Eight weeks of training is done for the Athens marathon and in order to keep myself honest and motivated, here’s my weekly diary of all things marathon.
Here’s what happened this week:
8 more weeks to go. Golf is the sport of the week again, not running.
I’m broadcasting live from the Southwest Airlines Lounge in Orange County. After being denied entry to the Admirals Club Lounge (hoping I could skate by using my Prestige card) I am enjoying SWA’s massive lounge that includes McDonald’s, Subway, and Starbucks. There’s plenty of leather seats to sit down and do nothing while waiting for the delayed flight to Phoenix to depart.
The only lounges in John Wayne airport are Admirals and United. There aren’t any second-rate Prestige lounges nor a Centurion. This lead me to wonder why Southwest doesn’t have a basic lounge in its hubs. I see it as a value proposition that Southwest could add in to compete for business customers who more and more are flying Southwest. Like the airline itself, a Southwest lounge would be no frills, convenient, and affordable. Just something I thought I’d throw out there if the CEO of Southwest happens to be a TPOL subscriber.
This is part of the Trip Report: The Greatest Diamond Challenge of All Time. Check out how I planned my Hyatt Diamond Challenge and how it cost next to nothing here.
In this report, I will cover:
In Los Estados Unidos passengers still don’t get how Southwest boarding works. Passengers complain about Southwest’s cattle call style and can’t figure out what B52 means in terms of where they should line up.
“I’ll never fly this airline again,” is a quote I hear each time I take Southwest. Somehow the boarding process is too complicated for a few people to comprehend. Today I’m flying out of Mexico City and am observing how Southwest’s boarding works abroad.
Like it was years ago in the US, there aren’t dividers separating A 1-10, 11-20 etc. Instead it’s A 1-30 and a mass group of people trying to pretend they are all A 1. I just was told that ‘the line is back there’ even though I am B3 and this guy’s boarding pass read B30. Maybe I’m too conditioned to Southwest in America or maybe he hasn’t flown Southwest before (though he was an American) but one of us is in the wrong.
Overall, boarding was more orderly than a flight out of Shanghai where passengers all make a mad rush for the gate regardless if they are first or peasant class. Still the assimilation to Southwest’s style is far from complete. To that point, the flight attendant just announced in English and Spanish that there is no assigned seating.
Adios Mexico!
<==Back to Centurion Lounge Mexico City – Onto United Lounge Orange County==>
The Mexico City Travel Guide is part of the Trip Report: The Greatest Diamond Challenge of All Time. Check out how I planned my Hyatt Diamond Challenge and how it cost next to nothing here.
In this report, I will cover:
We all travel enough to know there are tourist traps everywhere. It begins at the airport with the ATM that charges a less than friendly rate and continues with the taxi driver who exploits the unfamiliar traveler. To combat these usual occurrences we know to use Uber and keep a Charles Schwab checking account for international travel. These precautions are a must. But even with years of travel knowledge panning the entire globe there will still be instances when you aren’t on your game. It is during these vulnerable times that the savvy local will exploit your absent-mindedness
Today while visiting the city center of Mexico City, I had the foolish idea of going to a rooftop restaurant that overlooked the cathedral. Past experiences in Cartagena should have told me to stay clear of such places as they are proving grounds for banditos looking to exploit extranjeros. A bit slow from an evening out that lasted past five in the morning, I went up to the restaurant and had a few beers and ordered some tacos. Like a true idiot, I didn’t bother checking the prices. The food sucked so I asked for my bill.
Of course it was an outrageous 300 pesos for 4 shitty tacos. Moments earlier I had 5 amazing street tacos and a Coke for 40 pesos and now I was paying almost 8 times the price for basura.
The takeaways of this rambling are as follows:
1. Never eat in the city center whether you are in Rome by the Pantheon, Seattle by the Public Market, or Mexico City by the Metropolitan Cathedral.
2. The price for food and drink should not include a premium charge because of the view. For example, while in Hong Kong I went up to the Ozone bar at the Ritz to see what it would be like to drink at the world’s tallest bar, though I wasn’t dumb enough to buy an overpriced drink.
3. Don’t pay restaurant prices for street food. That includes kebap in Istanbul, dumplings in Shanghai, and tacos in Mexico City.
4. Don’t spend bargain hung over. You aren’t on your game and everyone can see it.
5. Do keep a travel lessons memo in your phone. Well before TPOL was getting ripped off for tacos, I used to document all the instances where I made mistakes or was robbed abroad. These should be reviewed as you make your descent into a foreign city.
