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Greetings from Los Angeles, California! I've finally arrived home after an unbelievable amount of travel,
which began when I left Cape Town and wrapped up just this past weekend when I came home from Phoenix.
That's right! I was at the Super Bowl to witness the best game ever and my voice is only now recovering ... GO GIANTS!
If you want to see pictures from our star-studded luxury box and even more shots from Jo'burg, Dakar, NYC,
LA, Chicago and Palm Springs, then put on your Big Blue gear and join me as we root for America's new team!
Sorry Cowboys fans. There's a new sheriff in town. Looking for more excitement? This week,
join Chuck Taylor as he enjoys a winter adventure in
Beaver Creek and Vail, Colorado.
Or, for something a little more low-key, join our new writer Bob Ravitz, as he and his wife take the
train from the northeast to Florida ...
and love it. All aboard? Let's go!
CAPE TOWN TO JOHANNESBURG TO DAKAR
My long day of travel began in Cape Town, South Africa. I took a one-hour, 40-minute flight to Johannesburg, hung out in the lounge and spent my last few Rand before hopping on another South African Airways (SAA) plane for the eight-hour, 15-minute flight to Dakar. This time, the one-hour layover to refuel and pick up passengers was painful; there's only so much you can see from a plane window and that was covered on the way over. This time, the plane touched down at 2:40am local time so it was pitch black outside and it disrupted everyone's sleep pattern. We were woken up 30 minutes prior to touchdown to put our seats into the upright position. With the cabin lights on high, everyone, myself included, looked like a zombie as the cleaners and the security officials came through. All the New York-bound passengers had to stay on the plane and take their bags down from the overhead bin so they could make sure that none of the passengers deplaning in Dakar had left anything behind ... like a bomb.
DAKAR TO JFK
The journey to JFK was an hour longer (eight hours) than it was coming over and I imagine the flight would've been torture in economy so I was completely stoked to be up in SAA's business class. The flat beds and cozy comforters made the flight a piece of cake and helped me sleep most of the way, which is quite unusual for me. To read a full review of South African Airways' business class service between New York and South Africa, click here.
NEW YORK TO LOS ANGELES
When I landed at Kennedy airport, I headed straight to Connecticut (42 miles away) to hang out with my family. It was a good decision to break up my trip. Getting on another five-hour flight would've made me stir crazy. Instead, I flew back to California on Delta a few days later, even though I had to fly all the way back to Chicago two days later for a meeting. I just wanted to go home, even if it was for just a few hours. Besides I needed to replenish my underwear supply.
LOS ANGELES TO CHICAGO
I really didn't feel like going to Chicago (or anywhere, for that matter), especially when I looked at The Windy City's forecast. Ouch! I winced as I packed a few winter clothes for the trip. But my 16-hour stay there turned out to be fun and I dined at a fairly new restaurant downtown across from Millennium Park. The Gage (24 South Michigan Ave; Tel: 312-372-4243) serves upscale comfort food, fine wines and sports a vintage decor. Afterwards, I checked into The Sofitel Chicago O'Hare (5550 North River Road; Tel: 847-678-4488). It was comfortable and my room had a cozy provincial interior design. But the best part was that O'Hare Airport was just two miles away and the hotel offered a free shuttle service.
CHICAGO TO PALM SPRINGS
I flew directly to Palm Springs (127 miles east of LA) on an American Airlines MD80. I'm not a big fan of these planes). This was my first time seeing the Palm Springs Airport and I was quite impressed. It's a small airport but when you step off the plane, you're inside a modern, open-air terminal. Then suddenly, all that disappeared on the way to baggage claim, and passengers are quickly sent into a time warp ... circa the 1960s. It's pretty cool and I hope they don't knock down their old, retro wing.
TRAVEL MEDIA SHOWCASE
I was in Palm Springs to attend the Travel Media Showcase. It's a three-day program that introduces journalists to domestic and international travel representatives. It was being held at the Morongo Casino (next year it's in Kansas City) and the casino resort supplied a van for the 30-minute drive west of the airport. That was good news for me as it meant a shorter trip home. I later rented a car from Enterprise (they came and picked me up from the hotel) and I drove 90 minutes back to my home near LAX.
THE MORONGO CASINO RESORT
The Morongo Casino Resort isn't in Palm Springs but rather in Cabazon, on the 32,000-acre Morongo Indian reservation. The $250-million hotel, which opened in 2004, was much nicer than I had expected. The rooms are soft-colored and quite impressive with their 27-inch plasma-screen, cable-equipped televisions. The tiled bathroom was a good size, clean and had a walk-in glass shower with two frosted windowpanes with willow branches set in between. My biggest complaints about the room were that my plastic keycard didn't work half the time (twice) and the Internet, which is included in the resort fee ($12), was slow and cut out. Interestingly, I learned that California casinos forbid roulette or craps tables. Instead, The Morongo Casino has modified the craps game by using cards instead of dice (how weird) and the roulette wheel is a video (lame). But other than that, you feel like you're in a boutique Vegas hotel; there are just 310 rooms. Morongo Casino Resort & Spa, 49500 Seminole Drive, Cabazon, California; Tel: 800-252-4499.
