The Swamp

brian wrote:

Mulligan wrote:Heading to the MACC game tomorrow. Any good places downtown Detroit that are a must?

Grand Trunk Pub

This. I want to go back to Detroit, just so I can go there again.

brian wrote:

Mulligan wrote:Definitely hit the beer places. BBQ sounds good. Staying on Jefferson street about 10 blocks away. Thanks!

You'll be really close to Grand Trunk then. Don't miss that. Best bar downtown.

Grab a 6'er to go!

I am in a suburb of Ottawa called Kanata.

This place sucks.

Just spent three days in Midland, Texas. I don't travel much, and I generally enjoy every place I visit. But holy shit, that place is run down.

Two highlights, though. First, this was on display in the hotel lobby, as part of a silent auction:

http://imgur.com/3DtsCbe

And second, these signs:

http://imgur.com/W5VBY0q

The only two things Rangers fans are proud of is that play and Odur punching Bautista a couple years ago. It's sad, really.

It isn't business travel, but it is travel and it is whining, so thought I'd tell you all about what Monday, July 23 is going to be like for me. Because of the International Date Line, it's going to be four flights on three airlines, close to 20 hours of time in a plane and about 30 hours of real-time travel. Of course, I did it to myself out of a desire to get home, but it's still going to suck.

0600 to 0715 (local time) - USM (Ko Samui, Thailand) to BKK (Bangkok) (1:15 hours) (Bangkok Airways)
0950 to 1735 (local time) - BKK to ICN (Seoul, ROK) (6 hours) (Korean Air)
2000 to 1500 (local time) - Seoul to SFO (San Francisco) (11 hours) (Korean Air)
1815 to 1940 (local time) - SFO to LAS (1:25 hours) (Southwest)

The only other real option would have been to stay in San Francisco and fly back the next day but at that point might as well suck it up and get home and sleep in your own bed.

Sorry about your vacation, Brian : (

That brings up memories of showers I would take at the Detroit Delta Sky Club after red-eyes into town, before heading to the office.

sancarlos wrote: ↑Mon Jul 09, 2018 1:58 pm That brings up memories of showers I would take at the Detroit Delta Sky Club after red-eyes into town, before heading to the office.

Been in that SkyClub quite a few times back in the day. Definitely one of the nicer ones in the country.

sancarlos wrote: ↑Mon Jul 09, 2018 1:58 pm That brings up memories of showers I would take at the Detroit Delta Sky Club after red-eyes into town, before heading to the office.

Still don't have a hotel room in San Francisco for Wednesday by the way, so might be showing up at your door and sleeping on your couch. Fair warning.

(j/k obvs)

brian wrote: ↑Mon Jul 09, 2018 2:04 pm

sancarlos wrote: ↑Mon Jul 09, 2018 1:58 pm That brings up memories of showers I would take at the Detroit Delta Sky Club after red-eyes into town, before heading to the office.

Still don't have a hotel room in San Francisco for Wednesday by the way, so might be showing up at your door and sleeping on your couch. Fair warning.

(j/k obvs)

Hey, I only live 20 minutes from the airport (if it's not rush hour) and we have a guest bedroom, so consider this an invitation.

sancarlos wrote: ↑Mon Jul 09, 2018 2:07 pm

brian wrote: ↑Mon Jul 09, 2018 2:04 pm

sancarlos wrote: ↑Mon Jul 09, 2018 1:58 pm That brings up memories of showers I would take at the Detroit Delta Sky Club after red-eyes into town, before heading to the office.

Still don't have a hotel room in San Francisco for Wednesday by the way, so might be showing up at your door and sleeping on your couch. Fair warning.

(j/k obvs)

Hey, I only live 20 minutes from the airport (if it's not rush hour) and we have a guest bedroom, so consider this an invitation.

Thanks, I know you're serious (and the same invitation is extended to any of you visiting Las Vegas) but we're going to get a hotel somewhere in the city, just rolling the dice on one of the last-minute websites at this point. It's unfathomable to me how expensive San Francisco is. I'm not sure how a "normal" person can afford to visit there for anything longer than a day or two.

I will be watching Monday Night Football tonight on my laptop because the reception of Dish Network at my hotel is so shitty.

Go to a bar?

mister d wrote: ↑Mon Sep 10, 2018 6:16 pmGo to a bar?

I am unfortunate enough to be staying in an area that is basically office parks surrounded by residential neighborhoods, so there is one bar open later than 10pm and I would prefer not to sit through a "live jam" to do it.

Not sure if this should go here or in the Trump thread but my wife and I in process of upgrading our TSA Precheck to Global Entry. We did the application/paid back in May but could not get interviews scheduled locally for us until September due to CBP availability. Until today when we both get this email:

Global Entry Applicant,

You are receiving this e-mail because your scheduled Global Entry Enrollment Center appointment has been cancelled.

The ongoing humanitarian and security crisis on our southern border has required extraordinary action by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), including the deployment of additional U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel to the southern border.

In response to this effort, CBP is temporarily reducing staff at Global Entry Enrollment Centers and reassigning them to support frontline traveler processing during the summer months. Regrettably, this situation has forced the cancellation of your scheduled appointment.

Unfortunately our Precheck expires in early November and there are no local interview appointments available until January 2020!

So we are left with two options (going without is not...wife has trip to South Africa in November and I just refuse to stand in line with the unwashed masses):

1) book flights to an airport with an enrollment center that has appointments available just for the purpose of getting the interview done. We can do this for $150 -$200 or so each. I never know my work travel schedule far enough in advance to be able to book an interview at another airport.
2) fly out of the country then fly back in and do the interview upon our arrival at customs (which I should have done when I went to Vancouver in June and completely forgot it was an option) which would cost alot more but not lock us into specific interview availability times.

