Reply to All

Declaring my Frequent Flyer free agency

After one of the worst flying experiences I have ever had on Delta Air Lines, I have decided to declare my frequent flyer free agency.  I won't bore you with the details but the experience which included my entire family demonstrates the indifference and what seemed like outright disdain for its passengers by this airline giant.  I use to live in Atlanta, my wife use to work in Delta's flight operations group, and my brand loyalty was always to Delta above all others.  That has now changed and the only reason I will even think about flying them again is due to the efforts of a single flight attendant on our flight back to Seattle from Atlanta.

So, I am up for grabs and interested in looking at new teams to join.  Here are my stats:

• Well over 1 million miles logged with 80+% of those on Delta Air Lines over the years.
• Extensive travel in North America, a concentrated period to the UK a few years back, and a few flights to Asia over the years
• Cheap but not real cheap - I'll buy the discount ticket but have been known to pay for wifi, club room access, and the occasional upgrade (when it is reasonable)
• Pretty low maintenance as long as there is a spot for my highly optimized and very small carry on bag and the frequency of center seat assignments is kept at a minimum. 
  
• I do not expect or feel entitled to an upgrade but rarely turn it down when offered.
• I am very experienced and efficient at getting on and off the plane quickly without disrupting other passengers or delaying departure.

I have spent trial periods with United, Alaska Airlines, US Airways, and American but have never signed on due to bad experience, lack of status, or routing.  Current favorite is Virgin America but they do not meet all my destination criteria.  I have also spent some time with ANA, British Airways, Southwest and Frontier (although the latter two may be the same team here shortly) over the years and have had generally good experiences.

Interested in having me try out for your team?  Leave a comment or shoot me an email.

Life experiences - Washington, DC

I'm a big believer in life experiences especially when they can be mixed with a bit of business.  Last week while in Washington, DC I was fortunate for two reasons:

1. I was able to spend a couple days with friends that I hadn't seen in a long while
2. I was able to experience the nation's capitol on a whole new level

One of my friends is Chief of Staff for a US Senator (there are only 100 so see if you can figure it out) and extended an invitation to have us join them for lunch in the Senate Dining room.  This kicked off a day that included meeting lots of great people and seeing more Senators than I ever had before (I am a bit of a closet political junkie).  We also were fortunate to walk on to the floor of the US House of Representatives thanks to a generous Congressman (435 of them - good luck). 

Here's my badge from lunch and a bit of video from the ride on the "train" from the Russell Senate Office Building to the US Capitol.
 

I love Washington, DC and lived there for almost 5 years.  A couple of morning runs on the National Mall as well as connecting with both previous co-workers from my Arthur Andersen days and new friends from current projects made for a great couple days.

A great trip to Hood River, OR last weekend

We spent a long weekend in Hood River last weekend to celebrate Marel's birthday.  We enjoyed the down time and dropped in on favorites Full Sailing Brewing, Double Mountain Brewery, and 3 Rivers Grill.  Big thanks to the guys at Hood River WaterPlay for the great time and kiteboarding lessons for Marel.  If you are headed to Hood River and want to get on the river, give them a ring.

A great time in St. Simons Island, GA

Apologies for the slow posting the past week or so.  I have been mostly off the grid on St. Simons Island with my parents and brother's family.  It was a great week and if you've never been there, I definitely suggest putting St. Simons on your list of places to visit.

We successfully ate Wild Georgia Shrimp pretty much every day and visited some of our favorite restaurants including the Crab Trap, Gnat's Landing, Mullet Bay, and new favorite Southern Soul BBQ.  Lots of bike riding and time on the beach with the little ones.  Although it was a bit chilly for a few days, it definitely beats Seattle weather in March.

A great time in Steamboat Springs, CO

I rounded out my trip to Colorado last week with a few days in Steamboat Springs with friends.  Steamboat Springs sits in a valley surrounded by mountains and is (was) a bit more rustic than other resort destinations like Vail and Aspen.  We've been through there a few times over the years during both summer and winter and it ranks up there as one of our favorite places.

Did a bit of skiing, stopped into one of my favorite outfitters there - Straightline Sports, and enjoyed the sun and beautiful Colorado blue skies for a few days.

I flew out of Yampa Valley Regional airport a bit outside town and really enjoy smaller airports like this.  After all, how many airports do you go through that feature Frito Pie on the menu?

