Text 27900, 102 rader
Skriven 2009-08-25 12:18:00 av MICHAEL LOO (1:123/140)
Ärende: IPT trip 1 78
=====================
US1023 BOS PHL 0630 0754 733 1A
was 1020 BOS PHL 0715 0853 734 2F

As the hotel was $239++, and the taxi was over $50, I just
headed way early to the airport and snoozed in the rocking
chairs (curse the guys talking loud down at the other end
of the corridor, as one could hear every syllable) until
dawn. A 10-minute walk to US Air, where security took a
tiny amount of time, and I placed myself in the hands of
the lovely Sonia, who got me on the previous flight, in
first, so I could use the business facilities in Philly.
Slept through the flight of course and then high-tailed it
to the US Airways Club to use the fax machine and the
copier and all those things that I normally don't use.
The people I was faxing stuff to didn't have their machine
working, so I had to call them anyway. They still wanted
the fax but gave me a dispensation for a couple days.

US3986 PHL ELM 0955 1102 CRJ 3A

Another (thankfully) insignificant flight to Elmira-Corning,
where Annie and Billy were actually earlier than the plane,
which itself was 15 early, no surprise as they schedule 67
min for a 180-mi flight on a plane that can go 500 mph.

I was all set to hoist a couple brewskis at the Market Street
brewery, but Billy had his heart set on the Wellsboro Diner,
which was featured in some Travel Channel or Food Network
show and is sort of on the way. The place was crowded with
local-looking folks, and we had to wait about 15 for a booth.

Annie had this hankering for chicken, so the honey dipt ($11
for 4 pieces, hardly diner food prices) filled the bill. She
doesn't favor dark meat, so I got the thigh: juicy, tender,
very crisp coating, kind of salty. Pretty good. Along with
this come two sides - there are big expensive ones and little
cheap ones, and the way the menu is set up, you are encouraged
to take one big and one little. The waitress said it was okay
to do two big ones, so Annie got mashed potatoes and gravy
and curly fries - a big serving of each. Billy had the deluxe
chili dog ($6), a jumbo frank of no great pretension, overhanging
its bun, with an enormous pile of wholesome but underseasoned
chili (more like spaghetti sauce); this came without sides, but
when Billy wanted the curly fries, the waitress spontaneously
came up with the solution of putting them on Annie's order
(she had wanted only one side).

I had the pork chops, 2 thin 5-ozers, also $11, with applesauce
and onion rings; the rings were off, so I substituted sweet
potato fries. The chops were okay in a thin sort of way.

Annie wanted to see how the graham cracker pie on the menu
compared with her mother's (one of the few things she had been
able to cook). This was of the mile high variety, with a huge
cap of browned meringue, slightly lumpy custard, and a rather
wet graham cracker crust. Other than that her mother's had
had a less lumpy custard and better crust, they were similar.

I fly into or out of Harrisburg, Scranton, or Elmira, as
availability of award tickets dictates. Williamsport is tough
for awards, and the regular revenue tickets are up to three
times what they are for these other cities. Next trip I have
a cheapie into Williamsport, though; a rarity. It's an hour
drive south from Elmira (a bit extra with the stop at
Wellsboro). But it gets Billy out of groundhog day, which is
good, and the Corning Weggie's has a much better beer selection
than the Pennsylvania stores do, so Elmira is a prime choice.

I have become well acquainted with US 15.

=

Dinner. A massive meal.

My fabled crab Rangoons, made without my usual scallions, as
there were none in the house - you make wontons with cream
cheese, crabmeat (in this case a quarter pound of leftover
Alaska king leg meat), a touch of garlic, and a touch of
commercial curry powder, that's it; then you fry them until
crispy on both sides. Easier than pie, and you get kudos
every time. These were a little saltier than usual, owing to
the large proportion of crabmeat, otherwise fine.

Annie had grilled us 2.5-lb porterhouses - mine extra rare
of course. Good meat, gotten off the green meat bin at the
supermarket (I think Weis or someplace, not Wegmans), where
they had landed for being extra marbled. Local corn on the
cob, very sweet and fresh.

Beverages: Yuengling Light; Straub's; Sapporo. I started with
a Straub's, which is sort of like the old-time Schlitz that
we were talking about; went on to a Yueng, which was clean and
well made but like the canoe joke; and then Sapporo, a fairly
light beer, tasted hoppy and gutsy and tangy by comparison.

I unloaded the hickory Bacon Salt on the poor unsuspecting
folks - Annie was tickled by the idea of it. tttt, it did okay
when tasked with the job of rendering filet tasty later on.

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