Autumn Has Felt More Like Winter October 18, 2009
Posted by Chris in In the Neighborhood, New Jersey, New York, travel, weather.add a comment
We had our first brush with Winter this week. I went to Harrisburg on Thursday with Maureen and by the time we made it back to Jersey and me back to the neighborhood, there was about an inch of wet snow on the ground. It wasn’t a problem but definitely it was a reminder of what is ahead. Up this week: NJ Mopar Group Sussex County Meet & Greet on Tuesday night and trips to Washington DC on Thursday & Baltimore on Friday.
Halloween is just around the corner. Have you got your costume ready?
A Very Busy Week for Me October 10, 2009
Posted by Chris in Family & Friends, In the City, In the Neighborhood, travel.add a comment
Gary, Melinda and Sugar came to town to visit. We made it to all of the hot spots in Manhattan during their four day stay, plus we ran over to Hershey,PA to tour the chocolate factory. I couldn’t help but think that my friend, Eric, would have thought he had died and gone to heaven surrounded by millions of Kit Kats and Hershey bars. I think we crammed about as much as we possibly could into 4 days, and I feel a lot more confident about where to go an what to do now when guests come to stay for a while.
Sugar, Me, Melinda & Gary at the Statue of Liberty
Gary, Sugar and Me on the Top of the Rock in Manhattan
Me on the Top of the Rock with the Empire State Bldg in the background
Texas Coming to New York July 26, 2009
Posted by Chris in Family & Friends, In the City, Texas, lakehouse, travel.1 comment so far
The buzz around Arrowhead Resort at Lake Whitney in Texas these days is that my proprietors and friends Gary & Melinda, as well as Gary’s mom, Sugar, will be making an Autumn trip to my place. On the agenda, a tour of Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty, a Broadway show, and some sightseeing in Manhattan. I am sure somewhere along the way we will fit in a couple hands of UNO or Phase 10.
Long Week June 21, 2009
Posted by Chris in Places, Texas, lakehouse, travel.add a comment
It was a long week, and the next week isn’t looking too much better, but the good news is I am less than two weeks away from a long weekend at the lakehouse in Texas.
My Refuge Awaits
In celebration of this return trip to the Mother Ship, I have activated the Dallas skyline banner and am flying the Lone Star flag on my page.
I, however, still don’t claim George Bush.
Return to CTCLARK.COM
Return to MY FACEBOOK PAGE
American Makes $278 Mil From Checked Bags; Southwest Shrugs it Off May 24, 2009
Posted by Chris in In the News, travel.1 comment so far
The U.S. Department of Transportation reported last week that my former favorite airline, American Airlines, jammed it to passengers to the tune of $278 million last year by charging you to lose your luggage. Southwest refused to play ball, insisting that while its competitors may benefit from the rip off in the short term, over time it will cost them loyal passengers.
It is all about the miles. May 17, 2009
Posted by Chris in travel.1 comment so far
When I moved to New Jersey this time last year, I changed my favored airline from American Airlines to Continental. The practical reasons were obvious: just as American is big dog at DFW International, Continental is King at what would be my new home port, Newark Liberty International (EWR). I could go on and on about my frustrations regarding EWR, the poor layout and inferior runway design, but I will save that for another post on another day.
I joined the Continental Frequent Flyer program, OnePass. On a gamble, I sent them a copy of my American Airlines frequent flyer card and asked if they would reciprocate within their OnePass program at the equivalent level, and they agreed. Hello Elite Silver! I then applied for and received from Chase Bank the Continental Airlines Presidential Plus credit card. This is apparently the godfather of mileage-based airline credit cards and its expensive – annual fees of about $400.00/yr –almost as much as an American Express Platinum Card (which I DO NOT have). But the perks of the Presidential Plus card are worth the cost to me. The annual fee gives Elite Premier status on Continental, even if you don’t fly the required 25,000 miles annually to achieve the lowest level of elite status in the OnePass program. That is a big deal, especially for a big guy like me. Elite Premier allows you to board first (no fighting for overhead space) and you can check two bags up to 70 lbs at no cost . Yoru checked bags get priority treatment, unloaded first and sent to the carousels first. You also get priority access through security ar most airports. The annual fee also provides membership into Continental’s Presidents Club lounges, along with access into several partner lounges such as Delta, Northwest, Alaska Air and a few others. No such benefit exists for American Airlines members. You want to go the lounge there, you pay for it. With the Presidential Plus card, all air, hotel, and rent car miles count double, you get free double class upgrades with Avis, and Gold Status with Hyatt hotels. All in all, not a bad deal, especially compared to American Airlines where their lowest flier program level just gives you the opportunity not to be upgraded on their oversold flights. Extra bonus: On Continental, you don’t have to fly on an MD-80 (my mental equivalent of a New York City taxi cab) and even if you do not successfully score an upgrade, Continental still serves hot meals in coach.
