RTW 2.5x - a DONE4 with stops in NYC, London and Italy (HCO only)

[PrezRegan]

Onboard now - the gate is conveniently next to the lounge. As an aside that’s the third time that’s happened lol.

The plane has an interesting blue mood light thing going on. I like to think it’s to discourage the junkies from shooting up on the plane… America things. But it’s probably just keeping with Alaska’s blue livery.

They do offer a pre departure beverage of wine, water or OJ. Having taken a look at the menu in the app, I think the only offering on this flight is a cheese platter. Methinks I shall be sleeping on this one.

 

[NM]

The plane has an interesting blue mood light thing going on. I like to think it’s to discourage the junkies from shooting up on the plane… America things. But it’s probably just keeping with Alaska’s blue livery.

I hope Aer Lingus don't choose their mood lighting this way

 

[Princess Fiona]

I’m taking it you are on QF codes for those AA flights to get towards your 2700?
Next time you go to ANC I would definitely stay there. It’s pretty spectacular countryside.

 

[Aeolus]

AA15
NYC-SFO
18:00-20:56 dur 5h 56m
A321T, seat 7A

I was very impressed with this flight, despite the delays which were out of their control really. I love how the AA app updates you promptly of any changes to gate and boarding etc.

I was slightly late to board after heading back to the lounge but was able to cut the line in front of the group 4 people. J on the A321T is in a 2-2 configuration but it is lie flat and quite spacious. The seat is comfy, they give you a blanket and pillow and amenity kit and you get a plated 3 course meal. I’d say it’s similar to the SYD-PER flights but much nicer (unless you manage to snag a 787 but even then I’d say AA’a food is better).
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See below for the menu. I had to get the sundae of course!
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The only negative I could give is that you only get 20 mins of free wifi on board. You can pay for an hour for about 20 USD or the whole flight for 29USD.

Service was friendly and attentive. I had difficulty correctly placing the accent for a whiskey onboard (Dewar) and the word “pecan”. I will practice pronouncing these words over the next 4 flights as I return to status run mode.

Caught a nice sunset out the window too. For some reason everyone else had the shades down - why bother flying in a window seat if you won’t look out it?
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The pre landing baked-onboard cookie was a nice touch but super sweet.
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Thankfully the hotel shuttle showed up. Time to check in to Crowne plaza SFO and get some sleep before my 0800 flight back to the east to DFW tomorrow morning.

The food and menu looked way better than our QF J domestic of similar distances.

 

[PrezRegan]

I’m taking it you are on QF codes for those AA flights to get towards your 2700?
Next time you go to ANC I would definitely stay there. It’s pretty spectacular countryside.

Yes and definitely will next time!

 

[PrezRegan]

AS192 ANC–LAX
23:35–06:13, dur 5h38m
B737 MAX 9, Seat 2F

Not much to report in the air — I managed to sleep for the entire flight. It wasn’t particularly pleasant, but better than nothing. The cabin was quite cold and Alaska doesn’t provide a blanket or pillow.

The drama started on the ground with my transfer to the hotel. I’d pre-booked a car through Transfeero, a third-party service that organises transfers worldwide. At the time it looked like a good deal at about USD 62 each way between LAX and Beverly Hills, especially when peak-hour rideshares were showing over USD 100. Transfeero also advertises flight monitoring and a driver to meet you on arrival, so I was expecting a fairly seamless experience.

Well… I got none of that. Their partner did message me to confirm a driver, but I ended up waiting a full hour (no exaggeration) after landing for them to turn up. In that time I could’ve grabbed a USD 30 Lyft and been at the hotel — maybe even back again — before the scheduled driver appeared.

Safe to say, I wasn’t impressed. I’m en route to the hotel now and have already fired off a fairly firm refund request. For those who know me, I’m usually pretty relaxed about travel hiccups or less-than-stellar service, so the fact I actually sat down and wrote that email (albeit with an unexpected hour to kill) shows just how annoyed I was.

