. Yet it's location is directly between the massively busy United/American Terminal 3 and the hodgepodge of Terminal 1's Delta/US Air/Everyone else. That means that travel between the two inevitably requires walking through this cavernous maw of 1970's architecture, with only the sound of your footsteps and the squeaking of the wheels of your rollaboard to keep you company.
It's downright eerie, and strange, since every other terminal seems so overwhelmed with traffic and business. With it's central location, and easy gate locations, it's always strange that it lies there, dormant, in an otherwise modern busy airport. Heck, you even have to pass the Airport Police as you enter, as their station lives at the entrance. Nothing like armed police eyeing you suspiciously, wondering why you are willingly entering a deserted building, to make you feel welcomed and safe.
Looks like that's finally about to change. The San Francisco Chronicle reports that Terminal 2 is finally looking at a revamp and reopening, complete with a shiny new anchor tenant, Virgin America, in 2 years. It looks like seismic retrofitting was the reason for much of the abandonment; nice to hear it now. My favorite, though, was this gem of a quote:
Check out the obligatory attempt to try to get in with the green folks by talking about hybrids. Um, in case you haven't noticed, since about September 12th, 2001, parking at a terminal in any major airport is a big Homeland Security no-no. So, the "preferential parking" will be...where? The garage? You know, the same garage that services Terminals 1 & 3? Um...why is that a selling feature here?
Let's see if Virgin America can stop these statements from being too ridiculous and focus on building a terminal that will rival JetBlue's new Terminal 5 at JFK instead. Now that's the way to welcome old T2 back!
For years now, I have wandered through San Francisco Airport's former International terminal with amazement. The building is deserted. Empty. Completely vacant. Yet it's location is directly between the massively busy United/American Terminal 3 and the hodgepodge of Terminal 1's Delta/US Air/Everyone else. That means that travel between the two inevitably requires walking through this cavernous maw of 1970's architecture, with only the sound of your footsteps and the squeaking of the wheels of your rollaboard to keep you company. It's downright eerie, and strange, since every other terminal seems so overwhelmed with traffic and business. With it's central location, and easy gate locations, it's always strange that it lies there, dormant, in an otherwise modern busy airport. Heck, you even have to pass the Airport Police as you enter, as their station lives at the entrance. Nothing like armed police eyeing you suspiciously, wondering why you are willingly entering a deserted building, to make you feel welcomed and safe.
Looks like that's finally about to change. The San Francisco Chronicle reports that Terminal 2 is finally looking at a revamp and reopening, complete with a shiny new anchor tenant, Virgin America, in 2 years. It looks like seismic retrofitting was the reason for much of the abandonment; nice to hear it now. My favorite, though, was this gem of a quote:
"...there will be an effort to make the terminal "as environmentally friendly as possible," to include not having aircraft use engines or auxiliary power units at the gate, so they can save fuel. Vendors will be required to obtain green business certificates from San Mateo County, and there will be preferential parking for hybrid cars."
Check out the obligatory attempt to try to get in with the green folks by talking about hybrids. Um, in case you haven't noticed, since about September 12th, 2001, parking at a terminal in any major airport is a big Homeland Security no-no. So, the "preferential parking" will be...where? The garage? You know, the same garage that services Terminals 1 & 3? Um...why is that a selling feature here?
Let's see if Virgin America can stop these statements from being too ridiculous and focus on building a terminal that will rival JetBlue's new Terminal 5 at JFK instead. Now that's the way to welcome old T2 back!
Labels: news, San Francisco, travel
Monday, May 12, 2008
Untrained
First, why did I choose the train? My New York meetings were in Long Island. I flew in to JFK and grabbed the connecting Long Island Railroad to get to my destination, so I was already rail-enabled. The price for a shuttle flight from JFK to Boston was about $200; the train? $100. Between waiting for the plane and security, it would have been about 2.5 hours, plus having to get from Boston's Logan airport to 25 miles south of the city to my destination. The train? 3 hours, station to station, 10 miles from where I was staying and no downtown traffic. No brainer.
The experience is all city to city travel should be: fast, comfortable, efficient and elegant. It started with picking up my e-ticket in Penn Station from one of about 50 kiosks. Just like the airport, swipe your credit card for identification, and your ticket prints out. Next came the Acela Express Lounge: a huge area for waiting, away from the hustle and bustle of crowds, just for Acela passengers. Of course, Penn Station's choices of food and drink were ample; I picked up a classic NY Deli sandwich for my dinner to be eaten onboard.
The only annoyance was the lack of information as to what track the Acela would be on until 10 minutes before boarding. Why? Is it a surprise? Don't they know, as it's the most profitable line they run?
On the train, sheer luxury. Each car was filled with oversized recliners, complete with footrests. Power? You bet: a plug at every seat. Storage? Overheads for the coat, or the seat next to you for the laptop case, as there were plenty of seats. Food in the dining car was reasonable, well priced, and an easy walk. But nothing beats the feeling of chatting on the cell, rocketing along in gentle ease, and occasionally checking e-mail or watching a movie. The utter opposite of plane travel. 3 hours of comfort and connectivity, and I arrived at my destination, refreshed, relaxed and ready.
So, explain why we can't have a 4 hour train between LA and SF? Currently, it's a full 24 hours; now, I grant you, it's the nicest ride in the world, but can we pick up the pace for a traveler? I'd definitely go for that for a lunch meeting in LA...
First, why did I choose the train? My New York meetings were in Long Island. I flew in to JFK and grabbed the connecting Long Island Railroad to get to my destination, so I was already rail-enabled. The price for a shuttle flight from JFK to Boston was about $200; the train? $100. Between waiting for the plane and security, it would have been about 2.5 hours, plus having to get from Boston's Logan airport to 25 miles south of the city to my destination. The train? 3 hours, station to station, 10 miles from where I was staying and no downtown traffic. No brainer.
The experience is all city to city travel should be: fast, comfortable, efficient and elegant. It started with picking up my e-ticket in Penn Station from one of about 50 kiosks. Just like the airport, swipe your credit card for identification, and your ticket prints out. Next came the Acela Express Lounge: a huge area for waiting, away from the hustle and bustle of crowds, just for Acela passengers. Of course, Penn Station's choices of food and drink were ample; I picked up a classic NY Deli sandwich for my dinner to be eaten onboard.
The only annoyance was the lack of information as to what track the Acela would be on until 10 minutes before boarding. Why? Is it a surprise? Don't they know, as it's the most profitable line they run?
On the train, sheer luxury. Each car was filled with oversized recliners, complete with footrests. Power? You bet: a plug at every seat. Storage? Overheads for the coat, or the seat next to you for the laptop case, as there were plenty of seats. Food in the dining car was reasonable, well priced, and an easy walk. But nothing beats the feeling of chatting on the cell, rocketing along in gentle ease, and occasionally checking e-mail or watching a movie. The utter opposite of plane travel. 3 hours of comfort and connectivity, and I arrived at my destination, refreshed, relaxed and ready.
So, explain why we can't have a 4 hour train between LA and SF? Currently, it's a full 24 hours; now, I grant you, it's the nicest ride in the world, but can we pick up the pace for a traveler? I'd definitely go for that for a lunch meeting in LA...