So, I have used the Continental President’s Premier card for EVERYTHING I can. Utility bills, gasoline, you name it. And the miles to accumulate pretty fast. Right now I have a nice accumulation of miles on that card, plus a lot of miles left on the old American Airlines Citibank card, and about two tickets worth of miles on a Bank of America Alaska Airlines card I got on an Alaskan cruise several years ago. I also have a Discover Miles card.
Here is where things have started to get tricky. I am currently in the process of scheduling travel for the next year back to Texas – - mostly holiday weekend types of trips. In fact, this morning I just booked mileage flights back to the lakehouse for my birthday next January (on Continental) and President’s Day weekend in February (on American). I have a high credit limit on the Citibank American Airlines MC and AmEx cards, and I have no balance. I have an equally high limit on the Bank of America Alaska Airlines card, with a very minimal balance. There is a big limit on the Discover Miles card with no balance and I haven’t used it in months. For the past year my every day card has been the Continental Card with a high limit and a lot of activity each month that I pay off monthly. In today’s crazy economic environment, I am trying to protect the available credit on these cards that in the past I never used so that my FICO score stays high because of my low debt to credit line ratio.
Now that I am starting to use some of the miles I have accumulated, I am now starting to find myself playing credit card roulette each month to get miles on each mileage program (American, Alaska, and of course, Continental) to the magic increments of 25,000 miles, which equals a round-trip ticket. Doing the credit card mileage juggle also keeps each credit card company happy because I am using them in spurts, even though I pay them off each month (No credit card company likes it when you carry a high credit line on a card you never use – it sticks out like a sore thumb). For example, I have 125k miles (5 RT tickets) available on Continental right now, and 67k (2.5 RT tickets) available on America Airlines, so for the next few months I will start using the Citibank American Airlines card for monthly expenses to get those miles up to 75k, the equivalent of 3 round trip coach tickets.
So that is how I am managing the miles! The more tricky issue is how to actually use them. The airlines are good at giving you all of these miles, and then making it almost impossible to use them! I will blog about that next tme!
Jack Frost Swings Through the Neighborhood Overnight December 7, 2008
Posted by Chris in Around the House, Family & Friends, In the Neighborhood, New Jersey, Tis the Season, travel, weather.3 comments
It’s pretty cold up here! Yep it is. And Jack Frost
was making his rounds last night as well.
We had a light dusting over night that was really pretty
to wake up to this morning. It went all the way into
the city, so I am told. It was nothing like the October
Blizzard we had before Halloween, though.
I heard from Gary and Mel this weekend. They are on
their way to Fort Lauderdale via the Southwest Airlines
cattle car (hey, whatever it takes, right?) to settle in
before their big cruise that leaves next Friday.
Air Travel is Just a Pain: Roseanna and Granny Are Trying to Get to New Jersey November 15, 2008
Posted by Chris in Family & Friends, travel, weather.4 comments
Roseanna’s scheduled departure from Rapid City, SD
to Minneapolis, MN to rendezvous with Granny for
the second half of the flight was delayed in Rapid City
early this morning by mechanical difficulties. Alas. she
finally boarded and made it to MSP by about 11:15am,
just in time to meet up with Granny. Cousin Rual had
graciously accepted the assignment of getting Granny
and her stuff to the Minneapolis/St Paul Airport and
checked in. (Thanks Rual! You are a lifesaver in many
ways!!)
Unfortunately, the weather here in the New York City
area has been pretty miserable for two days with
high winds and rain, and that absolutely imposes
havoc on the already overburdened ATC system
that controls the 3 major airports here. Their flight
on Northwest Airlines was scheduled to depart MSP at
1:00pm. After being loaded one and then de-planed
due to ATC delays here, they were allowed to board again
and the last text message from Roseanna at 4:15pm was
that they were patiently waiting but the captain has
warned of additional delays.
Of course, as a frequent flyer into the NYC area, none
of this surprises me but I hate that my 87 year old
Granny is having to endure this, and I am very glad
that Roseanna is with her to keep her company and
keep her calm.