 

[PrezRegan]

After the car debacle I arrived at the Sofitel Beverley Hills at about 0900 - still 6hrs before I was technically able to check in. The front desk staff were lovely and tried to find me a room despite this, however none were available. They were confident one would be available around 10/1030 so I chilled in the lobby, did some work, and cashed in my drink voucher (for a coffee, I’m not that much of an alcoholic - despite what some of you might think).

I checked back again at 1100 but unfortunately nothing was available. They kindly cut me a key so I could use the gym - the benefit of HCO is all your gear is ready and at hand so a quick change wasn’t difficult at all. The gym is very good, was busy with a few people who appeared to be conducting private PT sessions so no photos. Suffice to say it is as good as a commercial gym.

On return I was told there were no higher rooms available (they were trying to proactively upgrade me) but that a lower one was. They had less lighting I’m due to half windows instead of floor to ceiling. At this stage I just really wanted a shower and a change of clothes so I took it. The room is very spacious but a bit old. Lots of dead space and it is a bit dark. But for one night it’ll do. I am intrigued to see what the upgraded room would have looked like.


After a nap and a quick bowl of noodles from aChinese restaurant down the road I decided to check out Hollywood. There really isn’t all that much here. The Chinese Theatre was closed due to an upcoming screening but I did the walk of fame and grabbed a drink in the Roosevelt Hotel.


Heading back to the hotel I decided to try out a Waymo - a driverless taxi. It was pretty cool, very smooth experience and no need to tip! It was the same price as a Lyft so would definitely recommend and use it again, provided you’re in the service area. Thanks @Dantas for the suggestion to do this.


After a burger from Fatburger I decided to turn in for the night. Tomorrow will be a quiet one before my 2130 flight to LHR. I pray my transfer shows up on time at 1800. I have a late checkout at 1300 (the hotel seems very busy) so will probably laze around then hit the gym and then find a quiet space to continue doing uni before going to the airport and enjoying the LA Flounge.

 

[PrezRegan]

An update from then QF Flounge.

My transferoo showed up on time (hallelujah) but it was definitely an economy ride… I don’t think I’ve been in such an old car in years. But hey, I got there. Is Transfeero worth it? Honestly I’m not sure. When I looked on Lyft just before leaving it was about 45 USD to the airport so much cheaper than what I paid. It might have been cheaper for the ride from LAX to prebook assuming it’s the same price and you were leaving the airport closer to 0800 (like I ended up) but otherwise I’m not really convinced. I still haven’t received a resolution from their customer care team yet either about yesterday’s experience.

Anyway, my flight departs from T4 so that’s where I went. Checkin was quick and in another quirk the non-TSA precheck line was definitely faster than the precheck line as I was the only one in it! It was a short 5min walk to the FLounge where I went to grab a buzzer for the shower. The lounge is packed. There’ll be an approx 30min - 1hr wait for the shower so I went to grab a table.

Apparently there’s even a waitlist for that and they wouldn’t give me a table unless I was flying first or CL. I asked if they would if I was P1 and they said yes - so there’s a small data point on the benefits of being P1. As I’m no longer [] I decided to grab a seat at the bar instead of waiting.

I’ve ordered the hamachi crudo and a steak with chips and salad. This might be heretical but the squid and pav are starting to get a bit old… maybe I’ve just been spoilt and gone to the Flounge too many times


I suspect I’ll sleep for most of the flight but I’ll try and stay awake long enough to get a meal. I rebooked the lamb and I’m keen to see how AA long haul catering compares. If it’s anything like their domestic it’s likely better than QF - honestly I’m starting to think that Qantas has the worst catering of Oneworld’s bigger carriers that I’ve flown on.

 

[NM]

Just wondering if you considered using the AA lounge at T4? You would have access to their Flagship Lounge which is pretty good and rarely crowded. Its not "table service" for food, but generally a reasonable selection from the buffet and quite a nice range of self-service beverages. And nice showers generally with no/little waiting.

 

[PrezRegan]

Just wondering if you considered using the AA lounge at T4? You would have access to their Flagship Lounge which is pretty good and rarely crowded. It’s not "table service" for food, but generally a reasonable selection from the buffet and quite a nice range of self-service beverages. And nice showers generally with no/little waiting.

Great minds think alike!

