Philadelphia, PA Fall '08

Although I've been to Philly maybe half a dozen times, if not more, this trip was outstanding.

I found a perfect opportunity to go on this short road trip after someone from my car club decided to buy some old wheels I had for sale. With Free delivery to sweeten the deal I jumped in the truck after work and headed down the turnpike to the city of brotherly love.

Yeah, that sounds real cheesy. But I was excited. Not so much for the sale which was great because I've been meaning to clear out my garage for the longest time, but because it gave me an opportunity to take the advise of several Flyer Talk members and try some of South Philly's best: cheesesteak!

While at work I had prepared a list of places I needed to hit in order to enjoy the experience... and enjoy I did. The first stop on my list was Tony Luke's. This joint just off I95 was very busy with patrons. Especially those wearing Phillies jerseys as there was a game in town and Phillies were headed for a pennent victory. The wait wasn't too long, but with so many people all around it was a good atmosphere to be in. Everyone smiling and joking around, the smell of victory was in the air... or maybe it was the onions? Not sure, but one thing always catches my eye when I'm in Philadelphia and thats their parking habits. People leave their cars in the middle of the street parked throughout town, in between the yellow lines. I haven't seen this done nowhere else in my travels. If it were up to me I'd be afraid of doing that in fears of getting the damn truck towed, but no one seemed to care.


After grabbing one of Tony Luke's famous Philly cheesesteaks with mushrooms and hot peppers, I decided to wolf it down on the way to PHL airport. I've been coming across a number of real cheap flights from that airport and wanted to check it out to see how easy it would be to use if I were to book something flying out of there. To my amazement I finished the steak in a few bites. I don't know if I was that hungry or if it was simply that good. Then after sampling all 6 of Philadelphia/Willmington's International airport terminals I still felt hungry and decided to follow my nose to the birth place of Philly Cheesesteak: Pat's (right across from Geno's who also claim to be the first)


I couldn't find the street address in my notes, so I relied on the GPS to get me there... sadly while at PHL Pat's wasn't on the list of nearby eateries. So instead I followed my nose... and boy was I good! While driving down Broad St, I punched in Pat's into the GPS again and this time it was there: "Pat's King of Steak" it said. I clicked "GO" and within minutes I was there, wow. Got a parking spot right along the restaurant outdoor tables, and went to place my order. Again, drunk Phillies fans were in abundance, and unlike Luke's I didn't have to wait at all for my cheesesteak to be ready it was made right in front of me. By comparison to Luke's it was much larger, with bigger chunks of steak, and more cheese. It was also very juicy but to be perfectly honest I liked Tony Luke's best.



Nevertheless, soon after leaving it seemed like I finished this hoggie in a few bites as well and in not time at all I was back on the turnpike heading home.


I should do this more often!

Useful links:

Tony Luke's

>Pat's King of Steaks

Geno Steaks

JFK T5 "a fligth to nowhere" on jetBlue

No, this isn't some kind of a joke or sarcasm towards jetBlue and their delay/cancellation woes. I really did take jetBlue on a flight to nowhere this weekend and it was sweet!


I was among 1,000 other loyal jetBlue TrueBlue members to be invited to participate in a test of the luggage system and operations at thier brand spanking new terminal 5 at JFK airport. I first heard about this event on FlyerTalk.com and since I didn't get a personal invite right away I quickly asked one of the other members to forward me a copy of their's... but just a few days later I got my very own invite from jetBlue. I was joking that I must be at the bottom of jetBlue marketing list because it seems I always get special offers and promotions about a week after everyone else.


Upon arrival at JFK the first thing that strikes your eyes is the old TWA terminal: Eero Saarinen building that will now symbolize jetBlue even though TWA sign is still above it. The new jetBlue parking lot is very convenient and parking on the 5th floor allows you to walk right into the walkway connecting AirTrain to both T5 and T6. The walk to the main terminal is quite long, which will be pretty awful when on the rush, but it's something we'll have to learn to deal with.

The new terminal is spacious! If I could use one word to describe it it would be huge. The new TSA security area looks quick and infact after checking in for my pretend fligth it was a breeze. That was probably the most realistic part of the whole experience, while everything else was going according to the script the TSA were quick to turn around people carrying water, change in their pockets or even forgetful folks like me that left his keys in his pocket.


The most attractive part of the new terminal itself, aside from all the shops and restaurants that weren't there yet but had reps on site giving more information, was the gate area 14, 15 and 16. There are seats aligned along the huge windows overlooking the runway and quite a few jets caught the attention of the participants, everything from regional commuter jets to double decker Boeing 747's.


