House Husbandry

This Daly City comfort food staple has reopened after at least a year hiatus to freshen up the interior, and I have to say they've done a mighty job.  I most expected the food to have changed, like the San Francisco location seemed to have done, but it's the same great comfort food that it's always been, but with a much cleaner, more moderb atmosphere.  I was really impressed by how they updated the interior without really changing it.  Gone are the tired red booths replaced with an avocado green that somehow works and maintains a feeling of nostalgia.  The biggest thing they did was to open up some of the walls to let a lot more light in.  The place seemed light and airy and the ceiling had been worked over to really dull the noise in the place. We had some excellent, crispy friend calamari paired with crunchy-gooey arancini.  I had the lamp chops. a Joe's special was had, as well as a meatball sub an Sweetie indulged in a hunk of prime rib with sides of...

I check www.theflightdeal.com every morning and today it panned out!  $435 RT ORD to NRT this Spring.  I think I paid that much for two tickets the last time we went.  This is too good not to take advantage of, so we're going again!  Can't wait to have an assault on the senses! Time to brush back up on my Japanese.

Sweetie and I had some free nights to use courtesy of the Ritz-Carlton, so we hunted around for what would strike a balance between a sort of exotic, beachy weekend, but not too far away and not too stressful. Aruba and San Juan made the short list, but ultimately we settled on Cancún. I think we made a good decision. It was only a three hour flight down from Chicago, and about a 70 degree difference in temperature. The worst part was getting through customs, which took about 45 minutes, though it felt a lot longer.  Not all of the rat mazes are quite the same, so look for one that's a little narrower to speed your time through immigration.  That being said, our bag was waiting for us at the baggage claim, so you usually end up waiting somewhere. Coming out of the airport was a little crazy and felt a little scammy.  Not a good start.  For one, the hotel zone is about 20 minutes away and everyone needs a ride.  Cabs aren't allowed to do pickups and it's just s...

Short flight last night to see my folks. Flew on United. Been flying with them forever. We were slightly delayed - a half hour - but still got to our destination only 15 minutes late.  We got an apology from them and an offer of 5000 miles or a $100 e-certificate! I don't remember them doing anything like that since 2010 or so. Thanks, United. I think they're really trying to turn things around.  Further, Sweetie, who has better status than I do because he flies for work and work from home, was offered 6250 miles or $125. Which would you take and why?