I just finished eating and I’m now contemplating just handing back the buzzer and heading over there to see if there’s a shower available

 

[PrezRegan]

An update from the AA lounge - post glass of welcome Piper Heidseck champagne and shower.

So I was able to get a shower without having to wait at all - a big change from the QF FLounge! The shower space is quite nice, I was expectig something a lot worse - from memory the LA ones aren't all that nice, sterile with lots of white marble (which to be fair is a theme for them - but no 'skylight' like in Singapore). The AA Flagship showers are probably better, plenty of space and excellent water pressure despite the lack of rainfall showerhead.


The lounge is very busy and there were next to no food options left. I suspect there aren't a lot of flights this evening (could be wrong) so they're either tapering down or it's just a gap between services. The other advantage of this lounge is the windows. I've actually been here a few times before, but only on domestic American flights (and to Mexico) - every other time I've flown out of USA I've just parked myself at the QF Flounge and called it a night.

Well, if I ever find myself in this situation again - which let's be honest is pretty likely - I will definitely be going to the AA lounge for a shower then the QF Flounge for food. Ah well, every day's a school day.

Speaking of school days, I finished my assignment so holiday mode shall now commence in full - at least until I get back. This aligns pretty well because the next few days are in London doing some more touristy stuff, and then Italy, which is entirely touristy things. Boarding is in about 15 mins so I don't think I could've timed this any better! Life is good.

 

[PrezRegan]

AA134
LAX-LHR
21:22-16:02 dur 10h 40m
B777-200ER, seat 8A

A solid overnight flight to London. Meal service was very quick - which was good - and I was able to sleep through until they had to prep the cabin for landing, so about 5.5h sleep according to my watch.

Catering wise, AA is pretty solid, better than BA I think. I had the lamb and it was pretty good, not mind blowing but not super tough or the classic QF steak puck. Interestingly the salad it comes with and side dish of vegetable something-or-other is identical to what they serve on their domestic flights. Apologies for the poor quality photos - the main cabin light for my seat didn’t seem to be working.

Cabin and seat wise I think this is much better than the ying-yang configuration that BA offers on its club world. The seat isn’t too tight but AA doesn’t give you a mattress topper or anything and I found the segments of the seat in bed mode to be a bit uncomfortable. The lap belt also has a massive pad in the middle for some reason and that is a bit annoying if you buckle up when you sleep - like you’re advised to. Also, the footwell has some strange texturing along the side which makes for a bit of an interesting foot feel if you stretch out fully and don’t sleep with socks. A strange assortment of observations I know, but that’s what I noticed whilst trying to get a few zzz.

The service was slightly perfunctory, which is a complaint I’ve heard of AA before. It could’ve been because I was possibly the only one in my side of the mini cabin awake who wanted to eat, but I did find it a bit strange when the FA stuck her hand in front of my face as I was watching something on my iPad to get my attention. I have pretty decent situational awareness and I did clock her coming towards me so it just seemed a bit odd. Perhaps they’re not allowed to tap passengers on the shoulder?

Overall, a good enough flight. If I can get on BA Club Suites I’d probably take that if available next time.

There was a small delay deplaning apparently due to the air bridge not being positioned in time but immigration was super quick and no line for the e-gates. A short walk underground to the tube and I’m about halfway now to my hotel in the city - Novotel London Tower Bridge.

It’s 17:22 now so I will quickly check in, shower, drop bags and then head out for a pint or two with a mate of mine. It’s 25 degrees and sunny - absolutely beautiful weather - so best make the most of it. I hope the weather holds for the weekend whilst I’m out and about but the forecast doesn’t look promising.

 

[markis10]

The lap belt also has a massive pad in the middle for some reason and that is a bit annoying if you buckle up when you sleep

Airbag?

 

[PrezRegan]

Novotel London Tower Bridge is a pretty solid property. I don’t know if I got upgraded to the executive room but it’s nice, no views but also no shub. Will check out the gym facilities later this arvo. For some reason it didn’t click until I got here that it’s called that because it’s almost directly opposite the Tower of London…


Last night wasn’t a wild one, caught up with a mate and went to a couple of pubs. London is very expensive - a fish and chips with scampi and a half of lager was over 50 AUD! Whilst tasty it’d be hard to justify that price at home.

