There was someone sitting in my seat when I got there, so I offered a trade.  It was funny as the ladies were really very friendly and I told her that I would not get up all night so she said I could sit in the window.  I would not have minded sitting in the aisle, but they insisted as she said she may get up during the night.  They were perhaps the best seatmates I’ve had in ages.

We soon pushed back and headed out in the cool night skies.  My best thing about Las Vegas is taking off at night and seeing all the lights below.  There is really nothing like it.  We took off with the Strip on the right and then making a right turn so we could see the Strip from the other end as we gained altitude on this wingleted Boeing 757-300.  I had noticed the winglets until we pushed back.  This is the first Boeing 757-300 in revenue service with winglets.

I was way tired so sleep came really quickly as I covered up with the plastic wrapped provided blanket.  A pretzel and beverage service passed through, but I was full from the barbecue at the Hilton so I declined anything.  Landing seemed to come quickly on this 4:15 flight touching down at 5:22a.  I don’t think I will make the connection flight I thought.

As I was in the back of the plane and we got to the gate at 5:30a, I missed the 5:45a which was in the other finger of Terminal C at rainy Newark airport.  The agents moved me over to the next flight, a Boeing 777-200ER at 7:45a.  I then went to find a place to take a photo of the wingleted bird which was now heading for Orlando, FL (MCO) at 7:00a.  I could not find a place though due to its gate assignment at 102.

I did however find a spot in the Presidents Club that would give me great pictures.  And so at 7:00a when it pushed back, I got a few pictures in the rainy dawn.  I also had some breakfast of cereal and mini muffins.  I left almost right after the pushback as I did not want to lose my place on this flight.

At the gate I collected my middle seat boarding pass and headed onboard.  It was freezing in the jetway, I thought these things had heat.  As I waited onboard, a guy came for the aisle seat, but no one showed for the window.  Once the doors were closed, the guy asked if he could take the window as I was about to move over.  He said he wanted to sleep; I guess I did not look sleepy.  I obliged him anyway and he was thankful.  I was psyched about having that empty seat as I believe it was the only one on the plane.

We pushed back a few minutes late and made the long trek to the runway and took off  into the rainy morning skies.  I reclined my seat and the guy behind me protested that he was tall, annoyed I un-reclined and tried to fall asleep.  Maybe I should have complained about the noise his little girl was making…The flight attendants did come by with a breakfast offering of cereal and bananas; At this point, I kind of wished the offering was a bit different, oh well.

This airplane has power at the seats which I utilized and audio/video on demand which I did not use as I could hardly keep my eyes open.  I did hear the Captain come on and say that due to the winds we would have to fly past the airport and then come back which would cause us to arrive at the gate a few minutes late.

As we descended, the guy’s daughter kept kicking my seat back and tapping it with her hands.  Her father never once told her to stop it or apologize for her behavior and I never said anything to him.  Some people can be really selfish it seems.

We landed without incident and headed to the gate arriving about five minutes behind schedule.  I then called Metro and was advised the next bus was at 10:51a, good deal I had enough time.  This was a pretty good trip.

How are you spending your weekend?

New York, NY 19 Sep., 2009

After snapping back to reality, I started looking for signs to the trains. It was a bit confusing and overwhelming, but eventually, I saw a sign to the NYC Subway. There I checked my routing which seemed a bit complicated and time consuming. I did not even see any signs for for to get to the Long Island Railroad whech would have taken me to Jamaica Station where I can catch the JFK AirTrain to the airport.

A bit annoyed, I headed for the streets deciding to take the bus which left from just outside the station. The lady told me that there would be one at 5:40p which was perfect. I bought my 13 USD ticket and waited in line with about four others.

The bus showed up late at 5:45p and we left at 5:55p.  We got stuck in traffic a little as we went through the Midtown Tunnel as we left Manhattan for Queens, NY.  There was also traffic on as we passed by Astoria, Queens.  The driver took the service road at this point, making only minimal stops or slow downs.  Before I knew it, I arrived at JFK Terminal 7 at 6:24p!  This was pretty impressive.  As Terminal 5 was just two terminals away, I disembarked, tipping the driver as I did so and made my way to Terminal 5.  So I went from Grand Central Terminal to JFK Airport in 29 minutes.

What’s the longest has it ever taken you to complete this journey?

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Knowing I needed local cash for the bus, I changed 20 USD and received about 700 DOP (Pesos) from the local bank at the airport. I then proceeded to the taxi line. I told the English speaking dispatcher/taxi driver in the green shirt as directed by the airline agents, where I was going and he took me to a waiting cab.

