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August 29, 2007

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WHERE'S JOHNNY JET?                                 Manhattan Beach V-Ball
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PITTSBURGH AIRPORT
The Pittsburgh airport is awesome. Why? Because travelers feel like they're in their neighborhood mall. The are more than a hundred shops (like Brooks Brothers, Gap Women, Godiva and Victoria's Secret) and restaurants (like T.G.I. Fridays, Sbarro, McDonald's, and Ben & Jerry's.) The best part is that by law, the shops can't charge a penny more than what they do at their regular retail stores. So no more getting ripped off at the airport; it's all regulated by the BAA. When I went to the newsstand to buy a bottle of water, you should have seen how surprised I was when I saw that the price was … hold on to your hats … just $1.19! When have you seen bottled water in an airport store for that price? Bravo, Pittsburgh!

PITTSBURGH TO LOS ANGELES
As an added bonus, the winds were blowing west so flight time took a mere four hours and 15 minutes. The bad news is that the seatbelt sign never went off ... not once and it wasn't even that bumpy! When we landed, everyone (including moi) ran straight for the bathroom. What was I thinking buying three bottles of water? I guess at that price, I just couldn't help myself.

SHIPPING LUGGAGE
Unlike the rest of the rookie travelers on my flight, there was no stopping at baggage claim for me! That's because I shipped my bags via FedEx ground a few days earlier. It cost me $38 for a thirty-some pound bag. The best part, besides not having to wait aimlessly around at the baggage carousel, was that I was able to ship my baggage as is ... no box required. FedEx simply shipped the duffel bag like checked luggage and even put little plastic ties on the zippers so that the bag couldn't easily be opened. If you give this a try, just be sure to allow five business days for ground delivery, though rates and delivery times will vary depending on your start and end points.

MANHATTAN BEACH OPEN
The granddaddy of professional beach volleyball (AVP) is the Manhattan Beach Open. It's referred to as The Wimbledon of Beach Volleyball. The AVP usually takes place in August and the men's and women's finals air live on NBC. The winning team splits a check for $28,000 and have their names inscribed on plaques along the Manhattan Beach Pier. The grandstand seats are free but if you want to get up close and personal, you either need to know someone or pony up $40. Reservations can be made online at AVP.com). No matter where you sit, seating is on a first come-first served basis so get there early with plenty of sunscreen and a visor in tow. My favorite part is just before they go live on TV. Announcer Chris "Geeter" McGee gets everyone all pumped up; the guy is an amazing motivational speaker and gives my boy Tony Robbins a run for his money. This year, soon-to-be Hall of Famer Karch Kiraly retired; there was a huge tribute for him, which made this year's game extra special.

MB SIX-MAN VOLLEYBALL TOURNEY
The Manhattan Beach Open is a lot of fun to watch but it doesn't compare to Manhattan Beach's six-man volleyball tournament. This event is getting downright out of control ... in a good way! The tipping point was probably when it was featured on Wild On E a few years back. These days the 200-team tournament is maxed out; most are stacked with excellent players, including pros. They aren't too difficult to find since Manhattan Beach is the beach volleyball capital of the world. What makes this tourney so much fun is that every team has a theme and they dress the part. There's Team Fletch (all wearing Lakers jerseys and six-inch ‘fros), the clan from The WWF, The Flying Nuns, The GrandMamas (one uses a walker), The Golf Caddies, The Vikings, The Italian Water Polo team, The Energizer Bunnies ... you get the picture.

There are so many teams that each time I walked around, I discovered a new one. This should give you an idea how big the tournament is getting: Last year, the team I was on (The Cougar Hunters) strolled into City Hall 90 minutes after applications were being accepted and we got a spot. This year, there was a line down the street 90 minutes before the doors opened and we didn't get in. Teams are coming from all over the country. With all the drinking on the beach, you'd be surprised to learn that Manhattan Beach has very strict liquor laws. But this is the one day of the year that the cops seem to look away. To see the craziness, check out my two-minute photo montage below. For more information on the tournament, log on to SurfFestival.org.

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Copyright 2007 JohnnyJet, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Pictures From

The Trip

 

PIT Airport

 

PIT Prices

 

USAir Plane to LAX

 

Bypassed Baggage Claim

 

Manhattan Beach, CA

 

MB Open

 

Six-Man VB Tourney

 

Team WWF

 

Golf Caddies

 

Is That Legal?

 

Yup!

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