The Big Win: MMX-ARN-FRA-LAX-PHX-SEA-YVR-SEA-LHR-ARN incl. LH F, US F, BA J..
- Thread starter concorde
- Start date
Fint reportage. Man blir sugen på att resa efter att sett bilderna. Nu har jag äntligen fått en bra hum om hur FCT ser ut. Kamerorna som används blir mer och mer avancerade här på BC! Kul att det började med en bild på min gamla arbetsplats i nästan 20 år. Lunds Universitetssjukhus som det numera inte heter. Den busshållplatsen känner jag väl till.
After checking in at the wonderful HIX Hollywood Highland Avenue, I took an hour by the pool for a quick October tan as it was in the 80's.
Dinner at friends house would be around 7 so I did the deeds and walked down to Hall of Fame. That is the first and last time I do so. Tourist Trap of the worst kind. Anyhow, walked down to the Grove and Farmers Market (used to work at Television City) for a light meal and some shopping.
Grabbed a cab around 6.30 for my friends house but the cab driver had no clue what he was doing. Had myself and friend over the phone not intervened we'd be driving for hours... It still set me back 100 dollars with this idiot driver. So in 5 hours or so I had spent nearly 200USD on two taxi trips. Meh.
Dinner was lovely and chilled, both are in the Entertainment Industry (one famous, one dealing with famous) but have both feet firmly on the ground which is refreshing. The following day I would be picking up a rental at Hertz for driving around. First stop Runyon Canyon for some serious exercising:
I love this place. You can really work up a serious sweat and do some serious conditioning. Views of LA are nice as seen from the pictures. And you get some serious ladies walking about (hint SFO777). I spent an hour and half climbing and walking at high speed. Legs and gluteal destroyed.
Originally I had planned to spend two nights at the HIX, but then decided to swith to the CP LAX as I would be flying at 08:00 to SEA via PHX. Hertz return was a 5 minute 10 minute walk from the CP. Before that I met friends for Lunch in BH, more shopping, dinner at a steakhouse (okay) and then drove straight down to LAX, not using the highways. 20 minutes with little traffic. The CP was acceptable, got upgraded to a decent room but again it was some 6-7 hours sleep before taking the free shuttle outside the CP.
One benefit of being up early is the very good light for photography. I think these shots worked out rather well:
LAX T1 was quite calm and the US F experience rather pleasant and with Fast Track security. But no lounge access...
Dinner at friends house would be around 7 so I did the deeds and walked down to Hall of Fame. That is the first and last time I do so. Tourist Trap of the worst kind. Anyhow, walked down to the Grove and Farmers Market (used to work at Television City) for a light meal and some shopping.
Grabbed a cab around 6.30 for my friends house but the cab driver had no clue what he was doing. Had myself and friend over the phone not intervened we'd be driving for hours... It still set me back 100 dollars with this idiot driver. So in 5 hours or so I had spent nearly 200USD on two taxi trips. Meh.
Dinner was lovely and chilled, both are in the Entertainment Industry (one famous, one dealing with famous) but have both feet firmly on the ground which is refreshing. The following day I would be picking up a rental at Hertz for driving around. First stop Runyon Canyon for some serious exercising:
I love this place. You can really work up a serious sweat and do some serious conditioning. Views of LA are nice as seen from the pictures. And you get some serious ladies walking about (hint SFO777). I spent an hour and half climbing and walking at high speed. Legs and gluteal destroyed.
Originally I had planned to spend two nights at the HIX, but then decided to swith to the CP LAX as I would be flying at 08:00 to SEA via PHX. Hertz return was a 5 minute 10 minute walk from the CP. Before that I met friends for Lunch in BH, more shopping, dinner at a steakhouse (okay) and then drove straight down to LAX, not using the highways. 20 minutes with little traffic. The CP was acceptable, got upgraded to a decent room but again it was some 6-7 hours sleep before taking the free shuttle outside the CP.
One benefit of being up early is the very good light for photography. I think these shots worked out rather well:
LAX T1 was quite calm and the US F experience rather pleasant and with Fast Track security. But no lounge access...
