Back Home Late, Leaving Again in 9 Hours

Thanksgiving '24 Travelog #16
Back Home - Mon, 2 Dec 2024, 12:15am

Hawk and I got home late this evening from our Thanksgiving trip to the east coast. We always knew it was going to be a late evening as our flight was scheduled to leave Baltimore at 7:10pm and land in Oakland at 10:10. Best case we'd be home a bit after 11, we knew.. For a few hours at the airport our flight showed on time, with the inbound aircraft flying on schedule. But then....



Then Southwest changed our aircraft. The one that was due to land 90 minutes ahead of boarding our flight was swapped over to another flight and we were assigned an aircraft that couldn't possibly get to us in time for our scheduled departure. We left 30 minutes late. We landed 30 minutes late, too. The upshot was that we got home-home, as in walked through our own front door, a few minutes before midnight.

Turning Around Tomorrow Morning

Coming home at midnight would be one thing if all I had to do was work from home in the morning. I'd be dragging but I'd manage it. Instead I have to get up early tomorrow morning to pack another suitcase and go back to the airport! I'll be headed off to a big trade show in Las Vegas for 3½ days.

Of course I planned ahead for this so I don't have to do laundry before going back out... but I do have to ready a bunch of specific things. Thus I'll be busy in the morning. And I planned for that with my flight time, too. I booked at 11am-ish flight instead of one leaving around 9am. That'll give me time to do the things I need to do... though I will be busy and there won't be time to spare.

About the Parking Gambit...

Recall when we embarked on this trip 9 days ago we had trouble getting an Uber or Lyft ride in time. We punted on waiting for a car and drove— which meant we had to park. And airport parking at OAK was more expensive than I expected. I thought it'd run us about $180 for the trip. It ran $236.

Part of the problem with Uber and Lyft, though, was that not only were there no drivers nearby, the fares were ridiculously high. We'd have had to pay around $100, maybe more, for a ride. We imagine that our ride tonight, when an after-hours surcharge would apply, would make it another $100 proposition. The prospect of spending $200 on rides softened the blow of spending $236 on parking. Well, I checked when we landed at the airport near 11pm. Lyft would've been about $80 coming home tonight. So driving our own car cost us about $56 more in parking than the rides would've cost. Is there a value in the convenience of having our own car instead of a potentially cramped and smelly back seat of someone else's car? Absolutely. But is it worth $56? Enh. Next time we fly OAK we'll plan ahead of time on driving and make a parking reservation, which lowers the daily rate.

9 Hours at Home, Now Off to Vegas

Trade Show Travelog #1
SJC Airport - Mon, 2 Dec 2024, 10:15am

A little over 9 hours after getting home from one airport I left for another. We got home minutes before midnight last night from our Thanksgiving trip. After packing away stuff from my suitcase, showing, and winding down I didn't get to bed until almost 1am. Later this morning my usual weekday alarm rang at 6:45am. I snoozed it a few times before getting up to repack my bag, this time with different clothes, and head out to the airport again. On this trip I'm headed to Las Vegas for a big trade show, AWS re:Invent.

Could I have simplified this run through the travel gantlet by flowing directly from the east coast to Las Vegas last night? Actually it would have made it more complex. And more expensive.

Complexity would've increased as I'd have to pack two sets of clothes, one for leisure and one for business. That'd require a bigger suitcase, which would mean checking a bag on every flight instead of taking carry-ons only.

And costs would have increased as I booked yesterday's trip months ago. Thanksgiving Sunday is one of the most expensive travel days of the year. Rebooking that flight would've been about $200 more expensive. And getting reimbursement from my company likely would've been difficult. That feeds into complexity, too. It's easier when business expenses and personal expenses are kept clearly separate.

Things are looking good for travel today. I booked a later-morning flight so I'd have time to pack this morning. That worked out well. And, at the moment, my flight is expected to leave on time. It'll be nice to get into my hotel in Vegas today with enough time to clean up, join a brief meeting on videoconference, and then dress for the show and head over for registration.

Checked in to My First Hotel this Week in Vegas

Trade Show Travelog #2
At my hotel - Mon, 2 Dec 2024, 3pm

Okay, first, before I write about getting settled in in Las Vegas, I've go to share this because the flight attendant on my Southwest flight asked all of us passengers to:



Well, she didn't ask for this picture (above) specifically. Her request was, "I know you all complain to your friends when we arrive late, so I want you to tell them that we arrived early today." And this 👆 is what I think of when Southwest manages to arrive early. 😂

From the airport I hailed a ride to my hotel a few miles north on Paradise Road. Ride hailing was an absolute zoo at LAS. There were easily 300 people standing in the area waiting for rides. But soon enough my driver arrived and then we rode to the Embassy Suites hotel near the Las Vegas Convention Center.



The LVCC is not where the trade show I'm attending is running. This show is at the Sands Convention Center. And this hotel is about a mile from that... but it's got a good rate for tonight and is a comfortable hotel I'm familiar with.

As you would expect from the Embassy Suites, rooms here are big. I mean, they're suites; that's in the name. Though unlike many other all-suites branded hotels, the Embassy Suites are genuinely spacious. Here's a walkthrough of my room:

Watch on YouTube

One thing I especially like here is that there's a small balcony with a sliding glass door that opens. I like being able to let natural light in by opening the shade— and let fresh air in by opening the door. In fact while I've been in the room this afternoon I've turned off the HVAC and opened the balcony door.

Why am I spending time in the room this afternoon when I'm here for a trade show? Three reasons. First, I came here to check in and stow my bag before heading over to work the show. Two, I had a videoconference meeting at 2pm I was much happier joining from the desk in my suite than from bluetooth ear pieces while on the road. And three, being in my room at the hotel made it feasible to change into my butler outfit. Yes, Jenkins the Butler is attending this trade show!