Ok… new project- Here is my latest attempt at a video podcast. Take a look- I hope you enjoy!
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I just got back to my room at the Marriott Cancun Resort in Cancun, Mexico.
I took the advice of my “crashpad dad,” Jeff, and had the Surf & Turf. I’m thrilled that I did! The piece of prime rib that I just ate was probably the most delicious prime rib I’ve eaten since my first experience with Ruth’s Chris (see post). The lobster tail on the plate next to it was the perfect accompaniment!
If you know me- you know I don’t usually eat out this lavish. Since this is my first time in Cancun (well, my first “official” visit, at least), I thought it was worth it. The only other time I’ve been here doesn’t really count because I didn’t even have the opportunity to stop out of the jetway at the airport (see post). They give me “turns” like that just to tease me and mess with my mind. A “turn”, in my line of work, means you fly away from your base and then back by the end of the day. So you don’t get to stay on a layover/ overnight.
What does this mean? This means I can finally check off bucket list item number 13, which is to go to Cancun. I told the desk clerk that this was my first time here, and she gave me a great room that is right on the ocean! I am amazed at this beautiful view! I was so impressed, in fact, that I walked around and did a live Periscope! The video ended up begin just over 17 minutes long. It’s pretty long, yes, but it gives you a good look at the view a walk around the hotel and grounds. Click here to watch.
I wish I had a long time here, but my alarm is set, and I have to be up pretty early in the morning. Sadly, I’m coming back to the states first thing. I would mind coming down here on my own time and checking into the Marriott for at least a week.
I Scream, You Scream 2018
I’m grinning ear-to-ear right now. I just finished this year’s ‘I Scream’ video and uploaded it onto the interwebs. I hope my family and friends all know how much I love and appreciate them! You guys are my everything! I can’t watch any of these with getting at least a little teary-eyed.
Shout-out to Li, who is a passenger on a flight I worked on my birthday. I jumped on the p.a. and invited everyone on the plane, and she was the only one who came through for me! Here’s to new friendships and old!
❤
Today was one leg to Los Angeles… I can’t believe that I forgot to post the last time I was here: It was a perfect day in L.A.! Since I had about twenty-three hours to kill, I decided to take a Lyft into Hollywood. I saw a documentary called Three Identical Strangers. It was all about a set of triplets who had been separated at birth. Two of them happened to meet when one attended the same college as the other, and then when their story made it into the newspaper, the third brother read the article and realized that he was the a brother as well.
The documentary was actually quite good- it looked at a certain foster care system in New York City and exposed them for having separated all these multiple births, all in the name of a very unethical science experiment. It’s definitely worth seeing, if it’s playing in your neck of the woods.
I got some breakfast at a place called “The Griddle”. I ordered some kind of pancake and when they brought it out, it was two cakes, bigger than my head! It was delicious, but I only made it about a quarter of the way through! I hated to waste all that food, but since my day was just beginning, I didn’t want to have to carry around a to-go box for the duration. Lesson learned.
After that, I walked down to the Hollywood Walk of Fame. I realized that I hadn’t been there since high school. I was on either a choir tour or a band trip, walking the street and seeing the sights with my classmates. It has been long enough ago, that I don’t have very many memories of that trip. I do remember standing in front of the Chinese Theater, however. I also remember fat Spider-Man, skinny Spider-Man, and brown Spider-Man, who will allow you to take a picture with them, if you tip them, that is. No thanks.
I was able to do a live stream on Periscope, but am choosing to not post that here, since things got a little ugly and political during the video. It had to do with certain stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and my desire for people to stop being mean, and my rant in defense of a certain president. Luckily the taunts of the liberal class mean nothing as their viewpoint is largely emotional and based on opinions offered by the likes of one Whoopi Goldberg. Sister Act is over… and a lot of us just aren’t that into you.
Fast forward to today… This morning, I landed back in Los Angeles. Another long overnight means that I had time to have some kind of adventure. After changing out of my uniform, I called for a Lyft. I went into Santa Monica and saw the movie, Crazy Rich Asians. I gotta say- that was a great film! I will probably buy it once it comes out… well, once the price drops, that is.
After a stop at the Apple Store, I walked out to Santa Monica Pier. On my walk, I called to check on my parents’ I realized that today is their 59th wedding anniversary! Fun fact: My parents were actually married in Santa Monica, and here I was close to that very place! Sort of one of those full-circle moments… not really, but kinda.
Even with the L.A. smog, and the smoke from the wildfires, Southern California is very beautiful today! Everybody was out- If I could afford to live here… well, I still wouldn’t, but would be nice to have that kind of money!
