So Cal Road Trip - Day 13 - Wednesday 18th May – La Jolla to Anaheim, Manhattan Beach & Going Home

[georgemac]

Miles driven today 141 miles
Miles driven this holiday - 1256 miles – this is exact from odometer on car.
Final Mileage 28710

Well today it was a little bit brighter in La Jolla but still mainly cloudy.
We were finished packing and out of the hotel at ten to ten, got bell to do our bags, tipped 6 bucks and it's different guy who helps put them in the car, so never tipped twice.
At check out I was given the option of paper or emailed bill, I asked for confirmation that I was only charged for 2 nights parking, guy confirmed so I said email would be OK, this was a mistake as when I checked the email later they had charged me for 3 nights parking. I have emailed asking them to remove 3rd night parking charge but a day later no reply. Eventually got an email reply and they said they would refund.
The only thing – and this is very minor complaint – at this hotel is tea provided in room very poor, and only powder creamer, and we discovered we had left our Tetley Tea bags in Palm Springs, hard to find decent tea in USA!
Nice drive up to Downtown Disney, no congestion mainly thanks to the Car Pool lane and parked there by 11.15 and headed in, wife very happy heading to Disney shop. Some Christmas decorations bought, and 80 bucks lighter we head to Starbucks and have our first decent cup of tea for ages it seems. Our main mission of getting a new pack lunch box for our grandson has failed, seems they don't do them now.
The weather here is beautiful, nice and sunny and nothing like San Diego. Pretty busy too. Had a look around and away headed to the outlets at Orange for a final shop.
Not busy at all there, and my favourite outlet shop in the world, Penguin is there and my daughter told me to get something for Father's Day. They have a promotion spend more than $75 get $15 off, so two shirts at $40 each bought and a new belt for $20. Also got a nice candle and holder for my mum and bath and body, and off we went to Manhattan Beach. Took freeway 22 and then the 405, and no congestion and arrived on time at 15.10 as predicted by Sat Nav, a first for me in LA.
Only downside, as we approached the coast saw the grey skies and the clouds. It was ok at Manhattan Beach, cloudy, and we had some ice cream from the shop we went to on our first morning, and bought candy apple as and marshmallow sticks to take home with us. Beach quiet but restaurants and bars still getting trade. We never went out on the pier, dressed for flight, and cool breeze from sea, and we were going to walk along the boardwalk when wife asked to go to the shopping village, so off we went. I think if the sun had been shining we would have walked the boardwalk again. My wife hates shopping at home, but not here. We did get something we had been looking for, for our son in law in Macy's hope he likes it. She was in Jamie and Jack again, but never bought anything!
All holiday I had been offering to buy her a new iPhone but she was not having it, why spend money on this when it can go on a handbag, I will never understand women, not that I like iPhones, I am an android man, but she is still using iphone 4, and only 16 bgyte which I don’t think is enough now.
Anyway, packed the final case in the car park and headed for the airport down Sepdulva boulevard. Coming from south all the filling stations are on the opposite side, but if you drive past the Airport to the local shops, only a mile, you get more gas stations, and once you turn the corner to go down to Airport Boulevard Rd and car rental return there's another, but all on opposite side of road. If coming from Central LA stop at the first one nearest the airport. Cheaper. Put $27 in the car, which filled it to the neck. Total spend on fuel $173, or 13.8 cents per mile for Standard SUV for those wondering about fuel budget.

Car Return a breeze as usual, no charge. My wife does a last sweep of the car and finds my iPad Air 2 under her seat, where she put it, and we both forgot about it. Last year we lost our waterproof camera, so well done to her for the final sweep, and the camera loss last year saved us an ipad loss this year. Loaded us and our 4 cases onto the bus. Really nice bus driver, 73 years old and lifting cases no probs, so gave him a nice tip.
Check in straight forward, security straight forward and no sign of long lines we had seen in the news due to lack of TSA staff. We were through in 10 minutes tops.
I had aftershave and deodorant in plastic bag, forgot to take it out, not picked up in scanner, but through in minutes.

Chilled out in BA lounge, enjoying some red wine. So lovely holiday, we both really enjoyed it.
This has been typed in lounge. Further update, when home. Hopefully the cases and us will arrive on the same flight in Aberdeen this year!

Surreal moment. Last year in lounge, the plane the pilot crashed in the Alps went missing and this appeared on news while we were sitting there. Our BBC news apps have started beeping Eygptair flight from Paris to Cairo has disappeared from radar. Praying it's a technical fault. Unfortunately on arriving home confirmed loss of aircraft. Very sad.
We made our way down to the gate and got in line for Club World cabin. Met and chatted with a lovely couple from Farnborough and a very nice chap from London who had just been selling his holiday home in Palm Springs.
Flight was great as usual in Club World, plane full, wife slept almost whole way home, I watched Creed and had meal, and slept for 4 to 5 hrs and we arrived in London just after 4 PM.
We met the same people when we got out of the flight and chatted all the way through passport control and the train to A terminal, and this maybe contributed to me going the wrong way through customs instead of going through flight connections, just a little bit longer way to get back to security I think. My wife’s passport would not scan in the chip reader, seemed to be a few issues, my one was fine.
Then to T5 security, which took ages and was extremely strict. We probably took at least 30 minutes to get through security, one of my bottles of duty free was selected to be removed and scanned.
I had purchased my duty free, pre ordered through BA, and delivered on flight – all pretty straightforward. In the sale, I had ordered a bottle of Dewar’s Signature Malt Whisky, on sale at £45, when I have checked internet, price seems to be around £200 - £250 for this bottle, so I ordered another one! Time will tell if this is correct, but one of these will go to a friend who likes Malt.
We headed to the North Lounge, Aberdeen flight is delayed from 18.05 to 18.35, and normally leaves from North Gates. My wife then heads to the shops! When she comes back (with Jo Malone purchase which is cheaper in UK than USA), gets a tea and sandwiches, when we get pinged on the BA app saying flight now 18.10 and from South gate A19. So we rush to the gate, but were in plenty time and board the full flight. It’s an Airbus A321 with a business cabin with business seats up to about row 8. I had chosen our seats before we left, should have looked at check in. I have never seen this type of plane on internal UK BA flight before. Flight straightforward, all our cases arrived OK, my father in law was waiting for us and in the house at 21.15.
We unpacked and stayed up till after midnight. I slept OK until after 6. My wife never slept at all – expecting an interesting weekend as we change back our body clocks!
Turns out I was fine. My wife managed to stay up and awake most of Friday and slept like a baby on Friday night.

[georgemac]

Photobucket links removed - will try and update later

Until the next time!

[Guest]

Always the worst day of the holiday is going home but you seemed of made a brilliant day of it.