Travel Guide - ThePointsOfLife

A Lions Thanksgiving: Football at Ford Field

thepointsoflife

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November 26, 2015

A Lions Thanksgiving: Football at Ford Field

Thanksgiving is about dolma, hummus, tubbulah, cari, turkey and Detroit Lions football. It doesn’t get any more American than those standard foods combined with watching the cowardly Lions take the field for a meaningless game in late November. Every year, I would contemplate whether to go see the Lions lose or get to grandma’s house early to eat. Obviously, I chose the latter as the outcome of the former was predetermined.

On one occasion I was fortunate enough to see the Lions triumph over our nemesis Chicago Bears. The stadium was electric, the fans were, as Detroit fans tend to be, out of control, and Jake Cutler was where he needed to be– on his ass.

What makes Ford Field special is not the name. It is run by the incompetent Ford family that promises plenty and delivers next to nothing. Ford Field is unique because it is located in downtown Detroit next to Comerica Park where the Tigers play and near the future home of the Detroit Red Wings. During game days, the exaggeration of Detroit’s danger is ignored as fans from Metro Detroit head to the city to support the local teams. The ‘Detroit versus everyone’ mentality is personified by the thousands of cheering fans who even after enduring an 0-16 season still come out to support their sports family.

This connection is unique to this blue-collar city because fans truly believe they are part of the team. No matter how bad the Lions are only Detroit fans are allowed to comment on their feebleness. A shot by the national media or outsiders that Detroit doesn’t deserve the Thanksgiving game is met with harsh resistance. What these nincompoops do not know is that the Lions Thanksgiving game is not only a Detroit tradition, it is an American tradition that dates back to the early 20th century. Changing it simply because the Lions are perpetual underachievers would eliminate a staple of American sports culture.

So this Thanksgiving, as you watch the Lions hobble around the field for what will be another wasted season, remember to be thankful that there are real fans out there that support their team. Without such loyalty, sports would be a hollow, trivial contest between two opponents with no tradition. Since we have the rest of the year to endure those pointless games, today let’s enjoy the one that isn’t.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Come to Detroit, if you're brave enough. — Come to Detroit, if you’re brave enough.

Lions betdown — Lions beat down (not on Thanksgiving)

Hilton Matches Status, But Will It Be Diamond?

Points

thepointsoflife

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November 25, 2015

8

Hilton Matches Status, But Will It Be Diamond?

I guess the opposite of devalue is revalue and every hotel is doing it. Last week it was Hyatt giving away the sacred Diamond status like roosters in a hay-field. This week it’s Hilton’s turn to give away the crown jewels. Per Frequent Miler and Miles to Memories tweets, I got in on this offer and already received the following response from Hilton:

We’re on it! But we may need some more information from you…

We’re excited to honor your status and offer our elite benefits to even more members like you. If you have not already done so, please reply to this email with the following information:

Your Hilton HHonors account number. If you’re not yet a member, you’ll need to sign up first.
Proof of status with another hotel loyalty program. This can be a screenshot of your current account status or your membership card. We accept jpg files, word documents & PDFs.

Please do NOT send us any personal information (including your phone number, address, social security number, date of birth, user name, passwords, or credit card information).

Once your Hilton HHonors elite status has been honored, you’ll have it through March 31, 2017. Due to the Thanksgiving holiday in the U.S., please allow up to 5 business days for your information to be processed.

We’ll be in touch soon!

The Hilton HHonors Team

I’m assuming that the match will be to Diamond as I and everyone else is already Gold. Striving for Diamond was never a goal of mine as Gold got the job done e.g., free breakfast, room upgrade, club lounge access. But in the era of devaluation it will be nice to say that I’ve reached the top-tier status of Hilton, Hyatt, and SPG all in one year.

The Waldorf Chicago: What would Diamond get?

The a380 Route Guide: The Complete List

thepointsoflife

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November 25, 2015

2

Growing up, I was obsessed with cars. Being able to guess the make and model was a great game to play. I am an expert in all things Mercedes and BMW, the world’s best luxury vehicles. I struggle with Porsche and Ferrari and pay no attention to the EPA misleading Audi.

Though I’m still a novice, this obsession, thanks to the points hustle, has shifted to airplanes. I have a greater appreciation for the ‘make and model’ of the aircraft that I’m flying even though the few that I can spot with consistency are the a380, 747, 777, and 787, hardly an accomplishment.

More important than what’s on the outside is what’s on the inside. The creativity of what an airline can do with a plane is best showcased on the a380 where showers, bars, and beds have become the norm. Why no one has installed a PS4 for IFE is beyond me.

New Years is coming up and I’ve shifted my focus from where to go to how I’m going to get there. If it isn’t on an a380, I have no interest. Every time I begin a flight search, I start by Googling a380 routes and get frustrated that I forgot to bookmark the page that lists the routing serviced by this man-made marvel. For my benefit and for yours, here is the link from a380flights.net that shows everywhere the a380 goes.

