I heart PDX. You can buy growlers of Laurelthirst microbrews at the same price as the store (without having to drive their if it is out of the way) and there's frequently live musicians scattered around just cuz. Too bad my evil Nov 24 flight is at 6am, there's only so "early" you can get when the airport closes overnight. And most of the vendors won't be open that early so i'll have to wait until the layover for breakfast if i don't scarf it down in the taxi. *sniff*

The Detroit airport (my last regional one) sucked because nothing was ever open when I was flying. So who cared what the prices were? I would just have had to be thirsty.

My flight home for Christmas is at ten something pm. Shit better be open, even at overly high prices.

That`s why I am so grateful to whatever Buffista taught me the empty water bottle trick. That one was a lifesaver this last trip.
 
On the train they give me drinks! For free! (Yes, yes, included in price.) And the coffee`s not half bad. Must remember to ask them what brand it is on the way home.</train loves carrots>

Friends of mine are flying in to San Diego next month. I'm thinking of taking the train down to meet them.

Fuck that noise, I want alcohol.

It is possible I have a couple issues.

Might have been me! I am all about the empty water bottle. I'm packing lunch on Thursday, too.

I arrive at the airport with an empty water bottle and an empty portable brita (they're like water bottles but tough to drink out of.) then once i'm thru sec use the brita to fill up the water bottle for the flight. I find water fountains at airports taste nasty.

One glorious flight i got upgraded to first class and there was all the beverages i wanted on demand. But usually NSM and i would turn inside out like a salted slug if i had to wait for in flight beverage service.

I don't have the room to carry all that stuff. But I need to make that decision or stop whining.

I did use to carry apple cider packets, because I wanted hot drinks with no caffeine. I also had a lemon powder phase for less sweetness. But it was always dependent on someone else's water.

I am flying WITH TWO CHILDREN on Nov. 24. Taking the shoes off is hassle number one (I have been required to take soft leather moccasins off a baby before), the liquid and gel thing is hassle number two (I am going to try to do carry-on only to avoid the insane baggage charges, so I need to go shop for some miniature deodorants). Photographic nudity is the least of my worries.

And the coffee`s not half bad. Must remember to ask them what brand it is on the way home.

I am going to guess it's Boyd's.

I find the rules of flying annoying mostly because I don't think a lot of them actually make things safer, but I know the rules when I book a flight. So those are the rules.

I still think I will skip the scanners (very, very politely) if it comes up. The small town at the edge of a huge military base where I grew up has a startling number of weird cancers.

All that said, when I flew a few days ago there was a rouge 4+ oz aerosol bottle that hid in my luggage from a non-fly trip. It got searched and while I was, "totally an accident, totally my fault and you can totally throw it away because I am flying carry-on and have no desire to go check my luggage and go through security again, my bad, really sorry." The guy let it go through. The world can feel safer now.