No lounge access meant Starbucks (which I don't mind) and also a chance to re-acquaintance one self the regular way of air travel.
"Plane spotting"
Boarding was called and I almost missed my flight... gate said 6 I was sure, but it was 8!
Nothing wrong with the seat or leg room.
Snacks and free bar. Cheery crew.
Flight to PHX was quick with great views. Lay-over was just over an hour with a healthy walk to the next Pier.
No lounge access. Yummy!
Thanks for looking. More to come.
The flight between PHX and SEA was very nice, despite the non existing catering on US F and a 2.30h flight. Crew was some of the nicest I've experienced. I found the seat very comfortable and slept well for an hour.
Approach and arrival in SEA as scenic as I remember from my visit 18 months earlier.
Hello:
I would not be staying in SEA however. Rather, a scenic drive up north to Vancouver in order to tick of the 3 cities requirement for the Big Win. And what a pleasant drive it would be. I had reserved a full-size car with Hertz, knowing it could result in an upgrade to something premium. Bags out quickly again due to US F priority and I made my way to the Car Rental transfer bus.
Now, the new car rental terminal/facility at SEA is impressive. And with Hertz Gold, it's a true pleasure. As I switched on my phone after arrival, there was en email from Hertz stating where the car was, what car it was and to simply jump in and drive to check-out. Flawless.
Landing to rental, about 40 minutes total. And the upgrade had come through nicely; A pretty new Dodge Charger. These are some serious American wheels and I was surprised at the performance and build quality.
Okay, so it's not an M5, but perfectly adequate for the 150 mile drive on the I5.
First stop just around the corner from SEATAC; The Museum of Flight. I was invited there by Boeing back in 2012 for the G-STBF delivery but thought it would be a crime not to visit again as it was not a detour. And of course the shop which is heaven for airplane geeks with young children, both boys.
I've had better lunches...
After an hour or so at MOF I directed that car north for the pleasant drive to YVR.
Down Town SEA:
Border control to Canada was a breeze and took about 5 minutes. I was now back in Canada and specifically BC. We spent parts of our honeymoon 5 years earlier in Vancouver, so it was a special moment.
I had opted to stay outside central Vancouver for practical reasons and ended up the HIX in Riverport, Richmond. About 25 minutes drive to Down Town YVR. Considering the rate, which was like 87CAD, this hotel was excellent value for money. While the location is basically in the middle of nowhere, except for a large mall and sports recreation facility, for a pit stop one cannot complain. Got upgraded to a Suite of sorts due to Platinum status.
Bedroom:
View:
Seating area (there was also a kitchenette, and a good size bathroom).
For dinner I headed to the complex and found your typical Canadian American Sports bar with decent Wings and a burger. I am big fan of NHL which was on TV so this was one of those moments when you fully accept that life does not have to be complicated.
Okay, so breakfast was very HIX with limited options and mostly processed foods, but I survived after another good nights sleep. Time to drive to YVR.
The boot of a Dodge Charger:
Lively place:
Well, what a coincidence!
I suppose I'll never see this place again...
The wheels:
More wheels, YVR and SEA coming up. Thanks for looking.
Approach and arrival in SEA as scenic as I remember from my visit 18 months earlier.
Hello:
I would not be staying in SEA however. Rather, a scenic drive up north to Vancouver in order to tick of the 3 cities requirement for the Big Win. And what a pleasant drive it would be. I had reserved a full-size car with Hertz, knowing it could result in an upgrade to something premium. Bags out quickly again due to US F priority and I made my way to the Car Rental transfer bus.
Now, the new car rental terminal/facility at SEA is impressive. And with Hertz Gold, it's a true pleasure. As I switched on my phone after arrival, there was en email from Hertz stating where the car was, what car it was and to simply jump in and drive to check-out. Flawless.
Landing to rental, about 40 minutes total. And the upgrade had come through nicely; A pretty new Dodge Charger. These are some serious American wheels and I was surprised at the performance and build quality.
