luvtotravel

Trip Report – May 15-29, 2005 – London, Cotwolds, Paris
 
I booked this trip as a solo eight months prior.  My friend Marian decided to join me for the first week, and another friend, Shirley, joined me for the second week.  This is an attempt to keep the report simple (long, but simple) where you may read only the portions that might interest you. Overall, it was a great trip. When it came time to depart each destination I did not want to leave.
 
LONDON
 
Where we stayednbsp; Renaissance Chauncery Court (near the Holborn Tube) for six nights.  I can’t say enough good things about this property.  The hotel is beautiful.  Our room was huge by European standards, maybe even by American standards.  We heard no noise from the outside, from other rooms, or from the corridor.  Our room had two queen size beds, with turndown service nightly.  The bathroom was also large with plenty of counter space, separate tub/shower stall, and bathrobes. Shirley checked into her own room on our last night. Her room was smaller with a king bed and a very large window. As I understand it, the rooms are all different from one another.
 
Where we atenbsp; Breakfast was not included in the room and the buffet continental breakfast at the hotel was very expensive, so most mornings we headed out stopping at the Pret a Manger down the street. We seemed to always be heading somewhere and skipped meals or grabbed “something” to keep us going.

Our favorite restaurant was Hason Raja, recommended by the hotel’s concierge, located at 84 Southampton Row, Russell Square, www.hasonraja.co.uk. We liked it so much we had dinner there twice. The garlic naan, “leavened bread with garlic baked in a Tandoor,” was delicious. The Murg Tikka Massala was amazing. Their description: “cubes of succulent chicken cooked in a rich cream and tomato sauce; enriched with honey and butter.” With ingredients like that, how could they go wrong! With the dollar so weak I was careful that we select restaurants that were “reasonable.” Dinner here was about 35 GBP each night for the two of us.

Le Cafe du Jardin, 28 Wellington Street, Covent Garden, www.lecafedujardin.com. Popular restaurant for the theater crowd. Dinner was fine, although not really memorable.

I had a solo lunch one day at Ayoush, 58 James Street. It was on my list to have couscous at least once on this trip. The best couscous I ever had was at a tiny restaurant in Antibes. Unfortunately, Ayoush’s couscous did not live up to my expectations. The atmosphere was pleasant enough, and I was grateful that they left the bellydancing for the evening.

Belgo Centraal in Covent Garden. This restaurant was recommended on this board and also in my guidebook. They offer a special deal mid-week where you pay based on the time you order. I didn’t realize the offer was from 5:00 - 6:30 pm. We ordered at 6:45 pm. I ordered mussels in a Thai curry sauce with rice and a side of rye bread. Marian ordered chicken with chili in a spicy sweet/sour sauce and a beer. The total came to 28 GBP. Overall, the food was good and reasonably priced, but the atmosphere is a bit noisy.

luvtotravel

After touring Windsor Castle we stopped for tea at The Crooked House of Windsor, 51 High Street, www.crooked-house.com. The building dates back to 1687, and is indeed crooked. We sat upstairs in a tiny room and enjoyed our only afternoon tea of the trip. I’m sure the Lanesborough Hotel has nothing to worry about. We each ordered “The Earl of Sandwich,” which included asparagus sandwiches, salmon and cucumber sandwiches, scones, clotted cream and preserves, and the “house” tea. I hope to never again have an asparagus sandwich. Back in 1992 when I visited London with another friend, we saw Spotted Dick on numerous menus. We, of course, giggled each time but never found out what it was. So I was determined to order it on this trip. This was the only time I saw it on a menu, and it turned out to be quite tasty -- it reminded me of warm carrot cake with a sauce. What really struck us as funny was that two of the servers did not know what the dessert was when questionned. It must be something they put on the menu for the tourists.

Someone on this board recommended New World in Chinatown, so I thought I would give it a try. This was a solo dinner for me as Marian got back to the hotel late from Bath. Having skipped lunch I made up for it here with wonton soup, shrimp har gow, and Singapore noodles. Their dim sum menu is limited in the evening. The total cost for this banquet was 13 GBP and I thought they did a decent job.

