Greetings again from JFK airport in New York City! Safely back from London, with a day that I have found to be one of the best travel experiences. I’d like to think that it all was by chance but I do believe in Pay It Forward . The past 24 hours have been a day where things aligned in a way that have made me feel even more appreciative for the life I have been able to live.

Departing my London Family at the Indigo Paddington  for the Heathrow Express out of Paddington. I left slightly later then I anticipated which I was confident, knowing LHR, this would result in additional frustration towards myself for being 15 minutes behind.

The Heathrow Express departed at 08:25, which is remains still the best way to get to London Heathrow. The manager covering rotations today was assisting in ticket scanning. After a short introduction, we spent the remainder of the trip talking about trains, London etc. Philip escorted me from the train to the connector, and waited till I was on my way. I have his card to keep in touch.

Arriving in London, I had done the e-boarding pass but was afraid that it was not going to be recognized. After a failed attempt to reprint my boarding pass, I was down to an hour before departure. I was delighted to hear that they do accept the mobile and no challenges with it. Quickly went through the premium security lane, and was at the gate just as they began boarding. My connecting flight to ATL from JFK was already delayed from an update, unfortunately the non stops to ATL were both oversold in both classes in the cabin.

Simone and Florette on DL004 were friendly and efficient. They seemed to genuinely care about people and also provided for some great laughs. I slept most of the flight, still was not acquaninted with the shorter flight time to JFK. After 4 of sleep, enjoyed the lunch just before our early arrival into JFK. I shared Damn You Auto Correct with Florette who was laughing at many of them, and Simone made me laugh as she passed through the cabin looking for a person who ordered water, but could not remember who.

Delta Airlines Keep Climbing

Arriving into JFK, I expected similar to ATL, customs, security a few times…. lather rinse repeat. To my surprise, Delta implemented a greeter program for Diamond Medallion members arriving internationally. I am not sure if it is just Business Elite, but I would hope that it is across all aspects. I was met by Jacqueline before customs, just as I departed the jetway. She had a sign with my name on it, and a Delta Logo. Now that I think about it, I wish I had kept it for my office. She took me and one other passenger over to Customs, used GOES (which is excellent), and then directed me to my connecting flight. While we walked, she interacted, explained our flight was delayed to ATL, and she was very apologetic. She knew if we had luggage or not, connecting flight info, arrival, departure. Not sure how to navigate through JFK, this was a very welcomed surprise. Unfortunately she did not have a card on her, but I must commend Delta on a job well done. How about we bring this to the airport where you are the Home Town Airline?

TSA – same old, same old— Amusing was the 35 year old in A&F shorts having to do the full body scanner. His selection of sizes should have been reconsidered, as he had to stand bow legged to keep the shorts from falling down below his hips.

Sky Club at JFK at Terminal 3 by gate 2 is much better then the other one I was at when I flew out on Tuesday. The colors are bright and it feels like I am in a Delta commercial/ad campaign. The windows looking out over the active departing runway, a 767 (N171DN) parked just outside. Watching the 744 depart, to either Tel Aviv for Tokyo was an added bonus. Craig who was working the Sky Club exemplified what interaction should be. Welcoming and genuinely humble, available to ask random questions about the flights from JFK. He apologized for my flight delay and any inconvenience it may have caused and appreciated my loyalty as a Diamond Medallion. Best part is… he, like many others today, cared.

Today’s plane was N844MH, the 767-400 painted in the Sky Team color scheme.

My time in London for the past few days is coming to a close. I must admit, that I am quite fond of hotels and locations that offer free wifi. I am sitting in the Indigo’s restaurant and catching up on email, facebook, yelp, flight memory, booking flights, all on the iPad with the Logitech keyboard.

The trip was uneventful but productive. I feel a much stronger sense of alignment with the objectives and even greater support in our initiatives going forward.

The weather in London was fantastic today, in the 70′s and sunny. I left the Indigo Paddington and ventured all over the city, to many tourist traps I had not seen in 4 years. Big Ben, Westminster Abby, The Eye, Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens and Oxford St.

I love walking around the parks in London, you find one person reading in a suit, another couple asleep against each other, sports, and people enjoying the sun. One might say it is because the horrible weather they are accustomed to in London, and it’s almost a reason to celebrate. I believe that with many foreign countries, they work hard but enjoy the quiet moment. I saw this in Glasgow, Paris and London. One person was in a suit, changed down to soccer shorts, enjoyed sitting in the sun for 30 minutes, put the layers back on and returned to the office, I presume.

