Text 36064, 89 rader
Skriven 2010-03-21 22:34:00 av MICHAEL LOO (1:123/140)
Ärende: towardTheEndOfTrip 955
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UA5882 AUS DEN 1143 1305 CRJ 3D

A BBQ colleague was in 2B. Turns out 3C was more than happy to
trade and sit across from his traveling companion in 2C, so John
and I ended up sitting together. He was slavering, I believe the
term is, not having had the (less than wonderful) snacks at the
club. I'd have been happy to munch on the extra beef, were there
nobody to give it to, but here was a decent use for the stuff.

I went to see if I could get on an earlier SFO flight, with John
trying to score a bump off his LAX flight - we had talked about
people being at different life stages having different needs,
and here was a perfect example. No go on the earlier flight,
so we took the train to Concourse A to pay homage to the Denver
President's Club.

The bartender whom I find a hoot (reminds me of Richard Widmark)
wasn't there, but a smiling young lady kept us in beer and
potato chips for over an hour. As he wanted to be at his gate
at the most advantageous time to ask for his bump, we left at
around 3; I had the nagging feeling that another beer here had
my name on it, but, hey, I could remedy that abandonment with
its cousin courtesy of United later on.

UA 735 DEN SFO 1543 1719 752 was a 319 2A

Lunch: a fruit and cheese plate, of which I ate the fruit,
and a warm chocolate chip cookie. Blood sugar!

First officer announcement: "If there's anything we can do
to make your flight more enjoyable, let us know." I asked
for Channel 9, which request was refused. So much for that.
Otherwise an uneventful and unexceptionable leg.

I'd hoped to maximize my few hours in San Fran by getting
friends together for dinner in Millbrae at 6: from 9 to 10
I was meeting a FA friend coming back from the SFO-OGG turn
- but nobody could make it out that early. I got tired of
e-mails saying "next time," feeling slightly (but not totally)
unloved. So another visit to another club, Red Carpet, where
an underripe banana and a half pint of snack mix masqueraded
as dinner.

I was feeling so good from the procedure that I almost ran back
along the passage back to domestic. And hurt my ankle, whoops.

My friend the United flight attendant came in right around 9.
She didn't have time to change out of uniform, so we couldn't
repair to the club (employees in uniform not allowed); some of
the paid Internet kiosks down toward the end of the gate area
have been replaced by a lounge with plants and comfy chairs
and coffee tables, all very '60s but better than nothing. Kind
of noisy for conversation, because of traffic on all sides.
We chatted rather louder than we normally would for a while
and then went to the gate area, where we found a quieter spot.
We talked of music things, family things, health things,
United things, in order of pleasurability, but too soon it
was time to board and claim that precious overhead space.

UA 180 SFO BOS 2230 0656 752 4B

For the long flight, as I am rapidly becoming an old guy, and
as there's nothing to see, I got an aisle seat and slept a
couple hours. Flight attendants: a very jolly and friendly
redhead and a very friendly and moderately jolly brunette. My
seatmate was a pretty blonde nonrev (how do you tell? one
asks. The reading matter coupled with the three carryons.)
She put her biggest one up sort of over row 3, which ired
the row 3 people standing behind her, the wife half of whom
shoved the bag up against mine, saying, that's nice [shove],
now we can ALL [shove] use the bin. Whereupon the husband
half slung their bags up, hitting me in the head with one
of them. After cooling myself off, it was surprisingly easy to
fall asleep, and I was out as soon as the wheels left the tarmac.

Woke a couple hours later to visit the facilities, and the
pretty redhead FA offered me the fruit plate snack, which I
refused, and the cookie, which I accepted, along with a
Courvoisier (poured as a double), and of which I was offered
a prompt refill (accepted with the proviso it be a single).
Upon finishing which the less pretty but also agreeable
brunette one offered me another (refused with thanks).
Snoozed the rest of the flight to the dulcet tones of ATC,
courtesy of Channel 9, a United exclusive.


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