For most of my life, I was a Delta guy – both growing up in New York, in law school, clerking in Los Angeles, and then working in New York. I was a Delta elite member for four or five years, oscillating between Silver and Gold Medallion, and it generally worked well for me. Then
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Yet another interruption in my Norway/Netherlands/Malta trip report series… Just six weeks after I returned, I’ll be heading back across the Atlantic for a bit of a wacky trip that includes mile earning and burning, and hopefully some relaxation if events beyond my control don’t get away. It also feels like the past month has
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For my third night in Rio, I switched hotels because my friend was staying at the Sheraton Grande Rio his second night. Prices were a little less than the Caesar Park, so I decided why not. The property is in Leblon, about 10 minutes from Ipanema – a bit west of the main beach and
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I’d already been to Brazil twice since November, with Rio and Iguazu in one trip, and Bahia, Sao Paulo, and Brasilia in another. But American had a really cheap, sub-$500 fare from DCA to Rio, and a friend was going down for a weekend. I hadn’t done the Rio nightlife on my last trip, with
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This is Part 3 of a series of trip reports on my November trip to Rio de Janeiro and Iguazu Falls. On my ticket to Iguazu, I could book a stopover in Sao Paulo or Rio de Janeiro for no extra cost. At first I was planning on doing Sao Paolo, but folks suggested 2
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My October and November have been a little more hectic than anticipated due to my decision to buy a condo and move in between two international adventures. But I *will* get back to blogging about my Korea and Taiwan adventure– especially given the lengthy coach flights and long layovers I have this week as I
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Etihad Flight 131, Abu Dhabi to Washington-Dulles A345, Steerage Sched. Dep. 11:30am Actual Dep. 2:34pm Sched. Arrival 4:02pm Actual Arrival 8:45pm My flight home from Abu Dhabi could accurately be described as an ordeal. Now that I’ve done it, I see no reason ever to fly Etihad in coach, or any trip for 15 hours
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On Christmas day, there were mistake fares on Etihad, allowing for pretty cheap flights from the US to cities in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. A flight on Etihad’s Washington-Dulles to Abu Dhabi nonstop could be had for as low as $270. Nonetheless, I wasn’t planning on jumping on the deal. I had Budapest
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Or really a day in a half. By the time we landed in Catania, it was already almost 7:30, and it took me a while to find a functioning ATM. (Note: following the signs to “Bank” at the Catania airport leads to a nonfunctional ATM, but there’s a functioning one on the Departures level.) Although
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Due to the delay of our American flight from New York, we ended up with only about 3.5 hours in Zurich, which isn’t a very long time to do anything but wander and get a decent feel for the city. We started with a walk down the Bahnhofstrasse, the main shopping street in Zurich. Unfortunately,
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