We walked through Chinatown one evening and chose the restaurant that looked like it had the most people in it: The Crispy Duck. Another good sign was that there were Asian people eating there. The dumplings were good, the broccoli in oyster sauce was too salty, and the egg rolls were inedible.

luvtotravel

The weathernbsp; It was unusually cold for mid-May.  Our first full day saw a low of 39 degrees and a high of 52 degrees -- brrrrrr.  For us California gals, this was like the dead of winter.  It warmed up a bit during week, and we experienced bits of sun, bits of clouds, and bits of rain, all rotating throughout the day.  There is an expression, “If you don’t like the weather in London, wait a minute,” or something to that affect.  And that is exactly the way it was.  We listened to the weather report each morning, and it is clear that they really haven’t a clue, so just prepare for whatever happens. Fortunately, we had a couple of days that were pleasantly cool and wonderful for sight-seeing.
 
What we didnbsp; The London Eye.  We were there in the morning and there was no line.  At first we saw hundreds of people headed to the grassy area nearby and could not image why so many people would be headed to the Eye.  Turns out there was a drill at a nearby office building.  I found the ride and the view to be uninspiring.
 
Strolled through Harrod’s.  Still crowded.  Still beautiful.  The food halls are still enticing.  Their “luxury” bathroom wasn’t, although the ladies room at the Lanesborough Hotel definitely fits into the luxury category.
 
I took five London Walks Tours.  www.walks.com.  My favorites were Hampstead Village and Little Venice.  Took tours of Old Mayfair and Kensington on the same day – they were similar and would recommend one or the other unless you are very interested in who lived where.  Old Westminster was the fifth.  Each tour was approximately two hours.  All the guides were excellent; my favorite was Emily.  I particularly liked the fact that there are no reservations; you just show up at the appointed spot, rain or shine.  The cost was 5.5 GBP per tour and they offer a card for 1 GBP to receive a discount off multiple tours.  They also offer full day excursions (Explorer Days) at a higher price – Marian took one to Bath and enjoyed it. In place of one of my walking tours, Marian had a massage back at the hotel’s spa.
 
Cabinet War Rooms.  At the end of the Westminster Tour the guide walked us over to the Cabinet War Rooms and got us in for 8 GBP.  The full price is 10 GBP.  This is very interesting and I recommend it highly.
 
The Kensington tour ended at Kensington Palace.  We used our Heritage Passes; otherwise the fee would have been 11 GBP.  We enjoyed seeing the gowns worn by the Queen and Diana.
 
Kings Cross Station.  They’ve created a photo opportunity for Harry Potter fans.  I thought they did a clever job.  Another tourist was kind enough to take a picture of me at Platform 9-3/4 with my camera.
 
Theaternbsp; “The Producers.”  It was a fun, zany show, but I don’t see how it won Best Musical of the Year.
 
The Sir John Soane’s Museum.  This is just a few blocks from the Chauncery Court Hotel.  Very interesting townhome crammed with artifacts of all kinds.  Worth the visit.

luvtotravel

The Queen’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace.  There is a special showing of Dutch paintings through October (I think), and it was wonderful.  The Gallery has a coat check where they encourage people to check bags and cameras, although it is not required.  When the gentleman saw me debating on whether or not to leave my (new) camera, he said with a chuckle and a wry smile, “You needn’t worry.  Afterall, you are in Buckingham Palace!” Again, our Heritage Passes provided us admittance.
 
Portobello Market.  Our original destination was Bleinheim Crescent as I’d read about some of the shops they have therenbsp; a cookbook store, a travel book store, and a spice shop.  The shops were of minor interest, but much to our delight, it was right at the market.  We spent about an hour wandering and enjoying the atmosphere.
 
Windsor Castle.  As we took the train from Waterloo Station (about one hour) it was a bit of a hike from the station to the castle in rain and wind.  We learned later that had we taken a train from Paddington, we would have been deposited right at the castle’s entrance.  The line to enter the State Rooms via the room displaying Queen Mary’s doll house was about 45 minutes, so we chose to view the State Rooms only.  Major crowds nonetheless.  This was my third visit to the castle, and I don’t remember a shopping center across the street.  Looked like fun with all the shops and restaurants, but we didn’t linger long.

luvtotravel

Transportation: I practically depleted my United Airline frequent flyer points for a first class ticket. It was worth it. I had a One Suite non-stop between Los Angeles and Heathrow. (Once I get my photographs organized I’ll have some pics on my website.) Our flight departed LA at 6:00 pm. Following dinner and a movie I took a tranquilizer. As it didn’t kick in I took another. Needless to say, I slept until I heard the pilot announcing that we were close to London. The flight attendant had asked it I wanted to be woken up for breakfast an hour before landing. I’m sure she made the attempt. I vaguely remember the ride from the airport to the hotel -- I was really out of it for a while.

