US Airways’ call center is so bad that it’s good. Literally. US Airways’ award system doesn’t auto-price anything, which can really work in your advantage, since geography isn’t a strong point for most US Airways agents. For example, most US Airways agents believe Madrid is in South America and Amman is in Vietnam. They also believe Europe is a country. Use that to your advantage accordingly. Along the same lines, US Airways agents are very religious, so if you have the same first name as a book in the Bible, be prepared for the agent to belch out a quick “hallelujah” (I’m actually not saying that to be funny, it has happened on more than one occasion).
Japan Trip Days 1-5: Tokyo + Kamakura
See photos on Facebook.
Some random notes to go with the pictures:
- Flying to Japan was not nearly as bad as I had expected. But I sleep well on planes (the BOS-SFO redeyes trained me well).
- Narita airport (in Tokyo) has an infared camera pointed at the crowd headed towards customs, that they use to detect feverish people to put in quarantine. I can’t tell if this is the most awesome or creepiest thing ever.
- We ate a lot of conveyor belt sushi (kaiten-zushi), and I think the sweet spot for ~$1.50 plates of nigiri has to be eel (unagi).
- Japan is incredibly safe, and as a result you see some things that are almost unsettling. Lots of little kids (maybe 5 or 6?) walking through the streets of Tokyo or taking the train alone.
- Choco Cro pastries are amazing.
- Tokyo (and really, everywhere we went) has an incredible amount of signage in English. Talking to random Japanese people can be tough - their English classes in school focus on translation, not conversation - but people tended to be nice enough to deal with pantomiming/my awful Japanese phrases/whatever else it took to get questions across.
- It’s definitely worth seeing a baseball game if you’re ever in Japan. The baseball itself isn’t that interesting, but the fans are fantastic - everyone’s dressed up with their team’s scarf, fans chant/sing constantly, and the stadium food (from ramen to hot dogs) is great.
- Japan’s not that expensive - it wouldn’t be hard to get by on a budget of ~$100/day (2,500 yen for a hostel bed, around 1,000 yen/meal, and a couple of temples/museums at 500-1,000 yen each), and the JR Rail Pass is an amazing deal. That said, there’s a ton of very enticing, very expensive things to buy/eat… so it’s difficult to keep yourself to a budget.
And a few things went unphotographed, regrettably:
- My night out in Roppongi for the US-Ghana game (kickoff 3:30 a.m. Japan time). Met up with a couple of great Aussies and a bunch of expats, for a good (but crushing) time at Legends and then breakfast at the Grand Hyatt.
- My night in Shibuya (clad in a “Blue Samurai” uniform) for the Japan-Paraguay game/shootout (kickoff at a much more reasonable 11 p.m. Japan time). Watched the first half of the game on the street - a couple of guys had brought a small TV (and a cartful of beers to sell!). They got shut down though, so I watched the rest of the game at the (rather gross) Gaspanic Shibuya, then joined the celebrating on the streets afterwards (see this post for a picture of the pack I was in). I’m still not sure why people were celebrating so much after a loss — I think it’s just because they had nowhere to go (the game ended after trains shut down, so everyone was stuck in Shibuya until ~5 a.m.).
Things to do in London
Third in a series of non-comprehensive, incredibly subjective trip reports masquerading as “travel guides.”
Recommended Sights
- Tate Modern: Awesome modern art museum in a cool building. Walk across the “Millennium Bridge” from central London (across the Thames) to get there!
- British Museum: Fantastic history museum with crazy cool artifacts. Be sure to see parts of the Parthenon, the Rosetta Stone, and the Clock + Enlightenment Rooms.
- Platform 9 and 3/4: I don’t know if you’re as big of a Harry Potter fanatic as I am, but it’s a cool photo opportunity! It’s at the King’s Cross tube station.
- Oxford: I went for a day (like 9 - 6) and had a really good time checking out the different colleges, drinking at famous old pubs, and having high tea at a small hotel near the university.
- Spitalfield’s Market: Open air market with clothes, posters, random hipster stuff, good food.
Bars I recommend
- Barts: A super cool speakeasy, located in Chelsea in this random hotel called Chelsea Cloisters. You have to make a reservation, go through a “secret entrance,” and then you’re in this tiny bar with classic cocktails (added bonus - my friends have seen Hugh Grant here!).
- Princess Louise + White Hart: Both are great places to drink near the British Museum (Holborn tube stop). Princess Louise is a classic pub, classy wood decor + atmosphere. The White Hart is also old/historic but more of a bar with good music + a bit of a dance floor.
Food
- Obika: Amazing mozzarella!
