Monthly Archives: June 2007

Economy++

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Anyone who has suffered through a flight on United Airlines is painfully aware of just how abysmal the leg room is in their economy class. Apparently, United is aware of this, too. However, rather than add a couple inches of leg room to every aisle on the aircraft, United has added a full *five* inches of leg room to a select few seats. These have been dubbed Economy Plus and, of course, require an additional fee for the genetic deficiency of long legs. After all, what kind of money-grubbing airline would they be if they didn’t? Those executive salaries don’t pay themselves after all.

I was offered this supposed upgrade when I checked in at the self check-in terminal (why spend extra money on people to man the check-in desk?). The cost of the upgrade was US$44. However, I was told that just for me the cost would be… US$44. Boy, do I feel special. All those frequent flyer miles are really paying off.

Well, it turns out my flight was overbooked. I had a confirmed reservation, but no seat assignment. Guess which seats tend to be available after every other seat has been filled. That’s right, all those seats no one felt were worth a quarter of their original ticket price.

So, if you want extra leg room on a United Airlines aircraft, you can pony up the cash for the privilege–or just book your flight late.

On The Road Again

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I haven’t even had a chance to finish my trip reports from Canada, and now I’m off again. I’m boarding a red eye flight tonight, heading to Raleigh-Durham via Chicago O’Hare. I don’t expect to have many interesting things to say about the trip. I promise to have my tales from Canada posted soon, back-dated to fit the time line.

A Pint’s a Pound the World ‘Round

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Except when it’s not.

It took me three days to realize that ordering a pint in Canada results in receiving an imperial pint. Not the paltry sixteen fluid ounces one might receive in the States. Nay, this is a man’s pint.

I think the fact that bars around here serve beer in their proper glassware threw me off for a while. All the different shapes (and tasty contents) distracted me.

What Does Inspiration Taste Like?

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We weren’t feeling up to being adventurous tonight. So we ate at a restaurant across the street from our hotel, Milestone’s Grill and Bar (incidentally, the domain listed on the back of their business card doesn’t work, I had to Google for the correct address). They emphasize “inspired” eating. If our waiter had said “inspired chicken” or “inspired fish” one more time, I may have gotten violent. He was also enthusiastic in his presentation of the healthy options on the menu. I hope it wasn’t because he pegged us for visiting Americans. Still, the choices on the menu all looked very good; even the Kobe beef meatloaf that Mike was quick to disparage (as being a waste of good beef).

Milestone’s featured summer menu apparently drew inspiration from southern beaches. Florida would be my guess, but none of the food struck me as being specific to any specific ethnic cuisine. I ended up ordering grilled coconut shrimp, which came on three skewers resting atop a mound of sticky rice with chunks of pineapple. It was quite good. I tend to prefer grilled shrimp over deep fried, which is good, because that tends to be healthier.

After two nights of giving in to the lure of Hoegaarden, I returned to my usual behaviours. It was time again to drink the local nectars. I paired tonight’s dinner with a honey red lager from Palomino Craft Beer. I enjoyed it very much. It was smooth, refreshing, and had just a touch of sweetness. A little Googling leads me to believe that this is a private-label beer brewed locally. I heartily recommend it.

Quelle heure est-il?

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I made the mistake last night of setting the hotel’s alarm clock instead of using one of my phones.

The annoyingly loud buzzer went off at 0600, just as planned. I hit snooze until just a bit after 0630, just as expected. Once I finally dragged myself out of bed, I made my way to the living room of my suite to fire up my computer (the first thing I do every morning). I thought it’d be a good idea to change the time zone on my computer, so I wouldn’t have to spend the week adding three hours. After selecting Toronto from the list, the clock changed to 0544.

Eh?

A quick Google search for “toronto time” (yet another feature of Google I just now discovered) told me that it was, indeed not yet 0600.

So now I’m awake an hour earlier than planned and I understand why the sleep is much more difficult to rub from my eyes than it should be. There isn’t much point in trying to get any more sleep, so instead I’m going to get something done before meeting my team at 0800. Thank goodness the Hilton at least provides coffee in the room.

What Do Canadians Eat?

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After our direct flight from San Diego to Toronto on Air Canada, we were starving. Sure, there was food available on the flight, but it seemed expensive for what you get. The barbecue beef sandwich the girl next to me ordered sure smelled good, but I didn’t think it was worth the five dollars (USD and CAD) to find out.

Once we checked into the hotel in Markham, we started wondering what was typical Canadian food. When I visit Mexico (or heck, stay in San Diego) I know what Mexican food is and I know where to go for the good stuff. What’s Canada known for? Is it like asking what American food is (well, that depends on what part of the States you’re in)?

Having not been able to answer the question, we started driving until we came to a cluster of restaurants in Richmond Hill. We chose a nice-looking place called Marlowe on York Blvd. The food was excellent, and Hoegaarden was on tap, served in the appropriate glass (that is to say large; I had two).

Hello Canada, eh?

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I’ve been sent to Toronto for the week. Officially, I’m out here for training on a product we make very heavy use of. Unofficially, I’ve brought with me a copy of Lonely Planet Toronto and have already read through the section on pubs and bars. Technically, I’m in Markham, but I’m here until Friday, so I hope to be able to experience Toronto while I’m here.