Labels: travel
Monday, April 07, 2008
Mobile TripIt...Just In Time
Great news, just in time for my upcoming trip: instead of the innovative, but practically dubious, previous "mobile" TripIt access, TripIt itineraries are now truly mobile. Great news, following right on the heels of my installation of Remote Calendars, allowing me to sync any iCal feed to Outlook; I was using it to sync my TripIt itineraries.
If you are a TripIt user, head on over to m.tripit.com and see for yourself.
Great news, just in time for my upcoming trip: instead of the innovative, but practically dubious, previous "mobile" TripIt access, TripIt itineraries are now truly mobile. Great news, following right on the heels of my installation of Remote Calendars, allowing me to sync any iCal feed to Outlook; I was using it to sync my TripIt itineraries. If you are a TripIt user, head on over to m.tripit.com and see for yourself.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Way to go, JetBlue
We recently flew JetBlue back from Boston. While my flight was only marred by a finicky TV (fixed with an attendant's handily supplied folded up cardboard insert that defied electronic physics but worked), Amy's was much worse: no TV's on the flight worked at all. None. Coast to coast, with no DirecTV? Man, I may sound spoiled, but at least I have my laptop and movies with me; no such luck for Amy. Luckily, that new Harry Potter kept her entertained, but yeesh.
What came in the email this AM? Check it out:
No complaints from Amy. No angry mention to the gate agent. JetBlue realized one of their core values had been compromised and took proactive action to address. Now THAT'S an airline.
We recently flew JetBlue back from Boston. While my flight was only marred by a finicky TV (fixed with an attendant's handily supplied folded up cardboard insert that defied electronic physics but worked), Amy's was much worse: no TV's on the flight worked at all. None. Coast to coast, with no DirecTV? Man, I may sound spoiled, but at least I have my laptop and movies with me; no such luck for Amy. Luckily, that new Harry Potter kept her entertained, but yeesh.What came in the email this AM? Check it out:
Dear Amybeth,
Thank you for flying with JetBlue Airways on flight #477 from Boston on August 17, 2007. We apologize that the DIRECTV® programming was inoperable during your flight.
As a gesture of apology and goodwill, we have issued each customer on your flight a $15 JetBlue electronic voucher. When you are ready to use your voucher, please call 1-800-JETBLUE (538-2583) with your confirmation number XXXXXXXXX for this flight. The voucher is for you and is non-transferable. JetBlue vouchers are valid for one year and can be applied towards JetBlue Airways reservations or to the airfare portion of a JetBlue Getaways vacation package. Please visit our website's Help section for more information on how to use your voucher.
We thank you for your understanding, and look forward to a future opportunity to welcome you aboard JetBlue Airways.
Sincerely,
JetBlue Airways
No complaints from Amy. No angry mention to the gate agent. JetBlue realized one of their core values had been compromised and took proactive action to address. Now THAT'S an airline.
Labels: travel
Saturday, August 04, 2007
24 hours of Travel = endless stories.
Random thoughts from a recent whirlwind business trip to Cincinnati (24 hours; 12 of it on a plane):
United's 777's are huge. With a 2-5-2 seating configuration and three separate sections in Economy, each the size of a normal 737, this thing packs them in. However, it is easily one of the most poorly designed planes I have ever been on:
- The seats in Economy are so tightly packed, it's insulting. Especially when you compare to JetBlue or even Southwest.
- Why don't people ever learn that design and compromise almost never go well together (Ayn Rand taught us this, folks.) For instance, who's the brain surgeon who said "we want a multimedia system at every seat in Economy" and then followed it up with putting a metal case the size of a desktop PC under every seat? This lovely setup gives you a choice: a place to put your bag, or a place to put your feet. Nope, you can't do both. Outstanding.
- Those first class "pods" are truly something special. One button, and your seat becomes a bed, complete with white noise on the built in entertainment system and a desk with a charger for the laptop. As you drift off to sleep, a massage lulls you. United missed the boat: they need to sell these suckers in Hammacher Schlemmer for the home.
- I get the plane is huge. Any reason United doesn’t seem to? They put the thing at the smallest gate in the terminal in both San Francisco and Chicago, ensuring that there is absolutely no way to load the craft in anything approaching an efficient fashion. Yep, nothing like a half hour in the boarding chute to make you love those frequent flyer miles.
- Kudos to United for their onboard mapping application. Us seasoned travelers dig it, but I always wondered why everyone was still using MapQuest's maps from 1999 (that wonderful copyright is omnipresent in most systems). United's also gives you periodic updates on airspeed, time left, and time at the local destination. And the one-touch map button on the control arm is a godsend. Psst...hook up with Google Earth next time and put that screen to work!
United also seems to have taken inefficiency to a new surreal level:
- On boarding the last leg of my trip, we were cheerily informed that, while we were absolutely certain to be late in departing (partially due to said cattle chute), we would still arrive on time because the original planned departure time was cleverly calculated in advance to be early. WHAT???
- Stuck in the boarding tube from hell, a harried flight attendant burst through the throngs, announcing to any and all that the plane had no power. Oh, and had anyone seen any pilots in the crowd? I kid you not.
- Remember how big those 777's are? Amazing that on not just one 777 flight, but two, they were BOTH overbooked. Luckily, you could get a free RT ticket for giving up your precious overheated, no-place-to-put-your feet seat for a flight the next morning. Um…we have computers now, folks: isn't air travel advanced enough not to have to ask Las Vegas to lay odds for them on successfully getting X asses into X seats?
Other surreal moments:
- Blearily stumbling through O'Hare at 5:30 AM to make a connecting flight (on the other side of the country's busiest airport, of course) and almost bowling over…Al Sharpton. Yep, can't make this stuff up.
- Boarding my first United Express jet…and noticing it's just like a real plane, but everything is perfectly scaled down by 1/3. Headroom? 1/3 less. Aisle width? Yep. Overheads? You bet: 1/3 scale. In flight magazine? 1/3 less pages. But nothing capped the drink cart: you haven't lived until you've seen one of these in action. This plane instantly makes you feel like you've accidentally grown to 9 feet tall.
- Landing in Dayton, Ohio, and immediately heading for the nearest cup of coffee…at something called Boston Stoker? And, at 7:30 AM, a place called Boston Stoker Coffee, proudly proclaimed as Dayton's best coffee, located at the airport, with no other coffee choices…hadn't brewed any coffee yet. Oh, the joy of the slower pace of the Midwest.
- Going to the rental car location, we exited the Dayton airport…into a cornfield. In fact, the entire airport is essentially carved out of a cornfield. Field of Dreams? Luckily, the car rental was only 120 ears away.
- I'm sure there's a perfectly good reason for it, but something called Fifth Third Bank seems like a bad place to put my money. They don't seem to have a head for figures.
- You ever notice on some longer flights that the flight attendant will, later on, bring a bottle of water and cups through the cabin for any thirsty folks? On the flight to SFO, United's flight attendant randomly decided white wine would be much better instead. I figured she was either trying to finish a bottle from Business class or just had lost her mind. Luckily, it was the latter: she finished off the bottle, and immediately headed for the galley for a new one, and resumed pouring for us stunned Economy passengers. Think this only happens on flights to Wine Country?