We purchased Travel Cards from Budget Europe for $36 each. This gave us unlimited access to the tube and buses for a week -- an excellent value as we used public transportation a lot. This particular card may no longer be available, but I’m sure they have something else that does the same thing. My thanks to the person who recommended Budget Europe. They were great. We also purchased our Eurostar tickets and our Heritage Passes through them. Located in Michigan, 734-665-8116.

JustAirports.com got a fair amount of business from us. They never responded to my email questions or my online reservation request. They do, however, respond well to a phone call, which is what I finally did to reserve. Unlike a shuttle, this is a private car. Marian and I used the service from Heathrow to our hotel for 31 GBP including the tip. Once in London we called and reserved a car for Marian to get back to the airport, and Shirley and I had reserved a car to the Hertz off-site rental facility near Heathrow. Later when we returned our rental car, we called Just Airports from the Hertz facility and they picked us up in about 10 minutes -- no reservation was required. Shirley took a shuttle with Hotel Link when she arrived in London -- the ride from the airport took over two hours with numerous stops. The telephone number for Just Airports is 011 44 2089001666. In London, it would be 02089001666. I hope I’ve got this correct.

Some comments and observations:

We used a couple of internet cafes. Surprisingly, the cost was minimal. At one it cost 1 GBP for 30 minutes or 1.5 GBP for an hour.

I watched the young women on the streets and on the tube. Many of them appeared to have gottend dressed in the dark -- nothing remotely coordinated. Just my opinion. The men were nicely dressed in suits and ties.

I remember black taxi cabs. Now many of them have advertising painted on them. When did that happen?

A lot of people must have been getting run over on London streets as each pedestrian point had “Look right” or “Look left” painted on the street with arrows pointing in the direction one should look.

I did say this would be long. I must sign off now and pack for a business trip in the morning. Will report the rest of our trip when I return.

luvtotravel

THE COTSWOLDS

Marian left early on Sunday to catch her flight back to LA. Shirley and I left for Heathrow a couple of hours later to pick up our rental car from Hertz.

Car hire:

We were given a Ford Modeo, an intermediate-sized vehicle. They offered an upgraded vehicle with a navigation system for only an additional 40 GBP per day. We politely declined. As it was, four day’s rental with a quarter tank of gas (my stupidity for returning it not completely full) was $607. An additional 160 GBP would have exceeded our budgets. I’m sure they all got a good laugh as they watched us take turns practicing our driving in the parking lot.

I wondered for a long time if I would be able to handle driving on the other side of the road. The anticipation was more troublesome than the actual doing. The hardest part, really, was staying far enough on the right side of the lane. There is a tendency to stay too far left. I’m just glad the blinkers were in the same position as at home or I would have been turning on the windshield wipers all the time. I did manage to turn on the rear window wipers, but never figured out how to turn them off -- so we had intermitent rear wipers going for four days -- rain or shine. Just one of the those things. Shirley gave it a try on our second day out. She did just fine -- I was the one with the problem. So sorry, Shirley -- I just wasn’t a very good passenger. She got to drive a whole two miles. Fortunately, she was an excellent navigator.

luvtotravel

On our second day Shirley was not feeling well and I went for a scenic drive on my own. As interesting as it is to drive on the highways, it is even more interesting to drive on the small lanes. The entire two hours I was out and about it was on roads that were one lane in two directions. Not a problem when no one is around, but terrifying when facing a truck or bus.

We did not see any signs pointing north, south, east or west. Through all the small villages there are signs pointing in the direction of nearby towns. As long as you have an idea of what towns are between where you are and where you want to go, getting there is not difficult.