It was 18 USD to the city of Santiago and about 70 USD (2,500 pesos, but they wanted 80 USD) to the Puerta Plata airport. I figured there would be a cab cost from Puerta Plata if I took the bus, so I offered 60 USD, but settled at 70 USD.

The overwhelming deciding factor here was timing. It was already 9:45a, my flight was at 2:39p and we had a 2.5 hours or so drive ahead of us. Yes, I took the easy and less stress way out.

Alternatively, I could have walked he short distance to the main road and taken a local transport to the city if Santiago.  That would have cost about 25 DOP (1 DOP is about 0.027 USD).

It was a great and scenic drive to Puerta Plata through the mountains. I got an opportunity to see the city wake up and go about its business. Almost as popular as cars are motorbikes; almost always ridden my a male and about 50% of the time has a pillion rider.  Sadly, I saw a car being removed that had smashed into a light pole breaking it in two.  The car was pretty smashed!

My driver pointed out places of interest from time and we communicated although I have extremely limited knowledge of Spanish. It was interesting but worked very well. The terrain is much like that of the country parts of Jamaica. Also, you can buy fruits from the vendors on the side of the roads.  I wanted to get some mangoes, but the language barrier prevented that from occurring.

As I was getting weary since we had passed through the town of Puerta Plata, I saw the sign to the airport. The airport is actually 18km from Puerta Plata and 7km from Sosua. I looked at the clock in the car and it read 12:05p. We had done really good time I thought, it took about 2:10 and we hit a bit of traffic as we passed through Santiago. I think taking the bus would have really pushed the limits, maybe next time.

Have you ever taken this routing?  I’d like to hear about it.

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I spent the majority of the trip chatting about whether or not charing $15 for this 30 minutes ride was worth it.  it was interesting as we compared the services and when I mentioned that a similar service in Toronto, Canada from Lester B. Pearson International (YYZ) had buses that took you to your hotel, he mentioned that Metro had a similar service.

I did not know that.  Still the service in Toronto is cheaper Metro’s service and it is run by a private company.

We arrived at the airport about six minutes late.  I made my way into the terminal and cleared the security lines without incident.

Then it was time to heade to the Presidents Club for a pre-flight drink and crackers and cheese.

After theis very short visit, I headed to my gate where there was a middle seat waiting for me.

I boarded and settled into my seat.  A few minutes before the door was closed, the flight attendants gave the safety demo and we were off.

After takeoff, the lead flight attendant announced that there would be a dinner snack service (I wonder what it would be).  Also that beer, wine and magaritas and other alcohols were $5 each.

The Captain came on the PA at 6:27 and advised that we should arrive ontime and if we have no air traffic delays we may even arrive early.

At 6:29p the drink and meal service commenced.  It was a chicken wrap with a Kitkat as well as a salad.  I ate heartily as I was super hungry.  I then slept for a bit until it was time to prepare for landing.

It was a great landing as we swooped down on the city below.  I exited the airport and took the car rental shuttle picked up my car and headed for the Bronx.

The first leg of the trip is complete.

After checking Google, I noticed that Metro North has a train that I can just make which will get me to JFK about two hours before the Houston flight.  With that in mind, I called my school chum in the Bronx and told him I was finally coming to visit.  His wife seemed O.K. with it, but it means late night for them on Friday night so I think I will rent a car to alleviate that pressure.  Here is the itinerary I came up after calling jetBlue yet a second time.  This time the lady was more pleasant than the last one.

1. Houston-Intercontinental (IAH)-New York-LaGuardia (LGA) 18SEP09
2. New York-John F. Kennedy (JFK)-Santiago, DR (STI) 19SEP09
3. STI-Puerta Plata, DR (POP) via local transportation 19SEP09
4. POP-JFK 19SEP09
5. JFK-Rochester, NY (ROC) 19SEP09
6. ROC-Orlando, FL (MCO) 20SEP09
7. MCO-Newburgh, NY (SWF) 20SEP09
8. SWF-JFK via Metro North/NYC Subway or rented car 20SEP09
9. JFK-Houston-Hobby (HOU) 20SEP09

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I wanted to try to accomplish Newburgh, NY (SWF) as well, but it is looking difficult since jetBlue only flies to Orlando, FL (MCO) and Fort Lauderdale, FL (FLL) from that city at really odd times.  I will have to figure out how to accomplish this one the following weekend; it will be tricky.

