Category: Travel

V – Virgin Atlantic Upperclass

Published on by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle11 Comments

Are we boarding yet? No. Man, I can’t wait to get on this plane.  Look at it. This plane is huge. I bet it could fit about 300 people in it.  300 people like sardines.  But, not me. No, not this time. I get to sit in first class.

Oh, I ‘m sorry, here at Virgin Atlantic it is referred to as Upperclass.  Mr. Branson, the owner of Virgin Airlines is a little different.  He is British after all.  “Virgin Atlantic Upperclass.”  What are the other passengers called Middleclass and Lowclass.  Yeah, that’s it.  Just this morning, I was Lowclass and now I am Upperclass.  Who says money can’t buy you class?

Great. She is about to make an announcement.  Here it is. “In a few minutes we will begin boarding flight V200 to Sydney Australia.  We will start with Upperclass passengers first.”  Yes, that’s me.  Upperclass gets to board first.  Yes.  Wait, she is still talking.  “At this time, we would like to welcome those passengers with young children or those who may need a little more time to board.”  What?  I though upperclass boarded first.  You mean children and old people have more rights then “Upperclass.”  Wait a minute, Syd, don’t let this go to your head.  It is just a seat on a plane.  Yep, a seat in “Virgin Atlantic Upperclass”.

“Now welcoming Upperclass passengers.”  Yippee.  I get to board upperclass, thank you very much.  Why has my brain turned my inner voice into an elitist British aristocrat?  I seem to be walking a little taller down the jet way as well.  Some might say I am even strutting.  I kind of feel like a runway model on a catwalk. Perhaps a model for a DVF show (Diane VonFurstenburg for those not in the know). I bet she rides in “Virgin Atlantic Upperclass” when she crosses the pond.

Is my imagination getting away from me a little?

“Good afternoon, welcome to Virgin Atlantic, may I see your ticket?”  Reality.  Why does she need to see my ticket? I bet she thinks I couldn’t possibly be sitting in Upperclass.  Well, I am Missy.

Oh, wait, the stewardess asks to see everyone’s ticket.  Oh, and she is escorting me to my seat.  My full on lounge seat with foot rest.  My seat which fully reclines into a bed.  My seat that has more buttons then a panel in a cockpit.  This is awesome.  Oh, and she is asking me if I would like a drink before the plane takes off.  “Would you like some champagne?”  Hell yeah!

God, I love Upperclass.  Nice touch, Mr. Branson.

These seats are so comfortable and the champagne. So, good!  I feel like I have this goofy grin on my face.  But, so does everyone else. Must be how we are supposed to look sitting in “Virgin Atlantic Upperclass”.  Or I could be drunk.

Wait, I need to pay attention to the safety features.  Maybe there are different rules for the passengers in “Virgin Atlantic Upper Class”.  Um, no not really.  “In the event of a crash, blah blah blah.”   It is all the same.  I guess if the plane where to crash, classes wouldn’t matter.  But, when they announced my death it would say, “Virgin Atlantic Upperclass passenger, – – – died in a plane crash.”  Ok, that is a bit morbid.

The plane is taking off.  I think the take off is smoother in “Virgin Atlantic Upper Class”.  Definitely smoother.  No really, it is.

The stewardess hands me a menu.  Not your typical beef or chicken choices.  It is a full menu.  The type of menu that top chefs would envy.  There are entrees, not an entree, entrees and a choice of appetizers and desserts as well.  I choose the salad.  Then the ravioli.  And a cheese course for dessert.  But, of course, a cheese course.  There’s that British dudes voice again.

Oh, and did I mention the selection of wines. Yes, they have a selection of wine.  “A nice German reisling would go great with the seafood salad.”  The waitress/stewardess actually said that.  And, German reisling is my favorite wine.  Wow. “Virgin Atlantic Upperclass”.  It’s like you knew I was coming.