Okay, so it's not an M5, but perfectly adequate for the 150 mile drive on the I5.
First stop just around the corner from SEATAC; The Museum of Flight. I was invited there by Boeing back in 2012 for the G-STBF delivery but thought it would be a crime not to visit again as it was not a detour. And of course the shop which is heaven for airplane geeks with young children, both boys.
I've had better lunches...
After an hour or so at MOF I directed that car north for the pleasant drive to YVR.
Down Town SEA:
Border control to Canada was a breeze and took about 5 minutes. I was now back in Canada and specifically BC. We spent parts of our honeymoon 5 years earlier in Vancouver, so it was a special moment.
I had opted to stay outside central Vancouver for practical reasons and ended up the HIX in Riverport, Richmond. About 25 minutes drive to Down Town YVR. Considering the rate, which was like 87CAD, this hotel was excellent value for money. While the location is basically in the middle of nowhere, except for a large mall and sports recreation facility, for a pit stop one cannot complain. Got upgraded to a Suite of sorts due to Platinum status.
Bedroom:
View:
Seating area (there was also a kitchenette, and a good size bathroom).
For dinner I headed to the complex and found your typical Canadian American Sports bar with decent Wings and a burger. I am big fan of NHL which was on TV so this was one of those moments when you fully accept that life does not have to be complicated.
Okay, so breakfast was very HIX with limited options and mostly processed foods, but I survived after another good nights sleep. Time to drive to YVR.
The boot of a Dodge Charger:
Lively place:
Well, what a coincidence!
I suppose I'll never see this place again...
The wheels:
More wheels, YVR and SEA coming up. Thanks for looking.
More driving and YVR:
The Wheels:
Approaching YVR (Excitement factor increasing)
This hotel is special as 5 years ago we started our honeymoon here before heading east into the Rockies for some serious Champagne Powder.
US Border not remotely as pleasant as the Canadian. 2 hour wait or so...
The Wheels:
Approaching YVR (Excitement factor increasing)
This hotel is special as 5 years ago we started our honeymoon here before heading east into the Rockies for some serious Champagne Powder.
US Border not remotely as pleasant as the Canadian. 2 hour wait or so...
Continued below:
Entering The USA:
Scenic drive south:
I stopped at Alderwood Mall on the way up and Premium Outlets on the way back. The latter was a disappointment I thought with not that much Premium stuff, especially compared to the Woodbury Common outlet where one can find real bargains on high-end stuff.
In Seattle I would be staying at the only proper IHG hotel in Down Town which was the CP, arriving Friday afternoon for 3 nights. This would clear my 3 city stay for the promo. Hotel was ok but nothing special with a little dated rooms. Reception claimed I was given an upgrade, but I had already booked and exec. room and this also appeared exec. But they claimed the upgrade was to a higher floor... I swapped rooms after 1 night as it was rather noisy. Both rooms had nice views but the second room a better one.
First room view towards south east. That highway was busy 24/7 and a parking lot each morning and afternoon. SEA has some serious traffic...
Friday evening a large group of FT mods met up for drinks and dinner.
Saturday was spent at the Renaissance Hotel for the Mod DO which was as productive as ever. The Raffle is great fun with Airlines and Hotels raffling out lifetime elite statuses.... (actually not, rather we raffle out gifts from our countries).
Post Mod Do it was time for a quick shower and preparations for the evenings dinner. Great seafood place in Down Town Sea, with a few of the mods already walking sideways from pre-drinks at the Hyatt.
IB are a kind bunch and invite all mods for dinner as a thank you for us volunteering and travelling from all over the world to the do.
It was a sight to behold one certain mod hitting on one of the IB folks fiancee (truth be told, she's smokin!).
Another classic was that there was plenty of unused drinks tickets and in true Frequent Flyer fashion the bargaining with the waiters began.
"What is the cash value of a ticket?"
"X dollars, sir"
"Ok great. So a bottle of DP2004 is XXX dollars, and here I happen to have XXX dollars in Tickets."
