Most days I really love my job. It’s not glamorous, like you see in the movies, but it provides me a great deal of flexibility, variety, and personal enjoyment while meeting my needs to make a living. While I occasionally have a lousy flight (or trip, or sometimes even a month), the good still overwhelmingly outweighs the bad. That’s part of the reason why a day like today is so difficult. I know that all the passengers on the plane have been through hell ““just to get to the plane. It may not make you feel any better, but we had to go through the same thing. We know what it feels like. The security lines are long, and tempers are short, and patience is in short supply. There are a lot of people who didn’t make their flights today, […]
Read MoreSeattle Underground: The Subterranean Neighborhood
This neighborhood just isn’t like it used to be! No one can argue with how the Pioneer Square area of Seattle has changed over the last couple of decades. Before it was what you see now, there was a whole other neighborhood of streets and storefronts, all of which were destroyed in the Seattle fire of 1889. The fire turned out to be a good thing for the city. Although it totally devastated 29 square blocks of the city, including nearly all of the business district, most of the wharves, and the railroad terminals, the rebuildding of the city post-fire was a turning point in Seattle’s history. At that point, Seattle began the proess of becoming a real city. The day after the fire, a town meeting was held, and it was agreed that the city would be rebuilt with […]
Read MoreMoney Saving Travel Tips
Everybody wants to save a little money these days. A few dollars here, a few dollars there, and pretty soon it is real money! There are a variety of ways to save money when it comes to traveling. The first thing you need to think about, though, is what you have to give up to save the money. If you’re not giving up anything, it’s an easy to choice. But realistically, to save a couple bucks or two, something’s going to have to give. Maybe it’s just a little expenditure of time; maybe it’s some unneeded luxury; maybe it’s something you don’t want in the first place. All those are easy trade-offs to save some money. Just be careful in a trade-off that involves something that you really want. If you really want to stay at a hotel in a […]
Read MoreHow to Ask for an Upgrade
One of the easiest ways to get an upgraded seat on an airplane, or room at a hotel, is to simply ask. It won’t work every time, but when it does, you’ll be glad that you tried it. Your approach is important. This is not the time to try to impress anyone with how important you are, how valuable a customer you are, or to try to bluff you way through the process. Instead, this is a time for politeness, and graciousness, to the person who is in the position to do you a favor. I’m not suggesting that you pull a major suck-up act, that’s just an offensive as bluster, but good manners matter in this situation. Two types of upgrades will be available: Upgrades for free: The ultimate something for nothing. For airline travel, ask the agent […]
Read MoreHow to Cope With Car Sickness
I’m not really a car trip person. I come to this conclusion honestly: As a child, car trips with my father were a marathon drive session, interrupted by a short time spent doing something, and then the marathon drive continued. I get carsick. I don’t remember getting carsick as a child, but then I always remember having lots of things to do in the car. Books, games, paper and pencil, color books, etc. Riding in the car, watching the world go past, engenders first a headache, which, if quick intervention is not provided, soon spreads to a general feeling of lethargy throughout my entire body. This can be after as short a period of time as 10 minutes, or it can take upwards of an hour or so for the onset. Part of me would really like to embrace the […]
Read MoreConverting Celsius to Fahrenheit
I’ve been traveling in Canada the past couple of weeks, and have had to contend with converting to the metric system. In my zeal to warm up my chilly hotel room, I misjudged the Celsius scale, and turned the room into a (pick one): Sauna Inferno Circle of Hell My ignorance apparently knows no limit in this regard, and if you were listening really carefully, you would have heard me mutter: “What’s wrong with Fahrenheit? Why can’t they just do it the way we do?” Fortunately, common sense returned to my addled brain, and relying, once again, on the kindness of others, I finally was able to recall the little formula for converting Celsius to Fahrenheit: Multiply the Celsius temperature by two, and then add 30. (It’s not exact, but it’s close enough for my purposes.) So, when my temperature […]
Read MoreReasons to Travel with Duct Tape
When I was first hired as a Flight Attendant, our trainers preached about the virtues of duct tape. I was religious about packing a roll of it in my bags. Then, one day I couldn’t find my roll at home, so I raided my travel stash. And duct tape has never made its way back into my travel bags. After some events on my last trip, it’s time to go buy a couple more rolls. Here are some reasons why it might be helpful to have duct tape with you when you travel: General uses: Repair a tear in baggage Shoe or clothing repairs Hold a strap in place (luggage, purse, etc.) By car: Provide a temporary fix for a broken hose Hold a mirror in place Patch tents, netting or camping gear In a hotel room: Secure a door […]
Read MorePeace Arch Park
Along the border between Blaine, Washington and Surrey, British Columbia stands the International Peace Arch. The arch stands 67 feet high, and is proudly rooted, one side in American soil, the other in Canadian. Straddling the longest undefended boundary in the world, the Peace Arch was dedicated in 1921, and was the first Monument built and dedicated to world peace. The American side of the arch is inscribed: “Children of a Common Mother.” The Canadian side is inscribed: “Dwelling Together in Unity.” Spanning both sides of the border is the inscription: “May These Gates Never be Closed.” Although most visitors to the Peace Arch are crossing the border, you can visit the park without doing so. You can walk around and enjoy one side of the park or the other, but are not permitted to walk outside the park boundaries […]
Read MoreMount Vernon: The Estate of George & Martha Washington
On a recent sunny afternoon, a friend shared with me one of the most beautiful and peaceful places that I have been in a long while: Mount Vernon, the home and estate of George and Martha Washington. Located sixteen miles south of Washington DC, and eight miles south of Old Town Alexandria, Mt Vernon sits in a pictaresque and undeveloped area on the Potomac River. Washington acquired Mt Vernon in 1754, and expanded and developed the grounds to reflect his status as part of the landed gentry. He personally oversaw every detail to the estate design, construction, and decoration, even while he was away at war. Mansion tours run on a continuous basis. Fourteen rooms are open for viewing to the public, and have been restored and furnished based on the standards of the day from 1799, including some original objects used […]
Read MoreHappy 75th Birthday to the Empire State Building
75 years ago, on May 1st, 1931, the Empire State Building opened to the public. The idea for the skyscraper came from John J. Raskob, whose goal in the project was merely to outdo his former competitor, Walter Chrysler, and the Chrysler Building. Raskob, and then Governor Al Smith, conspired to make sure that the new building would surpass the Chrysler building in its height, 103 floors, and its magnificent design. Including the antenna on top, the Empire State Building stands 1,454 feet tall. Amazingly, this ambitious project only took 410 days to complete, an average of about four-and-a-half floors completed per week. View the photo history of the building of the Empire State Building here. The building, Fifth Avenue at 34th, seems to float above the street, and the rest of its surroundings, when viewed from a distance. It is one […]
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