There are no other enrollment centers within driving distance so flying somewhere is the only option. What say you Swamp...what would you do?

Goddammit! I wasn't going to tell anyone this, because I don't want word getting out, but, when flying back to the States from Oiler's wedding in Copenhagen, we downloaded the passport app and got through customs in Newark faster than our friends with global entry. And it was free. And had no appointment required. Make sure your return airport will take the app though.

My boss is looking for a good expense reporting app for our company. It would be mostly for travel and mileage reimbursement, but would also be used for expenses on our credit cards. Is there an app or program that Swamp recommends?

bfj wrote: ↑Sat Dec 19, 2020 9:25 am My boss is looking for a good expense reporting app for our company. It would be mostly for travel and mileage reimbursement, but would also be used for expenses on our credit cards. Is there an app or program that Swamp recommends?

I loved Expensify before our bosses nixed it after the Biden email thing.

Second on the Expensify

A_B wrote: ↑Sat Dec 19, 2020 9:36 am

bfj wrote: ↑Sat Dec 19, 2020 9:25 am My boss is looking for a good expense reporting app for our company. It would be mostly for travel and mileage reimbursement, but would also be used for expenses on our credit cards. Is there an app or program that Swamp recommends?

I loved Expensify before our bosses nixed it after the Biden email thing.

Cancel culture has gone too far.

DFW is a fucking beast man.

For turdryan’s benefit that’s Dallas-Fort Worth airport.

I’ve never travelled much for work, but making my first post-COVID trip (and first time on a plane since) next month, to SJO.

rass wrote: ↑Thu Oct 20, 2022 6:03 pm I’ve never travelled much for work, but making my first post-COVID trip (and first time on a plane since) next month, to SJO.

Not many dining or bar options there so be aware on your return trip home. There’s a Trader Vic’s but it sucks ass.

Costa Rica. Nice!

Do you know the way?

brian wrote: ↑Thu Oct 20, 2022 5:58 pm For turdryan’s benefit that’s Dallas-Fort Worth airport.

My only experience flying in to DFW was 1999 for a HS friend's wedding. I was supposed to meet another friend flying in from DTW and neither of us had a cell phone. His flight was scheduled to land 15 minutes after mine, so I thought it'd be easy. Experienced traveler sitting next to me laughed when I said I could find him. He explained how long it takes to get around the terminals etc... While we were at the gate, my friend's flight pulled up at the gate next to us. I waited at his gate for 3 minutes. Easiest airport ever.

When we go to DFW area, we typically end up staying somewhere where you can see plane after plane after plane come in. I'd like to live close to an airport is what I'm saying.

Giff wrote: ↑Thu Oct 20, 2022 8:48 pm When we go to DFW area, we typically end up staying somewhere where you can see plane after plane after plane come in. I'd like to live close to an airport is what I'm saying.

You're in luck, you can get great deals on houses near airports.

Giff wrote: ↑Thu Oct 20, 2022 8:48 pm When we go to DFW area, we typically end up staying somewhere where you can see plane after plane after plane come in. I'd like to live close to an airport is what I'm saying.

We spend 9 months in an apartment that was a casual throw (see pic below) away from a reasonably busy train line and I loved it.

brian wrote: ↑Thu Oct 20, 2022 5:58 pm For turdryan’s benefit that’s Dallas-Fort Worth airport.

They tell you the right answers pretty quickly

Giff wrote: ↑Thu Oct 20, 2022 8:48 pm When we go to DFW area, we typically end up staying somewhere where you can see plane after plane after plane come in. I'd like to live close to an airport is what I'm saying.

Seeing planes come in is awesome. Hearing planes come in - less so.

I lived pretty close to Dulles (VA suburbs) and it was fine. We weren't under a flight path, but rather adjacent to the airport (if that makes sense.)

One of the more surreal moments of my life were the days after 9/11 when all air traffic was shutdown. Way too quiet. Couldn't wait for things to start back up again.

mister d wrote: ↑Fri Oct 21, 2022 9:15 am

Giff wrote: ↑Thu Oct 20, 2022 8:48 pm When we go to DFW area, we typically end up staying somewhere where you can see plane after plane after plane come in. I'd like to live close to an airport is what I'm saying.

We spend 9 months in an apartment that was a casual throw (see pic below) away from a reasonably busy train line and I loved it.



image.png

GASLIGHTS COMMONS! we nearly bought there back in '05 (well, no.. it was a condo on mews lane, but still.Gaslight Commons!)

Those condos seem great. Assuming you're social in your neighborhood, you could have been friends with one of two people who have sliced my wife open and removed a human from her insides.

mister d wrote: ↑Fri Oct 21, 2022 9:15 am

Giff wrote: ↑Thu Oct 20, 2022 8:48 pm When we go to DFW area, we typically end up staying somewhere where you can see plane after plane after plane come in. I'd like to live close to an airport is what I'm saying.

We spend 9 months in an apartment that was a casual throw (see pic below) away from a reasonably busy train line and I loved it.



image.png

Am I nuts or does google maps show Titos's Burritos on the wrong side of the train overpass?

rass wrote: ↑Fri Oct 21, 2022 12:41 pm

mister d wrote: ↑Fri Oct 21, 2022 9:15 am

Giff wrote: ↑Thu Oct 20, 2022 8:48 pm When we go to DFW area, we typically end up staying somewhere where you can see plane after plane after plane come in. I'd like to live close to an airport is what I'm saying.

We spend 9 months in an apartment that was a casual throw (see pic below) away from a reasonably busy train line and I loved it.



image.png

Am I nuts or does google maps show Titos's Burritos on the wrong side of the train overpass?

blah blah blah ...I nut... on the wrong side of the ...ass