Tag: USA

Open post

Destination guide – Grand Canyon South Rim, Arizona

After flying to the USA from the Dominican Republic last Autumn, a good friend of mine and I took to the road to visit the Grand Canyon.

As we only had a few days to view this magnificent landmark, we decided to visit only the South Rim.

The South Rim is generally considered to be the best option to visit, in order to gain an overview of this spectacular natural feature.

As we visited during the late Autumn, we had to be a little patient and wait for the right conditions, but we were eventually rewarded.

As you can see, Autumn is a wonderful time of the year to appreciate this stunning vista.

On our last day, my friend ventured out in the early hours to capture the panorama in the dawn’s auroral glow.

We spent two days appreciating this captivating landscape and we could very happily have spent much longer.

The South Rim offers dozens of viewpoints, each of which offers a unique perspective on the topography.

Due to the distances between these viewpoints, it is highly advisable to travel by car, although many of the points are served by relatively frequent buses from the Grand Canyon Village and lodges.

If time is a precious commodity, as it was for us, I would suggest staying in the village lodges. We chose the Maswik Lodge, which I will review in the coming days.

All of the photographs featured in this article were taken by my good friend, Stefan Mundt of Eagle Studios in Racine, Wisconsin.

Open post

Flight review – United Domestic First Class and Regional Business Class

Late last year, I took three flights in United’s Regional Business Class and Domestic First Class.

I flew the following routes:

Punta Cana (PUJ) – Chicago (ORD)

Phoenix (PHX) – Washington Dulles (IAD)

Washington Dulles – Punta Cana (PUJ)

I have consolidated these into one article, as the products are essentially identical.

The on-board hard product was reasonably consistent across the three flights, the standard US Domestic First 2-2 configuration on narrow-body jets.

Unfortunately one of the seats was so badly worn, the I could feel parts of the fittings through the seat cushion. As the flight was full, the only option was to use a blanket as additional padding.

Fortunately for me, I was asked to move after take-off to accommodate a couple with a pet, erroneously seated in a bulkhead row. Obviously I readily acquiesced to this!

After this flight, I received a credit to my United MileagePlus account of 2,500 miles, labelled “Inflight Compensation Miles”.

This was not discussed on board, and I am not sure whether this was for the worn seat or being asked to move.

Either way, I considered it a fair and reasonable gesture.

Seat pitch was a uniform 38″, providing decent legroom.

I sampled a variety of the on-board catering, including both the omelette and shakshuka breakfast options, as well as a lasagne lunch dish.

Whilst the presentation of the lasagne left a little to be desired, it certainly tasted a lot better than it looked.

All of the dishes were tasty and filling and the on-board service was much more proactive than that on Air Canada Rouge’s Business Class product, of which I was rather critical in my recent review.

Overall, I was happy with the product and service, which was quite consistent across all three flights.

The upgrades from the standard economy product worked out at around $150 or £120 for each of the 4-5 hour sectors, which considering that baggage fees were included, I considered pretty good value and would be more than happy to pay again on a future flight.

 

Open post

Destination Guide – Dallas, Texas

The Texan city of Dallas is one which I have been keen to visit for some time now, and I had the chance during a recent road trip in the USA.

Dallas is best known as the site of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, so my first stop was Dealey Plaza, where this infamous event in history took place.

The Texas School Book Depository, from where the fatal shots were fired, is open to the public. Visitors can view the sixth floor box room and the road from the viewpoint of the assassin.

My afternoon and evening were spent viewing the city from the observation deck of the Reunion Tower, which offers a 360° panaroma from a height of 470 feet (143 metres).

My next stop was the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden, which at the time of my visit was decorated for Christmas.

After this, there was time to fit in a visit to the Dallas World Aquarium, which as well as marine life houses a wide varierty of exotic birds and is a very pleasant place to while away a few hours.

The few days I spent in Dallas provided only a taste of what this iconic city has to offer. It is definitely a city I would look forward to visiting again.

Open post

Destination – One Day in Little Rock

Little Rock, Arkansas is an often overlooked option for a stop between Memphis and Dallas. I decided to call in on exactly this route and check out this pretty little city.

My day started with brunch at The Corner Diner in the Downtown area. There was a long line of customers waiting to get in, but I was assured it would be worth it.

It certainly was. My Hot Chicken Waffle was tasty and the service was excellent.

After brunch I decided a little exercise was called for, so I walked a roughly 5-mile stretch of the Trail of Tears, a network of trails spanning more than 5,000 miles across 9 states.

The trail took me along the Arkansas River, past the Main Street and North Broadway bridges and several pretty picnic areas.

After my 5-mile stroll I decided to catch the historic tram back to town to pick up my car and head onwards towards Dallas.

Little Rock is a pleasant little city and I definitely think it is worth either a day trip from Memphis, or a stop along the route to Dallas.

Open post

Destination Guide – Memphis, Tennessee

Memphis is a stunning city in which to spend a few days.

I spent three full days in Memphis and could very happily have stayed much longer.