- Kevin Smith waxes poetic about Tim Horton's, so I had to stop and pop the pastry. Sorry, Sir: Dunkies has it beat cold. Hell, even lowly Happy Donuts in San Francisco could top those poor excuses for fine carb laden cuisine.
- What seems like a good time saver but really turned out to be a bad idea: bringing a new men's shirt, still in the plastic, for the morning airport men's room stall quick change. Even the vast expanse of the sole handicapped commode could not overcome the sheer torture of trying to undo the mixture of origami and camouflaged pin inserting that men's shirts are plagued with. And someone PLEASE explain why there is an entire forest of cardboard in there with it???
- GPS is simply a godsend for business travel: hit the address, and start driving. That's it. Reminds me of when I first started to use Google: why would I ever need to clutter my brain up with useless information again? TomTom, I salute you.
And finally,
- SFO: great idea, letting you insert your credit card when you enter the garage instead of having to get a ticket. Um…maybe you want to close the loop by putting a checkout lane I can just insert my card and get the receipt, WITHOUT the forlorn cashier sitting next to me, watching me take away his job, one slip at a time? Two words: Unmanned lanes.
Glad to be back. Next week, I get to do it all again!
United's 777's are huge. With a 2-5-2 seating configuration and three separate sections in Economy, each the size of a normal 737, this thing packs them in. However, it is easily one of the most poorly designed planes I have ever been on:- The seats in Economy are so tightly packed, it's insulting. Especially when you compare to JetBlue or even Southwest.
- Why don't people ever learn that design and compromise almost never go well together (Ayn Rand taught us this, folks.) For instance, who's the brain surgeon who said "we want a multimedia system at every seat in Economy" and then followed it up with putting a metal case the size of a desktop PC under every seat? This lovely setup gives you a choice: a place to put your bag, or a place to put your feet. Nope, you can't do both. Outstanding.
- Those first class "pods" are truly something special. One button, and your seat becomes a bed, complete with white noise on the built in entertainment system and a desk with a charger for the laptop. As you drift off to sleep, a massage lulls you. United missed the boat: they need to sell these suckers in Hammacher Schlemmer for the home.- I get the plane is huge. Any reason United doesn’t seem to? They put the thing at the smallest gate in the terminal in both San Francisco and Chicago, ensuring that there is absolutely no way to load the craft in anything approaching an efficient fashion. Yep, nothing like a half hour in the boarding chute to make you love those frequent flyer miles.
- Kudos to United for their onboard mapping application. Us seasoned travelers dig it, but I always wondered why everyone was still using MapQuest's maps from 1999 (that wonderful copyright is omnipresent in most systems). United's also gives you periodic updates on airspeed, time left, and time at the local destination. And the one-touch map button on the control arm is a godsend. Psst...hook up with Google Earth next time and put that screen to work!
United also seems to have taken inefficiency to a new surreal level:
- On boarding the last leg of my trip, we were cheerily informed that, while we were absolutely certain to be late in departing (partially due to said cattle chute), we would still arrive on time because the original planned departure time was cleverly calculated in advance to be early. WHAT???
- Stuck in the boarding tube from hell, a harried flight attendant burst through the throngs, announcing to any and all that the plane had no power. Oh, and had anyone seen any pilots in the crowd? I kid you not.
- Remember how big those 777's are? Amazing that on not just one 777 flight, but two, they were BOTH overbooked. Luckily, you could get a free RT ticket for giving up your precious overheated, no-place-to-put-your feet seat for a flight the next morning. Um…we have computers now, folks: isn't air travel advanced enough not to have to ask Las Vegas to lay odds for them on successfully getting X asses into X seats?
Other surreal moments:
- Blearily stumbling through O'Hare at 5:30 AM to make a connecting flight (on the other side of the country's busiest airport, of course) and almost bowling over…Al Sharpton. Yep, can't make this stuff up.- Boarding my first United Express jet…and noticing it's just like a real plane, but everything is perfectly scaled down by 1/3. Headroom? 1/3 less. Aisle width? Yep. Overheads? You bet: 1/3 scale. In flight magazine? 1/3 less pages. But nothing capped the drink cart: you haven't lived until you've seen one of these in action. This plane instantly makes you feel like you've accidentally grown to 9 feet tall.
- Landing in Dayton, Ohio, and immediately heading for the nearest cup of coffee…at something called Boston Stoker? And, at 7:30 AM, a place called Boston Stoker Coffee, proudly proclaimed as Dayton's best coffee, located at the airport, with no other coffee choices…hadn't brewed any coffee yet. Oh, the joy of the slower pace of the Midwest.
- Going to the rental car location, we exited the Dayton airport…into a cornfield. In fact, the entire airport is essentially carved out of a cornfield. Field of Dreams? Luckily, the car rental was only 120 ears away.
- I'm sure there's a perfectly good reason for it, but something called Fifth Third Bank seems like a bad place to put my money. They don't seem to have a head for figures.- You ever notice on some longer flights that the flight attendant will, later on, bring a bottle of water and cups through the cabin for any thirsty folks? On the flight to SFO, United's flight attendant randomly decided white wine would be much better instead. I figured she was either trying to finish a bottle from Business class or just had lost her mind. Luckily, it was the latter: she finished off the bottle, and immediately headed for the galley for a new one, and resumed pouring for us stunned Economy passengers. Think this only happens on flights to Wine Country?
- Kevin Smith waxes poetic about Tim Horton's, so I had to stop and pop the pastry. Sorry, Sir: Dunkies has it beat cold. Hell, even lowly Happy Donuts in San Francisco could top those poor excuses for fine carb laden cuisine. - What seems like a good time saver but really turned out to be a bad idea: bringing a new men's shirt, still in the plastic, for the morning airport men's room stall quick change. Even the vast expanse of the sole handicapped commode could not overcome the sheer torture of trying to undo the mixture of origami and camouflaged pin inserting that men's shirts are plagued with. And someone PLEASE explain why there is an entire forest of cardboard in there with it???
- GPS is simply a godsend for business travel: hit the address, and start driving. That's it. Reminds me of when I first started to use Google: why would I ever need to clutter my brain up with useless information again? TomTom, I salute you.
And finally,
- SFO: great idea, letting you insert your credit card when you enter the garage instead of having to get a ticket. Um…maybe you want to close the loop by putting a checkout lane I can just insert my card and get the receipt, WITHOUT the forlorn cashier sitting next to me, watching me take away his job, one slip at a time? Two words: Unmanned lanes.
Glad to be back. Next week, I get to do it all again!
Labels: bullshit, GPS, Kevin Smith, travel
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Am I Getting A Good Seat?
Thanks to a clever link from my new favorite travel site, TripIt, I found SeatGuru.com. Ever wondered whether the seat on the plane you are choosing is any good? Does it fully recline? Are there power outlets for the laptop? Does it suck? No more guesswork: SeatGuru has the answer.
A service of the always great TripAdvisor.com, SeatGuru has a hell of a mission statement:
With it, I was able to book seats for an upcoming Texas trip on American Airlines, avoiding the "Poor Seats" and "Be Aware" seats with complete confidence. Interestingly, even some of the First Class seats on my flight were marked to "Be Aware." Thanks, SeatGuru!
