Text 18965, 103 rader
Skriven 2014-11-05 20:58:00 av MICHAEL LOO (1:123/140)
Ärende: Aug trip 212
====================
So here I am relatively immobile, but I'd written
up a trip report for another forum but have decided
that it's too personal for that, so I'm sending it here,
as this is probably the most personal place I post.
It contains stuff that would be more of interest to
the frequent flyer crowd, but just ignore that stuff.

=

There now is a Ben's Chili Bowl at the airport. It's not
really like the original, though it tries; though you can
actually sit down at the counter, it's installed mostly
for show. You order at the cashier and get one of those
buzzing pager monstrosities, and when your chili half smoke
is ready, in about two minutes, the thing makes noise. The
help are friendly, the food filling and - for an airport -
not too expensive. Plus pints of Sam Adams draft are $6.
There are differences from the real food, though. The chili
is similar to the original (not a good thing), but is much
spicier and less salty (good things), which might throw some
off. Also, the half smoke here is a chorizo, very vinegary
and weird, and comes with Ruffles.

The food was so expeditiously served and so unworthy of
lingering over that I had an hour to explore the United
Club, where I was welcomed like the prodigal son (for
shorthauls, I generally fly US Air, and the clubs used to
be in the same concourse, but now they're half a mile away
from each other and not in the same security area, so
visiting United requires a considerable investment of time
and effort). Bad news - they've replaced the big soft
chewy sugar cookies with little crumbly ones that are more
like nonpecan sandies, and the oatmeal raisin, which they
had for a while, have gone missing. The chocolate chip ones
were never much good and live up to that promise.

It was 1500 paces with another security check before my
flight, which was at the very farthest gate from the club.

US3256 DCA PHL 1359 1504 E75 2A

An unmemorable flight of a little more than 25 minutes.
We landed quite early but waited a ton of time for our gate
to come open.

US3291 PHL CHS 1610 1805 E75 2A

I checked the boards, which claimed this one was on time,
and so hustled to the gate only to find that owing to
thunderstorms in the area, we were taking a half hour hit.

The trip, once we got off the ground, was pleasant and
catered with one (1) Heineken, which I had before takeoff
and one (1) Sam Adams, which I had after. I sort of flirted
with the cutish FA up front but didn't go very far with
this. We landed almost on time.

The Radisson CHS is one of my idiosyncratic favorites.
It's slightly long in the tooth, and the air conditioning
can go wonky at the slightest provocation, but the rooms
are roomy and the bar friendly.

Plus it can be speed-dialed from the courtesy desk at the
airport.

Plus I have become fond of the Church's fried chicken
joint a couple hundred yards up the road - Popeye's is
right across the street, but it's the only Popeye's in
the world that I pass up deliberately for a competitor.

I asked for three thighs spicy, and they put it on the
3 piece and a biscuit special at $3 + 32c tax, one of the
bargains of all time, or at least of yesteryear. The crew,
quite friendly, told me I could have regular right away, but
for spicy there was a 15 minute wait. I chose to wait, and
they gave me a soda on the house. I chose a Barq's, which
has just enough caffeine to lighten my sleep to where I will
get 5 hours and then get up (this relatively high tolerance
being a new thing for me).

Took the food back to the hotel - it was a heavy bag - and
found giant pieces, looking to be over a half pound each,
counting breading. Hugely spicy, extremely crispy, with a
nice fresh chickenosity and a satisfying cayenne taste (I am
not one of those who thinks that cayenne lacks a flavor of
its own); salty but not as salty as elsewhere or on previous
trips. Quite good and a super deal.

The biscuit, though, tasted like margarine and was dusted
with coarse sugar on top as though it were a breakfast
pastry. After a tentative bite this got binned.

The bar called, more for hydration than from alcohol. I was
hoping my favorite bartender would be there, but her place
was taken by a guy who didn't look old enough to be working
there. I had an Ultra (real beer was a buck more) and then
it was upstairs and bedtime.

I woke at 0200 with a terrible cough.

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