Bigsound & Brisvegas is Gold, Man (September 2013)

[erkpod]

Fresh from the Festival of Erk in Melbourne last month, I'm off to Brisvegas for a music conference/showcase, amongst other things.

I'm now SG on VA but my card hasn't arrived yet. I'm flying up today (Tuesday 10 September) & will be back on Sunday. I know the lack of a Gold VFF should not be a problem. Unlike the trip to Melbourne, there's no status running & there's also no J.

 

[erkpod]

With sirens in the air, I was a little conflicted due to my volunteer role in the NSW Rural Fire Service. But at my local train station, it wasn't smoke I could smell but paint.

Looking around for fresh graffiti, I soon found the source of the paint smell when I got out of the lift on the concourse level.


The painters are in.

I can think of better places to be than on a scissor lift painting. The air conditioned quiet carriage enroute to Sydney is one of them.

 

[erkpod]

Interesting conversation with the VA Check-in Angel after I said I was going to sunny Brisvegas. She asked me what time my flight was & I said it was at 1600. She says "Normally people don't say 24 hr time out loud" but I told her I'm a train driver so everything's 24 hr time. She must have thought I was FIFOing & alternate between Sydney & Brisbane.

Through the security attached to the Vlounge easily & just enough time for a couple of laps of the Vlounge & some pics. I actually got asked by the VA social media team for some Vlounge pics after I tweeted to them that I'm looking forward to some hotdogs.

Almost time to go.

Seat 13A, VA957. Another red plane!

 

[lovestotravel]

They STILL have hotdogs ?

LOL

 

[smit0847]

Seat 13A

You know you can get Row 3 at T-48?!?

 

[erkpod]

They STILL have hotdogs ?

LOL

The last few times I've been Vlounging, no. I miss them, unlike others here. But I'm new to the world of a free VA Vlounge hot dog.

 

[erkpod]

You know you can get Row 3 at T-48?!?

I don't mind an exit row, as good as J & row 3 are.

 

[erkpod]

Using the priority lane for the first time as SG but not flying J was cool. If I was HLO, I could have went straight to the side entrance.

While on the train, I tweeted to the VA social media team on Twitter. I like to do this when I travel even when things are good. I don't want to be that guy who only tweets when angry.


(read from the bottom up)

So I could not resist a couple of pics from the Vlounge - how could I not?



I joked back to VA via Twitter that this was the stock prices for hot dogs. I'm looking forward to more time in the BNE Vlounge on Sunday.

Once again, upstairs was closed. The Vlounge was relatively busy but not overcrowded.





I didn't have time to order anything - it was such a short Vlounge visit that I didn't even log in to wifi or check in to the Vlounging thread.

 

[erkpod]

It was soon time to board. Priority boarding was a breeze (as usual with VA) but I couldn't see the plane from the gate area. I soon found out on the aerobridge that it was yet another red plane.




Even though my Gold pack hadn't arrived by the time I left home, I was pleased to note my boarding pass now says Gold.

Climbing into my exit row seat, I found that Live2air was working & thanks to this, I was able to keep up to date with the fires that I'd be helping deal with if I wasn't on the plane.







There was extra time being held at the gate due to the usual delays at BNE. The flightdeck warned us that there would be delays & that heading up to cruise would be bumpy. And that's exactly what happened.

Watching the Sky News coverage from the sky, I did not mind the delay.

 

[erkpod]

It was a nice sunset from the plane. We didn't appear to be in any holding patterns & we just seemed to come straight in.


coughpy plane shot. Interesting white nose cone. I think it was VH-VUJ.

Heading to baggage claim, I saw the Vomit Comet (VH-VOM) that I flew to MEL last time.



I remembered upon arrival that the last time I left BNE in October last year, I had a bad case of Pink Eye. The time before (July 2012), I was questioned by the AFP the day before my trip to AKL as I was hanging out in the terminal taking photos of planes. Who knew that people like taking photos of planes at an airport?

I arrived at the baggage claim about the same time as the bags did so I can't comment about priority baggage.

 

[erkpod]

I headed to the AirTrain station & topped up my Gocard from my last trip. The train was waiting so I boarded it.

A quickish trip to Fortitude Valley station left me wonder "where is everybody at the end of peak hour?"



I have now checked into my hotel & accepted an upgrade to the balcony room. It's no Cheese Grater but I'm only here to sleep.

Now I need to order food via the interweb or walk back to the Valley.

 

[amaroo]

I don't mind an exit row, as good as J & row 3 are.

Agree...it's J or exit row for me.

 

[AdMEL]

Agree...it's J or exit row for me.

Doesn't row 3 on the refurbished 737's have as much leg room as an exit row? If so, why wouldn't you want row 3?

 

[amaroo]

Doesn't row 3 on the refurbished 737's have as much leg room as an exit row? If so, why wouldn't you want row 3?

Battle for o'head storage
Can allocate at time of booking
Have a shadow ratio of around 80%
Avoid 737's like the plague

 

[erkpod]

Doesn't row 3 on the refurbished 737's have as much leg room as an exit row? If so, why wouldn't you want row 3?

I haven't had good luck with refurb'ed 737s. Last night, I got an email saying that the wireless IFE was available on this flight but when I got to the plane, it was a red bird.

Besides, flight time was only about an hour.

 

[erkpod]

The main reason I am here when I am is the Bigsound 2013 conference & showcase. There's lots of quality bands here over 2 nights at 12 venues in Fortitude Valley. It's going to be massive.







On reflection, I'm in the wrong part of the Valley to where the action is but that can also be a good thing. I'm on the northern end of Brunswick St where all the action is at the southern end. But the price was right & the location isn't bad just to sleep. But if you want to be steps away from bars etc, this place isn't the place.

 

[erkpod]

My view of the outside world from the hotel room.

 

[erkpod]

Inside shots of hotel. Very different to my last place but at half the price.

 

[erkpod]

Some odd shots from day 1 of the music conference.



Old drink vending machine at the hotel.



This apartment block obviously has had some mail issues.





This little guy was happy to pose for a photo in the Brunswick St Mall.

 

[erkpod]

Some music conference pics. I'm here as media for my music podcast.

View attachment 18815

View attachment 18816

View attachment 18817

You can see tweets on a big screen in the foyer that use the event hashtag. They could also be in the conference sessions but I'm not in those sessions.



The lift in one of the conference buildings was a good place to talk to people. Just before I took this photo, someone tweeted they were stuck in a lift but didn't say which lift.