I started my tour on the iconic Beale Street. With its lively bars and soulful restaurants juxtaposed against historical stores, Beale Street truly has something for everyone.

From Beale Street it is only a short distance to the National Civil Rights Museum, located at the Lorraine Motel, where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968.

The distance from Beale Street is a very easy walk, but I chose to ride the Main Street Trolley, operated with historical trams plying the routes between many of the top sights of Memphis. This is a very economical option at $1 per ride or $2 for a day pass.

The tram also passes by the iconic Peabody Hotel with its famous duck pond.

To round off a day in Memphis, I can recommend two alternatives.

One option is a cruise on the Mississippi River with live music and a simple, but tasty and unlimited barbecue.

If, however, you really want to sample an authentic Tennessee barbecue, The Commissary in Germantown is well worth the half hour drive.

I have to say that Memphis is an extremely interesting and thoroughly enjoyable option for a city break and was one of my favourite cities of my 7,000 mile road trip.

Open post

Destination Guide – One Day in Detroit

Detroit, Michigan is a city with a turbulent history and not one which many tourists would think to consider.

This however is a shame, because I visited a good friend there in October and found a vibrant and fun city, teeming with old world charm.

The autumn weather was still pleasant enough for a stroll along the Riverwalk, where our day started.

As a natural segue, we joined a lunch cruise on the Detroit Princess with live music and views of both Detroit and Windsor, Ontario.

The $59 ticket price included live music, a very good buffet lunch, coffee and nearly 3 hours on the water. I considered this to be excellent value.

After the cruise, we headed over to the historic Eastern Market for a drink at a couple of the German style beer halls.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed my day in Detroit and having a local person to show me around proved invaluable, as the city holds many hidden gems.

I can definitely recommend exploring this underrated city if you find yourself in Michigan.

Open post

Destination Guide – One day in Chicago

Chicago is a very popular choice for travellers looking for a USA city break.

I started my 10-week USA road trip there in October and took a day out to enjoy the city.

As my friend and I only had one day to explore the city, we chose to take the Big Bus tour in order to see as many of the main sites as possible in a short time.

At $45 per person this is an expensive option, but for a one-day visit to the city we considered it worth the price for the convenience and time saving.

We started our tour at Millennium Park, with its famous art and architecture.

This last photo of “The Bean” sculpture was taken by my good friend Stefan later in the year.

Nearby is the beginning of the famous Route 66, running all the way through to Santa Monica, California.

Although I was not planning to drive any of Route 66 on this particular trip, it was nice to see the starting point.

"

Following this, we moved on to Navy Pier for a pleasant stroll and some views of the city skyline.

⁸

For a slightly different perspective on the city, we took a 90 minute river cruise through the central Riverwalk area of the city.

Rounding off our day in Chicago, we headed for the 360 Chicago observation deck on the 94th floor of the John Hancock building.

As the name suggests, the deck provides a 360° view of the city. I recommend visiting at sunset for the best views.

Obviously there is much more to this city than can be experienced in a single day, but I feel that we had a good experience of what the city has to offer.

Chicago is definitely a very good choice for a USA city break.

If you can suggest any improvements to this one-day itinerary, please visit our USA forum and let us know.

Open post

Flight review – LOT Business Class, Warsaw – Chicago

Finally it was time to get into the long-haul phase of my travels, starting with a 7,000 mile US road trip.

But first, there was the small matter of crossing the Atlantic.

I managed to pick up a reasonable deal with LOT Polish Airlines, coming in at a little over €1,600 (£1,400) for the Business Class round trip from Stockholm to Chicago.

After my short connection from Stockholm it was time for the transatlantic leg.

Business Class seats on LOT’s 787-9 are in a 2-2-2 configuration. As a single traveller, I chose 4D in the centre pair, to avoid the climbover factor in the window pairs.

As my seatmate had already settled in by the time I boarded, I snapped a quick photo of the inoperative 3C-D pair in the next row, which are identical.

Shortly after take-off, the meal service began with a choice of drink and a small amuse-bouche, while meal choices were requested.

I chose the onion soup, which was tasty and came with a side salad.

For the main course I chose the pork neck, which was nicely presented, tender and tasty.

The meal was rounded off with a selection of fruit and cheese, followed by a well presented latte macchiato and a couple of sweet, but delicious cherry vodkas.

After lunch, the effects of my early start began to show (or maybe it was the cherry vodka) and I settled down for a short nap.

LOT’s Business Class seats recline to a fully flat position and a “short nap” turned into four solid hours of undisturbed sleep.

Shortly before arrival in Chicago, a second meal was served, this time all on one tray rather than course by course.

The pasta dish was accompanied by salmon and meat appetisers and fresh fruit.

Overall, this was a pleasant flight and certainly felt shorter than the 10 hour block time.

LOT’s Business Class is a solid product and offers a civilised way to cross the Atlantic.

At the price I paid, I would definitely not hesitate to book it again.

Scroll to top