I found the following to be of interest because due to clever routing ideas.

Qatar
- Doha (DOH) – Bangkok (BKK), QR836, 01:55 – 12:10 h
Thai
- Bangkok (BKK) – Frankfurt (FRA), TG920, 23:40 – 05:30 h (+1)

Of course, Etihad Apartments is on the list as is British which I will be flying next year. To date, I’ve only flown SQ Suite Class and Emirates Shower.

Worldwide Travel Alert: Not a Helpful Warning

Scholar

thepointsoflife

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November 23, 2015

4

Worldwide Travel Alert: Not a Helpful Warning

Today the State Department issued the following warning: “The State Department alerts U.S. citizens to possible risks of travel due to increased terrorist threats.”

How is such a general, broad warning helpful? As a traveler, this tells me nothing. We are all aware of the Paris attacks, the bombing of the Russian plane, the hostage situation in Mali, and the chaos of ISIS. The world certainly is not a safe place. That goes without saying and certainly without a need for a formal warning.

I don’t know what to glean from this announcement. Is an attack imminent? If so, then how poor is the intelligence that the only guidance is that the world may be dangerous? It seems if ISIS is intent on striking there is as good a chance of it happening on our own soil as abroad. This warnings means that the intelligence community has no clue as to what is coming, where, or when.

When I was in Sharm el-Sheikh the State Department had zero travel warnings about the airport or the city though Britain and Russia had stopped all flights to the airport. It was remarkable that the Brits could deem the city to be safe but the airport not. This was most likely due to the fact that 20,0000 Brits were vacationing in Sharm and telling them that the city was not secure would set off a panic.

The current State Department warning takes me back to the color coded Homeland Security Advisory System of the Bush era. An arbitrary color informed us of how vigilant we needed to be. In today’s world, when would we go back to green which represented a ‘low risk of terrorist attacks’?

Similarly, is the State Department going to come out in a few weeks and rescind this travel warning? Will this make it safe to travel again? Obviously it will not. All it does is create fear and anxiety, something that runs counter to our American ideology.

This silly chart luckily is no longer used.

I’m Done with Manufactured Spending

thepointsoflife

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November 23, 2015

30

With the last Vanilla purchased today to hit the final min, I have decided to stop the manufactured spending madness. 44k here, 39k there, and thousands more from the glory days of REDbird have netted more points than I know what to do with. And that’s the problem.

My AA balance is over 250k, my MRs are over 340k, and my SPG is over 220k. While those were the programs I targeted for 2015, AA is facing a huge devaluation in 2016 and SPG’s program is up in the air. Add in the elimination of free gift cards and I can’t rationalize the $5.95 fee for Vanillas to boost the balances of these programs and others that could also face devaluation. Although there are creative options to MS for less, my laziness precludes me from doing so.

With a temporary freeze on churning due to a lack of great product offerings, this holiday season I will be focused on finding great ways to burn all that I have built up so that I can start the cycle anew in 2016. Hopefully this purge includes Etihad Apartments.

Till then, I’m going to enjoy the time off.

Anyone else exhausted from MS?

Is Everyone Flying Etihad Apartments But Me?

Points

thepointsoflife

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November 23, 2015

2

Is Everyone Flying Etihad Apartments But Me?

Etihad is the new cool. The novelty of Emirates Shower Class has worn off and, at least for me, Qatar’s Business Class was never that great. I just flew Etihad First from Abu Dhabi to LAX but that was on a 777 which doesn’t count.

Back from my trip, I’m not spending my mornings working, I’m spending them searching for availability on Etihad A380 service from somewhere nearby to somewhere far away. So far I have found zero availability through 2016. I’m regretting not searching for LHR-AUH-ATH which would’ve been far more enjoyable than my EasyJet flight. With the impending AA devaluation, I must find a flight on Etihad Apartments before reality hits and the only affordable carrier is Allegiant.

Drama aside, I’m jealous that OMAAT flew the inaugural flight from AUH-JFK. Not to be outdone and absolutely baller is TPG who skipped the Apartments and booked the Residences with straight cash homey in the amount of $32,000!

The cool kids are all flying Etihad Apartments. Meanwhile, TPOL is feeling left out like the fat kid in dodgeball.

Thanks A380 for making 777 no longer cool.

EasyJet: Know Before You Go

thepointsoflife

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November 22, 2015

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The EasyJet Flight Review is part of the Trip Report Athens Marathon: The Original Course which includes the following cities:

Click here for the picture preview.

EasyJet is not Southwest Airlines. It is more like Allegiant because you should ‘expect everything, carry nothing’.

I was looking for a cheap option to get from London to Athens after fog forced me to miss my flight to Poland. I had heard the horror stories of Ryanair and opted for Easyjet instead.

