Paddling my kayak alone, London 2009

This was my second trip to London this year, and I ended up paddling my kayak alone, as Mary Beth had plans to visit a spa for the bank holiday weekend, and no one else wanted to come with me. I had originally planned a trip to Copenhagen, but when AA offered their DEQM promotion again, I changed my ticket and headed to London town.

I ran by DFW early Thursday morning to check about an upgrade. No dice. I headed back to the airport around 4:00 that afternoon and asked about standing by for the 7:15pm flight. No standbys on international flights. (It's worth asking, right?) So, I headed to Reata for dinner, bought a day pass for the Admirals Club, and settled in for a couple hours of reading and email checking in the lounge.

Head down to the gate around 8:00pm. See my name on the upgrade list. Go ask agent if it's my name. She confirms it is and says they really need my seat. Asks me how I'd like to pay. I offer up the least expensive option -- denied. My ticket is booked into a different class. I offer up cold, hard cash. Denied. It's $5600. I mention the six magic words. She smiles, hands me my new boarding pass, and I'm on my way. No cash left my pocket. Incredible. Absolutely incredible.


We boarded around 8:30, and I settled into my biz seat, visions of being able to rest peacefully and waking up refreshed dancing in my head. I've said it once, I'll say it again. American Airlines' business class far eclipses the business class I experienced on United in February. The menu is better (though on this trip I only managed to barely stay away and enjoy my ice cream sundae), the IFE is exceptional, and the service is stellar. I cannot say enough good things about AA business class. The lie flat seats are comfortable, the blankets are soft on the skin, and the new amenity kits are GREAT! This girl has been converted to an AA flyer for life. They definitely have the superior product and service when it comes to AA vs. United.

As I said, I managed to stay away just long enough to enjoy an ice cream sundae before falling asleep. I can promise you we weren't even two hours in flight by the time I nodded off.

I woke up just in time for breakfast and I enjoyed my fresh fruit and yogurt before filling out my arrivals forms. We landed at Heathrow around lunchtime, which is a bit later than I like to start my day, but the sun was shining and within minutes I had boarded the Heathrow Express to Paddington.

Final Destination: Grosvenor House -- my favourite hotel in the world.

Mother/Daughter NYC Trip, Day One

Airline: American Airlines
Hotel: Doubletree Guest Suites, Times Square

My mom and I were originally booked on a 1:20 departure to LGA, but when we got to the airport at 11:45, our flight had already been delayed until after 2:00. The kiosk offered us a confirmed flight change on the 12:15 flight for $50, so we decided to take it, not knowing how late the other flight would eventually be delayed. This flight would get us into NYC around 4:40. Since we weren’t checking bags, this wasn’t a problem. We cleared security and ran off to SkyLink, since we were in the wrong terminal… of course.

The flight was boarding when we reached the gate, and we weren’t able to get seats together. However, we were on the flight, and that was all that mattered. I didn’t get lunch though, and since I had gotten up at 4:00 to go into the office that morning, I was pretty hungry. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get to the bag of nuts I had packed in Mom’s bag either.

When we got to the airport, we called Carmel Car Service for our scheduled pick up. They were there promptly, and despite the fact we arrived during rush hour, the car service only cost us $24, thanks to the handy $4 off coupon that we got off their website. We were settling into our hotel well before 6:00, and I called Ruth’s Chris to see if we could move our dinner reservation up from 7:45, and they agreed, giving me a 6:45 slot.

We stayed the Doubletree Guest Suites in Times Square, and it is the most disappointing hotel we’ve stayed at in the Times Square area. We are regularly in NYC and have stayed at many hotels in the theater district and around Times Square. This hotel is extremely average in all categories, except for service. When we arrived, we were upgraded to a conference suite by a very friendly gentleman at the desk. All the staff was incredibly friendly and went out of their way to make us feel welcome in their hotel.

The room itself was very dated in decor, though they have upgraded the beds. The bathroom was large though, and the Neutrogena amenities were replaced every day. The windows offered a panoramic view of Times Square, and you could shut the lights out with the shades at night.

We had a drink in the lobby bar one night -- the drinks were good, but very pricey. $14 per drink is a little steep, even for New York. The lobby bar is beautiful, but as a previous poster mentioned, it's not private or secluded -- it's right in the middle of the check in/out madness and next to the elevators.

The elevators were faster than I expected, and we rarely had to wait very long for an elevator, even though we were on one of the higher floors.

The wi-fi was TERRIBLE while we were there. It faded in and out, and often didn't work at all during half of the stay. At $12.95/day, I expected better.

Overall, it's a pleasant enough stay at the right price, but had I paid the $3000 they were asking for New Year's Eve 2008, I would have been severely disappointed. However, it is not one of my favourite hotels in the area, and I don't know that I would return. The hotel is rather bland.

At any rate, we headed to Ruth’s Chris for dinner, and it was superb. The service was exceptional. This is the second time I’ve visited this location, and I’ve been impressed both visits. Mom ordered their prix fixe dinner with the tomato salad, a filet and shrimp, and a chocolate mousse and berry dessert. I ordered a petite filet au poirve and ate most of her dessert. I know it’s terribly cliché to go to New York and eat at a chain restaurant, but I have been wanting to take Mom to Ruth’s Chris for a LONG time, and I was craving their au poivre sauce.

After dinner, we walked back to the hotel. I tried to convince Mom that we should grab TKTS tickets and head to a show, but I was unsuccessful. We went back to the hotel and unwound for the night.