SUPER BOWL
I thought I was going to be home for at least a week and I was quite happy to kick back, relax and not get on a plane. But when my cousin AJ calls, I can usually be guaranteed a good time. This time it was for the ultimate sporting event. He told me to get my GIANT-rooting butt out to Phoenix in the morning because he had an extra ticket for the Super Bowl. After asking him if he was serious at least 20 times, I hung up and immediately logged on to JohnnyJet.com (shameless plug, I know). But I began my intense, relentless search for cheap airfares. Thanks to Southwest, my wish was granted ($263 R/T). Unfortunately, there were no available return flights until Monday evening. I still booked it.
SOUTHWEST
Naturally, I woke up at 3am. Not only had I been crossing time zones like Kris Kringle, but seriously … who could sleep the night before their favorite team is in the Super Bowl? I have no idea how the players do it. I lay there, staring at the ceiling, listening to the pouring rain. When I realized I wasn't going to be able to sleep for a while, I fired up my laptop and started punching away. A few hours later and I was getting tired. I knew my body wasn't going to want to get up in an hour so I logged on to Southwest.com. It's been a while since I've flown with them or even played around on their site. I clicked the “view or change your flight” link to see how much it would cost to change my departure to the 11am flight. It turned out that because I had purchased one of Southwest's business fares (the only fare still available), any ticket changes were free! Kudos to Southwest, especially since their last-minute fares were half the price of their competitors' and their tickets weren't restricted like the other con artists. Not only did I change my 8:45am flight to 11am, but I noticed there was now space available for the last flight out of Phoenix (10:10pm) that night. That meant I could forget about bringing a change of clothes, go straight to the game and come back and sleep in my own bed. Now that's the way to do it!
BOARDING ON SOUTHWEST
I reprinted both my boarding passes, which brings up an important point for everyone, especially if you're flying Southwest. Southwest has open seating which means they don't assign seats. So the earlier you check in for your flight (passengers can do it up to 24 hours in advance online), the closer you get to the front of the boarding line, which means you get to pick your seat (ahem, row 11). And Southwest implemented a unique boarding procedure a few months ago. Instead of boarding in three groups, they board in boarding pass numbers. It would be both too long and boring for me to explain fully; instead see Southwest's web demonstration.
AIRPORT PARKING
My alarm sounded at 9:20am, waking me from my jet-lag-induced sleep. I washed the drool from my chin in the shower, got dressed and drove straight to the airport. I pulled into Park One, my favorite parking lot at LAX. It's my favorite because it's the closest to the airport and is literally across the street from Terminal 1, which services Southwest and USAir. That saves even more time as there's no need to wait for a courtesy van – just make the 50-yard dash. Because it was raining, I spent the $6 extra (a day) for valet parking ($21.75). Tip 1: If you have an AAA card, you get a discount for the regular parking. TIP 2: To guarantee a spot, book in advance online using ParknFlyNetwork.com. It can also be used to book any airport parking lot across the U.S. For lots outside of the PNF network, log onto AirportParkingReservations.com. This gives travelers peace of mind and saves both time and money.
NO BAGGAGE
This was the first time in my adult life that I've flown somewhere without bringing a bag. I mean, I didn't have anything. I'm talking nada, zip, zilch … I can't tell you how liberating it felt to arrive at the airport 40 minutes before flight time with absolutely nothing weighing me down. I walked straight to security, then to the gate, in time to find my spot in line. I was actually a few minutes early because Southwest begins boarding 20 minutes in advance but of course, better safe than sorry. Okay, I admit it. I went over to the McDonald's counter and ordered a McSkillet Burrito and wolfed it down before getting on the plane.
LOS ANGELES TO PHOENIX
We took off just after 11am and flight time was a crisp and quick 50 minutes. I landed in overcast Phoenix at 1:30pm (an hour time change from Los Angeles) and there was a huge queue of taxis but no takers. Figures. The one time I was hoping for a line at the taxi stand, so I could have split cab fare to the University of Phoenix stadium. I was by myself with no luggage and it's a waste of resources and money. Can you believe that the 20- minute drive is a whopping $50? And that's using a meter. And it doesn't include tip. That same ride in Thailand would have cost $3! What a rip.
TICKETS PLEASE
At least there was no traffic and I made it to the stadium more than two hours before game time (kick-off was at 4:30pm local time). My cousin AJ rolled up with his posse and handed me the golden ticket. I cracked a smile ear to ear and it got even wider, like Charlie Brown's, when I spotted the seat: Club/Loft. I knew what that meant – free food and drinks. Sweet!