Now that dinner is over, I think I will get a little sleep. But, wait they have movies.  Tons of movies.  I haven’t seen that or that or that. Damn. I need to get some sleep, but I could also catch up on all the movies I have missed in the last 5 years.  Ok, one movie, then I will see how I feel.

Ok, now time for bed. How do I work this think again?  Damn.  Didn’t know I needed my pilots license in order to work the bed.  Oh, yeah, I have to actually get up.  Well, not everything is done for you in “Virgin Atlantic Upperclass”.  So, I hit the button.  That is so cool.  For some reason, the movie Transformers pops in my head.

And, it is comfortable, too.  If I was over 6 foot, might be a tad tight.  Perfect for my 5’7″ frame.  Not much elbow room and it will take some effort to flip over, but what am I complaining about, I am in “Virgin Atlantic Upperclass”.

 9 hours later

Who turned on the lights?  Are we in Sydney already?  She is handing me another menu. Oh, it is time for breakfast.  Omelet or pancakes? Coffee, tea or a mimosa? Mimosa, please.

Mr. Branson, again, nice touch.

The descent and touch down again, so smooth.

“Thank you for flying Virgin Atlantic,we hope you will join us again.”

In “Virgin Atlantic Upperclass”, anytime.

U – Underground Railway

Published on by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle7 Comments

My all time favorite thing about traveling is finding my way around new cities.  I prefer to walk around and get lost and then find my way back again.  It is the best way to get to know a city.  Another great way to see the city and to cover more ground is by utilizing the public transportation system.

All of my favorite cities have great PTS. The street car in New Orleans, the subway in New York, the tube in London, the metro in Tokyo and Hong Kong and now the Underground Railway in Sydney.

We had one day with nothing planned so we decided to jump on the train and see where it took us. We got on at Central and took the train 4 stops to Bondi Junction.

Bondi Junction is a great shopping area of Sydney.  It has several stores that line the streets and then a huge mall.  I have to give you a little back story so you understand why this was such an exciting site for me.

In China, there are a lot of high end malls.  Lots of name brands.  You can find any and everything you need in China.  Except for a shoe in a size 9.5.  In the six years I have lived here, I have never been able to purchase a pair of shoes.  It is really sad because, I love shoes.  I mean, I really love shoes.

I have been wearing the same 3 freakin pairs of shoes for 18 months now (last time I was in USA). I needed new shoes.

In Sydney Australia, I found shoes.  In fact, I found several shoes stores in Bondi Junction and every single store I went to and every shoe I asked to see had a size 9.5.  I was in 9.5 shoe heaven.  I was such a great feeling.  I brought 4 pairs.

So, I send thanks out to you all.  To Sydney for loving big feet people, to Bondi Junction for housing some great shoes stores and especially to the Underground Railway.  If it was not for you and your easy access all over Sydney, I might still be wearing the same 3 freakin pairs of shoes.

T – Traveling Tips

Published on by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle4 Comments

Do you enjoy traveling? I do. I enjoy every aspect of it. From the moment I book the airline ticket to the moment I am unpacking upon my return home, traveling is my bliss. I believe it’s the aspect of living a different life whether it be for 2 days or 2 weeks that makes traveling such an attractive pursuit for me. And, it doesn’t matter if it is a business trip, a family trip or a vacation, any time I can be in a difference city, sleeping in a strange bed (not like that) or eating different food, I am happy.

About six years ago, I got a new job and was thrilled because I never spent more than three weeks at home. It was so much fun. In a year, I went to Lake Tahoe, New York City, London, Hawaii, Dallas, China, Los Angeles, Arizona and China again.

Then five years ago, I moved to China and for two years, I didn’t travel at all. It was killing me. Especially begin so close to so much that had yet to explore. It was frustrating, but I was trying to start a business in a foreign country and needed to stay put.

But, once that third year hit, I couldn’t take it any more. I had to travel. We started traveling for work. I went to Singapore, Vietnam and Tokyo and my nomadic nature was satisfied.