My flight is at 10am tomorrow out of LHR to JFK and then down to ATL. I will catch up on some sleep and look for reasons of comedy. Hopefully the extra pre planning I put into this trip will prove successful on the last legs of my journey.

www.astriker.com

Good Evening from Nashville. The flight up to Nashville on Uncle D was on time today, and the airport was EMPTY! Check out my other post for a loopt update with it EMPTY! To the left is the photo from this morning at 10am. I have never seen Concourse C or Security this empty in any of my travels through this airport. The Weather in Nashville… SNOW PLEASE??? It was light flurries in Nashville, while touring the hotels, but not as much as I wanted to see. Though it was enough for me to slip and fall from the ice, but luckily I caught myself. That would have been a defining moment for me on this trip and for 2010!

www.astriker.com

One of the hotels in the Opryland / Nashville Area is The Hotel Preston. The hotel has unique packages, some which I have heard include adult toys. If I can find one of them, I will post the details. ?In the art deco lobby, they have a dress made entirely out of pink crayons. The staff mentioned that the statue that was at the entrance of the hotel, which was a bra bright in color with neon lights coming out was a bit too much for “The Bible Belt”.

While discussing with a friend possible weekend vacation trips, Cancun came up, which started me on the path of researching flights and hotels. I was able to get air on AirTran (first time flying them) for around $350, which had me arriving into Cancun at 11am, and departing at noon. The flight times were perfect for a weekend trip, versus Uncle D’s options.

?

?

Having never been to Cancun, I reached out to the Chef Concierge to plan out my trip, and find some “in the know” experiences. The Chef Concierge (Citlali Quezada) helped plan out all of my days, including one entire day by the beach.

The IC Presidente Cancun is situated along a perfect part of the beach in Cancun, with top notch service. I landed at 11:15, and exited the airport to find a greeter waiting for my party to take me back to the hotel. The driver provided water and ice cold beverages which were well received in the warm humid weather we jumped into.

Arriving in Cancun, you will pass many hotels, many are newer, some never repaired after the hurricane, but about 30 minutes from the airport, you arrive at the IC. The IC Cancun was built 35 years ago, but the age of the building has no impact on service, and allowed the hotel to become a staple in an incredible location.? They are currently in the process of renovating their guest rooms, which will make the hotel even better!

The check in was quick at the Concierge Desk, the Concierge was very knowledgeable and was able to follow up to several recommendations made prior to my arrival. While she was not the Chef Concierge, she was aware of the emails and was ready to help plan my adventures!

I arrived at my room (6th floor), and had to pause a moment to enjoy one of the most incredible views I have seen since I lived in Hawaii and would visit the other islands.? The hotel has 2 beautiful pools, one which has several spas situated throughout the water. In addition to the typical hotel services, along the water they have a wide variety of water equipment you can rent to enjoy your time on the crystal blue waters.???
?

Not wanting to miss a moment to experience the beach, explore the hotel, we quickly dropped our bags off, and began to explore the hotel.?

?

Upon check in, the hotel provides you with a separate key for towel services, which are located on your way out to the beach / pool areas.?The beach at the hotel had ample chairs for all of the guests of the hotel, beachsidedrink/food service, and was a complete break for me from work.? The poolside service provided hot food along with the refreshments to make the most of my day by the ocean. The shade coverings was perfect for a fair skinned person not wanting to get too much sun, yet enjoy what mother Earth had to offer.??

?
Within the lobby, the hotel has Advantage Rent-A-Car, we were able to pickup a rental car for the day (in lieu of an 11 hour tour) and drive out to Chichen Itza. The drive was approximately 2 hours from the hotel,and you should be warned in advance, no gas station for 135km once you pass the airport. The only turn around point was 40km into the drive, the signage along the road left something to be desired. Chichen Itza plays a double role as also what would seem to be a giant swap meet, where everyone is your “amigo” and everything is “almost free”. This is a great place to pick up souvenirs!

?

The bar area had great ambiance, withlights that would change over one of the most impressive Tequila collections I have ever seen in my life.??The bartender?made one tasty Margarita, with Blancograde Tequila (Silver). The price for 9 Margaritas was $68.00 USD, which for a hotel, is very reasonable for any beverage within the bar, let alone one that would include alcohol. The hotel has a restaurant that offered a buffet with a variety of food offerings. The view from the restaurant overlooks the beach and sits along the ground level.??

?

If you are looking for a quick getaway from the US, a hotel with impeccable service, top notch location, amazing views, warm water, then the IC Cancun is a destination to add to your list! While I don’t return to cities I have visited, with my pursuit to always want to visit more, visiting this resort, relaxing in the water, this hotel and city may just be a repeat city!

?

?

Thank you IC Cancun for an amazing weekend adventure! It was an “In the Know” trip!

www.astriker.com/blog/

?

????????