"I'll get you a bottle of DP2004, sir".
After 5 minutes folks at another table spotted the DP and hastily inquired what has happened. I explained the procurement procedure and within 30 seconds people where running around looking and asking for unused tickets...
Sunday was spent shopping but also a second trip up to Everett. I had already been on a VIP tour in 2012 for a delivery flight as mentioned previously, but fellow mod ZOL had not been at all. So we steered the rental up north. The public tour is nice, but does obviously not compare to the VIP tours at all. First of all, in the VIP tour one is actually walking on the factory floors and cameras are allowed. Public tour is limited at the Balconies and no cameras. But still worth it of course!
Boeing:
We stopped by Bellevue Square on the way back for shopping, before heading back to Seattle. The evening was spent driving around before going up the Space Needle.
View from second room, rather nice.
Monday and last day some more shopping and an epic Cheesecake Factory sallad, while ZOL had a massive steak.
Time was finally running out and it would soon be time to head back East and the Nordics. My fellow BAEC mod LTN-Phobia was on the same BA flight back to London, and actually both of us on the UD of the 747. Coming up in the next part.
Entering The USA:
Scenic drive south:
I stopped at Alderwood Mall on the way up and Premium Outlets on the way back. The latter was a disappointment I thought with not that much Premium stuff, especially compared to the Woodbury Common outlet where one can find real bargains on high-end stuff.
In Seattle I would be staying at the only proper IHG hotel in Down Town which was the CP, arriving Friday afternoon for 3 nights. This would clear my 3 city stay for the promo. Hotel was ok but nothing special with a little dated rooms. Reception claimed I was given an upgrade, but I had already booked and exec. room and this also appeared exec. But they claimed the upgrade was to a higher floor... I swapped rooms after 1 night as it was rather noisy. Both rooms had nice views but the second room a better one.
First room view towards south east. That highway was busy 24/7 and a parking lot each morning and afternoon. SEA has some serious traffic...
Friday evening a large group of FT mods met up for drinks and dinner.
Saturday was spent at the Renaissance Hotel for the Mod DO which was as productive as ever. The Raffle is great fun with Airlines and Hotels raffling out lifetime elite statuses.... (actually not, rather we raffle out gifts from our countries).
Post Mod Do it was time for a quick shower and preparations for the evenings dinner. Great seafood place in Down Town Sea, with a few of the mods already walking sideways from pre-drinks at the Hyatt.
IB are a kind bunch and invite all mods for dinner as a thank you for us volunteering and travelling from all over the world to the do.
It was a sight to behold one certain mod hitting on one of the IB folks fiancee (truth be told, she's smokin!).
Another classic was that there was plenty of unused drinks tickets and in true Frequent Flyer fashion the bargaining with the waiters began.
"What is the cash value of a ticket?"
"X dollars, sir"
"Ok great. So a bottle of DP2004 is XXX dollars, and here I happen to have XXX dollars in Tickets."
"I'll get you a bottle of DP2004, sir".
After 5 minutes folks at another table spotted the DP and hastily inquired what has happened. I explained the procurement procedure and within 30 seconds people where running around looking and asking for unused tickets...
Sunday was spent shopping but also a second trip up to Everett. I had already been on a VIP tour in 2012 for a delivery flight as mentioned previously, but fellow mod ZOL had not been at all. So we steered the rental up north. The public tour is nice, but does obviously not compare to the VIP tours at all. First of all, in the VIP tour one is actually walking on the factory floors and cameras are allowed. Public tour is limited at the Balconies and no cameras. But still worth it of course!
Boeing:
We stopped by Bellevue Square on the way back for shopping, before heading back to Seattle. The evening was spent driving around before going up the Space Needle.
View from second room, rather nice.
Monday and last day some more shopping and an epic Cheesecake Factory sallad, while ZOL had a massive steak.
Time was finally running out and it would soon be time to head back East and the Nordics. My fellow BAEC mod LTN-Phobia was on the same BA flight back to London, and actually both of us on the UD of the 747. Coming up in the next part.