Someone on this board made the suggestion to remember, “little left, big right.” I must have repeated that to myself hundreds of time and it did help.

luvtotravel

Where we stayed:

We spent four nights in Broadway, an excellent location for exploring the surrounding areas. As The Olive Branch could not accommodate us for our entire stay, we stayed there the first two nights and moved a few doors down for the second two nights. Both B&Bs were just what we had hoped they would be: 400-year-old buildings filled with charm and character. At The Olive Branch, Shirley took the only small, single room with private bathroom across the hall. My room was ensuite. They played lovely, soothing music, the common rooms were filled with artifacts from the owners’ travels, and the garden was inviting. Unfortunately, we didn’t sit still long enough to refer to any of our time as relaxing. They offer many books to read and games to play should the weather be uncooperative. David and Pam, the owners, were very excited at just winning “Best B&B in the UK,” and well desired it was. The Olive Branch, 78 High Street, Broadway, Worcestershire, WR12 7AJ, telephone: 01386 853440, [email protected], www.theolivebranch-broadway.com. I don’t remember exactly what we paid, but it was about 35 GBP for Shirley’s room and about 50 GBP for my room. The resident dog is very smart -- he knows how to play soccer!

For the second half of our visit we stayed at the Milestone House, Upper High Street, Broadway, telephone: 01386 853432, [email protected], www.milestone-broadway.co.uk. We experienced a gracious welcome from the Nortons and their two beautiful dogs. They have a pretty conservatory where we lingered a bit over breakfast each morning. We again took separate rooms for approximately 50 GBP each. Both rooms were ensuite; Shirley’s room had a shower and mine had a tub.

We saw B&Bs down just about every road in the Cotswolds, but you would not go wrong with staying at either of these two. I only wish we could have stayed longer.

luvtotravel

What We Did:

On our way from Heathrow we stopped in Woodstock to visit Bleinheim Palace. The weather was on again, off again, on again, off again, and so on. It was a Sunday and they had a Triathalon going on. The following weekend they had an arts and crafts show scheduled -- that would have been more our style. The grounds are beautifully manicured, and we had lunch at the cafeteria seated outdoors next to the fountains. We took a leisurely walk around the lake and continued our drive to Broadway.

On my solo morning I took a slow drive through Buckland, Stanton, Stanway, and Snowshill. It is hard to believe that people actually live in these storybook settings. It seems as though there is a wide open field around every corner with sheep or horses; patches of bright yellow flowers and green trees make it all picture-perfect.

In the afternoon we explored Broadway, popping into the many shops. All the buildings are made with lovely pink Cotswold stone.

We spent our second exploring the towns that make the Cotswolds so appealing. We started in Chipping Camden where we located some beautiful thatched houses. I thought we would find more thatched structures in this part of England, but they were not abundant. CC was one of the largest towns we came across, and we spent some time strolling the High Street. Parking can be an issue in many of these towns. CC has a car park, but we were not always so lucky.

From CC we went to Hidcote Gardens. Strong winds the night before did serious damage to the flowers, but scultured trees abound. We drove through Broad Camden and Morton-in-Marsh without stopping. We ended up back in CC for dinner.

On our last day in the Cotswolds, we ventured out to Stow-on-the-Wold, and then to Burford where we both made purchases. We stopped for smoothies (dreadful) and headed to Bibury -- certainly my favorite. Arlington Row, a group of row houses, is pretty and we took lots of photographs. There was a group of people -- maybe a dozen -- sprinkled around the area working on their watercolors. We wandered over to the Bibury Court Hotel via the church graveyard which occupies the back of the hotel. I had originally wanted to stay here, but they were quoting 155 GBP for a twin room. The hotel’s grounds are extensive with lovely gardens. We walked the main street briefly in Bourton-on-the-Water. It was after 5:00 pm and the town was devoid of tourists. Our last stop was Lower Slaughter. Again, the tourists were gone and the town was peaceful. We walked over to the watermill and leisurely strolled around. This was a beautiful day, both in what we did and the cooperation of the weather. It seemed unreal to be walking through towns with names like Stow-on-the-Wold and Bourton-on-the-Water. The names fit them very well.

This really is turning out to be a long report. It was all so wonderful -- I can't help but want to share it.

Bree

Long but very informative and readable, luvtotravel -- keep going!

jgg

I too am enjoying your report. Looking forward to your part on Paris, as we will be doing London and Paris in March.

yk

I was at the Queen's Gallery just 2 weeks ago. I thought I was the only non-British there. The exhibit was smaller than I thought, but I mainly went because of the Vermeer. I thought the permanent exhibit part was interesting too, esp got to see some diamonds (the Diamond Diadem and the Cullinan Brooch).

ira

Very nice report, luv.