After talking with the agent for about 15 minutes (who was annoying by the way, I felt like I was imposing on her) here is the itinerary for this coming weekend:

1. Houston-Hobby (HOU)-JFK 19SEP09
2. JFK-Puerta Plata, DR (POP) 19SEP09
3. Santiago, DR (STI)-JFK 20SEP09
4. JFK-Rochester, NY (ROC) 20SEP09
5. ROC-JFK 20SEP09
6. JFK-HOU 20SEP09

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I called the front desk to check on the time for the shuttle and found out it was on demand.  Good deal.  I then got ready and went downstairs picking up three mini muffins at the complimentary breakfast bar.  In about 10 minutes or less I was at the airport arriving at about 5:50a.  The airport is literally right across the street.  I could have walked.

I checked in at the kiosk and got my boarding pass for the the flight to Orlando; a middle seat .  All other seats were taken or cost extra for the legroom.  I noticed that I did not get a boarding pass for the flight from Orlando, FL (MCO) to Syracuse, NY (SYR), but figured I’d just get one in Orlando later.

I went to the security lines and had a pleasant experience with the initial ID checker.  Once through the metal detectors, my bag was stopped for further scrutiny.  I had forgotten that I had a bottle of water from last night’s flight in it.  I asked the guy if I could drink it and he said, yes, but I’d have to go back through security.  So I asked why, I’m sanding right here you can see me drink it, I continued.  He said no and quoted rules/procedures, saying I could spit it on him, geez…  I know that I’ve drank the water before the agent before so I don’t know what gives with BUF’s TSA.  Anyway, he threw it in the thrash as I did not feel like going back outside security – too much hassle.

I gathered my belongings and headed to the gate area.  As I milled around, I was able to get a picture of my plane from last night, “Bippity Boppity Blue” as it was doing the JFK run at 8:00a or so.  I also took a picture of the closed Anchor Bar and our plane for today “I Got Blue Babe.”

After a few minutes of checking e-mail, etc. I went up to the counter and asked the agent if there were any non-middle seats available.  She indicated no, but they had premium seats available that I could pay for if I wanted.  I told her that I would keep my middle seat.  I then told her that I had no seat for my next flight and that when I checked-in, the kiosk never gave me an opportunity to pick one, no print my boarding pass.  She scolded me for not going to an agent and asking them to do it.  Saying that she is busy at the gate.  Strange she did not seem busy when I approached her.  She then gave me an aisle seat at the front of the plane and printed a boarding pass; I think this is one of the premium seats.

When it was time to board, I did so, said hello to the flight attendant and took my middle seat.  There was this guy in front of me who was arguing with his girlfriend, sometimes loudly.

I greeted my seatmates, to my left was a lady with an infant and to my right the father of the two kids behind me who were sitting with their mother.  The guy who was on the phone sat at the window in front of me at the window and continued talking.

I made small talk with the folks in my row as we waited for departure time.  The guy kept on his phone even while the boarding door was closed and the safety demo was going on.  After the demo one flight attendant passed him and did not see that he was on the phone.

The next one was more vigilant and asked the guy to hang up and turn off the phone.  Reluctantly, he hang up but did not turn off the phone.  The flight attendant requested once more for him to turn off the phone and acknowledge that he understood.  He refused to acknowledge that after a few tries on her part.  She noted his seat number and left.  I just knew that he was not going to Orlando today.

Sure enough, the airplane stopped after pushback, and the Captain announced that we were going back to the gate to take a passenger off.  The cabin was silent, but everyone in that area knew who it was.  We pulled back to the gate, a gate agent came onboard and beckoned him to follow her.  He did peacefully, the door closed, we pushed back and departed only 15 minutes late.  This was my first time seeing a passenger ejected.

It was a nice flight down with the usually jetBlue offerings of drinks and snacks.  As I was tired, I managed to get some zees.  The guy at the window went to sit with his family, so I moved over to the window for landing.

We actually landed early, but due to a long taxi made it to the gate two minutes behind schedule.  Not to worry, the next flight is not until 12:45p and it was now 9:47a.

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Soon it was boarding time and I boarded without any issues saying hello to the flight attendant who acknowledged me.  I then took my window seat near to the back and settled in.

Two guys sat next to me who it appears have been drinking.  They actually sat in the wrong seats initially on this 3-3 configured leather seats Airbus A320 (N565JB).

Our Captain Rich, came to the front of the cabin and introduced himself (a common thing on jetBlue) and advised that the flight time was 0:55 and he was expecting a smooth flight.

Soon after at 9:03p, the door closed then we ran through the safety message.  The flight attendant asked one of the guys next to me to turn off his phone and he appeared to have a little difficulty as he was using the calculator to figure out how much money he had spent that weekend.  Between the two of them it was close to $800!  Prior to that it sounded like he was talking to his young daughter on the phone telling her he was coming home.