Thanks to a clever link from my new favorite travel site, TripIt, I found SeatGuru.com. Ever wondered whether the seat on the plane you are choosing is any good? Does it fully recline? Are there power outlets for the laptop? Does it suck? No more guesswork: SeatGuru has the answer.A service of the always great TripAdvisor.com, SeatGuru has a hell of a mission statement:
"In October 2001 frequent flyer Matthew Daimler launched SeatGuru.com with a single color-coded interactive airplane seating chart. Having realized the vast differences between airline seats, he was determined to build a repository of this useful information and share it with other travelers. Over ten million visitors later, SeatGuru has enjoyed incredible success and has expanded to over 275 airplane seatmaps from over 40 different airlines."
With it, I was able to book seats for an upcoming Texas trip on American Airlines, avoiding the "Poor Seats" and "Be Aware" seats with complete confidence. Interestingly, even some of the First Class seats on my flight were marked to "Be Aware." Thanks, SeatGuru!
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Dude, I'm So Tripping
I travel a lot for work and fun. I tend to book trips on the individual airline's websites (after I use Farecast and SideStep to find the best deals), so I get the mileage bonuses. The pain of that is that you get all of these different confirmations, emails, and tracking numbers, so it's not easy to consolidate them down to my schedule. I use TravelTracker for the Treo to type it all in, but it's time consuming, and annoying.
Enter TripIt. That email confirmation you got? Forward it to plans@tripit.com. In under a minute, you head over to TripIt, and you get this:
Want to add more to the trip, like a car rental? Just forward it on, and TripIt adds it to it. Want to track some activities you want to do while on the trip? Use the TripClipper to bookmark it to your trip.
I like the service a lot: they focus on ease of use and solving a problem. There is definitely room to improve here, though: syncing with Outlook or Google Calendar, for instance. Consolidating Frequent Flyer accounts is another area they can help with. But for sheer, purpose-driven Web 2.0 approaching a difficult problem with a cool effortless solution. it works.
I have 5 invites I can give out if you're interested in trying it; let me know.
I travel a lot for work and fun. I tend to book trips on the individual airline's websites (after I use Farecast and SideStep to find the best deals), so I get the mileage bonuses. The pain of that is that you get all of these different confirmations, emails, and tracking numbers, so it's not easy to consolidate them down to my schedule. I use TravelTracker for the Treo to type it all in, but it's time consuming, and annoying.Enter TripIt. That email confirmation you got? Forward it to plans@tripit.com. In under a minute, you head over to TripIt, and you get this:
Want to add more to the trip, like a car rental? Just forward it on, and TripIt adds it to it. Want to track some activities you want to do while on the trip? Use the TripClipper to bookmark it to your trip.
I like the service a lot: they focus on ease of use and solving a problem. There is definitely room to improve here, though: syncing with Outlook or Google Calendar, for instance. Consolidating Frequent Flyer accounts is another area they can help with. But for sheer, purpose-driven Web 2.0 approaching a difficult problem with a cool effortless solution. it works.
I have 5 invites I can give out if you're interested in trying it; let me know.
Labels: beta, free, Google Maps, Software, travel, weather, Web 2.0
Friday, June 08, 2007
The Cult of Dunkin' Donuts
I'm sitting in a crappy Long Island hotel, nearly 2am, with the dual effects of steamy summer fog clinging to me as only the East Coast has to offer, trying to catch up on work. Yes, this is the joy of business travel. But, although nearly every factor should leave me aggravated, tired, and cranky, I'm suspiciously happy. Why? Two words:
Dunkin' Donuts.
Yep, I'm back among the land of the worst coffee and exceptional pastries. The world where a lahge regulah means something, and a chocolate donut is not a dry cakey pastry, but a wonder to be slowly, orgasmically consumed. I'm not alone; seems there is an entire sub-culture of DD fans out there, and most, like me, were raised in Boston. Having been a San Francisco resident for over a decade, I do not miss much about the other Bay State, but Dunkin' Donuts is still a major loss (there's not a single one in Northern CA).
By the way, two Boston area icons helped me realize this tonight. First, the link above comes from the venerable Bill Simmons' column of random thinking. And if you're looking for a funnier take on it, check out Denis Leary's "coffee-flavored coffee" rant below.
Ah, that tastes good.
Dunkin' Donuts.Yep, I'm back among the land of the worst coffee and exceptional pastries. The world where a lahge regulah means something, and a chocolate donut is not a dry cakey pastry, but a wonder to be slowly, orgasmically consumed. I'm not alone; seems there is an entire sub-culture of DD fans out there, and most, like me, were raised in Boston. Having been a San Francisco resident for over a decade, I do not miss much about the other Bay State, but Dunkin' Donuts is still a major loss (there's not a single one in Northern CA).
By the way, two Boston area icons helped me realize this tonight. First, the link above comes from the venerable Bill Simmons' column of random thinking. And if you're looking for a funnier take on it, check out Denis Leary's "coffee-flavored coffee" rant below.
Ah, that tastes good.
Labels: Bill Simmons, coffee, travel, youtube
Friday, April 06, 2007
411...by Google
Well, the move is over, and we're in the new digs...but unpacking has been taking my precious blogging time up. Sorry for the sporadicness, but I bring a new gem today: Google has launched a 411 service. Yep, any business, with a free call to the Goog. 1-800-GOOG-411, or 800-466-4411.
My fellow officemates, Jingle Networks, do a great job in this space today, but Google goes them one better: they connect the call, free. I'm not quite sure how they handle the billing, but I guess with gazillions of Google Bucks around, they can afford to pick up some calls. It addresses the #1 problem I've had with 800-FREE-411: I can't use it when I am driving, because after the number comes to me, I have to remember it, disconnect, and dial, all while driving. Uh-uh. Thanks, Google.
Well, the move is over, and we're in the new digs...but unpacking has been taking my precious blogging time up. Sorry for the sporadicness, but I bring a new gem today: Google has launched a 411 service. Yep, any business, with a free call to the Goog. 1-800-GOOG-411, or 800-466-4411.
My fellow officemates, Jingle Networks, do a great job in this space today, but Google goes them one better: they connect the call, free. I'm not quite sure how they handle the billing, but I guess with gazillions of Google Bucks around, they can afford to pick up some calls. It addresses the #1 problem I've had with 800-FREE-411: I can't use it when I am driving, because after the number comes to me, I have to remember it, disconnect, and dial, all while driving. Uh-uh. Thanks, Google.
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Cavernous subways
As long as I can remember, I've been fascinated with subways. In Boston, where I grew up, I was a virtual Charlie on the M(B)TA. Some of the stations, especially on the Red and Blue lines, were fascinating:
- South Station had the oldest working escalator in the world: the steps were made from interlocking wooden dowels!
- The Aquarium stop was so deep and steep, you could get vertigo from the ride down the escalators.
- Porter Square in Cambridge was a twisting, turning rut that opened into a 2 story underground chamber.
- Park Street? All glorious tile and inlay.
The list goes on. I've always tried to ride subways in every city I go, from Montreal's famous rubber-tired trains, to the cool efficiency of the Metro in DC, to the classic "El" in Chicago, to the opulent carpets and couches of the Bay Area's BART. It's just an efficient, effective way to travel, and evokes the speed of rail with the convenience of in-town.