Thanks for sharing.

luvtotravel

Where we had dinner:

Breakfasts at the B&Bs were good and substantial. As a result, we either skipped lunch altogether or just grabbed a snack to hold us over until dinner.

Three out of the four nights we dined at The Swan, on the High Street within walking distance of the B&Bs. We liked both the food and the service. One evening my starter was a wheel of brie with cranberries and bread. Honestly, this could have been the entire meal. The brie was melted to just the right consistency. It was followed by salmon in spices, potatoes and vegetables. Another evening Shirley ordered a dessert of waffles, bananas and ice cream covered in a chocolate sauce. It came on a huge platter and was easily enough for four people. I would have helped, but I have a dislike of bananas.

On the remaining evening we dined in Chipping Camden at (I think) the Noel Arms on the High Street. Shirley had corn and crab soup followed by sweet and sour pork. I had lamb with Sri Lankin curry sauce and bok choy in garlic and oyster sauce. In any event, it was the only place in town with an Asian menu. Enjoyable dinner in a pleasant setting, and as we were eating early we were the only diners the entire time.

I’d given up writing everything down, so I don’t remember the cost of our meals at this point, but they were reasonable. We were getting an exchange rate of $1.82 to $1.85 during the ten days we were in England.

Tidbits:

On our last morning in Broadway we learned that there had been a bank robbery during the night. The people in Broadway were shocked as that sort of thing just does not happen out there. Someone had driven a bulldozer or some such vehicle into the ATM and gotten away with 40,000 GBP. A touch of reality to our otherwise enchanted holiday.

After driving 350 miles we returned the car without incident. A miracle. I was stressed before heading overseas and did a lot of research on how to best cover the vehicle. I added “Preferred” service to my American Express account. They would add $19.95 to each time I rent a car for extended coverage. But, in the end, I charged the car to my United Airlines VISA card. I’m very glad I did not have find out if the coverage worked.

luvtotravel

PARIS

Where we stayed:

Two nights at the Sheraton Prince de Galle, 33 George V, in the 8th, close to the Champs Elysees. By Paris standards our room was large and attractively furnished. One time I stayed in the 14th in the then two-star (now three-star) Hotel Daguerre with my friend Maritza. The room was so small that there was nowhere to place our closed luggage, let along open unless they were lying on the beds. I do not mean to belittle the Hotel Daguerre as we have fond memories of our stay there, but small is common in Paris. Anyway, our “superior” room at the Prince de Galle offered air conditioning, a large closet, numerous bathroom amenities, and bathrobes and slippers. No bureau or draw space whatsoever, also not unusual in Europe. The bathroom was small, but we were pleased to see a shower curtain.

There was a slight mix-up in our reservation and they gave us free buffet breakfasts one morning in way of apology. This was especially generous as we were staying there on Starwood points to begin with and the cost for the two of us to eat at the buffet equated to almost $100. Additionally, the hotel sent up a tray of cookies with a welcome note. The hotel’s posted rate for this category of room was 720 euro. It was nice, but not nice enough to justify the actual cost. When I made the reservation I was able to get two nights confirmed at 12,000 points each. Shortly thereafter they raised the point value to 25,000 per night; we got in just under the wire.

I am more likely to shop at Costco than I am to shop at Louis Vutton. Staying in this fancy area was okay, but not my cup of tea. When in Paris I prefer to stay in an area that is residential or at least where there is a feeling of community with the boulangerie, the butcher shop, the flower shop, etc.

luvtotravel

We stayed at the Sheraton inside CDG on our last night, checking in around 9:00 pm. We could see the hotel, but our taxi driver could not find a way to reach it. We finally had him deposit us at terminal 2 and we walked from there. Nowhere did we see signs for the hotel -- not on the roads leading to the airport, or inside the terminal. We thought it would be easy taking a taxi, but it was a bit of a challenge nonetheless. We hit a lot of traffic and I thought our taxi charge would be high, but it was only 46 euros, not much more than the two of us taking a shuttle.

The best way I can describe the hotel is to say it is modern, and at night it is dramatic. When we exited the elevator to our floor we felt like we were on a space ship. Our room was wonderful: spacious, lots of storage and drawer space, great bathroom with separate tub and shower stall, very comfortable beds, and good sound proofing. We were impressed. In the morning the hotel provided a driver to take us to terminal 1 at no charge for our flight home.