We departed runway 22R-4L rather quickly as it continued to rain a bit.  Once airborne, it was time for drinks and snacks as LiveTV continued to play.

It was an uneventful flight and we touched down rather early at 10:06p.  The pilots did some hard braking in order to make the first high speed turn off.  You could feel the airplane shudder as we did so.  On our taxi up to the gate we were advised that some of the airport lights would go out at 10:30p for maintenance.  So don’t be alarmed.  It was 10:08p when we blocked into the gate.

As I made my way out the door, one of the flight attendant noticed my button and said thank you.  I acknowledged here and smiled.  I also asked the Captain for the name of the airplane.  He did not know, but went outside and got the name, Bippity Boppity Blue for me.  Wow, I did not expect that at all!

I thanked them all and made my up the jetway as I wanted to see if I could get to the Anchor Bar, home of the Buffalo wings.  There is one at the airport, but it was closed.  The one in the city, about 13 miles away closes at midnight on Saturdays.

My research had shown that there is a bus I could take, but it would arrive in the city after the place closed.  A cab would be $30-$35 on the meter, so that was cost prohibitive.  I had checked out car rentals, but they would amount to the about the same price as a cab both ways.  Buffalo wings are out this trip I decided.

I then went back inside and called the hotel shuttle which arrived in about 10 minutes just after the airport lights went out.  The shuttle soon showed.  I was really tired so a hotel bed was calling.

Have you ever been to Buffalo for wings?

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The area near gate 2 was quite busy with many travelers coming and going.  As I got to gate 2, I noticed that the boarding had already started.  However, I did take some time to photograph our plane, another Embraer 190.  It was a little hard to see the registration, but I figured I’d get it later.

I boarded when it was my turn said hello to the flight attendant in the galley and took my seat.  A minute before departure time at 3:54p, the Captain came on and advised that we would be delayed as a taxi light malfunctioned.  She then added that it would take about five minutes to fix it once the mechanic arrived.

The delay was really short and at 4:05p, we closed the main door and pushed back.  JFK is an airplane spotters dream.  It would appear that every major international carrier was represented with almost all the wide body airplanes ever made making an appearance.

We stopped short for about 10 minutes.  Then the Captain came on the PA and advised that she was waiting on clearance from ATC as the airport had changed departure runways.  In about two minutes we were moving heading for 22R-4L.

 I did see a Delta Air Lines Boeing 767-300 with winglet which is so cool to see.  There was a Boeing 757-20 with winglets next to it as well.  Our takeoff was behind a Czech Airlines (OK) A310-300 painted in their new livery.  This just after a Lufthansa Boeing 747-400 took off on the perpendicular runway.

After takeoff about 4:47p, the flight attendants came by with water, followed by cans of Coke, Diet Coke and Sprite.  A cup of ice followed.

The Captain then came on the PA and said that we had 30 minutes more to go and we were cruising at 26,000’.  She also turned off the seatbelt signs.  The time was 4:52p.

Doritos munchies cheese fix and chocolate chip cookies followed.  I tried them both.

This flight was really empty including the seat next to me.  It was soon time for landing which we did without incident.

Once I landed the flight attendant asked the crew for the airplane name and they said “Pretty in Blue.”  I did not think that was right as I had seen “or” in one of the words.  When I checked later, it was actually “Color Me Blue.”

When I got the gate at the end of the jetway, I asked the agent to print my boarding passes which she did after asking for an ID.  I saw that she had a “#AYCJ” button so I asked her where she got it.  She said they are at the ticket counter I can go get one.  She would call ahead so they are expecting me.  I had until 6:10p to make it back to the gate.

I headed out to the ticket counter where Tricia and Michelle were waiting.  They gave me the button and we chatted for a bit.  They think I’m nuts, but then I agreed with them .  We chatted for a bit then I headed back into the terminal.

Clearing security was a breeze and I think I’ve met the most pleasant TSA lady employee ever.  There was maybe three people clearing security so there was no waiting.

As I approached the gate, I heard Christine the gate agent advised that if you are an “All you can jet” jetter you should let her know.  How cool is that.

Richmond, VA (RIC) to New York-JFK, NY (JFK) B6 1076

I boarded said hello to the crew and took my seat.  Just before takeoff, the First Officer, Heather came out of the cockpit and said hello and acknowledged myself and one other “All you can jet” member.  Another cool moment.

On the return flight, the meal service was the same and was doled out the same way.  I wanted to talk with the lady next to me, but she was watching the football game and reading, so no hope there.  I tell you having TV onboard may not be a good thing at all, who knows though.

66F cloudy light winds from the southeast says the Captain at 7:01p.  We would land in a bit he concluded.

