Ever on the quest for status, I am taking my girlfriend to San Diego for a week later this year. With some creative routing we will be taking four flights each way, so it’ll go a decent way in making sure I maintain my Diamond Medallion Status with Delta.
I also plan to take advantage of Citi Prestige’s 4th Night Free benefit to book my stay at the Hyatt Regency near Sea World. This will help me maintain my status with Hyatt as well as help me take advantage of their current promotion! Since all five nights are paid for, I’ll get points both from the initial stay as well as from the promotion.
I will also be routing us through DFW to take advantage of the Centurion Lounge there! Nothing like a free gourmet meal! 😀
To maintain my status with Delta, I like to plan creative routes when traveling. For my trip to Sacramento this week, I opted to fly from Raleigh to Atlanta, Atlanta to Los Angeles, and Los Angeles to Sacramento (instead of to Salt Lake, and from there directly, for example… or directly from Atlanta… or many other options).
737-900 First Class
My first flight of the day was on one of Delta’s 737-900s. Though the seats are quite comfortable, and the in-flight entertainment console is crisp, the air-flow in the cabin is horrendous. Older 757s and even 717s have much more directed air pressure, allowing you to remain cooler. Extremely important when you’re in the South!
First Class on a 737-900737-900 In-Flight EntertainmentOutlets, outlets everywhere!
757-200 Thrust Reversal
My second flight, the longest leg, was on a 757-200. Unfortunately I didn’t get upgraded on this leg (I didn’t really expect to, since I was flying out of Atlanta). The nice thing about this was my seat was immediately in front of the engine. This allowed me to capture the thrust-reversal upon landing in LAX!
All 757-200s use one of two engines (one of which has two variants):
According to the Delta Museum, and using FlightRadar24 to cross-check the tail-number based on flight number, I confirmed that my 757-200 was using the PW2037.
Now for some background on thrust reversal! The purpose of thrust reversal is to take some of the engine’s thrust and direct it forward instead of backwards. This allows for shorter landing distances, less wear on brakes, and make for an all around safer flying experience. If you listen after landing, you will hear a loud woosh – that is the thrust reversal process. The Wikipedia article above identifies three types of thrust reversal mechanisms available for jet engines:
Target
Clam-shell
Cold Stream
Purdue released a very helpful visual guide to differentiate between the three, as well as an explanation of where the thrust actually goes! Since the PW2000 series is a high by-pass engine, the cold stream type is what we would expect, and as you can see it is indeed what is happening:
At the gate in ATLThrust Reversal!
Arizona Meteor Crater
And now, a brief reprieve from AvGeekery. 😉 Very brief.
En route to Los Angeles, we crossed just south of the Barringer Crater! You can see it up and to the left of the engine intake, below.
Barringer Meteor Crater
Plane Spotting!
Upon Arrival at LAX, I made my way to the SkyClub in the middle of Terminal 5. From one of the seats along the window, I was able to see planes arrive and depart. Given LAX’s traffic, I got to see quite a few wide-bodies, as well as one of Alaska’s 737-900ERs! Lucky, on his blog “One Mile at a Time”, has a very nice guide on differentiating between different variants of wide-body aircraft. Simply put, it largely comes down to the number of wheels, engines, or doors they have. 😉
I tried to find the right version of their seat map on SeatGuru, and have provided links to those, as well. If you find something amiss, please let me know!
After an hour and a half, because the inbound flight was a little late in arriving, I was on my way to Sacramento. It’s not a true visit to LAX without catching a glimpse of the Theme Building!
On my return from Stowe, VT I flew back from Burlington, VT (BTV). The first flight was from Burlington to Detroit, and then routed from Detroit to Raleigh.
I only managed to upgrade to First Class for the first segment, as the second was a popular flight. Even with Diamond Medallion Status, it’s a gamble when flying out of a Delta hub city! As with the flight up, I went for window seats.
Breakfast at McCarthy’s
My girlfriend’s family usually reserves McCarthy’s for their last morning in Stowe, as it was my last day, they made an exception. I had quite a nice breakfast with made-from-scratch corned beef hash, fresh 12-grain wheat toast, and an omelette with spinach, Feta cheese, and artichokes.
Menu cover at McCarthy’s – no plastic is a common trend in StoweMediterranean omelette with freshly made corned beef hash
After breakfast, we couldn’t resist the opportunity to pose with the bears at the entrance. 🙂
Carrie and I with the bears outside McCarthy’s
Back to BTV
The return drive to Burlington International Airport was smooth, even with construction on I-89, and the route to the airport was marked clearly. Avis was a breeze, as always – it is worth signing up for their Preferred program, and it’s free! As I saw on my arrival, Burlington does offer TSA PreCheck, which had my hopes up. Unfortunately it was the “lite” version, where you still have to remove toiletries and laptops from your bags. At least you don’t have to get undressed, so there’s that.
Mount Mansfield is the tallest mountain in Vermont, and one of its lower peaks is fairly close to Stowe. In fact, the Stowe resort has built a series of gondolas that will take you up! These serve a secondary purpose for getting skiers up to the top of the slope during ski season. Though it was almost 74 degrees Fahrenheit at the base, it was in the mid 60s at the top.
The view up to the upper gondola station of Mount MansfieldGetting on!View from within the gondolaCarrie and I at the top stationMealika and Carrie on MansfieldView from the lower summit
Smuggler’s Notch
Just beyond Mount Mansfield is the region known as Smuggler’s Notch. The many switchbacks and narrow roads make for very dangerous driving conditions. Certainly not something I would want to do in the winter! Lovely views to be experienced, however, and a popular destination for hikers and mountain climbers.