Unfortunately feeling the effects of jet lag today. Felt knackered by 2130 local time and fell straight asleep but was wide awake by 0200. Could be due to the fact I slept 5h on the plane and then was awake for 5h. Did manage to force myself to sleep again and woke up at 0800 with time to get a coffee from the international house of coffee excellence that is Starbucks, before I head over to the Tower. Bought a 0900 ticket so should hopefully beat the crowds. Weather isn’t as beautiful as yesterday but at least it’s not raining!

 

[PrezRegan]

Today was a busy day.

If visiting the Tower of London, definitely recommend going early to beat the crowd, particularly for popular attractions such as the Crown Jewels. Unfortunately no pictures are allowed there but there are some other pretty cool displays such as the Fusiliers Museum, the armoury display in the white tower and the free tour by the yeomen wardens which runs every 30 mins is definitely worth checking out. But definitely recommend buying tickets online early then making a beeline for the Crown Jewels as by 1100 there’s a queue to get in. The ravens are also pretty neat. I was easily able to spend 3hrs there without rushing and I think I saw everything.


After that I went to the nearby Bywaters cafe for a full English breakfast. Tasty, and just the fuel I needed to get me through the day. It’s not cheap though - be prepared to pay close to $35 aud for this - and there are more expensive places out there.

Then it was across the bridge to HMS Belfast, a decommissioned cruiser that has served from WWII all the way though to Vietnam. If you’re a military history nerd like me it’s definitely worth a stop - in which case you should also look at getting an IWM membership as if you visit 2 sights (they also include the actual IWM, HMS Belfast, Churchill war rooms and a few other places) you essentially break even as you get unlimited entries to these sights for the duration of your membership year. As I’m visiting the war rooms tomorrow I figured it was worth buying.


Post Belfast, I went back to the hotel. On the way back I had the somewhat unique experience of seeing the bridge raised to allow a ship through.


Once back at the hotel I had a short nap and then a quick workout at the gym before taking the underground to dinner - Petrus by Gordon Ramsay. The main motivation for me was that I wanted to use my $200 Amex dining credit and I figured I may as well use it on a Michelin starred restaurant. There are others available but of them, I’d been to Sketch (a 3*) place before, and the others were fully booked. Petrus was alright, possibly not worth what I paid (even potentially with discount) as I got the prestige menu with matching wines. Service was good and the pairings were good but some of the dishes themselves weren’t mind blowing. Still, worth checking out.


Hopefully I can get some sleep tonight as I have a full day tomorrow!

 

[kookaburra75]

Last night wasn’t a wild one, caught up with a mate and went to a couple of pubs. London is very expensive - a fish and chips with scampi and a half of lager was over 50 AUD! Whilst tasty it’d be hard to justify that price at home.

I've found that most places in England are expensive - what we pay in dollars and cents at home, you pay in pounds and pence there. At the current exchange rate, that hurts.

Great trip though - thanks for taking us along with you.

 

[Aeolus]

Today was a busy day.

If visiting the Tower of London, definitely recommend going early to beat the crowd, particularly for popular attractions such as the Crown Jewels. Unfortunately no pictures are allowed there but there are some other pretty cool displays such as the Fusiliers Museum, the armoury display in the white tower and the free tour by the yeomen wardens which runs every 30 mins is definitely worth checking out. But definitely recommend buying tickets online early then making a beeline for the Crown Jewels as by 1100 there’s a queue to get in. The ravens are also pretty neat. I was easily able to spend 3hrs there without rushing and I think I saw everything.
View attachment 471004View attachment 471005

After that I went to the nearby Bywaters cafe for a full English breakfast. Tasty, and just the fuel I needed to get me through the day. It’s not cheap though - be prepared to pay close to $35 aud for this - and there are more expensive places out there.

Then it was across the bridge to HMS Belfast, a decommissioned cruiser that has served from WWII all the way though to Vietnam. If you’re a military history nerd like me it’s definitely worth a stop - in which case you should also look at getting an IWM membership as if you visit 2 sights (they also include the actual IWM, HMS Belfast, Churchill war rooms and a few other places) you essentially break even as you get unlimited entries to these sights for the duration of your membership year. As I’m visiting the war rooms tomorrow I figured it was worth buying.