I somehow found the strength to work two flights.
A Band Plays in Market Square, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Last night, I only got about two hours of sleep last (thanks to a loud housemate). Tonight I’m in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. When I first checked into the hotel, I wanted nothing more than to take a nap. I tried for about an hour, and then I gave up. Have you ever been so tired that you couldn’t sleep? I think that’s what’s happening. Since I hadn’t had any solid food yet today, I was getting quite hungry. I got myself together and walked into the city.
I ended up getting a sandwich from Primanti Brothers. I’ve been here a few times, and am surprised that I haven’t talked about this place. The first Primanti Brothers restaurant opened up during the great depression. Joe Primanti would later be joined by his brothers in this venture- thus the name.
This restaurant started up during the great depression. It is known, far and wide, for huge sandwiches which all come with fries and slaw (both come ON your sandwich). Hey- don’t knock it until you’ve tried it! It is simply outstanding! My only criticism is that I wish they had wheat or whole-grain bread option. They don’t, but the sandwiches are still amazing! I usually get the corned beef, but I decided to try the ‘Rajin’ Cajun Chicken.’
Once, when I was still based in Baltimore, my crew and I arrived at PIT after our workday. The hotel shuttle was broke down, so they sent a stretch limo instead. One of my crew members happened to be from the Pittsburgh area. She asked our limo driver how much time he had until he had to pick up the next group from the airport. When we found out he had some free time, she asked if he would take us by Sarris Candies. He told us he’d be happy to take us!
We pull up in front of Sarris in our stretch limo, and everyone around was looking to see what celebrity had arrived. Sadly, it was just us- nobody that exciting. It was funny to see the heads turn, however. Just a bunch of flight attendants and pilots who had a chocolate craving!
Hey everyone! It is time for I Scream, You Scream 2018, which is my 8th annual birthday bash, and I want to invite all of you (even if we haven’t met)! This can be celebrated from anywhere in the world! The rules are simple:
- Go out and buy your favorite flavor of ice cream (at least a pint-size portion).
- On August 28th, at EXACTLY 9:00 pm eastern time (U.S.), you are going to take a bite of the ice cream (preferably a big bite). Very important- either have someone take your picture taking this first bite OR take a selfie. Please note- I don’t want only a picture of your ice cream. I care more about your beautiful, ice cream filled face. IF YOU LIVE OUTSIDE THE U.S. AND THAT TIME IS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT, YOU CAN CHEAT AND EAT THE ICE CREAM SOONER OR LATER, AS I DON’T EXPECT YOU TO BE UP ALL NIGHT… even thought it would be totally worth it. haha!
- Email your picture to DavsAddiction@gmail.com. I’ll take all the pictures and make an awesome slideshow and post it here on the blog.
- If you’d like a reminder, send me an email and I’ll remind you 24-48 hours before (DavsAddiction@gmail.com).
Make sure you send your picture by August 31st, as I would like to put the slideshow together on the 1st of September! Even if you’ve not met me in person, I would love it if you’d do this with us!
Here is last year’s slideshow:
Thank you guys! ❤
Travel Week 4
Sunday: DEN > PHX > ATL > PHL
When we finally landed in Philadelphia, we were about twenty minutes late. I’m surprised that we weren’t even later than that. All I’m going to say about this first day is that I’m thankful for those passengers who actually pay attention to what their flight crew has to say. Some of these passengers fly for work, so they’re on so many flights-they could probably quote our safety demonstration as well as a seasoned flight attendant. Still, they put down their book or their paper, they take their earbuds out, and they pay attention.
I laid in bed on Monday morning until about 09:30. Having slept only about two hours the night before, I will take whatever sleep I can get. Just before 11:00, I left the hotel to go to Jim’s, my current favorite spot for cheesesteaks, when I come to this city. It’s only the third or fourth place I’ve tried, so I’m not an expert. The sandwich is excellent, however, and the service is phenomenal! I recorded the visit live on Periscope so you can take a look- I’m sorry the video is so long- if you’ll jump to about nine minutes and thirty seconds in, that’s when I arrive at Jim’s- check it out!
After leaving Jim’s, I had an excellent experience- I had planned on heading over to Shane Confectionery on my way back to the hotel, as I had done the last time I was in Philly, and grab some sweets to take to my crew. Unfortunately, it started to rain- even though I love the rain, this was a heavy downpour! I had to hide in the lobby of a bank because I was getting so drenched. I thought this much water might destroy my phone. I don’t know about you, but I never travel with a bag of uncooked rice for such disasters.
