Part 2
Did I sleep on the plane. An interesting concept. Well for one I got bumped up to Club, which has happened to me on a few occasions in the past. The Club Cabin was pretty quiet, so I guess that the business class travel folk are feeling the pinch in these straightened times. Which is why I suspect that they upgraded me in the first place, and the fact that I’m regular BA traveller.
(Travel tip – forget all these Daily Mail type columns on how to get upgraded, what to wear, how to ask, how to smile – there is only one sure fire way – a good frequent flier card with that airline. Ask the professionals….)
Sleep? Well the flight time to the East coast of the US is actually quite short – seven or eight hours. Fit in a drink, a meal, and a wakeup and a cup of tea and you are down to a couple of hours sleep time. And that’s not including watching a movie, or two or six or twelve. The choice these days is a bit overwhelming, so I just stick to the latest Bond movie, although the action scenes loose a bit on the teenie screens that get on planes. So sleep is not the top priority, not least because the food is pretty good, and they have some nice wines as well.
Washington Dulles airport was dark and wet when we arrived, and we then decamped into this strange bus/arrival lounge on stilts – very 60’s very Jetsons - which then trundled across the airport to immigration. I was through there, and had picked up my bags in less than 20 mins, and straight out for a taxi.
Now this is long part – Dulles airport is about 26 miles from the city, albeit along wide freeways, but after being up for 20 hours it was a tiresome business, helped and hindered by a friendly taxi driver who kept pointing out what he thought were notable local landmarks, the only one of which I recognised was the CIA HQ at Langley – notable for having a searchlight pointing at the sky.
Washington? Well I’m staying in the business district, which is Anytown USA from what little I’ve seen. I’ve taken my camera though, and am just about to head out for my conference and meetings.
Which is why I'm here.