An opportunity presented itself to talk to the lady next to me (she took off her headsets).  It was great, we had a good short conversation too.  As it turns out, we both have roots from Jamaica.  She had gone down to Richmond to see family.  She is originally from Richmond, VA.  I gave her a card so she could check out what I said about her.

We had a nice approach from another runway (Far Rockaway, I think) this time and hovered quite a bit over the runway before touching down.  We got to the gate early at 7:26p twenty-five minutes early.  The gate was not quite ready though so we waited about a minute before we docked.  People were already standing.

I disembarked and said my goodbyes and headed for the restroom.  I needed to go real bad.

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I got ready and departed at about 5:45a; thirty minutes behind schedule.  It was a great drive down to Hobby although it started raining.  Silly me, I had taken out my umbrella from my bag.  I hope I won’t need it on Sunday when I return.

Once I arrived at Thrifty, I expected them to come out and check me in, but no one showed up.  So I noted the mileage and went inside.  There was one lady ahead of me.  I think she was returning as well.  By 6:22a, I was all done and headed for the shuttle bus.  In a few minutes I was at the airport.

My parents are also flying today so my sister called me with an update.  We talked for a bit then I headed upstairs.  Although I already had my boarding passes, I wanted to use the kiosk anyways.  There were a few people at the counter waiting to check bags.  I started some small talk, but it went nowhere fast.  Two ladies were heading to NY with samples.  Not sure what kind of samples though.  They were half awake so did not want to talk I guess.

It was my turn soon and I used my credit card to find my reservation.  I then reviewed my seat and the flight was still pretty full.  I then printed my boarding passes, but I only got two of them.

It was now time for the TSA security lines.  They were not too bad at all and I cleared it in about 10 minutes.  I then headed for the gate and waited for my flight.  People seemed tired which is understandable.  Breakfast seemed to be on everyone’s minds.

Boarding started at 7:04a.  I did notice a bin with headsets for $2.  It was all self-help.  Deposit $2 and take a headset.  When it was my turn, I boarded handing my boarding pass to the agent who did not even make eye contact.  He was pleasant when he made his announcements, not sure what happened; maybe it’s ‘cause it is early.

I greeted one of the flight attendants, Lisa as I entered the single aisle 2-2 leather seat configured Embraer ERJ-190.  Lisa greeted me back as I continued my way to my seat.

As we boarded, the captain came on the PA and advised us that there would be a short maintenance delay.  He said we had to wait for the mechanic to come by and sign the log book before we can leave.

This airplane has DIRECTV and it played as we wait.  About 41 channels.  you can use your own headset or the one they selle you for $2.00.

I tried to get some sleep as we waited.  It was 7:48a when the co-pilot came on the PA again and advised that it would take another twenty minutes for the mechanic to show up.  He also allayed fears of missed connections, adding not to worry.  I fell asleep again.

I awoke at 8:24a to the lady behind me cursing into her mobile phone that she’s been on the plane for an hour in a most NY accent.  The bad thing is that NY is her final destination.  She was actually loud at the beginning yapping with her friend on the phone.

The co-pilot came on again and advised that they were all done and he anticipated at 8:40a departure with a 12:40p arrival, so just thirty-six minutes.  The lady continued to curse; I really wanted to tell her to shut up as she was really annoying.

The door closed at 8:26a and we pushed back at 8:33a taking off at 8:45a or so.

Something I noticed with having DIRECTV on all the time; people don’t talk to each other at all L.  Efforts to try do not work either.

After takeoff, we made a steep climb out and headed north.  One of the flight attendants advised us of the drink choices adding that beer and wine is $6.00 and again, only debit/credit cards are accepted.  The entertainment system recycled and ran an introductory program.  I started watching Monk on USA.

At about 9:05a, a flight attendant came by and took drink orders and left us a napkin.  My water arrived at 9:28a.  the flight attendant passed by with the hot stuff; it wzs 9:36a, not my tea.  Although she wrote it down, she had forgotten me.  I motioned her over after she passed a few times and then she brought me some tea at 9:47a.

I fell asleep while watching TV and was awoken to get ready for landing.  It was good to see the New York area as we flew right over Floyd Bennet Field on our way in.  I got a good picture of JFK which is a rarity really.

Once on teh ground at 12:44p, we made it to the gate by 12:46p, 42 minues late.  Annoying lady got on the phone and started bitching once more.  Enough already!

Our plane is scheduled to go to Portland, ME (PWM) at 1:05p.  It re-boarded and left at about 1:18p.  I now hang out in T5 and wait for the next flight at 3:55p to Richmond, VA (RIC).

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