airport drunk

Didn't get a chance to update until now... Just on my way back from a five day trip to Atlanta. Ended up taking Spirit through FLL to ATL. Purpose of the trip was a convention at the W (it turns out there are two W hotels in Atanta, one downtown and one on "Perimeter" which isn't actually in the city). I think the downtown location would have been nicer, but the staff at the W Perimeter were nothing short of amazing. I had booked a full suite which was actually more like two connected rooms... One had a few sofas, a desk, 42" plasma, and where its bathroom would be, a kitchen. The other had a king sized bed and a very nice bathroom. Kudos to Starwood for the upgrade!

Aside from the usual power outlet shortage at FLL (even the hallway ones seemed to be non-functioning), trip went fine... I'm travelling with an Asus EeePC nowadays which is great because I can actually use it on a plane (I've got very long arms, so for me to open my 15.4" notebook in coach I have to have the bottom of the laptop touching my stomach and either stick my elbows out a foot in either direction, or do this trick that makes me look like a tyranasaurus. Anyway, this thing has uber battery life (I can watch two full movies on a battery, provided they are divx dvd rips because there is no dvd drive), and it made every flight a whole lot more pleasant thanks to Spirits lack of IFE (fancy term for In Flight Entertainment used on boards like Flyertalk). I barely took my PSP out at all (which I swear by usually).

This trip was kind of unexpected, but fun... I'm getting a little tired of my luggage setup though, I'd like to get something in leather next. Time to go luggage shopping.

Man I love Florida! It's also the quickest and cheapest place for me to fly to from Costa Rica (provided I take Spirit Air through FLL). Should be a fun trip, going to a convention first for a few days, then spending a few days in South Beach, then driving up to Tampa Bay to visit some friends for several days, then over to Orlando for a couple of theme parks, then back to Fort Lauderdale for the flight home.

SJO kind of pisses me off sometimes with their flakey wifi... Sometimes I can pick up a strong signal while at a gate, but other times like in the food court (right next to the huge "free wifi" sign) I can't get anything. It also randomly decides it's free or paid depending on the time of day it seems. We're taking a redeye and nothing is open right now, so basically we're sitting around playing games while waiting... It's a shame how the digital age has made people so unable to entertain themselves, lol.

I cannot believe I actually did this, it's been years and you think I'd learn. My flight back home from SFO bounced through both IAH and FLL. What a horrible travel day. It is always worth the extra money to limit your flight to only one stopover (or direct if it is available). I can't believe how much of the day I spent preboarding, taking off, and taxiing. What a waste of time.

San Francisco was cool, went to some awesome parties (most of which I can't really describe here since it's a "family" blog ;) Took the Alcatraz tour which was totally badass, I recommend it to anyone who visiits the city. The Golden Gate bridge was, well, a long bridge. Nothing really that special about it (unless you consider it's impressive suicide rate). Drove out to Napa and Sonoma, took two wine tours and did several tastings... very picturesque part of the country, I quite liked it.

Now I'm home for a bit to work. Where will my next trip be? Hopefully not vegas...

Had some business to take care of in Fort Lauderdale, and in San Francisco, both the same week... So I booked a direct flight from SJO (San Jose, Costa Rica) to FLL via Spirit Air, which although being a ghetto as hell airline is still the cheapest and fastest way for me to get to the USA. I paid the extra $30 to reserve exit row (ghetto first class!) and had a great flight. Spent a couple days in one of the beach hotels, got my biz done, and started on part two of the trip.

Flew Continental from FLL to IAH to SFO... Not the recommended way to do it, but I've got my Elite Status to maintain ;) The first flight to Houston left ridiculously early in the morning, which I absolutely abhor, but what can you do. I scheduled a short layover because I didn't have to go through customs this time, so no Sky Box. Just had enough time to pick up a Robb Report (the ultimate airplane reader, the people who sit next to me keep staring and wondering why I am reading reviews of $18 million yachts!

Landed in San Francisco at the perfect time to rent a car, drive in the sunshine for 12 minutes, and hit a massive wall of rolling fog. Checked into an insanely overpriced hotel, and checked out downtown... Great shopping actually, I spent over an hour trying to track down this pair of white leather Giorgio Armani shoes in my size that were featured in an insane sale at Saks Fifth... Never found em though. Oh well, should be a fun (and productive) week.