However, some places take subways to another level. Moscow's elegant crystal and marble; Berlin's modern efficiency. But Stockholm's is a whole world apart. Check out that image to the left: it's a station carved from a cave. These pictures are amazing; as the site says:
- South Station had the oldest working escalator in the world: the steps were made from interlocking wooden dowels!
- The Aquarium stop was so deep and steep, you could get vertigo from the ride down the escalators.
- Porter Square in Cambridge was a twisting, turning rut that opened into a 2 story underground chamber.
- Park Street? All glorious tile and inlay.
The list goes on. I've always tried to ride subways in every city I go, from Montreal's famous rubber-tired trains, to the cool efficiency of the Metro in DC, to the classic "El" in Chicago, to the opulent carpets and couches of the Bay Area's BART. It's just an efficient, effective way to travel, and evokes the speed of rail with the convenience of in-town.
However, some places take subways to another level. Moscow's elegant crystal and marble; Berlin's modern efficiency. But Stockholm's is a whole world apart. Check out that image to the left: it's a station carved from a cave. These pictures are amazing; as the site says:"The Stockholm Tunnelbana has three lines encompassing 110km of track and 100 stations of which 64km and 55 stations are underground. Several of the deep underground stations are cut into solid rock which were left with cave-like ceilings. The builders carved fascinating artistic objects out of the rock. One like the base of a gigantic Greek column (Station Radhuset) resembles the excavated remains of some lost city of Atlantis encased in an ancient lava flow. The Station Kungstradgarden has torsos and lion heads emerging from the rock. Modern murals and statues are liberally used in many other stations."
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Transit, by Google
What do you do when you need employees in a competitive environment, and stock options and salary are really not enough to distinguish you? Well, after you add free gourmet meals, onsite oil changes and car washes, and other lifestyle perks, you look at what the pain points for the Silicon Valley worker are: commuting. And then? If you're Google, you start a luxury bus line.
Yes, the Goog is now one of the largest transit system operators in the Bay Area. This New York Times article describes what transit is like, Google style:
WiFi, pets, bikes and comfort? Zero environmental impact? FREE? This is living. The article goes on, later, to describe that similar efforts are done by Cisco and Yahoo. In San Francisco, I see the Williams Sonoma luxury coaches delivering workers to BART or the Ferry, from their HQ by Ghirardelli Square every day.
Now, why not take this one step further? Let companies bid on the right to operate public transit? Essentially, privatize it: companies would get the benefit of always having their employees have easy access to work, while being required to still serve areas that are lower income and no direct benefit to them. How to convince them of the latter? Let them install ads, and realize income. Hell, with WiFi on the buses, you could even have touchscreens, and do pay per click ads. I think Google and Yahoo know something about this!
Of course, San Francisco has another approach: make transit free. A bold social experiment, if you combined it with privatized lines like Google's, you just might have a winner.
What do you do when you need employees in a competitive environment, and stock options and salary are really not enough to distinguish you? Well, after you add free gourmet meals, onsite oil changes and car washes, and other lifestyle perks, you look at what the pain points for the Silicon Valley worker are: commuting. And then? If you're Google, you start a luxury bus line.Yes, the Goog is now one of the largest transit system operators in the Bay Area. This New York Times article describes what transit is like, Google style:
"The company now ferries about 1,200 employees to and from Google daily — nearly one-fourth of its local work force — aboard 32 shuttle buses equipped with comfortable leather seats and wireless Internet access. Bicycles are allowed on exterior racks, and dogs on forward seats, or on their owners’ laps if the buses run full.
Riders can sign up to receive alerts on their computers and cellphones when buses run late. They also get to burnish their green credentials, not just for ditching their cars, but because all Google shuttles run on biodiesel. Oh, and the shuttles are free."
WiFi, pets, bikes and comfort? Zero environmental impact? FREE? This is living. The article goes on, later, to describe that similar efforts are done by Cisco and Yahoo. In San Francisco, I see the Williams Sonoma luxury coaches delivering workers to BART or the Ferry, from their HQ by Ghirardelli Square every day.
Now, why not take this one step further? Let companies bid on the right to operate public transit? Essentially, privatize it: companies would get the benefit of always having their employees have easy access to work, while being required to still serve areas that are lower income and no direct benefit to them. How to convince them of the latter? Let them install ads, and realize income. Hell, with WiFi on the buses, you could even have touchscreens, and do pay per click ads. I think Google and Yahoo know something about this!
Of course, San Francisco has another approach: make transit free. A bold social experiment, if you combined it with privatized lines like Google's, you just might have a winner.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Honesty is Good for Business
You can't have a worse week, as a company, than JetBlue had this week. You all know I'm a fan of the airline, but this week, they screwed up royally, stranding and inconveniencing thousands of passengers. Inexcusable. Why did they screw up so badly? A perfect storm of poor decision skills, bad weather, inexperience, and more. Essentially, piss poor planning. But something strange happened, as a result.
They took responsibility.
Think of it for a minute. Enron, Cablevision, United...the list of companies that have screwed their customers and investors reads like a who's who of bad customer service poster children. JetBlue came out, on the day this all happened, and admitted they screwed up and woudl do whatever it took to make it right. And guess what? They are doing what every airline has fought, every HMO has fought, every monolithic services company fights: they have introduced a Customer Bill Of Rights.
Why is this so epic?
Interestingly, years ago, when Southwest started, the other airlines tried to squeeze them out. Southwest appealed directly to the consumers, exposed their commitment, and they were rewarded with loyalty. Let's see if JetBlue can do the same. My money (and preferred flying miles) are on them.
Here's the email they sent today:
Dear JetBlue Customers,
We are sorry and embarrassed. But most of all, we are deeply sorry.
Last week was the worst operational week in JetBlue's seven year history. Following the severe winter ice storm in the Northeast, we subjected our customers to unacceptable delays, flight cancellations, lost baggage, and other major inconveniences. The storm disrupted the movement of aircraft, and, more importantly, disrupted the movement of JetBlue's pilot and inflight crewmembers who were depending on those planes to get them to the airports where they were scheduled to serve you. With the busy President's Day weekend upon us, rebooking opportunities were scarce and hold times at 1-800-JETBLUE were unacceptably long or not even available, further hindering our recovery efforts.
Words cannot express how truly sorry we are for the anxiety, frustration and inconvenience that we caused. This is especially saddening because JetBlue was founded on the promise of bringing humanity back to air travel and making the experience of flying happier and easier for everyone who chooses to fly with us. We know we failed to deliver on this promise last week.
We are committed to you, our valued customers, and are taking immediate corrective steps to regain your confidence in us. We have begun putting a comprehensive plan in place to provide better and more timely information to you, more tools and resources for our crewmembers and improved procedures for handling operational difficulties in the future. We are confident, as a result of these actions, that JetBlue will emerge as a more reliable and even more customer responsive airline than ever before.
Most importantly, we have published the JetBlue Airways Customer Bill of Rights—our official commitment to you of how we will handle operational interruptions going forward—including details of compensation. I have a video message to share with you about this industry leading action.
You deserved better—a lot better—from us last week. Nothing is more important than regaining your trust and all of us here hope you will give us the opportunity to welcome you onboard again soon and provide you the positive JetBlue Experience you have come to expect from us.
