North to Alaska

Justinf · Feb 27, 2017

Oops. I did forget something.
Before I went to sleep and after the meal I asked the FA if my sister could come and join me in my suite but that wasn't allowed. I compromised and asked if she could join me in the 'lounge' area that nobody seems to use anyway. FA said that was perfectly fine. The FA went and got SIS and we sat in the very sterile lounge area with our seatbelts on. There was a bit of turbulence and the FAs strapped themselves in next to us while the seatbelt sign was on and we had a good chat with them.
The FAs kept our glasses topped up all the time. So a massive thumbs up to the QF FAs who not only allowed a Y PAX into the lounge area, but also served her the best pinot noir from the J cabin and some Champagne from the F cabin. It was very much appreciated. We spent a good hour and a half there and were quite merry by the time we decided to call it quits.
Quality of the pic is poor. I had to use reverse camera. I could have sworn the FA took a pic of us, but after several Boags Premium cans, I couldn't find them on my phone.

Atleastonce · Feb 27, 2017

Can't wait for the Alaska pics

Justinf · Feb 27, 2017

Atleastonce said:
Can't wait for the Alaska pics

Even with my very ordinary photography skills, I got some absolute freaking stunners.

love_the_life · Feb 27, 2017

Justinf said:
Oops. I did forget something.
Before I went to sleep and after the meal I asked the FA if my sister could come and join me in my suite but that wasn't allowed. I compromised and asked if she could join me in the 'lounge' area that nobody seems to use anyway. FA said that was perfectly fine. The FA went and got SIS and we sat in the very sterile lounge area with our seatbelts on. There was a bit of turbulence and the FAs strapped themselves in next to us while the seatbelt sign was on and we had a good chat with them.
The FAs kept our glasses topped up all the time. So a massive thumbs up to the QF FAs who not only allowed a Y PAX into the lounge area, but also served her the best pinot noir from the J cabin and some Champagne from the F cabin. It was very much appreciated. We spent a good hour and a half there and were quite merry by the time we decided to call it quits.
Quality of the pic is poor. I had to use reverse camera. I could have sworn the FA took a pic of us, but after several Boags Premium cans, I couldn't find them on my phone.

What a good brother you are

Justinf · Feb 27, 2017

After a restless sleep due to the cabin temperature, I awoke hungry again and ordered the signature steak sandwich.

It was very satisfying and did the job nicely.
By now were getting pretty close to California.

Breakfast service started the usual couple of hours out from landing. I chose the hot option, which was actually incredibly disappointing. I have had better breakfasts in domestic J class. Massive cross for QF for that effort.
I had an energiser juice and the coffee was quite bland and weak despite asking for it as strong as possible (I'm a three or even sometimes four-shot kinda guy).

By now all there was to do was to get changed and wait until we landed. It's a nice way to spend some time though, in your own cocoon, and stretched out with the massage controls working their magic.

Yeah no socks. Trust me, I put them on immediately after I realised I wasn't wearing any after getting changed.

kelvedon · Feb 27, 2017

Justinf, you look happier than Harry Kane in those photos!!

craven morehead · Feb 27, 2017

Awesome start to the trip!

Justinf · Feb 27, 2017

kelvedon said:
Justinf, you look happier than Harry Kane in those photos!!

Happier than Harry Kane and Dele Ali combined.

froggerADL · Feb 27, 2017

Great start to your TR Justinf. I'm looking forward to following along.

Boca68 · Feb 27, 2017

Justinf said:
Happier than Harry Kane and Dele Ali combined.

Excuse me!

We'll have no more swearing thanks! Moderators!

(A simple Alexis Sanchez will do

)

That aside, will follow with interest Justinf. Looks like your having a blast.

Justinf · Feb 27, 2017

Getting out of TBIT was painful. Not as bad as what I have previously experienced, but still took ages.
Grabbed my luggage and walked around to terminal 7 where I had a United Airlines flight to Denver at 11.10am. Check in was a breeze and I soon found myself through security. I was flying on a fully paid first fare to Denver so I strolled up to the United Club, showed my BP and was told I was not eligible for entry. I had read somewhere that just because you're on a fully paid for fare, it doesn't necessarily entitle you to entry.
Cost of entry was US$59 and I went away and back into the zoo of Terminal 7. I then went back and paid my money and walked in. I immediately regretted not having asked if they had showers. No showers. Epic fail on my behalf. Nobody else to blame but myself. Food selection ordinary. Coffee worse than ordinary.
The bar was open and even that had to be paid for, except for Coors Lite which was free. However Tottenham was playing Liverpool on one of the TVs and it was live, so all was not lost. I sat at the bar, drank a couple of Coors Lites and watched a 2-nil loss which speaking to a few locals. Now the big question was whether to tip? The drinks were free, but I guess the service was still the same. I decided to err on the side of caution and left a couple of dollar bills on the table before getting out to the gate.

