Category Archives: Travel

The elusive “charms” of LGB

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[As much as I enjoyed writing this, I subsequently realized that the part of the experience involving repeated forays out into the rain were the result of extremely unusual amounts of rain falling over several days. The LA Times reported that the airport received 11-times its average amount of rain over the past 7 days. So perhaps our experience was abnormal, at least the “walking in the rain” part of it.]

Over the weekend, we mentioned to a longtime friend that we were going to be flying into the local airport in Long Beach, California (“LGB” for those who enjoy airport acronyms).

She was enthusiastic about this small airport, and explained how she much preferred landing there instead of in the huge LAX airport in Los Angeles. Easier to deal with, she said.

Well, our Hawaiian Airlines flight landed in Long Beach about 7:30 p.m. Tuesday night. The experience to follow was, well, to be blunt…terrible.

First shock. No covered jetways here to protect from the elements. It’s back to the old days I can recall at Hawaii airports, where the open stairways were maneuvered up to the door of the aircraft. This was a major surprise last night since (a) it’s a lot colder here in Long Beach in February than at home, and (b) it was raining.

The flight crew made an announcement before we deplaned, warning that it was raining, the ramp was wet, it was likely to be slippery, and we should cling for dear life to the hand rails. Well, maybe they didn’t put it quite like that, but it was close!

Okay, we made it down the ramp in the rain and expected that we would be able to quickly enter the terminal to escape the precipitation, especially since we weren’t dressed for either wet or cold.

But, no. We were instead directed along the outside of the terminal building, yes, still in the rain, and sent to the left towards the baggage claim area which was in a separate building requiring, once again, walking in the rain to reach it.

So we finally arrived, damp and cold, and waited, and waited, for luggage to start appearing on Baggage Claim #2.

In the background, a recorded message bragged that this is considered the “preferred” airport by many area travelers.

That bit of news came as I made the next discovery. There are no restrooms in the baggage claim area. Get off your five hour flight from Honolulu, stand in the rain, skip through the puddles to baggage claim and…well, if nature calls, there’s a temporary sign, with arrow pointing into the darkness, advising that the nearest restrooms are located in the ticket lobby.

And, guess what? That requires going out into the rain again. So I joined the queue of people heading brightly lit lobby across the open courtyard, and then returning. Both ways requiring another minute in the cold rain.

So far, well…so far.

Okay. We finally retrieved our bags and went to look for a taxi. There was a large arrow pointing out into the dark and the rain, toward “ground transportation.”

Well, that was the last signage to be seen. So we had to go on safari looking for the taxi line. By now, the rain had thankfully tapered off, but we were reduced to stopping people on the sidewalk in front of the terminal asking where we would get a taxi. No one we talked to had any idea. All they could say was, “welcome to Long Beach!”

After standing there for several minutes quizzing passersby and feeling stupid, I spotted several taxis out on the other side of the airport access road, near the parking lot.

We walked toward the nearest taxi, and the driver looked up and pointed into the darkness around the corner of the building.

So off we went, dragging the suitcases through a few more puddles, to finally see a taxi stand, hidden out of view from anywhere near the terminal. And, as mentioned, there was no visible signage.

I guess this airport isn’t really here for first-time visitors, but for seasoned local travelers who know where they’re going.

Or perhaps it was just that there were signs and directions somewhere along the way that aren’t visible after dark.

Whatever.

To our friend, I have to say that this small airport’s “charm” wasn’t evident to us.

Somehow this always happens

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Travel pitalls. I do a lot of prep to support the technology we drag along when we leave home, including Apple watches, iPhones (Meda and I have different versions requiring different charging cables), iPads, my camera and its batteries, hearing aids, and all the necessary cables and chargers, including one to connect my iPhone to the rental car’s Car Play system while charging. Then there’s the need for redundancy in case something goes awry, or I forget something. I have to keep a mental checklist while we’re packing, and usually manage to make it all come out right.

But here we are, 2,400 miles from home, and a bit of new tech unexpectedly goes off the rails.

Case in point. I bought an Apple MagSafe Duo Wireless Charger, which is supposed to charge an iPhone and Apple Watch at the same time. But it turns out to be finicky. It worked the first night. Fine. Then it didn’t, and I can’t figure out why. I’ve tried several different cables to connect to the charger. I don’t think all these cables can be defective. I’m using the same adapter that plugs into the electrical socket that I use at home without issue. This morning, nothing seems to be able to get the cute little folding duo charger to do its thing. I’ve tried different combinations of cables and connections to no avail.

Argh! This is definitely a source of travel stress.

Then, after arranging to meet one of Meda’s sisters for lunch today near her home in Menlo Park, we found the restaurant where we had expected to rendevouz has gone out of business. But we’re resilient, and managed to find an alternative just a block or so away. And we planed to be down in Menlo Park today in any case to visit the American Cancer Society Discovery Shop, an excellent thrift store, and to make a pass through Penzey’s (which sells a variety of spices). Plus there’s a Goodwill across the street.

We now have to stall our departure because the stores open rather late, and it’s cold outside this morning, as in less-than-50-degrees cold. Hopefully it will warm up by lunchtime.

A message from United

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I received this notice from United Airlines via email a couple of day ago:

Happy Anniversary!

We’d like to congratulate you on your 42 years anniversary of being a United MileagePlus member.

So I’ve been a member since 1981. That was the very beginning of the Mileage Plus program, which rolled out in 1981. I was flying quite a bit at that point, and did for much of the next decade.

Along the way, both Meda and I racked up more than a million miles on United. I doubt we have enough years left on us to reach two million, though.

But at a million, we both received lifetime Gold status.

Tangible benefits? There are a few.

We used to often get complimentary upgrades. Not so much any more. That system stopped working in our favor.

We do get “upgraded” to United’s “Economy Plus” seating at no charge. It offers added leg room, and seating in front of the economy cabin, both of which I appreciate, but nothing more in the way of service.

Bag fees are waived, and we could bring additional bags if we wanted to. We never have, likely never well.

So, I suppose I should thank United for the thought.

I wish there were other perks to go with the thoughts, though.