6. Don’t think that you won’t get robbed again. As tuned in as you are there will always be times when they are better than you. It happens. Hustle to get back what was taken from you, learn from your mistake, and try not to let it happen again.
Having said all that how the bleep did I get robbed so badly? I must still be drunk.
If you would like to take pity on me then feel free to send donations.
I hope this helps.
<=Back to Mexico City Travel Guide – Onto Priority Pass Lounge Mexico City ==>
Second day in Mexico City and I thought I’d share my first impressions after wandering the city all afternoon. First, in terms of safety I’ve yet to feel any apprehension. Talk of how dangerous the city is seem exaggerated. The hotel advises against going downtown at night and cautions against hailing street taxis. That seems like sound advice in any big city. Though I remain cautious, I’d say that there are many other cities where I felt more on edge than this one.
Second, in terms of food, it is delicious. Again, many have advised against eating street food but like Shanghai or Saigon, I’ll take my chances.
Finally, as far as prices go, the peso is weak, the dollar is strong making this Pacifico cerveza a great value.
That’s all for now muchachos.
So this story isn’t on the same level as TPG and his S ordeal with TSA PreCheck but it is a lesson in laziness.
Today I’m flying Southwest internationally for the first time to Mexico City and had some issues at the airport due to my laziness. First, I forgot to check in early for my 630am flight so I get sent to the B league. Then on arrival to the airport I went upstairs to print my boarding pass and couldn’t get my passport to swipe, something that always gives me trouble. When it finally did, I was told to go back downstairs to customer service. Already running late, I was stuck waiting in the full service line waiting on an agent.
As it turns out, not putting my middle name and ball parking the expiration date of my passport is frowned upon. After some fuss, the agent printed my pass and I went back upstairs anxious to reach the gate. I got to security and the TSA man said I didn’t have PreCheck so ‘laptops out, shoes off’ routine ensued. Of course, the hands up x-ray machine stopped working and on and on.
I’m boarding now but let this be a lesson to you kids, fill out your info correctly or wait in line forever.
Despite being a former taxi driver, I have crossed over to the Uber side for the on-demand service, better pricing, and the elimination of awkward moments when the driver asks for a tip. I share the Uber love with Uber virgins in exchange for a $20 Uber credit so I can get free Uber rides.
But, during this Hyatt Diamond Challenge I’ve noticed that some, not all, of my promo credits have disappeared. I emailed Uber support and had a terrible back and forth mail correspondence where I was told that promotions are used automatically and if there is credit leftover, it won’t carry over. Specifically, I had a $30 credit that was applied to a $5 ride. At the same time, I had a $20 credit that was applied to rides under $20 until it was exhausted. This is in contrast to the policy on the website says that credit won’t be applied to more than one ride. Uber customer service couldn’t explain this discrepancy.
I don’t get it.
Anyone else have the same experience? What can I do to maximize Uber credits besides waiting to take a long trip to save the credit?
Seven weeks of training is done for the Athens marathon and in order to keep myself honest and motivated, here’s my weekly diary of all things marathon.
Here’s what happened this week:
9 more weeks to go. Golf is the sport of the week, not running.
So I went missing in action for a few days due to a hectic travel schedule. For those concerned for my well-being, here’s a quick recap of the events of the prior days:
As you can see there are plenty of reviews to be filed which I will do as soon as I get back to the daily routine. For now, I’m still on vacation/work with much more to do. One of the eventful parts of the trip was arriving in Phoenix yesterday. Due to terrible weather of which Phoenix hasn’t seen in a decade, the pilot couldn’t land. Instead, we circled around for an hour. At one point the pilot informed us that we would be running out of fuel in 40 minutes. That sent some chills throughout the cabin though I think he meant to say we would run out of fuel in the case we had to be diverted to another airport.
The landing was smooth and all is well. I’m still a-live.
The time has come to rise from the ranks of platinum to reach diamond. For the next two weeks TPOL will be exploring the Southwest by flying Southwest in search of status. Follow me via quick posts in the a-live section as I begin my journey with Allegiant and finally add a few new golf courses to my Golf Course Reviews section.
Upon returning, I will promptly give full reviews of all the flights, hotels, and create a new Guns & Butter Travel Guide for Mexico City, a place I’ve wanted to visit for quite some time.
