Travels

When I go on holiday, it usually consists of waking up really early, driving really far, and lots of hiking. Then, when I come home and it's time to go back to work, I'm more exhausted than I was before setting off. Physically, anyway.

This was not the case on my latest vacation. I had a $250 certificate from United Airlines because they had previously cancelled a flight and wanted to apologize for the inconvenience. So this was a trip for the sake of using that certificate, and visiting a couple of friends.

As a result, I flew to the East Coast pretty much without purpose. There is a benefit in doing so, which is that without plans, just about anything is an option. The downside is that there is nothing to do if I can't think of something interesting on the spot. After all, I didn't go to New York to see the Statue of Liberty. In fact the only reason why I even saw the Empire State Building is because it's rather big and you can't not see it.

All of this resulted in a vacation like none other I've experienced. I stayed one night in Washington, DC, where I had booked at the Sheraton Hotel. This marked the first time I'd chosen to stay at a hotel because I don't really believe in paying more for a hotel when a motel will do, especially when traveling alone. However, it still happened to be the cheapest option. At any rate, because the bed was so large and comfortable, I actually ended up spending most of the first afternoon taking a nap, and then I slept in the next morning. Most people don't fly 2,500 miles to have a nap...

Typically, my vacations are road trips. I enjoy driving around, and I find a road trip to be much easier and more convenient and flexible than flying somewhere. However, without a car, I am forced to get around using either my feet or public transport. Then again, it's not like I would actually want to drive in New York City, just like how I hate driving on the Las Vegas Strip, and how I wouldn't fancy driving through Tokyo.

The Las Vegas Strip, however, is short enough to traverse by foot. In Tokyo, one is never more than a five-minute walk from a station. Neither is the case in DC or New York, but whatever. Ignoring the ticket vending machines in Washington that I was never actually able to figure out, and the fact that trains don't come nearly as freqently as they should in either city, I only have one major gripe. It's not the fact that there appears to be no published schedule in New York, because I found it rather amusing that people were peering down the tracks to see if a train was anywhere in sight. No, it's about trains that don't go where they're supposed to.

Allow me to elaborate. I needed to get from Penn Station to Fulton Street Station in Lower Manhattan, so I hopped on the A-train displaying "A // Fulton St. Local" on the LCD displays on the side. Little did I expect that such a train would not be stopping at Fulton Street, or indeed traveling on the A-line at all. No, instead it went down the F-line, and I found myself deposited in Brooklyn. This marked the first time ever that I had been lost on public transport. The train that eventually took me to my destination was one that said, "Not in service."

I complained to some friends about this and they said it happens a lot, especially on weekend nights and that I should have paid attention to the in-car announcements. Now, I'm sorry, but when I get on a train that says it's going to a particular place, I damn well expect it to actually take me there regardless of whether it's a weekend, night, both, or neither. Besides, how am I supposed to figure it out before I get on the train when there is no schedule to be seen and the train comes down the track marked "A"? The in-car announcements really aren't any good since they are barely audible and not spoken until after the train departs. It didn't help that this was Halloween night and the trains were full of rowdy partygoers.

Apart from that incident, though, an overall positive experience. Made a new friend, had amazing food, took lots of pictures, the lot. And then it was time to go home.

My return trip would leave out of Newark-Liberty International Airport, on a United Airlines flight that would take me to Chicago-O'Hare, then connect to another United flight that would take me to John Wayne Airport (Santa Ana). This was all part of the $250 certificate deal, and while it would take longer than a direct flight, Santa Ana is much closer to home than LAX, so I had chosen that.

And then United Airlines delayed the flight to Chicago, which would cause me to miss my connection. I inquired, and United Airlines was unable to accomodate me and rebooked me on a direct flight from Newark to Los Angeles on Continental Airlines. Unfortunately they did not give me another certificate for the inconvenience.

A direct flight meant that I had much time to kill at the airport. Had I known this, I would have spent a bit more time in New York, and I probably would have flown out of JFK instead. At this point, though, nothing I can do, so I went to the pub.

I had never flown on Continental Airlines in the past, but my perception was that because its tickets always tend to be more expensive than others, it would be a slightly more upscale experience. I couldn't have been more wrong.

Earphones are free on Continental Airlines. This is not the case on many other airlines these days. I have my own, so I never buy them. However, use of the television is not free. Plainly, this is ridiculous. JetBlue may charge $2 for headphones but at least they don't charge $6 to watch the television.

Food is also free on Continental Airlines, even for domestic flights. This is not the case on many other airlines these days. The idea of a cheeseburger that comes wrapped in a plastic package is not particularly appetizing, but fair enough.

My biggest complaint, though, was the legroom. It simply did not exist, so I was essentially standing. I don't expect much out of coach, but if I sit up straight and my knees are still touching the seat in front, this is a problem. It also means no one can recline seats because the knees of person behind make this physically impossible.

Coupled with the two kids in the row in front that would not stop whining and asking every fifteen minutes how much longer it would be, this was possibly the most uncomfortable flight of my life. It got so bad that the parents of said children were forced to shell out $6 to turn the TV on.

Anyway, enough bickering. I had fun and I think I've come back with a much more positive outlook. But the next vacation is going to be a road trip.