Entries in Stories (2)

Me & Tom in London

February 8, 2008
Posted by Registered CommenterBrad in , ,
medcafeolivewasabi.jpgBack in January I took a quick museum-hopping trip to London and good old Tom Bihn was right there with me. At least it felt that way. We took three TB bags: the Aeronaut, new Western Flyer, and a Large Cafe Bag (borrowed from my son) for everyday use.  It was my wife’s first one-bag experience. Usually we’re leading student trips and they all check bags, so she saw no point in going carryon-only. But a rare trip when she’s travelling only with me meant she could give one-bag a try. She’s sold. Skipping baggage claim and jumping straight onto a train from Heathrow was a delight. Crowded lifts, stairs, and escalators are much less hassle without a 30-pound rolling bag in tow. Ditto for wet streets and uneven sidewalks. Watching others struggle with their own personal baggage train on the Underground was further confirmation. Carrying everything on our backs or shoulders (at about 15 pounds per person thanks to her heavy textbooks) meant we could shop hotels. I wouldn’t recommend it in peak season, but we were able to get a much better rate by walking up to half-empty hotels than by reserving online. And the less you’re carrying - meaning you can turn and walk down the street - the easier it is to get a good rate.
 
Future posts will include a long-term test update on the Aeronaut, new review of the the Cafe Bag, and thoughts on winter clothing. 

Wishing you a mime-free New Year!

December 28, 2007
Posted by Registered CommenterBrad in

K.C. Summers of the Washington Post is, like me, a little dubious when it comes to the TripAdvisor site - where anyone can say anything as they rate hotels and the like. Check out the TripAdvisor ten funniest comments of 2007. Here’s my favorite:

“The neighborhood is filled with aggressive mimes, including one sitting on a toilet bowl (how creative). Room cards are changed for no reason and you cannot understand why you can’t get into your room. All in all it was a very unpleasant stay.”

Maybe any trip involving a mime encounter would be unpleasant. Quoth Summers on the TripAdvisor experience:

What inanities have you noticed on the site? And do you find it useful, or are you (like me) sometimes flummoxed by the wide disparity in opinions, and come away more confused than when you started?