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Greetings from Los Angeles and New York City! This week, we travel economy back to L.A. from Hong Kong and then go coast to coast. The highlight, besides catching some professional beach volleyball and a wedding in San Diego, was trying out Delta's new helicopter service to and from JFK. It takes just eight minutes and passengers check-in and clear security at the heliport … talk about the commercial aviation world's most secret, stress-free experience! You have to see it to believe it. If you're up for a different kind of adventure this week, then join Mike Manna as he introduces us to a picturesque stretch of coastline known as the Riviera Maya in Mexico! Plus, in keeping with the Mexico theme, check out Dave Zuchowski's book review of People's Choice Guide, Cancun Travel Survey Guidebook, a book full of guest-generated reviews and votes on restaurants, clubs, bars and accommodations. OK, let's get started!

HONG KONG AIRPORT
As I mentioned last week, I really wasn't ready to leave Hong Kong but like all good things, especially vacations, they have to come to an end. The 11-hour flight home was a piece of cake. The Hong Kong Airport is simply amazing; it has everything including free WiFi. But there's one thing that irks me about it and I'm not sure who to blame: the airport, Cathay Pacific, the U.S. government or the Chinese government. Here's my beef: Passengers can't bring water onto the plane. Period. It's understandable that you can't bring water through security but it's unacceptable when you can't buy bottled water to go inside the terminal. It makes no sense, especially considering that duty-free bottles of wine are allowed on board. The good news is that the second security checkpoint doesn't use X-ray machines; they just hand-check everyone's carry-on at the gate. The security agent only found one of my two bottles of water and the same went for Natalie. Thankfully, we didn't have to drink Cathay Pacific's tap water. Yes, they serve tap water in economy Now that should be against the law.

HONG KONG TO LAX
I reviewed Cathay Pacific's economy class service on the way to Hong Kong; here's that story in case you missed it. Cathay's 747s are configured 3-4-3 in economy. Fortunately, Natalie and I scored bulkhead seats but we were supposed to be seated in the two middle seats. But by the grace of God, the passenger on the aisle didn't show up so it made our flight a breeze. Their new shell coach seats and entertainment systems are excellent but the electrical outlets still aren't working so I couldn't boot up my laptop. Instead, I just ate, stared at the live map and people watched. The passengers were mainly Chinese, American and Indian. I know I shouldn't generalize but most of the latter really smelled badly. I'm not sure if it's because they don't use deodorant and/or the fact that they'd already had a long day, getting up early and flying five hours to Hong Kong to make the connection or what -- but they really bummed us out.



BULKHEAD, BABY!
Not only that, but everyone seemed to think that our bulkhead space was theirs. That's the one problem with sitting in the front row. It's between both bathrooms and people want to bounce back and forth to see which one is available. Instead of going through the flight attendants' galley (a mere three feet away), they used our space, even if it meant stepping on our feet and our belongings. After the sixth person stepped on us, I took matters into my own hands and put a stop to it. I grabbed my carry-on and put it smack in the middle with the handle up and my feet on top.

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