- High tea: Find a classy place to get high tea (tea + finger sandwhiches + scones). We had it in Oxford, so I can’t recommend places in London, but I thought it was really hilarious + delicious.
- Indian Restaurants on “Brick Lane” (“Curry Row”): This street has like 5 billion Indian restaurants, and there are guys who stand by the doors and try to get you to come in. You can ask them for discounts if you want - we ended up getting a free round of drinks and 20% off of our check, with minimal hassle.
- Fast casual: There are a lot of nifty “fast casual” places (kind of like Chipotle) that we don’t have in the US. I ate at Nando’s (chicken place w/ lots of sauces) and Pret (kind of like Au Bon Pain) and they were both pretty good. You can get a meal for like 5-7 pounds, which is less than $10, so not too pricey. In a city not noted for its cuisine, I didn’t feel too bad eating at a chain.
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Flyertalk: Things that annoy me when I travel →
Best post in the thread below:
Man oh man, have I been waiting a long time for a thread like this. Here are the air travel things that drive me crazy:
- The jerks who recline their seats right back into me. Where am I supposed to put my knees?
- The bozos who complain when I recline my seat back. I mean, I paid for a seat that reclines, so what am I supposed to do, stay all scrunched up just because you want my seat’s room?
- The horrible little brats who scream, shriek, and kick the seat for the whole flight. Can’t their parents control these tiny tyrants?
- The ding-a-lings who complain about my kids behaving like kids on the airplane. I mean, children are going to act like children, so get over it!
- The weirdos who snarl that my carry-on fills up too much of the overhead bin space. Like, did they reserve it or something?
- The clowns who stuff a huge oversize wheelie, which they really should have checked, into the overhead bin so there’s no room for my stuff. Thanks a lot!
- The fools who jabber away at the top of their lungs on their cell phones at the airport. What makes you think I’m interested in your private affairs?
- The lame-brains who give me dirty looks when I make a call on my cell phone. I’ve got the phone, I need to make the call, so deal with it.
- The yahoos who sit around the airport or on the plane doing nothing but complaining about how other people make their air travel miserable. Hey, if it’s such a hassle, why don’t you just stay home?
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Things to do in Rome
Along the lines of my montreal post, a non-expert’s opinion on things you should do if you’re visiting Rome.
- Go to the vatican. It’s sorta pricey and very busy, but the art + architecture is amazing.
- Throw a coin in the Trevi Fountain. Touristy, cheesy, but adorable.
- Pick up a picnic lunch at GiNa and walk up the Spanish Steps to eat it at the Villa Borghese.
- Get really nerdy about Roman History and see the Forum, the Colosseum, the Pantheon, and the Ara Pacis… (or not… they’re awesome if you love the history, but not at all thrilling if you couldn’t care less about Augustus + company).
- Walk a bit south to Trastavere for a dinner. It’s nice and neighborhoody - a great escape from the tourist traps in the city, and super cheap.
- Eat lots of gelato!!!
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What to do in Montreal
My brother is headed to Montreal this weekend, so I wrote up the highlights from the time I went there a couple years ago.
Food
l’avenue - Great breakfast place, but our favorite thing was the enormous burger (“le roi des burgers” i think - something like 4 pounds, 5 whole tomatoes, etc). The menu is only in French - but you’d be fine if you were with someone who took HS french (or just by using common sense + pointing at things)
l’express - Really good (moderately expensive) classy french food. Might be awkward if no one speaks french (more so than l’avenue). Really delicious free pickles!
poutine - you can get this at any sort of fast food/burger shop - it looks really weird (french fries with gravy + cheese curds) but is absolutely delicious. you have to try it.
o’noir - This is a pretty unique place - you eat in complete darkness, the waiters are all blind. You can either order in advance or have them bring out a mystery dish. Comparatively expensive (maybe $40/person?) but i thought it was worth it.
prato - Really, really good sit-down pizza place. Be sure to get one of the pizzas with a cream sauce, and the tiramisu for dessert.
Drinks
Brutopia is a great pub - lots of crazy beers that they brew themselves, and a fun atmosphere.
Benelux - Another really great pubs with their own microbrews. Close to McGill if I remember correctly, which has a pretty campus.
Kafein - Nice hookah lounge with good drinks. I think they had a DJ there as well when we were there, might be a nice relaxed place to start a night.
Madhatter - “mad grimey” but apparently a montreal institution (everyone I talk to ended up here at some point). Right in the middle of a fun area.
Clubs
I wasn’t a huge fan of any of these places, but they should at least give you a good idea of the fun areas to go late at night.
A Gogo Lounge - “Austin Powers”
Club 1234 - Not as classy as the web site suggests, haha
Tokyo Bar - Probably my favorite of the clubs we went to