The weather:

We brought heavy clothing with us as temperatures were to be on the cool side. Not in Paris. We hit a heat wave. We were in Paris for two full days and an additional evening. I brought only one lightweight shirt and had to buy a tee shirt just to get by. The hotel concierge said one day’s temperature had reached 33.5C. That’s about 92 degrees. Making it worse was the high humidity. The next day was hot, but not as bad as our first day.

luvtotravel

What we did:

On our first morning, following our elegant breakfast at the hotel, we wandered through the Ile Saint-Louis, stopping in the shops and for gelato -- great gelato. I didn’t get the name of the shop, but it is on a corner of the main street not far from Berthillon. From there we strolled around Notre Dame taking numerous photographs and spent a fair amount of time looking for a specific bus stop. I have yet to get into Saint Chapelle, but the lines were just too long to handle in the heat.

The heat of the afternoon made a museum visit appealing, and we spent some time in the Musee D’Orsay. I was pleased (and surprised) that we were allowed to use our cameras. There was no line to enter. That surprised me, too, as there is not a lot to do in Paris that is in air conditioning. The mid-day heat was oppressive, and we spent a couple of hours resting and reading in our hotel room until it cooled off a bit.

The next day we strolled over to rue Cler. We got there early and watched as the shops prepared to open. We had breakfast at an outdoor cafe where the server offered to take a picture of us. They have an “American Breakfast” on the menu. Rick Steves has put this street on the radar for tourists, but it is justified.

After breakfast we wandered over to 29 Rapp Avenue where I remembered taking photographs years ago. Shirley had a serious camera with her -- a digital SLR with a wide angle lense. She was able to photograph the entire building with one shot -- something I could not do with my camera. This beautiful building was used in filming “Gigi.” From there we walked to the Eiffel Tower where there were lines of at least 45 minutes to enter. Even the line to walk up was long.

luvtotravel

Next on the agenda was Pere La Chaise. I felt as if I was on “The Amazing Race,” looking for clues on how to get there. I decided we should get there by bus, and determined that we needed to get bus line 69. Not so easy. We managed to get into the center of Paris, but that was the end of easy. We stopped into a hotel and requested assistance from the concierge who was not a great help. We asked a bus driver who directed us, but to no avail. After much walking we decided to grab a quick lunch and get on a metro. As we were about to get on the metro we finally see a bus stop for the 69. Much laughter and astonishment. We waited about one minute for a bus to arrive. Unfortunately, it was headed in the wrong direction and we did not notice it until we were almost at the end of the line. It must have been 40 stops to the other end of the line to Pere La Chaise. Shirley reminded me that “It’s the journey, not the destination” that matters. Someone on this board recommended taking the metro one stop beyond the cemetary, to the top of the hill, and work your way down. I wasn’t sure what that was by bus and we wound up starting at the bottom of the hill. Whoever is reading this, follow this person’s advice as it is a steep hill. The cemetary is very interesting. We did not look for where famous people are buried; we just strolled through in awe of how beautiful it is.

luvtotravel

Dinners:

Someone on this board recommended La Casa di Sergio (20, rue de l’Exposition). Good food, good recommendation. I think this tiny restaurant is about the size of our hotel room. It states on the menu, “Recommended by Rick Steves.” That was not a good sign in my opinion, but it turned out fine.

The other two nights we had dinner at Chez Clement on the Champs Elysees. They are open all day, so we were able to have dinner early one evening. The food was good -- not gourmet, but good. Each evening I had the same starter of fruit and sorbet. We had outstanding melon at both this restaurant and at our hotel.

Transportation:

We took the Eurostar from London to Paris. Nothing unique or special about the trip. Just like a flight without the lift off. It took a great deal of effort to locate the cash dispenser. After walking around a while and asking for assistance that did not assist, Shirley stood in the taxi line while I conducted the search. I finally found one machine not far from the information desk.

We bought Paris Viste passes for two days. I liked having it as it was easy to get on and off the metro and buses at whim without thinking about cost.

On our last morning we had breakfast in United’s first class lounge. Not much of a lounge really; more of a cubby hole.

I had a One Suite again from Paris to Dulles. We had a three hour layover and were glad to have access to the lounge. It was a three-class 767 from Dulles to LAX -- very comfortable and almost as nice as the One Suite.

Yes, I am finally finished. I will post back when I have photos on my website.

bigtyke

Your rental car bill seems way more than I ever paid. Was there anything special about the car?