I Remember Why I Like Marriott So Much November 11, 2008
Posted by Chris in Observations, Places, travel.2 comments
I am in Pittsburgh for a meeting tomorrow. I am fortunate to be associated with such an incredible team here in the Steel City and I always look foward to having the opportunity to visit with them. I am at my usual Marriott in Cranberry Township, PA , and here is what was waiting for me in my room when I checked in:
You can’t see it very well in this cell phone picture, but that is a couple of chocolate chip cookies and a small milk that was on ice. See, its the little things that make a difference. Contrast this experience to my experience at the Hyatt on Long Island and it is easy to see why I like Marriott so much.
Nevermind the fact that I can not and will not eat the cookies, it is the thought that counts! I am feeling pretty good tonight because of my weigh in results (27 lb loss as of today – I will update that page on my website when I get back home). I sure don’t want to screw that up! I found the seat on the plane was more comfortable than on my last flight just a few weeks ago, and the seatbelt had some slack that I have not been used to in a very long time. It’s the little victories folks.
So when I got to the hotel, there is an On The Border next door! I LOVE Tex-Mex and haven’t had it since I was in Texas, so I went over to the restaurant. No, I didn’t get my old favorite enchaladas, tacos, and the like – I ordered chicken fajitas without the tortillas! I was only able to finish half of the order, but it was good!
I started Vince Flynn’s newest book, Extreme Measures, on the plane and, after 100 pages, it is every bit as good as Vince’s previous ones. (Mel, don’t buy the book – Vince and I have ya covered (wink, wink).
Out and About Today October 18, 2008
Posted by Chris in Places, travel, weather.add a comment
I took a few pictures when I was out and about today.
It was an absolutely beautiful, crisp Autumn day.
Driving through Mansfield Township headed towards Interstate 80.
Burning bush along Interstate 80 almost to the Delware Water Gap.
The great state of Pennsylvania,
I’m having a good time.
Which way do I go?
Of course I couldn’t pass up an outlet mall. I picked up 2 ties, 2 new pair of dress shoes which I desperately needed, a winter hat, and some driving gloves for the upcoming cold weather.
I guess the Sunday collections are off in this church.
Schooley Mountain County Park
Another shot of the park
Checking Out the Casino October 18, 2008
Posted by Chris in Dodge Charger, Places, travel.Tags: Mount Airy, Mount Pocono, Pocono
1 comment so far
I headed out on a road trip this morning to check out
the Mount Airy Hotel and Casino at Mount Pocono, PA.
I wanted to check it out to see if it would be a good
place to take Mom, Granny, and Roseanna in
November.
Entrance to the Hotel
Entrance to the Casino
Inside the Casino
I won $8.00!!! Almost enough to buy lunch!
The silver bullet in the parking lot. I like the way people stop and look at it.
Destination Hyatt. Not a Good Idea August 23, 2008
Posted by Chris in Observations, travel.2 comments
After a day train trip to Baltimore I made it back into the office around 7:00pm, just in time to meet up with Elizabeth so we could drive out together to Long Island, about 1.5 hours away. Making that drive during the day would be a 3 hour commitment easily, but traffic was not that bad going over the George Washington bridge, through the Bronx, and out onto the island. We had decided earlier in the week to stay overnight in Long Island rather so we would be there early the next morning for meetings.
The place has decent curb appeal, don’t you think? Don’t be fooled!!
When we pulled into our hotel we said to each other “Hmm, not a bad looking place.” While far from a road warrior, I do spend two or three nights a month in hotels. After a while you learn which ones to avoid. Note: Add this Hyatt on Long Island to the list of hotels to avoid at all costs!
We checked in and went to our rooms, and noticed the elevator was all beat up. On the 4th floor, the carpets were stained and there was an old microwave oven sitting in the middle of the hall. By now it was 9:30pm, and we were cranky, hungry, and tired, so we pushed through. Dropped luggage in the rooms and went down for dinner. $60.00 bucks later (and it wasn’t even a good hamburger), we each retire to our rooms.
I noticed the room was not as clean as I would have liked, but I was so tired, I crashed pretty hard. I work up several times during he night – hot, then cold, then itchy, then hot, then cold. But morning finally came.
It turns out, I wasn’t alone in my room.
There were little bugs crawling on the wall by my bed, on the ceiling, and on the night stand.
I started to look around even more now. The light of day brought out all sorts of revelations about the 215.00 room I was in.
By the coffee pot
Stains on the conforter on the second bed I wasn’t using
Black crap on the sheets in the bed I just slept in.
Do they EVER vacuum? I also found a cash register receipt dated June 2007 (Yes, 2007!!) wadded up on the floor by the nightstand.
More nasty floors
Real inviting, huh?