I made it back to the hotel, and luckily my phone still works. Maybe God sent the rain to tell me I’ve been overeating junk food, and I’m probably going to lose my foot to diabetes one day. All because I chose to go back to Shane Confectionery. Oh well- I’ll stay dry for now.
Monday: PHL > ATL > DAL > OKC
When I got downstairs to the lobby, I found out that our first leg from PHL to MDW had been canceled. This sometimes happens when there is some sort of disruption to the normal operations of an airline. So- the crew split up with the promise of being reunited on the third day of the trip. Rather than deadheading us across the country to Ontario, where we were supposed to end up, scheduling decided to use all three of us as reserves. My day was long, as I had two deadheads and only was assigned to work one leg from Dallas to Oklahoma City.
This means that I didn’t actually have to work the first two. Some people like this, and even though it’s lovely to relax. Sometimes, this actually wipes me out more than actually working the leg does. It’s because I’m not using very much of my energy, and it seems to make the day seem longer than it actually is. Thank goodness I had a movie downloaded on my iPad. Oklahoma City was nice, but I really didn’t have time to do very much at all. My overnight layover was short, and before I knew it, I was off to the airport to work.
Tuesday: OKC > HOU > LAS > SJC > LAS
Again, deadheads! I was only asked to work two out of the four legs assigned, making my day seem very long. They had scheduled me for only 17 minutes between my Las Vegas and my San Jose flights. This means that as I hurried to my gate, all the passengers were standing there, lined up, just waiting for me so they could start the boarding process. Then during boarding, about fifty people asked me why I was late. Once everyone was on board, I announced, letting everyone know that the flight had been delayed out of Las Vegas due to air traffic control issues. This is normal for Vegas.
When our plane got back to Las Vegas, I had a message to call scheduling again. They told me that I was about to go over my maximum duty day, so instead of working back to Denver, they pulled me and put me in a hotel for the night. So my crew went on, and I went to the hotel.
Maybe I’m getting older, but Las Vegas seemed so much hotter than it had ever been in the almost year that I’d lived there. It was dark out, and it still seemed like you could fry an egg on the street! You probably couldn’t, but that’s what it felt like. I crossed the street to find a late dinner. I walked to an Indian restaurant that I really like and discovered that it was gone/moved. Luckily, I noticed an Asian barbecue place that I had never been to before. It was so delicious!
I only ended up spending about $20 and got utterly stuffed! Next time I know not to order as much. I recommend the spicy chicken as your protein (not sure if that’s what it was called on the menu). I was char-broiled, so it had the crispy texture going on. Amazing!
Wednesday: LAS > DEN
Being extended out to a fourth day on a 3-day trip means I could either get a prettier paycheck or have them pull a day from another one off my trips without pay. I chose the bigger paycheck. Finally- one more deadhead back to Denver. It’s a great feeling being done by about 07:30! This way, it feels like an extra day off!
Friday: DEN > PHX > BUF
After being off for [almost] two days, I had two easy, on-time legs to Buffalo. Even though I got along with the crew well, we didn’t do much on the layover, other than a quick meal. The Aloft, right across the street from the airport, has very nice, very modern rooms. My visit was just under eleven hours, and so I didn’t get to do much. I ended up only getting about four hours of sleep because I couldn’t clear my head. This happens to me when planning future travel.
Saturday: BUF > FLL > DEN
Today was another easy day. Some flight attendants prefer short/quick flights. I decided that the fewer flights I have to work in the day, the better. Since the only annoying part of my job is waiting for passengers to board the plane, the fewer boardings I have to witness, the better. Since I only had to work two legs today, it was a brief two-day trip like yesterday.
Travel Week: 3
My assignment for my two-day trip was to fly from DEN to BOI to MDW, and finally, I was to end up at CVG. I was looking forward to this since I’ve never flown into Cincinnati. Day two was supposed to work two legs back to Denver. This got me to Denver with plenty of time to kill before my 13:40 check-in.
Low and behold, my first leg to Boise had been canceled. They still had me scheduled, however, to fly the rest out of Boise. The only problem: I’m in Denver, not Boise. Sure enough, they fixed my schedule. Instead of working two two-day trips back to back, they changed it into a three-day trip.
Sunday: DEN > GRR
Other than a slight delay, we landed in Grand Rapids without any incident.