So, here are my tips on traveling that I have learned over the years. They have helped me travel with less stress and I hope they help you as well.

  1. Book everything as early as possible. I mean everything. Airfare, hotel, car, transportation, dinner reservations, attraction tickets, etc. On a recent trip to Hong Kong with my mom and brother, I booked the cable cars to the Big Budda on Lantau Island. When we arrived there had to be 500 people in line and we walked right past them all because I had purchased the tickets online.
  2. International flights, get to the airport early. You never know what might happen. You can pick good seats on the plan, you can upgrade if you roll like that. If you are like me, I can’t eat on the plane. Long flights and stomach issues don’t mix. I arrive early to enjoy the great choices of food at the international terminal. In Hong Kong, it is the Popeye’s Chicken. So random, but so good.
  3. When you exchange money, make sure you they are just exchanging your currency for the place you are going. I once exchanged RMB into USD and they converted it into HKD first. I lost money on that deal.
  4. Jetlag – I covered this in a previous post. In order to explore the world, you have to deal with it.
  5. Just be patient. When you travel, you are oh so on everyone else’s times schedule. And, if that schedule changes, don’t take it personally. Shit happens. Patience is the best advice I can give you.

So, that is what I have learned from a lifetime of traveling. For me, I can not and will not every stop exploring this amazing world we live in.

What are your best traveling hints and tips?

S – Sydney Harbor Bridge Climb

Published on by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle10 Comments

I did it and I lived to talk about it (post about it).

Definitely the highlight of my trip was doing the Sydney Harbor Bridge Climb.  It was way more amazing then I even imagined it would be.

We had a great guide named Richard who had a million great stories.  Our safety guys name was Rhys who was super sweet.

Point of no return!

Here are some of the photos we got from the climb.  They wouldn’t let us take a camera so we are stuck with their photos. But, I understand why.  If I had my own camera the climb would have taken all day.  There was so many great views from up there.

I covered just over 1 mile going up and down; 1,400 steps.  We were rigged up like sky divers and constantly clipped into a safety line that runs the entire length of the climb.  It was perfectly safe.  The views were just breath taking. I am so happy I got a chance to experience this.  It is truly why I love traveling and experiencing new things.

Next time, I am doing the climb at night.

R – the Rocks

Published on by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle4 Comments

I have decided that if (when) I move to Sydney Australia, I will have to live in the area known as The Rocks (TR).

The Rocks is a small, eclectic, fashionable, mysterious, touristy, but charming little neighbored just next to the City (what they call Downtown Sydney).

It reminds me of The French Quarter (FQ) in New Orleans and Georgetown (GT) in Washington, DC . I went to college in New Orleans and although I wanted to, my parents were not about to let a young impressional 18 year old live in the Quarter.  What could I do, they were paying the bills.  For law school, I lived in DC, but for practical and cost reasons again I didn’t get the chance to live in my dream neighborhood.

I just love these small eclectic areas of town that although they are frequented by tourist, they don’t loose their charm.

All these areas have the following in common (FQ, GT, TR):

  • 1st floor old and new retail/restaurants and bars (Ralph Lauren next to an art gallery that has been there for 100 years)
  • 2nd floor apartments/condos w/balconies (in the quarter, they are still reasonable, in GT and TR, pretty expensive)
  • alley ways that have the coolest shops (Alley Cat Jazz, Blue Note Club, I will find out tonight)
  • Wine bars/coffee shops (not Starbucks)/brewhouses
  • tourist shops
  • One great breakfast spot – (Clover Street Grill, Peacock Cafe, Pancakes on the Rocks)

Allow me the pause here parenthetical to extol the greatness of Pancakes on the Rocks.  Any place that serves ice cream with pancakes is greatness in my book.  Please don’t drool on your keyboard.

What is your dream neighborhood and what makes it so special?