We were allowed to keep the carry-on bags we checked in to test the system, and after checking in for my pretend Las Vegas flight and arriving from Oakland I made my way outside to the tents set up on the departures driveway to have lunch with everyone from the participants, the media, to the Port Authority cops and of course many jetBlue big wigs including the CEO Dave Barger. They had catered food, some entertainment and a drawing for free flights anywhere jetBlue jets... unfortunately with my luck and even after a pretend flight to Las Vegas I was still unlucky and didn't win anything.


I did score a few hats and luggage tags though, before heading home.


Thanks jetBlue for a really special experience, I can't wait to fly out of there... JFK so far is my primary local airport even though both EWR and LGA are significantly closer.


www.jetblue.com

Motor City Michigan Summer '08

It has been a really long time since I first heard of and decided to visit the Woodward Dream Cruise in suburban Detroit, Michigan. However with work, school and other commitments it was never possible, until now! The plan was ambitious, long and expensive but just a few days before the actual trip it all changed and to tell you the truth it was for the better.

The original plan was for me and my best friend Nick to drive to Detroit in his new Volvo S40 via Kentucky. Why? You might wonder would we make such a crazy and out of the way detour? Because the first stop on our list was the Corvette Assembly Plant and National Museum in Bowling Green, KY. Unfortunately Nick, who loves everything Corvette, had some plastic surgery and our plans went out the window.

I quickly went online and within minutes was able to book a pretty sweet deal, $230 round trip, on United to fly to Detroit. My justification for changing the method of travel was purely economical. It cost less to fly and rent a car than to drive for 9 hours each way in my gas guzzler (to my amazement I must add). I took mass transit to LaGuardia Airport and had a nightmare of an experience with United. The plane must have been the oldest in the fleet, and well after checking its registration it was made in 1989. Certainly not a JetBlue type of experience. I flew in through Chicago O'Hare and arrived in Detroit early at about 4:30pm on Friday, the day of the cruise.


For the second time this year I booked a car with Hertz. To my amazement it was significantly cheaper than all its competitors in Detroit including my favorite, Enterprise. With the weekend 50% discount the whole rental cost me $50 bux. The staff at the Hertz DTW facility was much more friendly than PBI, and even though the nice lady slipped a Hyundai Tuscon SUV into my slot, I was able to change it to a Hertz #1 Gold Ford Fusion rental with a V6, alloy wheels, spoiler and Sirius radio. The car was very nice and the overall experience was quite enjoyable.


My buddy JP volunteered his guest room for my stay in Michigan which certainly saved me a few bucks and potential bed bug bite issues cheap hotels offer. That was very helpful and I was dying to meet JP because he's been one of the most generous contributors to my SRT owner registry web site. JP gave me a pass for the 2007 SRT track experience I did at Road America in Elkheart Lake, WI a $500 value. Thanks JP! I especially enjoyed JP and Mona's company both at the Woodward Dream Cruise and hanging out. One of the most memorable experiences from the visit was a trip to the local restaurant: The Packard Grill in Shelby Township, MI. The menu in that place was outstanding, all items had automotive names, for example if you wanted to order onion rings you'd ask for "a set of wheels." The location of the grill was next door to the original Packard proving grounds which is now a historic site. JP also gave me a private tour of the Chrysler Corporate grounds in Auburn Hills.


The Woodward Dream Cruise itself was just a big car show stretching along Woodward Ave from Auburn Hills to Ferndale. With thousands of cars and a million people in attendance it was a happening place to be at but I noticed that many locals elected to go about their normal lives when this was in town. One such local, Kip Ewing - one of the big dogs at Ford in charge of development and production of the FORD GT and the designer behind Genaddi Design Group's FORD GTX1 roadster conversion, was kind enough to let me meet with him. A very cool guy that now has his own shop on a side producing some very high quality carbon fiber bits for the FORD GT and other exotics. Similarly, Rich Brooks was another cool person I had the priviledge of visiting. The GT Guy himself does some magnificent work on FORD GT including upgrading the power output of already a potent engine with twin-turbos. I love his big red barn where all the magic happens.


The flight home was uneventful. I especially enjoyed flying for the first time on regional jets, or puddle hoppers as some smug business folk joked around before getting on board. The United Express flight operated by Trans States Airlines between DTW and IAD, and Chautauqua Airlines flight from IAD to LGA were especially smooth and I'd actually prefer to fly this Embraer ERJ 145 aircraft instead of a Boeing 737 in the future. I didn't get a chance to have lunch or dinner in Detroit so I pigged out at the airport getting a sub at Quizno's in DTW and a massive burger at Five Guys at IAD.


It was an excellent trip and I wish I had an opportunity to do this more often. The last time I was in Michigan was in 2003 for the Ford Centennial Celebration after driving in a convoy of Panther Platform cars from Saint Thomas, Ontario where we did the Assembly Plant tour.


www.woodwarddreamcruise.com

www.united.com

www.hertz.com

www.packardgrill.com

www.kipewing.com

www.thegtguy.com

www.ford.com

www.chrysler.com