Sincerely,
David Neeleman
Founder and CEO
You can't have a worse week, as a company, than JetBlue had this week. You all know I'm a fan of the airline, but this week, they screwed up royally, stranding and inconveniencing thousands of passengers. Inexcusable. Why did they screw up so badly? A perfect storm of poor decision skills, bad weather, inexperience, and more. Essentially, piss poor planning. But something strange happened, as a result.They took responsibility.
Think of it for a minute. Enron, Cablevision, United...the list of companies that have screwed their customers and investors reads like a who's who of bad customer service poster children. JetBlue came out, on the day this all happened, and admitted they screwed up and woudl do whatever it took to make it right. And guess what? They are doing what every airline has fought, every HMO has fought, every monolithic services company fights: they have introduced a Customer Bill Of Rights.
Why is this so epic?
- They did not try to deflect blame. They took it straight on. This is what a company that wants to be customer-centric needs to do.
- They immediately saw that doing this bill of rights would set a precedent in the industry that could spark a fare war or worse. They know they have to break ranks on this, or they will never earn their customers' trust back again.
- This will cost them millions of dollars in revenue and profit. They don't care. They can't make the money if the customers are not using their services.
Interestingly, years ago, when Southwest started, the other airlines tried to squeeze them out. Southwest appealed directly to the consumers, exposed their commitment, and they were rewarded with loyalty. Let's see if JetBlue can do the same. My money (and preferred flying miles) are on them.
Here's the email they sent today:
Dear JetBlue Customers,
We are sorry and embarrassed. But most of all, we are deeply sorry.
Last week was the worst operational week in JetBlue's seven year history. Following the severe winter ice storm in the Northeast, we subjected our customers to unacceptable delays, flight cancellations, lost baggage, and other major inconveniences. The storm disrupted the movement of aircraft, and, more importantly, disrupted the movement of JetBlue's pilot and inflight crewmembers who were depending on those planes to get them to the airports where they were scheduled to serve you. With the busy President's Day weekend upon us, rebooking opportunities were scarce and hold times at 1-800-JETBLUE were unacceptably long or not even available, further hindering our recovery efforts.
Words cannot express how truly sorry we are for the anxiety, frustration and inconvenience that we caused. This is especially saddening because JetBlue was founded on the promise of bringing humanity back to air travel and making the experience of flying happier and easier for everyone who chooses to fly with us. We know we failed to deliver on this promise last week.
We are committed to you, our valued customers, and are taking immediate corrective steps to regain your confidence in us. We have begun putting a comprehensive plan in place to provide better and more timely information to you, more tools and resources for our crewmembers and improved procedures for handling operational difficulties in the future. We are confident, as a result of these actions, that JetBlue will emerge as a more reliable and even more customer responsive airline than ever before.
Most importantly, we have published the JetBlue Airways Customer Bill of Rights—our official commitment to you of how we will handle operational interruptions going forward—including details of compensation. I have a video message to share with you about this industry leading action.
You deserved better—a lot better—from us last week. Nothing is more important than regaining your trust and all of us here hope you will give us the opportunity to welcome you onboard again soon and provide you the positive JetBlue Experience you have come to expect from us.
Sincerely,
David Neeleman
Founder and CEO
Labels: travel
Saturday, February 10, 2007
The Skies Are Getting Friendlier
After 9/11, the Airline industry seemed to be headed into a freefall faster than the buggy whip business after the invention of the automobile. Now, nearly six years later, we're seeing an unbelievable resurgence, led by upstart carriers who focus on profitable routes, low fares, and great amenities. While Southwest remains the granddaddy of them all, other airlines saw a way to offer the irreverent attitude of the country's most profitable airline, but add a little more entertainment and comfort.
JetBlue, whom I have blogged about a few times before, is clearly the leader in this area. I still will fly JetBlue anywhere, when given the chance, and they continue to expand. Here in Northern CA, they now fly aggressively out of Sacramento and, starting in May, will complement their Oakland and San Jose service with flights from...gasp...SFO! Delta's Song, from all accounts, offers comparable amenities and service to JetBlue. AirTran continues their push nationwide, with XM Radio at every seat. And Frontier, formerly a regional, is hitting the profitable West Coast market hard, with pricing on a par with Southwest.
But the airline I'm excited for is not only not yet flying...it's not even licensed to fly yet. Virgin America, the latest from the Virgin empire, looks to be offering a domestic airline with low fares and amazingly cool planes, but the US DOT is keeping the San Francisco-based carrier from taking off. Virgin's response? Recruit the Internet to lobby on their behalf. And, after checking out their site, I'm happy to lend my voice. The seats look incredible, the planes large...but the tech has me transfixed. Live TV, Movies, music, games...even a seatback food ordering system and IM other passengers! Check out Red for yourself:
Ok, let's let the marketplace continue to decide. Let VA Fly!
UPDATE: Talk about timing! Within a mere few hours of my post, Engadget posted their review of Virgin America's tech-loving plane, complete with a wealth of pictures. Ah...so nice to be on the same wavelength with the best tech blog. Great minds...
After 9/11, the Airline industry seemed to be headed into a freefall faster than the buggy whip business after the invention of the automobile. Now, nearly six years later, we're seeing an unbelievable resurgence, led by upstart carriers who focus on profitable routes, low fares, and great amenities. While Southwest remains the granddaddy of them all, other airlines saw a way to offer the irreverent attitude of the country's most profitable airline, but add a little more entertainment and comfort.JetBlue, whom I have blogged about a few times before, is clearly the leader in this area. I still will fly JetBlue anywhere, when given the chance, and they continue to expand. Here in Northern CA, they now fly aggressively out of Sacramento and, starting in May, will complement their Oakland and San Jose service with flights from...gasp...SFO! Delta's Song, from all accounts, offers comparable amenities and service to JetBlue. AirTran continues their push nationwide, with XM Radio at every seat. And Frontier, formerly a regional, is hitting the profitable West Coast market hard, with pricing on a par with Southwest.
But the airline I'm excited for is not only not yet flying...it's not even licensed to fly yet. Virgin America, the latest from the Virgin empire, looks to be offering a domestic airline with low fares and amazingly cool planes, but the US DOT is keeping the San Francisco-based carrier from taking off. Virgin's response? Recruit the Internet to lobby on their behalf. And, after checking out their site, I'm happy to lend my voice. The seats look incredible, the planes large...but the tech has me transfixed. Live TV, Movies, music, games...even a seatback food ordering system and IM other passengers! Check out Red for yourself:
Ok, let's let the marketplace continue to decide. Let VA Fly!
UPDATE: Talk about timing! Within a mere few hours of my post, Engadget posted their review of Virgin America's tech-loving plane, complete with a wealth of pictures. Ah...so nice to be on the same wavelength with the best tech blog. Great minds...
Labels: travel
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Tucson
Ok, before we start, the pics are all here.
We headed to Tucson to see my mother's new winter homestead. Never been, but I love the desert, so we were looking to have some fun. She lives in the Catalina Foothills, with the city below. Tucson's population is, surprisingly, about the same as San Francisco's; it's also the home to the University of Arizona: I had no idea. While downtown is nothing to see, the landscape is stunning.
First tourist attraction: the Wildlife Museum. Located way out in the desert, it's an open-air, self guided sprawling facility that covers all of the native plants, animals, and minerals of the Sonora desert. The cave tour was amazing: walk through the cramped passages, and see a wild open cave, along with gorgeous exhibits of semi-precious stones from the area. The native plants and cactii are stunning, and the feel of the place is decidedly unhurried and hands on. Lots of trails and paths to explore.