Here is what you should know before flying Easyjet:

Easyjet is located at Gatwick so you will have to find a way to get there if you are flying into Heathrow. I recommend the National Express for convenience, not for the price.
Print your boarding pass ahead of time. There is no kiosk for printing your pass at the airport. Although they will print it for free, unlike Allegiant, you will have to wait in the long line of those checking bags to obtain it.
You are only allowed one carry on unless you pay so plan accordingly.
‘Speedy Boarders’ are those as the gate agent stated that ‘pay for the privilege to board first.’ This confused many people at the gate including myself who thought it was term designated for frequent fliers who know how to get on and off planes.
The seats are cramped, the flights are full, so get ready to be squished.
Coffee, drinks, juice are of course not free of charge. They do accept cash.

These don't lie flat — These don’t lie flat

<==Back to Priority Pass Lounge Gatwick – Onto Hotel Grande Bretagne Athens==>

No. 1 Lounge Gatwick: The James Bond Review

thepointsoflife

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November 22, 2015

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No. 1 Lounge Gatwick: The James Bond Review

No 1 Lounge Gatwick Review is part of the Trip Report Athens Marathon: The Original Course which includes the following cities:

Click here for the picture preview.

No. 1 Lounge Gatwick is part of the Priority Pass Lounge network. The queue to get in gave the false impression that it would be an overcrowded, underwhelming lounge. That was not the case.

There actually was plenty of room to comfortably sit, an a la carte menu with tasty food, and a well stocked bar. The only trouble with the No. 1 Lounge was their prohibition against pictures, something that I wrote in real a-live time. While Lounge Reviews are my least favorite task as a blogger, they do serve the useful purpose of alerting travelers of the best option for passing the time as they wait for their Easyjet flight to depart. To that end, a prohibition against pictures is quite silly.

Here are the pics of the No. 1 Lounge that TPOL did not take:

This didn't look promising . — This didn’t look promising

Don't take photos of the macaroni salad. — Don’t take photos of the macaroni

One order is included free. — One order is included free

Greek wrap that I didn't take a pic of — Greek wrap with ‘crisps’ that I didn’t take a pic of

<==Back to National Express Bus to Gatwick – Onto EasyJet to Athens==>

National Express: Bus From Heathrow to Gatwick

thepointsoflife

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November 22, 2015

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National Express: Bus from Heathrow to Gatwick is part of the Trip Report Athens Marathon: The Original Course which includes the following cities:

Click here for the picture preview.

Not a lot of entertainment in this part of the Trip Report but some useful information that I wish I would’ve known ahead of time. This may be of benefit to you if you are flying into Heathrow and out of another London airport.

Nothing is as stressful as arriving in one terminal and being forced to depart from another. This is true whether you arrive in LAX and have to exit the airport and walk to an adjoining terminal or if you are flying AirAsia and did not realize that the international terminal is a bus ride away from the separate domestic one.

While it is clear that Heathrow and Gatwick are separate airports, the distance between the two is still enough to get your heart racing after a peaceful spa session at the Revivals Lounge.

Here are the steps for getting from one to another that will save you from panic:

Book a ticket on the National Express via their website. Don’t worry about printing your boarding pass, the email confirmation is sufficient. The cost is 26 pounds.
At Heathrow, follow the signs for the Central Bus Station. The walk is around ten minutes.
Check the sign for your departing platform.
Take a nap and an hour later wake up at London’s version of LaGuardia, Gatwick Airport. Take note of whether you are going to the North or South Terminal.

<==Back to Virgin Revivals Lounge – Onto No. 1 Lounge Gatwick==>

Virgin Atlantic Revivals Lounge LHR: Call Me George Jetson

thepointsoflife

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November 21, 2015

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Virgin Atlantic Revivals Lounge LHR: Call Me George Jetson

The Virgin Atlantic Revivals Lounge LHR Review is part of the Trip Report Athens Marathon: The Original Course which includes the following cities:

Click here for the picture preview.

In the future we will cross the Atlantic on a flying machine, arrive before the start of the business day, and treat ourselves to an a la carte meal before heading to the office.

This is reality if you fly Virgin Atlantic from the United States to London. Upon arrival, be sure to head to the Virgin Atlantic Revivals Lounge after clearing Customs. There you will find a futuristic lounge with a legitimate breakfast, free spa treatment, and a proper shower.

The concept of an arrivals lounge is clever if you truly are a business traveler. I enjoyed pretending that this routine was part of my weekly commute from the United States to the UK but I’m guessing that Sir Richard Branson conceived this idea to serve a practical purpose not just as a novelty for points enthusiasts. In any event, I loved the added bonus of the Revivals Lounge especially the facial treatment that helped soothe the hangover from Upper Class party.

<==Back to Virgin Atlantic Upper Class – Onto National Express to Gatwick==>