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Post Belfast, I went back to the hotel. On the way back I had the somewhat unique experience of seeing the bridge raised to allow a ship through.
View attachment 471008

Once back at the hotel I had a short nap and then a quick workout at the gym before taking the underground to dinner - Petrus by Gordon Ramsay. The main motivation for me was that I wanted to use my $200 Amex dining credit and I figured I may as well use it on a Michelin starred restaurant. There are others available but of them, I’d been to Sketch (a 3*) place before, and the others were fully booked. Petrus was alright, possibly not worth what I paid (even potentially with discount) as I got the prestige menu with matching wines. Service was good and the pairings were good but some of the dishes themselves weren’t mind blowing. Still, worth checking out.
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Hopefully I can get some sleep tonight as I have a full day tomorrow!

What?! No food pic?

 

[PrezRegan]

What?! No food pic?

So I took a whole bunch on Insta and for some reason since the iOS update it didn’t transfer to my camera roll so I have no pics

 

[PrezRegan]

so I dug through the settings and apparently I can download them off Insta to my phone - so see attached the dishes from last night.

Trio of amuse bouche
Consomme
Pumpkin
Scallop
Brill
Lamb
Granita
Chocolate
Petit fours

 

[PrezRegan]

Today was another busy day. Weather remained beautiful throughout which was a pleasant surprise.

We kicked off bright and early at 0920 with a tour I’d booked to see the changing of the guards. The tour was quite good, the guide knew the timings and the shortcuts - which, despite this happening daily - is no small feat as the timings and configuration change by day and season. Either way, we were able to get a front row seat for the dismounting of the colours outside St James Palace before cooking back up the mall to catch the guard return to the barracks. The tour then finished in front of Buckingham palace. It was quite an informative tour, lasting about 1h 45m and covered a lot of the history from the monuments, palaces etc that we saw along the way to some details about the guards. Would recommend.


After that I walked back to the barracks as next door is the guards museum. It was surprisingly good - for 10 GBP it includes an audio guide. Whilst the space isn’t massive they pack in a lot of history, from its origins during the 1600s all the way through to present day. I thoroughly enjoyed it and spent more time than I thought I would - almost 2hrs.

I then went in search of lunch. I was planning on going to the Churchill War Rooms via the Household Cavalry museum in the afternoon so figured I’d head in that general direction. After snapping the obligatory picture of Big Ben along the way I went in search of a pub.

Whilst there were a lot around, they were packed. I managed to get into one and snag a table by sweet talking the manager into letting me take one that had a booking at 1400. I was able to finish my meal - a scotch egg, Sunday roast, and a half of pale, all within 35 mins. It was delish.

Suitably fortified I was originally planning just to go to the War Rooms direct and skip the Household Cav but it turns out the shortcut to get there was directly through their barracks so I decided to pop in. There’s is 11 GBP and the detail seems a little lighter than the Guards museum. It was still interesting but definitely focuses more on their ceremonial duties. Both the Foot and Horse guards are drawn from operational units, and the soldiers do alternating operational and ceremonial tours. Still, it’s worth checking out but if you’re not as interested then you could be forgiven for skipping it.

The Churchill War Rooms are located in the original War Rooms used in WWII and are part of the IWM collection, so I was able to get in for free through my IWM membership (which was not free). The museum is split up into both the war rooms and also a museum on Churchill's life. You get given an audiobook and it’s quite comprehensive. I spent about 2h there and again there is a lot to take in. They have a lot of audiovisual displays for the Churchill life part which is neat, but if you stood there and listened to them all you’d be there for many more hours. It was neat seeing the actual rooms Churchill worked and slept in, as well as the map room where they tracked all the V2s and aircraft during the Blitz and Battle of Britain. After the war ended it was just quietly shut up so everything is as it was.

I’m now contemplating which variety of PT i want to do now - Egyptian or real. I’m still full from lunch so will probably skip dinner. Tomorrow is off to Rome!