The hallway outside of my room
Picture of the stairs – - because the elevator didn’t work. We were trapped on the 4th floor and had no choice but to take the emergency stairs.
The bathroom was just as bad. The bathtub, intended to be white, was more of a gray in color. The sink would barely drain.
Needless to say, I did visit with the front desk manager who did apologize and I believe may have even credited the room for the night (mine, not Elizabeth’s). And to be fair, she did seem concerned, but she did not seem surprised.
There is no way anyone can make be believe that management of a property like this doesn’t know these things are going on. A simple inspection of the rooms ont he property would reveal these things. Bugs are never limited to one or two rooms. Lack of cleanliness of this type is not isolated. It has to be a property-wide problem.
I am aware of the things that go on in the hotel industry, and I don’t drink out of the glasses in the room as a result. Things can go wrong in any establishment, but this experience will definately cause me to think twice before staying at any Hyatt property ever again, and I will NEVER stay at the Hyatt on Long Island again!
Amtrak to Baltimore and Back August 23, 2008
Posted by Chris in In the City, Places, travel.1 comment so far
My first Amtrak trip from Newark’s Metropark to the DC area was enlightening. For a newbie, train travel can be intimidating. Everyone around you is on a mission. They are in a hurry, they know what they are doing, and you get the feeling that if you get in their way, they will just throw you on the tracks and be gone. When the trains appear in the distance, the loudspeaker crackles and someone in a heavy New Jersey accent yells a bunch of numbers and words, and the only think you can understand is “TRACK ONE”. When the train arrives, you get about 4 seconds to make the decision regarding ifi it’s the train you are supposed to be on, and if it is, you better get on quick.
I suppose the more you do it, the better you get at it, but I will need to do the Amtrk thing a few more times before I feel like a pro at it. I traveled with one of my bosses on this trip, so it was good to be with a rail vet. First thing to know…regardless of what is painted on the train car itself, the first car is always business class on the regional train. On the Acela, the first car is always First Class. There is no First Class on the regional line. The Acela is a high speed train that doesn’t make as many stops between New York and Washington. If you don’t mind going to Penn Station instead of BMI, it’s a a great option. Its always best to pay the extra few bucks, go on the Acela, and upgrade to First Class. The nice thing about the train is you can get some work done. Plenty of room, 120v AC plus at every seat, and a nice snack car make the trip a quick one. My wireless worked the whole way there and back.
Once I get the whole train station thing figured out, I think I will prefer the Amtrak Acela over the regional flights from EWR to DC. Less expensive, and for a day trip, definitely less stress.
The ramp at Penn Station in Baltimore
Outside Penn Station, Baltimore MD
The Acela Arriving at Penn Station
Making a Friend on Flight 3667 August 23, 2008
Posted by Chris in Feel Good, travel.add a comment
Last Sunday I headed out to Pittsburgh so that I would be there bright an early the following morning for meetings. Where I once considered air travel an exciting, interesting experience, in recent years most of us agree that it has become a pain. Continental’s service to Pittsburgh is via its regional carrier, which means smaller seats, prop engines, and, on the case of this flight, a clogged toilet as we were warned prior to boarding. No problem, I can hold it for an hour.
I sat next to an attractive, very jovial lady on the way down who I later learned was from Puerto Rico. Not much small talk, but I did notice she has an infectious laugh. Other than that, it was just another ordinary, quick flight into PIA.
The drive from Pittsburgh International to my Hotel
I thought this was kinda spooky. Glad it wasnt night time.
Pittsburgh is not an easy place to navigate. I rented a car from Avis and made sure that it was equipped with GPS for the trip to the hotel. The next morning my meetings went off without a hitch and I made my way back for what I was hoping would be an on time departure back to Newark.
At the gate I noticed the same lady. She was clearly waiting on the same flight which was delayed. Eventually I boarded and found my way to 3C when, shortly after, here she came, and she was seated next to me again. We both laughed and started to share the details of our trip. It turns out that Heydee was up in Pittsburgh being interviewed for a human resources position. The job is in Puerto Rico but the company is located in Pittsburgh. She thought she was interviewing for a generalist role but turns out, they had interest in her for a management position. I shared with her my own experience with HR lately.
As we were trapped inside the prop plane waiting to leave Pittsburgh – delayed for almost an hour and a half on the runway, we visited, and she laughed. And she laughed. And she laughed. And she laughed. She was worried about missing her connection on Newark, but she made it just fine, and sent me a text message when she arrived home just so that I would know she made it.
Sometimes you run across a total stranger who makes your day brighter. Heydee was that person for me last week.