Monday: GRR > RIC > BWI > DEN
With all of the delays and reroutes happening this week, I probably had a change to my assignment at least five times. When I woke up, the plan was to go GRR > BWI > MCO > PHL. Coworkers tell me that you should never make plans because once you do, the scheduling gods know, and they end up changing your trip. It’s like a Murphy’s Law thing. I jinxed our day because I was excited to take two of my crew members to get cheesecakes in Philly.
About forty minutes into the flight, we were rerouted to Richmond, Virginia. The result was 141 upset passengers. It would have been good to be finished there for the night, but an hour-and-a-half later, we were on our way to BWI. I reminded the passenger several times that we always try our best to be on time, but safety is our biggest concern. When we finally landed in Baltimore, I walked from the ‘C’ terminal to the ‘B,’ just in time to work the last leg back to Denver- which was the latest change to my assignment.
Both of the crews that I worked with on this two-day trip were just amazing. We had so much fun laughing and joking around with each other. It almost made it worth working a late shift (not quite, but almost). I got back to the crashpad at about 02:30 and was fast asleep about fifteen minutes later.
Tuesday: DEN > FLL
Another change! When I left the crashpad, the assignment was to work two legs to San Jose, California. Instead- I was to work one leg to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. This 18+ hour overnight on the beach was just what my soul needed! I was scrolling through my pictures, and then it appears that the last time I was at the beach was back in January.
I stayed at B Ocean Resort-like last time. This is located right on the water. The only thing that I don’t like is the fact that the food there is so expensive! I know this is a vacation town thing, but still. Paying thirteen dollars for a waffle on Wednesday morning was a bit much. Not waffles (plural), mind you- one waffle.
After eating, I hit the beach. The hotel has a private beach area where those staying can use one of their beach chairs for free. If you want to fork out some cash, you can upgrade to one covered with a shade. I sat in the sun for about five minutes before deciding it was time to swim in the ocean.
We didn’t even have to head back to the airport until 18:30, so I had almost a full day of relaxation and enjoyment. I only headed back inside when I was starting to turn pink. I didn’t want to get sunburn like I always do.
Wednesday: FLL > BNA > DEN
Wednesday’s workday was very easy, as we only had to work the first of the two legs. The second was just a deadhead back to Denver. It was great to see my friend and coworker Linda, who happened to be working that flight.
Now that I’ve had the mental reset from some beach time, life is good again. Not that life wasn’t good before, but this particular beach visit was just such a welcomed surprise!
It’s time for my second TRAVEL WEEK post. I was hoping to do this more often, but the only one I’ve done thus far was way back in November of last year- whoops! This is a record of the places I traveled for work this past week. I’ve been working so many trips since returning from Scotland, that I hope to have some great stories to share, as well as the motivation to actually share them!
I’m working the “D” position on this trip, so that means I’m with a few different crews. I love this, as it gives me an opportunity to meet more of my [thousands and thousands of] co-workers.
Monday: DEN > MCO > IAD
Add A Fried Egg and Bacon!
Herndon, Virginia | 20:50
Day one ended at Washington Dulles International Airport. My overnight stay was in nearby Herndon, Virginia at the Hilton, which is only about a ten-minute ride from the airport. The afternoon was very overcast, and since I had to wake up so early, I really wasn’t feeling like leaving the hotel to do anything. I walked down to the restaurant/bar and grabbed a burger for dinner. I had them add a fried egg and some bacon- it was so yummy!
Tuesday: IAD > DEN > SLC
Salt Lake City, Utah | 21:57
A huge job perk is when I happen to get a Salt Lake City overnight stay. Normally, if my stay is more than about 15 hours, I’ll drive home and spend the night in my own bed. Today I decided I’d just stay at the hotel and spend some time in the city. When I first landed, I called to book a massage. They gave me a therapist who I’d never had before and the guy was amazing! I’ll definitely come back to him in the future! When the hour was over, I told him that I’d wished I’d had him for another hour, at least. I believe in massages! I love them- and they’re much more affordable, thanks to places like Massage Envy.
One of the places where we currently stay here in Salt Lake City is The Grand America Hotel. This is my first time here and this place is, without a doubt, one of the nicest hotels I’ve ever stayed in! One of my coworkers commented that this hotel shouldn’t be in Salt Lake City, but rather, New York City. That’s how nice this is! Definitely in the top five! I had no choice but to walk around the halls and grounds, just to take a few pictures.
