Safely ensconced in SanFran...

The trip was about as good as could be hoped for. Planes on time. The new Terminal 5 at JFK make you want to *plan* for long layovers there. Truly. Good food, good tech, good design. Just as well thought out functional space as I've seen.

We paid the wee bit extra for the "extra leg room" on the JFK-SFO leg. It is *so* worth it. Truly. We also used the traditional trick of selecting seats "A" and "C" as very few people will opt for a single middle seat...so if the flight is not full, you often end up in a row by yourself. Worked like a charm this time. We sat further apart than we usually do on the couch for an evening ...and had plenty of legroom. 

The only downside on the flight was a passenger one row up and across. He was a very big man with, apparently, no ass or hips. As a result, every time he stood up...and he stood up A LOT...his pants were WAY down. Conservatively, 8 to 10 inches of ass crack every frigging time he stood. It would have been funny were it not so horrifying. We were right at the front of the plane (we in 2, he et al in 1)....best part of the flight was when Captain and one stewardess were standing about 2 feet from him when he stood, turning his back to them....their facial reactions made the day.

This brings me to the other moderately interesting thing. Twice during the flight, the flight attendants used one of the rolling carts to "barricade" the aisle from the little kitchen/bathroom area and the "armored cockpit door". Then one FA would enter the cockpit and the pilot and copilot took turns leaving and using the bathroom (and chatting up the other FA). All the while, the other FA basically stood guard at the food cart, defending front of the aircraft. It was a little surreal and a first I've seen.

Carriage Inn is very nice. It's owned by a small chain we love and they just added/renoed this hotel. Not only is it very close to the event all, but it is literary themed. More on our room later. Very nicely, as we are members of their little free "we love the hotel chain" mailing list, there was a chilled bottle of wine waiting for us in our room. It is now "2:52am" EST, so I best get to sleep.

The tentative plan for tomorrow is dim sum brunch at Hang ah Tea Room and then Serendipity Books for the afternoon and early evening...we shall see what else evolves. Have several other strong recommendations re food for the weekend. It should be a great trip. The only real question lurking out there hangs on how the show itself will play out. Hope springs eternal.