The animals? WOW. A pair of mountain lions (pumas) lazily sprawled in the sun, with a close up window to see the power of these big cats. Next door, black bears rummaged about, while a pack of Mexican wolves ran mere feet away. Snakes and scorpions were on display in a separate building, but the prairie dogs took the cute factor to a whole new level. Like the San Diego Zoo, you never felt that you were looking at a pen, thanks to the hidden crevasse separating you from them, but more that these were happy, natural animals. While some hid, like the wild pigs, there was more than enough to enthrall with this diverse population.
The next day, with the weather turning colder, we headed to the San Xavier del bac Mission, out on the Indian Nation. This mission, having been in existence since the 1600's, was in utter disrepair and a respite for vandals and bored Native Americans as late as 15 years ago. However, with a renewed emphasis on the amazing art in the building, funds were raised for it's restoration. The Italian team that restored the Sistine Chapel in Rome were brought in for 5 years, and the building was transformed.
Although no comparison to the cathedrals in Italy, it is magnificent inside, belied by the remote location: it's surrounded by open desert, ramshackle homes, and fry bread vendors. Still, it is always packed, as the faithful come to touch the oddly hands-on, lying down figure of San Xavier. For some odd reason, the wooden statue's torso is also on a moveable plaform, so many parishioners lift him up and cradle him, while offering their prayers.
Most of our time was spent at home, as it was unseasonably cold: in the 30's. Adding to that, a freak snowstorm hit, delivering Tucson it's first significant snowfall in a decade. We all stared, amazed, as the snow covered the desert and saguaro cactii, icing over a small pond and making road travel impossible. While it was all gone by noon the next day, the 2" of snow made for some stunning pictures.
The trip was an easy flight, and, with family there, we'll look forward to a return in spring, when the weather will be back to it's normal 80 degrees. :-)
We headed to Tucson to see my mother's new winter homestead. Never been, but I love the desert, so we were looking to have some fun. She lives in the Catalina Foothills, with the city below. Tucson's population is, surprisingly, about the same as San Francisco's; it's also the home to the University of Arizona: I had no idea. While downtown is nothing to see, the landscape is stunning.First tourist attraction: the Wildlife Museum. Located way out in the desert, it's an open-air, self guided sprawling facility that covers all of the native plants, animals, and minerals of the Sonora desert. The cave tour was amazing: walk through the cramped passages, and see a wild open cave, along with gorgeous exhibits of semi-precious stones from the area. The native plants and cactii are stunning, and the feel of the place is decidedly unhurried and hands on. Lots of trails and paths to explore.
The animals? WOW. A pair of mountain lions (pumas) lazily sprawled in the sun, with a close up window to see the power of these big cats. Next door, black bears rummaged about, while a pack of Mexican wolves ran mere feet away. Snakes and scorpions were on display in a separate building, but the prairie dogs took the cute factor to a whole new level. Like the San Diego Zoo, you never felt that you were looking at a pen, thanks to the hidden crevasse separating you from them, but more that these were happy, natural animals. While some hid, like the wild pigs, there was more than enough to enthrall with this diverse population.
The next day, with the weather turning colder, we headed to the San Xavier del bac Mission, out on the Indian Nation. This mission, having been in existence since the 1600's, was in utter disrepair and a respite for vandals and bored Native Americans as late as 15 years ago. However, with a renewed emphasis on the amazing art in the building, funds were raised for it's restoration. The Italian team that restored the Sistine Chapel in Rome were brought in for 5 years, and the building was transformed.
Although no comparison to the cathedrals in Italy, it is magnificent inside, belied by the remote location: it's surrounded by open desert, ramshackle homes, and fry bread vendors. Still, it is always packed, as the faithful come to touch the oddly hands-on, lying down figure of San Xavier. For some odd reason, the wooden statue's torso is also on a moveable plaform, so many parishioners lift him up and cradle him, while offering their prayers.Most of our time was spent at home, as it was unseasonably cold: in the 30's. Adding to that, a freak snowstorm hit, delivering Tucson it's first significant snowfall in a decade. We all stared, amazed, as the snow covered the desert and saguaro cactii, icing over a small pond and making road travel impossible. While it was all gone by noon the next day, the 2" of snow made for some stunning pictures.The trip was an easy flight, and, with family there, we'll look forward to a return in spring, when the weather will be back to it's normal 80 degrees. :-)
Monday, January 22, 2007
Snow in the Desert
Just a quick update: just got back from Tucson, AZ, where my ongoing luck of bringing bad weather wherever I travel continues. For the first time in 5 years, this desert city received snow. And for the first time in a decade, it was significant accumulation and stuck. I'll bore you all with a travlogue later, but for now, just a quick glimpse of the snow covered desert.
Just a quick update: just got back from Tucson, AZ, where my ongoing luck of bringing bad weather wherever I travel continues. For the first time in 5 years, this desert city received snow. And for the first time in a decade, it was significant accumulation and stuck. I'll bore you all with a travlogue later, but for now, just a quick glimpse of the snow covered desert.
Labels: travel
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Think Denver's airport has problems?
As seen in Chicago's O'Hare airport this week, by me. Yeah, we all get annoyed by travel, but when you get that annoying McAfee update pop-up that BLOCKS THE INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR FLIGHT, it's more than a minor annoyance.
Reminds me of some years ago, as San Francisco's new state of the art International terminal was almost opened, and security was a bit more lax, I was able to stroll around the deserted terminal. 42" plasma screens, everywhere you could see, that would show you the most animated updates on your flights...except they all showed Windows errors. Hundreds of them. Now THAT'S when I wish I had a camera!
As seen in Chicago's O'Hare airport this week, by me. Yeah, we all get annoyed by travel, but when you get that annoying McAfee update pop-up that BLOCKS THE INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR FLIGHT, it's more than a minor annoyance.Reminds me of some years ago, as San Francisco's new state of the art International terminal was almost opened, and security was a bit more lax, I was able to stroll around the deserted terminal. 42" plasma screens, everywhere you could see, that would show you the most animated updates on your flights...except they all showed Windows errors. Hundreds of them. Now THAT'S when I wish I had a camera!
Labels: travel
Friday, December 08, 2006
New Widgetbox Widgets
Check out two new WidgetBox widgets I've added in the right column. Man, these things keep coming and get cooler and cooler.
WidgetBox makes these things easy. Now, if they'd only integrate all the Google Gadgets, we'd be all set.
The Internet Address Book Pidy. Simple: consolidate all your social networking and sharing URLs into a single "badge." Clever.- The Google Maps Widget. Paired with a text Widget for a caption, allows me to display a map of where I'm traveling to this week. With how much I've been traveling, always fun to show.
WidgetBox makes these things easy. Now, if they'd only integrate all the Google Gadgets, we'd be all set.
Labels: Google Maps, travel, widgets
Saturday, November 11, 2006
Coffee instructions
Sigh. Starbucks has ruined it for everyone else.
