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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.
LAX
Going through immigration at LAX's International Terminal was such a disappointment and embarrassment. I know they're doing some construction but there's no excuse for having so much litter and dirt on the ground. In Hong Kong, you'd be hard-pressed to find even a lone gum wrapper on the floor on the way to passport control. Why should America be the opposite? It's not that difficult to sweep every hour or by the looks of this place, even once a week would be an improvement!
PRO BEACH VOLLEYBALL
Nonetheless, it still felt great to be home. The weather was perfect and the beach was pumping, as summer in Southern California is in full swing (the last two photos were taken by John Vu). I rode my bike down the Strand and was able to catch the men's finals of the Hermosa Beach Open. FYI: AVP tournaments are no longer free to attend. The cheapest day ticket is $20 and they can be bought in advance online or at the match. To see the rest of the year's tour schedule, log on to AVP.com.
THINGS TO DO AND SEE IN L.A.
L.A. Sightseeing, Tours, Attractions & more
THE JAWBONE
Thanks to California's new hands-free driving law (Vehicle Code Section 23123), I stepped up to the plate and got the best Bluetooth headset on the market. The new tiny Jawbone is a comfortable cordless earpiece that has received rave reviews (I did my research) because it can accurately separate speech from ambient noise. No matter if I'm driving with my top open on the California freeways or walking down the busy streets of Berlin -- the person on the other end will be able to hear me just fine. It retails for $129.99 at Jawbone.com and works with just about any cell phone with Bluetooth.
NORTH COUNTY SAN DIEGO
Perfect timing for me to use the Jawbone was when I drove down to San Diego for my friends Sean and Lisa's wedding. They got married in Rancho Santa Fe in the modern Church of the Nativity where the ceremony lasted just 15 minutes. It was the perfect amount of time and I couldn't believe it was a Catholic ceremony – I was prepared for at least a good hour. Afterwards, the over -the-top reception was at the Rancho Valencia Resort (5921 Valencia Circle, Rancho Santa Fe, CA, Tel: 858-756- 1123) and my feet are still hurting from all the dancing. I spent the night at the Delmar Hilton with most of the other guests. Del Mar is located in North County San Diego about 20 minutes away from downtown and the airport. The three-story hotel has 257 spacious guest rooms that were comfortable and reasonable (rates were $159). The best part, besides its location to the Del Mar racetrack and fairgrounds, is that it has Hilton's new Serenity Bed Collection which makes it altogether too difficult to get up early in the morning. Hilton San Diego/Del Mar, 15575 Jimmy Durante Blvd, Del Mar, CA; Tel: 1-858-792-5200.
THINGS TO DO AND SEE IN SAN DIEGO
San Diego Sightseeing, Tours, Attractions & more
NYC
I wasn't in California for long because I needed to head to New York for an important last-minute appointment. Surprisingly, tickets prices were much lower than I thought they'd be. If I was flexible, some airlines (Virgin America, American Airlines and Delta) offered fares as low as $164 one-way. I went with Delta because they give free space-available upgrades to their elite members. Unfortunately, space was not available but having an exit row and live satellite TV made the four-hour, 30-minute flight as easy as can be. To get into the city, I took AirTrain and the subway. It cost me a total of $7 and took an hour door to 7door, about the same amount of time as a taxi would have taken in mild traffic. Here's a link to detailed instructions on how to take the AirTrain (check out the last paragraph).
THINGS TO DO AND SEE IN NYC
NYC Sightseeing, Tours, Attractions & more
U.S. HELICOPTER & DELTA
Since I will be spending a lot of time in New York City this summer, I will tell you about my trip(s) in one upcoming newsletter. But the best part of this stay was going home. Delta arranged for me to try out their new helicopter service to and from JFK. It's operated by U.S. Helicopter, which used to offer it for American Airlines (here's that funny story I wrote two years ago). U.S. Helicopter is also partnered with Continental for passengers going to/from Newark.
WALL STREET HELIPORT
As everyone knows, getting to JFK can be a complete nightmare – you just never know how good or bad traffic will be and though AirTrain is inexpensive, it's a chore to navigate while lugging baggage. Well, thanks to U.S. Helicopter, nothing could possibly be any easier. U.S. Helicopter flies out of two NYC Heliports: East 34th Street (TSS) and Wall Street (JRB). To get to the latter, I jumped on the 5 Train from Grand Central (I could also have taken the 4 Train) and got off at the Wall Street stop. I walked six blocks through the heart of the money capital until I reached the river and then walked two blocks to the heliport. I had two small bags so it was easy but taking a taxi would have been even easier.
NYC TO JFK VIA HELICOPTER
At the heliport I checked in for my Delta flight to Los Angeles. It took 20 seconds and checking a bag would've added another 10 seconds. I then cleared what has to be the commercial aviation world's most secret, stress-free security checkpoint. There was no one around in the small building except for the two girls who checked me in and the three TSA agents working the checkpoint. Here, they have all the same safety measures as at an airport: laptops out, shoes off, no liquids ... except that everyone was relaxed and there was no tension in the air.
EIGHT MINUTES TO JFK
After I'd put my shoes back on, I could have sat in one of the leather seats in the small but nice gate area. But I didn't even need to sit down because I arrived 15 minutes before departure so once I cleared security, the other passenger and I had a quick safety briefing and then were escorted out to the plush Sikorsky S-76 dual-engine helicopter, which holds eight passengers and two pilots. The co-pilot greeted us and gave us another quick safety check, then shut the door. What's interesting about helicopters is that the pilot is on the right-hand side, not on the left like in an airplane. Within seconds, we were off and treated to a spectacular view of the New York City skyline and the Brooklyn Bridge. Even though I'm afraid of heights I didn't have an ounce of fear. Not even sweaty hands. That's how big, stable and comfortable this thing is. We arrived at JFK eight minutes later. That's right – it took just eight minutes! A shuttle picked us up and drove us 300 yards to Delta's terminal building. That was it – I was done. No more security, no more checking in. Talk about a stress-free trip to the airport. And on top of that, my Delta upgrade went through.
BTW: This helicopter service is not just for the super-rich. Prices begin at $159 each way, which is not much more than a premium car service. NOTE: US Helicopter does not operate on weekends, holidays or if there's low visibility. If the weather does get bad at the last minute, they will either refund your money or arrange a car service. To book your ticket, log on to either Delta.com or FlyUSHelicopter.com.
VIDEO
Here's a two-minute Johnny Jet video of my trip on the helicopter and I'm also linking to a video created by Delta's marketing guru, Brian Rutter. Plus, we also have all the Johnny Jet videos ever made on YouTube.
NEXT WEEK
Next week we travel 5,000 miles to ... I'll give you a hint: 1989 was a watershed year for this city.
*PLEASE tell us what you think of this week's newsletter!
Note:
This trip was sponsored in part by
Hilton,
Delta and
FlyUSHelicopter.
Copyright 2008 JohnnyJet, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.