JFK Airport: Best and Worst Money Spent

[Updated: the Three Hour Rule in Action. See below]

Today I’m in transit from San Francisco to London via JFK Airport. 

Best:  Delta Sky Club at JFK ($50 for a Day Pass)
Today I have a fairly substantial layover at JFK Airport, and as a SkyMiles member, I figured I would test out my perks at the airport.  I am not a member of Delta Sky Club which would give me unlimited access to the Delta lounges all over the world.  But for $50 I was able to buy a one-day pass.  Amazingly enough, you don’t even have to be flying on Delta to take advantage of this perk! 

For my money:
  • Wifi access
  • Snacks (trail mix, cheese and crackers, pretzels, Nutella and cookies, and other bar food)
  • Drinks (of both the alcoholic and nonalcoholic persuasion)
  • Several TVs
  • Free local phone calls
  • Work stations with electrical outlets
  • A quiet place to sit
The lounge is by no means empty, but it is a quiet place to work, to rest, and to recharge before heading on to my next flight.  Given the cost of WiFi access in the airport ($14 per day), the cost of drinks at the hotel bar, and perhaps a snack, it is probably a spendy option, but the quiet factor makes it money well-spent in my book. 

Worst: Todd English’s Bonfire ($36.68 + tip for lunch)
Now, don’t get me wrong.  The food was good.  I ordered a Blue Cheese Wedge Salad with grilled chicken, chips and salsa, and water. The salsa was yummy -- fresh and spicy.  The chips were a little stale, though.  But the salad was great -- very satisfying. 

For my money:
  • Bonfire Blue Salad plus Chicken
  • San Peligrino water
  • Salsa and Chips
My problem: the price.  My wedge salad was $13.00.  Add four slivers of chicken to it, and suddenly it was $20.00.  And $8 for chips and salsa. My meal came to $36.68 -- and I didn’t even have a glass of wine!

All of that might have been ok if the service had at least been good.  But my server was slow, grouchy, and un-responsive.  And the restaurant is exposed on the concourse, so it is really noisy. 

My recommendation: next time you swing through JFK, hang out at the Delta Sky Club, but pass on the Bonfire.  

Update (7:15 pm): The Three Hour Rule in Action
So, remember the Three Hour Rule that went into effect last month?  Airlines can't hold passengers on the tarmac for more than three hours without substantial fines per passenger.  Well, I'm watching it in action right now.  We had boarded our plane at JFK.  The flight attendants had handed out the headsets.  Then the captain announced a 20-30 minute delay.  We waited.  That sounded reasonable to me.  But a few minutes later, the captain asked us all to deplane because our delay was to be at least two hours.

I had just been reading a letter from Richard Anderson, the CEO of Delta Airlines, decrying the impracticality of the Three Hour Rule (in the May 2010 issue of Delta's inflight magazine).  But here's the thing: in the "olden days" they would have kept us on the plane.  This particular plane has several children aboard and at least one passenger who required a wheelchair.  Our flight to London will be long enough without adding several hours sitting on the ground.  Additionally, the plane was being buffeted by high winds (part of the reason for the delay), and I'm sure I wasn't the only one starting to feel a little queasy from the movement.

Now, we haven't reboarded yet. They haven't even given us a new departure time.  But I am very thankful that I am sitting back at the Delta Sky Club, drink in hand, watching the sunset, rather than waiting it out on the plane. And that $50 fee just got even more reasonable!

I'll keep you posted!

Hello, my friend! Hello!

The Gypsy and the Gypsy's Husband buried alive!
My dear and loyal readers,

First, let me assure you that no, I did not just drop off the face of the earth.  It rather felt that way, but my sudden and abrupt departure was absolutely necessary.  This Gypsy’s life has just been a little out of control in the last few weeks!

As many of you know, my husband and I have been living apart for a little over a year.  His work took him to San Francisco.  But we had a house in Sacramento -- a place where the housing market has been very, very rough.  Last spring, we decided that we would wait until 2010 to list our house and try to live together in one city with the hopes that the housing market would stabilize. 

Well, it did.  And to our surprise, dear readers, our house sold in four days.  In fact, our buyer wanted a shortened escrow period, too.  We were completely surprised!  We thought it would take months for our home to sell, and we were rather unprepared. 

So, in the last month we sold our house (with all the work that comes with that undertaking), found another apartment in San Francisco, moved out of my husband’s old apartment, moved out of our house, and are beginning to settle in at our new apartment. We've only been in our new place about a week, and we are still surrounded by boxes. 

Phew!

Oh! And tomorrow I leave for two weeks in London, Wales, and Ireland.

There are times when it just feels like the Earth is spinning a little too fast!

But the dust has settled a bit, and I’ll be blogging and tweeting my way around London, Wales, and Ireland, so make sure you are set to come along! 

I’ve missed you!  What have you been up to while I’ve been gone? 

Cheers!
A

PS: Wanna see what I've been up to lately? Well, check out my Project365.  While I haven't been blogging, I have been shooting photos.

Holy Week in Art: Palm Sunday

Entry into Jerusalem by Giotto (in Cappella Scrovegni, Padua)
Hosanna!  Hosanna!  Hosanna! 

Today in Christian churches around the world hosannas will be said, sung, and shouted as Christians celebrate Palm Sunday, the start of Holy Week.  Palm Sunday marks the day when Jesus entered Jerusalem after a time away.  He rode on a donkey -- a mark of humility -- but was greeted like a king with crowds in the streets shouting “Hosanna!” and lining the streets with their coats.  The events of the day fulfilled a long-held prophecy heralding the coming of the Messiah according to Christian theology. 

In Christian art, depictions of the events of Palm Sunday are often called “Christ’s Entry into Jerusalem” or some variation thereof.  Key elements include Jesus (often with a halo around his head) riding a donkey and palm branches.  However, many Northern European artists did not actually know what a palm branch looked like, especially in the Middle Ages, so the foliage may vary. 

In many depictions of Palm Sunday have a sad, hollow feeling to them, too.  While Palm Sunday often feels like a celebration, it is a hollow celebration because Jesus was executed just a few days later.  Palm Sunday begins what is referred to as Holy Week -- a week of events and remembrances of the final days in Jesus’ life. 

I’ll be blogging all week about Holy Week in Art.  Stay tuned!