As seen in the Fort Lauderdale Airport, Saturday, 11/11/06
Saturday, November 04, 2006
Mendocino: Weekend Heaven
Our favorite respite for recharging for a weekend is Mendocino. Only a few hours away, and blissfully out of cell and wifi range, it's an enforced relaxation that almost always becomes just what the doctor ordered for relief.With work so crazy, 2 bike accidents in two weeks caused from fatigue from said job, and a general burning out, we headed up the coast for some rejuvenation.
Instead of heading up 101, we chose to go the more leisurely Highway 1 route this time. Sure, it took 4 hours, but we had no traffic, stunning scenery and small towns, and watched the sun dip into the Pacific for a sunset that lasted hours. And we still got to Mendocino in time for a patented sumptuous meal. This time, we stayed at the Mendocino Farmhouse, a B&B deep in the Redwoods. Usually, we stay at one of the fine inns in town, but this was too good to be true, and it didn't disappoint. Our own converted Barn (the Cedar Room), with exposed stone fireplace, and the snugness of a personal lodge. Margie, the owner, left a note on the door welcoming us (she knew we'd be late), and we dropped off our bags and headed into town.
First stop, the Mendocino Hotel for a nice meal. Unfortunately, Amy was still suffering with a cold, and decided I should share in the experience, so our appetites were not what we normally have, but we muddled through a delicious meal of chicken and rockfish. I was tempted by their amazing Scotch selection for dessert, but without Lloyd there, it's a glass that will always be empty to me. We headed back to the Farmhouse, lit a fire, and were out cold.
Next morning, we arose...well, I struggled with various bike-crash related ailments and the new cold in full bloom. But, we did head to the Farmhouse for breakfast: homemade Blueberry pancakes, and a wonderful conversation with the other two guests about the whole Mendocino and Fort Bragg area. Margie was the kind of innkeeper I dream of: friendly, GREAT cook, and leaves the guests to their own. She's not trying to mother you, like so many other B&B owners do: she knows you are there to relax, and lets you do just that. The Farmhouse grounds are incredibly large, and feature forests, lakes, and gardens: wonderful to look at while having coffee and breakfast.
We headed up to Fort Bragg and Noyo Harbor this Saturday. Noyo is actually fascinating: a working fishing harbor, with dining to boot, that opens to the Pacific. There's a lodge there I'd like to stay next time; it was not quite open. Fort Bragg offered it's usual appeal of small coastal city that's been decimated by the loss of the logging and fishing businesses, but is recovering with tourism and retail. Heck, even a Starbucks there now...drive through, and all. A stroll through the town, a book to read, then back to the Farmhouse for some rest and relaxation.
The Japanese Maple in our private meadow waved goodbye to us as we headed to town for dinner. This night, the MacCallum House was our destination, one of Lloyd's favorites. Unfortunately, the cold robbed me of most of my taste senses, but the spicy Thai chowder and Scallops kept me busy, while Amy tackled the Liberty Duck. While the food was good, it was VERY overpriced, and the restaurant itself was surprising: they seated us directly by the kitchen, with many other open tables (yes, we had reservations), and the service was just OK. Not what I'd expected from such a revered and recommended place, but it may have been an off night. The Cookie Platter for dessert helped Amy get past it. We walked through the evening streets, then headed back to the Farmhouse for a fire and more needed sleep.
Sunday morning breakfast had eggs, prepared any way we wanted, English muffins, GREAT sausages, and potatoes, not to mention GREAT decaf coffee. We chatted with Margie a bit more, then packed up our stuff and left the Farmhouse, rested. We headed into town for browsing, buying and noshing, stopping at the local chocolatier and gadget shops. The weather was turning the way I love it up there: cool and grey, and the view from Town was perfect. After a couple of hours, we headed out of town, back South, definitely rested.
Next stop, Alexander Valley.
Our favorite respite for recharging for a weekend is Mendocino. Only a few hours away, and blissfully out of cell and wifi range, it's an enforced relaxation that almost always becomes just what the doctor ordered for relief.With work so crazy, 2 bike accidents in two weeks caused from fatigue from said job, and a general burning out, we headed up the coast for some rejuvenation.Instead of heading up 101, we chose to go the more leisurely Highway 1 route this time. Sure, it took 4 hours, but we had no traffic, stunning scenery and small towns, and watched the sun dip into the Pacific for a sunset that lasted hours. And we still got to Mendocino in time for a patented sumptuous meal. This time, we stayed at the Mendocino Farmhouse, a B&B deep in the Redwoods. Usually, we stay at one of the fine inns in town, but this was too good to be true, and it didn't disappoint. Our own converted Barn (the Cedar Room), with exposed stone fireplace, and the snugness of a personal lodge. Margie, the owner, left a note on the door welcoming us (she knew we'd be late), and we dropped off our bags and headed into town.
First stop, the Mendocino Hotel for a nice meal. Unfortunately, Amy was still suffering with a cold, and decided I should share in the experience, so our appetites were not what we normally have, but we muddled through a delicious meal of chicken and rockfish. I was tempted by their amazing Scotch selection for dessert, but without Lloyd there, it's a glass that will always be empty to me. We headed back to the Farmhouse, lit a fire, and were out cold.Next morning, we arose...well, I struggled with various bike-crash related ailments and the new cold in full bloom. But, we did head to the Farmhouse for breakfast: homemade Blueberry pancakes, and a wonderful conversation with the other two guests about the whole Mendocino and Fort Bragg area. Margie was the kind of innkeeper I dream of: friendly, GREAT cook, and leaves the guests to their own. She's not trying to mother you, like so many other B&B owners do: she knows you are there to relax, and lets you do just that. The Farmhouse grounds are incredibly large, and feature forests, lakes, and gardens: wonderful to look at while having coffee and breakfast.
We headed up to Fort Bragg and Noyo Harbor this Saturday. Noyo is actually fascinating: a working fishing harbor, with dining to boot, that opens to the Pacific. There's a lodge there I'd like to stay next time; it was not quite open. Fort Bragg offered it's usual appeal of small coastal city that's been decimated by the loss of the logging and fishing businesses, but is recovering with tourism and retail. Heck, even a Starbucks there now...drive through, and all. A stroll through the town, a book to read, then back to the Farmhouse for some rest and relaxation.
The Japanese Maple in our private meadow waved goodbye to us as we headed to town for dinner. This night, the MacCallum House was our destination, one of Lloyd's favorites. Unfortunately, the cold robbed me of most of my taste senses, but the spicy Thai chowder and Scallops kept me busy, while Amy tackled the Liberty Duck. While the food was good, it was VERY overpriced, and the restaurant itself was surprising: they seated us directly by the kitchen, with many other open tables (yes, we had reservations), and the service was just OK. Not what I'd expected from such a revered and recommended place, but it may have been an off night. The Cookie Platter for dessert helped Amy get past it. We walked through the evening streets, then headed back to the Farmhouse for a fire and more needed sleep.Sunday morning breakfast had eggs, prepared any way we wanted, English muffins, GREAT sausages, and potatoes, not to mention GREAT decaf coffee. We chatted with Margie a bit more, then packed up our stuff and left the Farmhouse, rested. We headed into town for browsing, buying and noshing, stopping at the local chocolatier and gadget shops. The weather was turning the way I love it up there: cool and grey, and the view from Town was perfect. After a couple of hours, we headed out of town, back South, definitely rested.Next stop, Alexander Valley.
Labels: travel
