A quick comment on my flight home. Firstly it was jam packed and in the gate holding area they were offering 'inducements' for people to come off the flight. However, despite the fullness the service was ok.
My big gripe was the seat. Talk about uncomfortable! What was a bit perplexing was that my flight over to Chicago was on the same aircraft type but was way more comfortable (as much as economy class can be 'comfortable'). The seat pitch and the space where you could put you legs/feet definitely was less on my return flight.
Monday, 5 January 2009
Ranking
I'm back from my brief trip to Chicago. I'm trying to work out where I'd rank the city amongst the other places/cities in the US I've been to recently. It's a bit hard to say as Chicago is, obviously, very fresh in my mind. I think it's above New York and probably Philadelphia (although I've only been to the 'City of Brotherly Love' once). The tough decision is how Chicago stacks up against Washington D.C. and Boston.
I think I need to visit Chicago when the weather is a little less 'arctic' to really be able to make a proper comparison!
I've just realised that haven't even considered where San Francisco fits in......
I think I need to visit Chicago when the weather is a little less 'arctic' to really be able to make a proper comparison!
I've just realised that haven't even considered where San Francisco fits in......
Sunday, 4 January 2009
Bladder Deficiency
As I mentioned before it's cold in Chicago. Also, the air is very dry and I'm feeling the affect of jetlag. This means I'm drinking alot of water and occasionally supplementing this with a trip to Starbucks (or even Dunkin Donuts) for a Latte or Coffee.
The upshot is that I probably need to go to the toilet more frequently than normal. In the UK (or in fact anywhere except North America) this would be fine as there are some pretty well understood places where you're likely to find public toilets. However, over this side of 'the Pond' it's not so clear cut. If you venture away from big shopping malls etc. It can be a painful experience trying to 'hold on' until you find a toilet!
Even the bars are a bit silly. I was in a cool bar today and there was just one men's toilet. Ridiculous. There must've been about 10 people in the bar and I still had to wait for it to be free. God knows what it's like when it gets properly busy.
In fact as I'm typing this I can feel the call of nature and I'm trying to work out if there is a toilet nearby or whether I can holdout until I get back to my hotel room!
The upshot is that I probably need to go to the toilet more frequently than normal. In the UK (or in fact anywhere except North America) this would be fine as there are some pretty well understood places where you're likely to find public toilets. However, over this side of 'the Pond' it's not so clear cut. If you venture away from big shopping malls etc. It can be a painful experience trying to 'hold on' until you find a toilet!
Even the bars are a bit silly. I was in a cool bar today and there was just one men's toilet. Ridiculous. There must've been about 10 people in the bar and I still had to wait for it to be free. God knows what it's like when it gets properly busy.
In fact as I'm typing this I can feel the call of nature and I'm trying to work out if there is a toilet nearby or whether I can holdout until I get back to my hotel room!
Ear Muffs
Now it does get very cold in Chicago. And the freezing cold feels twice as bad when the wind blows. However, that does not make it acceptable for men to where ear muffs! Just put a hat on and be done with it.
It's not quite so black and white as there is a sort of headband type thing which I can sort of understand. But prissy little black 'muffs' which cover the ears and connect behind your head are just wrong.
It's not quite so black and white as there is a sort of headband type thing which I can sort of understand. But prissy little black 'muffs' which cover the ears and connect behind your head are just wrong.
*Like*
The use of this word must be rationed! Everywhere I go all I hear is 'so and so was like...' and 'I think, like.....'!
It really has become too much. I blame Friends to be honest!
It really has become too much. I blame Friends to be honest!
Cloud Gate
One thing that is new since the last time I was in Chicago is the sculpture by Anish Kapoor called 'Cloud Gate'. In a word it is spectacular. It's hard to get too excited by a super polished, huge coffee bean. However, in the flesh (or metal) it really is amazing. Depending on where you stand to look at it determines your 'experience', also the interaction with the weather etc. is really cool.
Saturday, 3 January 2009
Where's the beef?
My first afternoon/evening in Chicago was predictably low key. I did a bit of wandering about near my hotel and got my bearings. The downtown area was full of fans who'd been at the NHL 'Winter Classic' game at Wrigley Field. As it turned out my hotel appeared to be the 'official' hotel as there were loads of NHL staff, sponsors etc. about the place.