Ah, Coors Lite...so robust, and full of flavour...

The view outside the United Club lounge.

Onboard in seat 2D on a Boeing 737-900.
Full flight. All first seats occupied.
Lunch consisted of a build your own burger type dish with some salad and a cookie. It wasn't great, but it filled a gap. It actually tasted better than it looked.

Flight time was around two hours and after the meal service, I dozed. We finally landed around 2.15pm taking into account the hour time difference.
I retrieved my bag from the carousel and hopped into a cab and it was off to the Crowne Plaza Denver Downtown, which would be home for the next two nights.
Weather was cool, but not freezing cold. Around the low teens.

love_the_life · Feb 27, 2017

Two comments on those photos:
a) that beer looks like something that a doctor may need to test :shock:
b) the burger looks passable but what's with the hot cross bun look?

Regardless, enjoying the ride.

Justinf · Feb 27, 2017

love_the_life said:
Two comments on those photos:
a) that beer looks like something that a doctor may need to test :shock:
b) the burger looks passable but what's with the hot cross bun look?

Regardless, enjoying the ride.

I'd barely call it a beer.
And once I put all the ingredients on the burger, it was quite tasty although I never held high hopes for domestic first in the US anyway.

TomVexille · Feb 27, 2017

Excellent. Another Justinf TR

Justinf said:
Quick shuttle to the check in desk but there was no first check in line, at least as far as I could tell.

FYI there's a dedicated F check-in "room" with a separate entrance from the street (and one inside)

Justinf said:
Sadly, I can't tell you what it was.

That would be the Taittinger Comtes de Champagne. It's on the menu

love_the_life said:
b) the burger looks passable but what's with the hot cross bun look?

Possibly a pretzel roll

Justinf · Feb 28, 2017

My bag was one of the first off the conveyer belt and I jumped into a cab. I could have taken the light rail to Union Station and then the free Mall Ride bus which would drop me off a block away from the Crowne Plaza Downtown, but at this stage I just couldn't be bothered and decided to fork out the $70 (including tip) cab fare.
Checked and had a nice hot shower and immediately felt a lot better.

I had a decent view at least.

By now it was 4pm and either bedtime or beertime. I think you all know which one I chose.
A cold front was supposed to be coming through after 5pm, but I figured that I was so close to the Denver Pavilions and several bars, that I woudn't need warm clothes. So I just threw on a hoody and stepped out into the Denver weather. It was Saturday night and there people around.
I decided to find a bar and there are certainly no shortage of those in Colorado.
My first pitstop was Henry's Tavern where I looked at the beer list and decided to start on the lowest alcohol beer possible. A 2.5% concoction called Lindemans Framboise. The description was 'Raspberry Lambic, tart fruit, well-structured body and bright acidity - Belgium ABV 2.5%'.

It was completely undrinkable. It was like a cross between a Gatorade mixed with fruity lexia and a Snapple. I couldn't finish it. Here I was in one of the microbrew capitals of the US and I was drinking this muck.

Justinf · Feb 28, 2017

So after my first mistake, I decided on an Anchor Steam (Blend of pale and caramel malts delivering a distinctive flavor - San Francisco, CA ABV 4.9%) and it much more palatable.

After trying a couple of other brews, I decided to go out and wander around 16th St.

16th St was a bit of a homeless person haven but there was visible security at most corners.
Decided to finish off at 5280 Burger Bar, which was a smart move. Nice little bar.
My favourite beer of the night was a chocolate style porter, which went down a treat.

Had one of their burgers and can thoroughly recommend the burgers there.
At around 9pm it was time to hit the sack. I wanted to do the 10am Free City Walking tour in the morning.

Justinf · Feb 28, 2017

Was up nice and early and I packed the thermal running tights and went for a run with the temperature hovering around 1 degree celcius. Certainly woke me up.
Then a coffee (a very bad in-room coffee) and a muffin on the go and walked to the State Capitol building for the free city tour.
Tour guide Alex was waiting and there would be seven of us on this two-hour around downtown Denver.
We obviously started at the Capitol Building, which was impressive, but not as impressive as the one I saw in Boise, Idaho.

And we reached the steps where it says you are exactly one mile high, but in later years with more sophisticated technology, it was discovered that the marker was slightly out. The gold marker indicates the real one mile high.

And then we were off on our walking tour, which I would come to enjoy immensely. Alex was a terrific guide and although the tour was technically 'free' I did know that tipping Alex at the end was 'optional' but not really 'optional'.
The temp had warmed up to around 6 or 7 degrees celcius, but for some reason I was really cold. Maybe it was because I had not eaten much, but even a warm jacket had my teeth chattering.