I found dinner at Beto’s, which isn’t too far of a walk from the hotel. Truth be told- I’ve been spending too much money on food as of late, and this is a great meal for cheap! For my Arizona peeps, have you ever eaten at Filiberto’s Mexican Food? It’s that same vibe, in fact, somebody once told me that the recipes are the same, because Beto’s was started by the guy’s brother. I’m not sure if that’s true, plus I’m too lazy to do the research. You just can’t go wrong with a delicious fish burrito, however. I know it sounds gross- it’s so not gross!
Wednesday: SLC > BWI > DEN
Brighton, Colorado | 21:20
Today was good. I worked a couple great crews, including some Baltimore-base girls who I haven’t seen in more than ten years! It was so great to see them! The flights were pretty bumpy coming from the east coast, but we landed safe and on time at DEN.
Dawn Works the Grill
Tonight I’m back at the crashpad in Brighton, Colorado. I had planned on ordering some delivery for dinner, but Dawn told me that she was going to make barbecue for us instead. Once in awhile, she will surprise us and make dinner. One year, for New Year’s Eve, she even made us lobster and crab! Tonight she grilled burgers, sausages, and chicken- it was so good! I think I ate a bit too much!
Thursday: DEN > ABQ > DAL > DTW
Romulus, Michigan | 22:13
My day was good but seemed long. This is probably because we had over three hours of ground time at DAL. Other than one rude passenger on our first leg, everyone else seemed to be in good spirits- it was a great day! I even got to flirt with one of our elderly lady passengers. She was a hoot! I’m working with a great crew, too! One of them is a former crashpad roommate.
Tonight I’m at the Four Points Sheraton in Romulus, Michigan, very close to DTW. I just had some overpriced soft tacos, and am hoping that I can fall asleep soon. If I can fall asleep in the next half hour, then I will actually get seven hours of sleep tonight! This is a worthy goal, but it’s not going to happen.
I think I’m going to lay in bed and watch Forensic Files. Such a cool show!
Friday: DTW > ATL > PBI > ISP
Hauppauge, New York | 18:14
This may sound ego-driven, but my crew and I definitely earned our paychecks today! Nothing demands patience like working a full flight from West Palm Beach, Florida to Long Island, New York! We were like a flying senior center! Every New Yorker has a sassy/ spicy attitude- they all have something to say, and every passenger will demand your undivided attention.
The passengers in my section were actually very nice. Yes, they were loud and demanding, but the best part about working a plane full of New Yorkers is the fact that I can be just as loud and sassy. They don’t care- this is just how they communicate. We had quite a few good laughs.
Tonight I ended up at ISP and am staying at the Hyatt Regency in Hauppauge. If I had a longer time, I would be tempted to jump on a train and head to Manhattan. Unfortunately, I have to be awake so early tomorrow (like 03:45!) and so I’m hoping to fall asleep in the next hour or two. Again, it’s probably not going to happen.
Instead, I went downstairs to have an early dinner with my coworker, Kevin. He had a burger, and I had a French dip sandwich. This was possibly the most delicious French dip sandwich I’ve ever had. I can’t even describe it- it was like melt-in-your-mouth delicious. This may be because I was extremely hungry when I sat down to eat. That’s what happens when the only food I’ve had all day is protein shakes on the plane.
Saturday: ISP > BWI > ORF > DEN
Home | 21:48
Today was an amazing day! As the passengers left the plane (at every stop), we received so many compliments- many of them told us that they had never been on a better flight. I love it when a passenger gives me a compliment like that. It means so much!
Three legs back to Denver! When my plane landed, I rushed to the other side of the terminal for my commute flight home. Thank goodness I was there before any other employees (only one other coworker showed up) because every seat had been taken. Never underestimate the power of one night in one’s own bed. Yes, just one night. Tomorrow afternoon, I fly back to Denver to start another travel week.
Tonight I’m in Philadelphia.
It’s so great when I end up with a fun and fantastic flight crew, and that’s precisely what happened! Very happy to be working this three-day trip with Anthony and Jeanette! I’ve worked with both of them in the past, but it’s been a while.
After we checked into the hotel, we quickly changed into our “normal people” clothes and met down in the lobby to find some dinner. Anthony suggested cheesesteaks (when in Rome…), and we ended up in some restaurant that starts with a ‘C.’ It wasn’t quite as good as Jim’s, which is where I usually go, but the fact that we were together as a crew made it even better.
Next, we walked down to a candy shop called Shane Confectionery, also Anthony’s suggestion. This candy shop was so excellent! It was like stepping back in time! I asked Chrissy, one of the girls working behind the counter, if she would sing to us like they do on Willy Wonka, but she wouldn’t. Even without Chrissy’s vocal stylings, it was such a great place!
DavTravels 