 

A weekend in Connecticut

After spending a few days in New York City this week, I ventured into Connecticut to spend the weekend with some friends.  We had great weather and I enjoyed reconnecting with them after way too long.  We enjoyed some great meals including Lenny & Joe's for amazing fried clams and lobster rolls, the River Tavern in Chester, and O'Rourke's Diner in Middletown (try the "Irish Embassy" for breakfast). 

The friendships we develop early in life (college or early work in my case) are some of the closest we will ever have and keeping them strong takes some effort especially as we move to various corners of the globe and transition from being an individual to having a family.  The trick is to treasure the time you spend together, not dwell on the time apart.  I hadn't seen them in two years and we were able to pick right back up where we left off.  I am truly fortunate to have friends like this.  The real challenge is to find the time to get together and re-connect frequently.

A great meal at Blue Hill in NYC

I decided to find a new restaurant during my recent New York trip and came across Blue Hill in Greenwich Village during my search.  With Chef/Owner Dan Barber recently named a "Who's Who in Food & Beverage" by the James Beard Foundation and the emphasis local/farm fresh ingredients, I was sold. 

I had a great meal and really appreciated both the service and hospitality of the staff as a solo diner.  Some of the best lamb I have ever had combined with a theme of farm fresh tomatoes for the other courses.  If you like ingredients that stand on their own, this is the place for you.  

I also learned when you dine alone in NYC and carry a pen and paper to both make notes about your experience as well as sort out your projects and priorities, people seated next to you may assume you are a food critic.  I learned this after being asked by the couple next to me...

Although I failed to mention to them that I do write a small publication called "Reply to All" out of Seattle, I would definitely recommend adding Blue Hill to your list of places to dine while in NYC.

This is a really bad idea

Not the effort to defray the rising cost of fuel by charging passengers for checking a bag ($15) but American Airlines' applying it to those that aren't frequent flyers.  Why not just pass it through on the price of the ticket or apply it to those that can absorb more ridiculous fees?

So, why is this a bad idea?

I fly more than I care to (although admittedly not much on American) and it is increasingly clear to me that NO ONE enjoys it - the passengers, the crew, TSA...no one.  So now those that don't fly much have the incentive to bring even more crap onto the plane to try to shove in the overhead compartments.  This
new fee structure applies to those with no frequent flyer status that have purchased "discounted coach fare" tickets.  Fabulous.

For those of you that know me, I have a somewhat "controversial" no help policy for those that bring bags on planes they can't or have trouble lifting.  Why?  First and foremost, not my job and not part of my ticket price.  Secondly, having watched flight attendants handle this deftly over the years by advising but not physically helping passengers with bags, I decided to make it my policy as well.

Now before you brand me a jerk and question how my Southern upbringing could allow this to happen, I (use to) have a strong defense - there is a parallel process designed to help you with your bags called "check them."  Americans new policy may cause me to revist my policy as well as encourage me to want to board even earlier to find a slot for my very efficiently packed and very small carry on suitcase.

A list to live for

Here's the list of the top 50 restaurants in the world (via Paul Kedrosky).  Looks like I still have a great deal of eating (and traveling) to do.

A week off last week

I took a week of vacation last week with the family in Colorado.  We experienced a huge amount of unexpected snow as we spent our time between Beaver Creek and Vail after catching the Rockies season opener in Denver (thanks again Gabe, Christina, & Lisa).  The best part of the week was getting to spend so much uninterrupted time with my daughter.  Spending day after day together in such a beautiful place rather than just weekends and mornings/early evenings was truly special time.

I managed to more or less unplug although board meeting prep and a Blackberry did keep me in the loop as a spectator.

We did a bit of skiing and spent time at Bachelor Gulch, Beaver Creek, and ended the week in Vail.  It was the last week of the ski season so lift tickets were discounted (a bit) and many restaurants were offering discounts on meals and wine.  We enjoyed Larkspur and Terra Bistro in Vail.

One of the many memorable experiences was breakfast at the Little Diner in Vail.  We were looking for a bacon and eggs breakfast and this little place is actually just a counter surrounding a cooking station.  I don't remember their names, but the couple running it was great even though they had just opened, were short handed and very busy that day.  Being an entrepreneur is not always just about venture capital and the new new thing.  It is about the passion and courage to follow your dreams and take the plunge.  An example for us all to follow.  If you are in the Lionshead area for breakfast, check it out.

Another great experience was time at Garfinkel's in Vail.  I am a huge fan of it for relaxing and a few beers.  I have lots of great memories there with friends going back many years during both summer and winter visits.  It was kind of bizarre to share a meal there with my family.