Recent Travels

I've been getting my travel on in the past couple of weeks. I began with a work trip in Dallas, followed immediately by Cincinnati for a wedding, then to Chicago the weekend after for the marathon. With all of these back-to-back travels, it is easy to look back and offer up a few rankings:

Airport rankings:
1. HOU (Houston Hobby): Small, clean, renovated, and pleasant. No crowds. Airport of choice when traveling in/out of Houston
2. DFW (Dallas/Ft Worth): Gigantic yet extremely organized, efficient, and easy to navigate from terminal to terminal using the sky train.
3. IAH (Houston George Bush Intercontinental): Great airport, though not as comfortable as the first two.
4. CVG (Cincinnati): Security checkpoint three miles* from gates.
5. ORD (Chicago O'Hare): If you want to catch your flight, arrive at the airport 5 hours* in advance. That will give you enough time to get through the security checkpoint, which operates at a snail's pace. The plus is that it's connected to the L-train.

Airline Rankings:
1. Continental- Food service... and not for purchase! With your beverage, get a muffin for breakfast! Bring headphones and watch tv/listen to the radio from your seat. Flight attendants return for second rounds of beverage service. Also, very prompt.
2. American- Probably the most comfortable planes; courteous flight attendants and some planes with wi-fi.
3. Delta- "The Friendly Skies" is an appropriate motto- their flight attendants are super nice and accommodating. Get your choice of three snacks with your beverage of choice.

Cincinnati was a whirlwind trip, so I can't comment much on the city itself except that it was COLD. But not as cold as it was in Chicago. It hit below freezing while we were there; I cannot imagine what it's like in the thick of winter. They don't call it the windy city for nothing... I much prefer mild temps and it is a relief to be back in the warmth of Texas where my chapped lips can recuperate. I'm thankful that our rare cold days** in Houston don't actually hit until January. However, we really enjoyed Chicago. Every city needs an L-train or Metro train (DC) as a form of public transportation. You can actually conceive of not owning a vehicle, which I have long thought would be an amazing luxury. Just hop on the train and go, not to mention the great exercise you get by walking to/from the train stations and going up and down the stairs (my quads are killing me... who needs a marathon to make you sore when you can climb stairs to get on the L?) We didn't have enough time to thoroughly explore the city but we did hit the hot-spots and although most of the city did not appeal to me (what's with all the honking horns? They far surpassed Houston's honking abilities), I absolutely fell in love with Lincoln Park. Lots of green, flora, and a free zoo and conservatory, surrounded by beautiful, quiet neighborhoods with quaint shops and a variety of eateries. A great place to go on a jog too. I'm sure there are other pockets of Chicago that are just as nice which we didn't get to see, and we'll have to defer further explorations to another time.


* perhaps, slight exaggerations
** temps in the 30s