SECURITY
Actually, finding AJ wasn't all that easy. The perimeter of the Super Bowl was blocked so to get from Gate 1 to Gate 3 was a hike … and I mean a hike. Sad to say, but I guess the tight security was to prevent anyone from pulling off a successful car bomb. There were no shuttles so I had to walk around the red tarp fence to try and find one of the few entrances. The stadium also did a nice job organizing the screening process. When I went to Super Bowl XXXV in Tampa, the lines were 30 minutes long and there was no order. Here, they had plenty of machines and guards frisking people so there was no wait. Maybe the TSA could've learned a lesson or two. But the thorough security almost screwed me completely, which I saw happening to many other people. I was going to bring my big SLR camera with me but fortunately I left it at home. As I learned when I got there, it would not have been allowed in. The rules were: no cameras bigger than six inches, no camera bags and no medium- to large-sized purses. There was nowhere to check the forbidden goods, so people had to either dump them or bring them to their car, hotel or home. What would I have done? I probably would have walked over to the Renaissance Glendale Hotel and kindly asked (and generously tipped) a bellman to store it.
THE BIG GAME
Walking in, it looked like there were way more NY GIANTS fans present but once the game started the Patriot fans were definitely the loudest. That obviously didn't stop the heavy underdog GIANTS. Walking to the luxury boxes, I knew I was in for a treat when a limping John Elway practically bowled me over. I entered the suite to find my boys Luis Gonzalez (Florida Marlins), Jimmie Johnson (NASCAR), Mike Hampton (Atlanta Braves), Kyle Boller (Baltimore Ravens) and most girls' fantasy, Nick Lachey. All these guys are super cool as were the other 12 people in the box. The best part was that most of us were rooting for the GIANTS and we all went crazy (I lost my voice) in the final two minutes. It was a victory of David and Goliath proportions and to be there, right in the heart of the action was amazing. It was incredible from beginning (American Idol winner Jordin Sparks singing The Star Spangled Banner) to end. Even the half-time show with Tom Petty was awesome.
TAXI, YO TAXI
I was still undecided about whether to change my flight yet again and spend the night in Phoenix or just go home. I finally decided that I really needed to get back to LA to actually get some work done … like write this story, pay some bills and update the website. So when the game ended, I made a beeline to the taxi stand. The line was already 150 people deep and there weren't any taxis. I had no choice but to make my way to the front and ask if anyone was going to the airport. Everyone looked at me like I was crazy but I just stood there and waited. Finally, someone else rolled up with the same destination. The taxi dispatcher was kind enough to give us precedence but the calls for more taxis came up empty. We waited for 15 minutes (it felt like an hour) and there wasn't a vacant taxi in sight. I overheard the taxi coordinators whispering to each other that the 400 people in line were all screwed. I looked at my watch. It was 8:45pm and I was getting nervous that I might be in the same boat because Southwest's last flight out was at 10:10pm and I didn't know how long it would take to get to the airport. Eventually, a taxi pulled up and when the driver said it would cost $30 apiece, we said no problem. We just needed him to put the pedal to the metal. Surprisingly, traffic wasn't bad and it only took 30 minutes to get to the airport. I had time to spare to watch the highlights in the airport bar with all the other GIANTS fans.
PHOENIX TO LAX
I should've known when I landed and saw all the private jets that we wouldn't be taking off on time. We did push back from the gate at 10:10pm, but we sat on the runway for 50 minutes. The pilot indicated that he had no idea what time we'd be lifting off and that the control tower wasn't even responding to their calls. That's the first time I've heard that one. He also said that all the corporate jets were taking precedence and I later read that there were over one thousand private jets at the Sky Harbor Airport and the surrounding smaller general aviation airports. That's approximately 10 per cent of all the private jets in the world! You know, if I'd missed my flight, I would have tried my darnedest to hitch a ride on one of those bad boys! LAX, anyone?
L.A. TIMES TRAVEL & ADVENTURE SHOW
If you're going to be in the Los Angeles area this weekend, come check out the L.A. Times Travel & Adventure Show. It's taking place at the Long Beach Convention Center on February 9th and 10th from 10am to 5pm. I'm speaking on a panel about online travel tips and tricks for the fourth time in five years. Also speaking are Arthur and Pauline Frommer, Rick Steves and Phil Keoghan, the host of The Amazing Race. Tickets are $10 per day for adults; children 12 years of age and under may attend for free. For more information, visit the website or call (203) 878-2577 ext. 100.
VIDEO
Here's a one-minute Johnny Jet video of my trip to Phoenix and the Super Bowl.
We also have all the Johnny Jet videos ever made on YouTube.
NEXT WEEK
Next week, we go to the state in the union that everyone dreams about being in this time of year. I'll give you a hint ... it's a five-hour flight from Los Angeles and is where all the star football players will be balling it up this weekend.
Happy Travels,
Johnny Jet
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Note:
This flight was sponsored by the
South Africa Tourism board.
Copyright 2007 JohnnyJet
, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.