Montpelier
Montpelier is located roughly 30 minutes south of the Village Green at Stowe, so it was a very short drive. The actual distance is much shorter, but a lot of time is spent on surface streets given the location of the condos. For those that haven’t visited Montpelier, it is a surprisingly down-to-earth, especially for a capital. We grabbed lunch at the Three-Penny Taproom before doing some more gift-shopping. Most of the stores close at 5, so be sure to get there early in the day!
A trip to Vermont is not complete without cider doughnuts, cheese, or chocolates… so we squeezed all three into one day! 😀
Cold Hollow Cider Mill
Our first stop of the day was Cold Hollow Cider Mill. Only 15 minutes from the Village Green condos, it made for a delicious start to the day. You are encouraged to sample their different ciders, apple butters, and spreads. They also make wonderfully moist cider doughnuts – the traditional size, so you don’t have to feel guilty about it, of course.
Traditional apple cider doughnuts
After putting our legs up for a bit, we made our way to Pete’s Green’s, where we were told we could see some alpaca! Though the alpaca didn’t want to be friendly, we did meet a very friendly sheep and an adventurous chicken who escaped the pen as we made our way to the car.
Friendly sheep!Poor sheep was feeling itchy!Adventurous chickenAdorable alpaca
Cabot Annex, Smuggler’s Notch Distillery, and More
We had to sample everything available here, so we took our time and explored what they had to share. My personal favorite at Cabot was their Lamberton cheese, which we picked up for our burgers. I also purchased a fifth of Smuggler’s Notch Litigation – a new offering of whiskey that I found quite tasty.
Though there is quite a lot of detail in the wares at Danforth Pewter, the prices are quite reasonable given the work put into the items, and it is an excellent option for souvenirs and gifts. This property is attached directly to the Lake Champlain Chocolate store, which made for a nice transition. Though the iced Americano was tasty, the iced brew from Scout & Co. in South Burlington was by and far better.
For lunch we traveled back to Waterbury and visited the Prohibition Pig.
Prohibition Pig menu coverChalk artwork at the Prohibition Pig
Ben & Jerry
On the way back to Stowe, we had to visit Ben & Jerry’s headquarters.
Ben & Jerry’s!
Though we didn’t stay for the tour, we definitely had some ice-cream (Bourbon Brown Butter) and went to say hi to the cows on the way back to the car. Gotta thank the ladies for the delicious milk!
We spent our day wandering about the various stalls at the Stowe Farmer’s Market and I found myself falling in love all over with cheese. I also discovered a liquor distilled from maple syrup, as well as gins that were created exclusively with herbs from Vermont! There were many fuzzies (puppies mainly, though a horse did show up!) that were very friendly with us.
Afterwards, we visited the Stowe Cider as well as Stowe Wine and Cheese. The staff everywhere was extremely friendly and is happy to help you find a cider that fits your flavor profiles! They make one that is aged in Rum barrels, for example, that is quite tasty.
Rum-Aged Cider!Deliciousness!
For lunch, we visited the Malt Shop, where I opted for onion rings and a burger with bleu cheese. They also have excellent chili-fries. Be warned, though, they only accept cash!
My girlfriend’s family has access to a timeshare in Stowe, VT, so I decided to take some time away from my day job to get some R and R. I took the opportunity to fly more with Delta to help maintain status, and kill two birds with one stone. To add icing to the cake, a good friend of ours visited at the same time, so we had many nights filled with Cards Against Humanity!
Flights
To reach Stowe, VT I flew to the nearest airport: Burlington, VT (BTV). The first flight was from Raleigh to Detroit, and then routed from Detroit to Burlington.
Thanks to my Diamond Medallion Status, I confirmed upgrades to First Class for both segments on the way up. The first flight was on a B737-800, while the second was on a regional jet (CRJ900). I opted for window seats on both flights – I’m a sucker for a good view!
Detroit
As we taxied for takeoff at Detroit, I caught a glimpse of a 747-400 – one of my favorite planes, and my first wide-body experience that I can remember. Because of the sentimental memories associated with the plane, I can’t help but smile when I see one.
AtlasAir 747-400 at DTW
Burlington Airport
While the Burlington Airport is technically international, it is fairly small in that it only caters to regional aircraft, albeit the larger ones (CRJ700/900). There is no SkyClub, due to its size, but TSA PreCheck is available.
The airport is directly across from the Army and Air National Guard hangars, which made for an impressive landing. The 134th Fighter Squadron was visible from my window. As an AvGeek, seeing F16s was definitely awesome.
134th Fighter Squadron
South Burlington
Before heading to Stowe, I headed into Burlington to get some coffee and a snack. I stopped at Scout & Co., and their iced coffee was just what I needed. Highly recommended, if you find yourself in the region!
Village Green at Stowe
The timeshare properties are part of the condos located at the Village Green at Stowe. Though a little dated (the condos were built in the mid-to-late 70s), they have modern furnishings and gas cooking. My girlfriend brought up our grill so we were able to make some burgers with delicious Cabot cheese. The condos also have an indoor pool, outdoor pool, hot tub, and dry sauna available. Unfortunately cellular reception in the area leaves a lot to be desired, and Wi-Fi is only available near the club house.