My meal options were either Chicago pizza from Giordano's or a Steak from David Burke's Primehouse. The steak option won as Giordano's was mobbed by hockey fans!
The steak I had was incredible. It was a 40 day dry aged ribeye and it was fantastically succulent (and predictably large). I had a totally unnecessary calamari starter (but it was good) and with my steak I chose a Brussel sprouts vegetable dish which was tasty, large and a bit oily.
I had a bit of a post meal stroll and hit the sack early as I was simply knackered!
Friday, 2 January 2009
In Chicago
I'm now in Chicago and I'm feeling much better after a decent nights sleep.
The flight over was fine -- nothing extra good or bad. I didn't get the 'Asian Vegetarian Meal' that I ordered, but the meal I did have was perfectly edible. The seats were a bit old school without the 'winged' head support which you tend to get nowadays. However, there were PTVs so I was able to keep track of the journey on the Moving Map.
One bit of drama I observed happened when we were taxiing for take-off at LHR. There were 3 ambulances parked by an American Airlines 777, as we passed a stretcher emerged from one of the rear doors of the plane. The patient was obviously in a bad way as there was non-stop chest compressions going on -- all the while as the stretcher was lifted from the plane and then moved to an ambulance, full on ER style.
After a short queue to take-off we turned on to the runway and a couple of places in the line up was a SQ A380 (9V-SKF). They sure do look dumpy!
We arrived into Chicago O'Hare about 30 mins ahead of schedule and then had a lengthy trip to the gate. Immigration was very quick and I didn't get any dumb questions. In fact the agent barely managed a grunt. There was then a longish wait for my luggage before I navigated the airport to find the train to the city.
The flight over was fine -- nothing extra good or bad. I didn't get the 'Asian Vegetarian Meal' that I ordered, but the meal I did have was perfectly edible. The seats were a bit old school without the 'winged' head support which you tend to get nowadays. However, there were PTVs so I was able to keep track of the journey on the Moving Map.
One bit of drama I observed happened when we were taxiing for take-off at LHR. There were 3 ambulances parked by an American Airlines 777, as we passed a stretcher emerged from one of the rear doors of the plane. The patient was obviously in a bad way as there was non-stop chest compressions going on -- all the while as the stretcher was lifted from the plane and then moved to an ambulance, full on ER style.
After a short queue to take-off we turned on to the runway and a couple of places in the line up was a SQ A380 (9V-SKF). They sure do look dumpy!
We arrived into Chicago O'Hare about 30 mins ahead of schedule and then had a lengthy trip to the gate. Immigration was very quick and I didn't get any dumb questions. In fact the agent barely managed a grunt. There was then a longish wait for my luggage before I navigated the airport to find the train to the city.
Thursday, 1 January 2009
Happy New Year!
After a period of 'blogging' inactivity I'm back!
My first trip of 2009 appropriately begins on 1st January. Whether there will be many more -- who knows! Hopefully I'll still have a job so that I can turn my plans in to actual travel.
Anyway today I'm off to Chicago for a bit of icy winter weather (because it's not cold enough in the UK!), some sightseeing, minimal shopping (damn exchange rate) and hopefully some good food!
The journey to LHR was a breeze with hardly any cars on the road at 6.30am (quelle surprise). Heathrow itself was a bit busier than I expected, but I've now escaped the 'crowds' and am now hiding away in the VS Clubhouse. My first meal of 2009 was bacon buttie and my first drink was a nicely chilled glass of Champagne.
I've now got a bit of time before my flight is called, so time to relax.......
My first trip of 2009 appropriately begins on 1st January. Whether there will be many more -- who knows! Hopefully I'll still have a job so that I can turn my plans in to actual travel.
Anyway today I'm off to Chicago for a bit of icy winter weather (because it's not cold enough in the UK!), some sightseeing, minimal shopping (damn exchange rate) and hopefully some good food!
The journey to LHR was a breeze with hardly any cars on the road at 6.30am (quelle surprise). Heathrow itself was a bit busier than I expected, but I've now escaped the 'crowds' and am now hiding away in the VS Clubhouse. My first meal of 2009 was bacon buttie and my first drink was a nicely chilled glass of Champagne.
I've now got a bit of time before my flight is called, so time to relax.......
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