The BIG American History Road Trip April 2022 - Pre travel & Travel Day - LHR-PHL

[smithlane]

Pre travel Day - Tuesday 5th April 2022

Today I was up bright and early as I had a few last minute bits to do before taking our fit to fly tests and then going to work.
I finished off my packing and did my nails then at 9.30 we logged on to our DocHQ appointment. The moment we had all been dreading!
It was actually all ok, we had a lovely lady. She only had my face on screen, didn’t need to see Hope or my mum so they could have been doing anything

Thankfully the testing gods were looking down on us, we were all negative and had 3 fit to fly certificates emailed to us. It was touch and go as there is so much Covid around at the moment, I was sure I’d be the one to catch it!

I then had the joy of trying to get us all sorted on the VeriFLY app. It wouldn’t accept the QR code for the negative tests or let me upload them so I had to send them in for a manual check and hope they get back to me soon as I wanted to get us checked in.
FYI - you can’t check in until you have the negative tests and your vaccine proof uploaded either on VeriFLY or your airlines website.

Honestly this whole digital age of travel is such a faff when something goes wrong, I’m fairly tech literate but for those like my parents there is no way they’d be able to sort this out without help. I long for the days when you could just book your holiday and turn up at the airport with just your passport!

Thankfully just before I left for work they emailed to say the certificates had all been verified and we had 3 green ticks against our names.
Checked in fine for us all but for some reason they had moved mum to a few rows back but I figured I’d get it sorted at the airport tomorrow. I wasn’t prepared to pay for the seating up front which was the only choice for a row of 3 together.
I got an email through to say our flight was delayed from 09.15 to 10.25 but that was fine with me as it meant we didn’t have to leave for the airport as early

I worked until about 4 then met my friend at the gym to do one final workout to try and get rid of some of the pre holiday anxiety I get! She’s off to California the day after us so needed the gym time too

Did a final food shop so that Jim and Sam wouldn’t starve then got home and ordered fish and chips for dinner! My holiday starts the moment I finish work

Thought I was going to get an early night but I am the worlds worst ‘faffer’ so it was gone 10 before I even got in the shower to wash my hair!

Travel Day - Wednesday 6th April

Alarm goes off at 5.45 and I peel myself out of bed after a not so great nights sleep! Jim has got man flu and quite a nasty cough so between that and his snoring I’m not sure which was worse

I jumped into the shower and got myself ready and by 7am we were all downstairs with the suitcases loaded in the car.
Jim was taking us to the airport and as we live only a few miles away, by 7.20am we were pulling up outside Terminal 3.
The cheeky so and so’s now charge a £5 drop off fee so beware of that if someone is taking you to the airport! I paid it there and then as I was bound to forget once we got inside.

American Airlines were in Zone D & E and well, I have never seen chaos at an airport like it!

We had to join a snaking secondary queue before we could even join the main one for bag drop! There didn’t seem to be a separate line for VeriFLY so we joined the back and hoped we made it through in time
Once we got to the front of the first line we were asked if we’d completed the VeriFLY app and as we had we got to join a slightly smaller queue. I was amazed at how many people hadn’t filled it in. Very glad we had though as I reckon it saved us a good 30 minutes. It still took over an hour to get to the front!

Had a lovely agent Kim who was clearly under pressure. Like BA, they are also experiencing staff shortages so instead of having 8 members of check in crew, they only had 4. This was for ALL American Airlines flights!

I asked if we could be sat together but she couldn’t change the seats without us paying for them?! She apologised and said that the flight was barely full so that once we were airborne we could just move to a free row of 3. Didn’t make any sense to me but no issue I’m sure we’d get it sorted.

We now made our way upstairs to security and thankfully it wasn’t too busy.
I got the special prize of having a pat down but was soon cleared to go.
We now only had less than half an hour until they were boarding our flight so I quickly picked up my online order that I had done from Duty Free then popped to Boots for a meal deal for Hope. Last stop was Pret for a toastie and croissant plus some drinks. Wow it was busy in here! In fact the whole terminal was rammed, I don’t think I’ve ever seen it so crazy

Armed with our food we walked down to Gate 29. Had our boarding passes and passports checked again then took a seat.
We were told that we didn’t have to wear masks at the gate but once we stepped foot on the aircraft we had to under US law, laughable really

We were only sat down for 5 minutes before they were calling up the boarding groups. We were Group 7 so thought we had a little while but literally after 2 minutes we were also called!
Once we were on board we met the lady who was in mums seat, she was so lovely and said she’d move in to an empty seat so mum could sit with us.
It soon transpired that the flight was REALLY empty with loads of seats available.
We pushed back a little late and by the time we got in the air it was about 10.50 so not too bad in the end.

I actually ended up moving to the row in front with the lady who was in mums seat. She had the window seat and said she didn’t mind at all if I sat on the aisle. Gave us all plenty of room then as her daughter had also moved to the row in front. The plane was less than half full, it was great!

It was only about 11.30am when they not only came round with the drinks trolley but also lunch! If I’d known it was going to be so soon I wouldn’t have bought a toastie from Pret.
I went with the vegetarian pasta option which was actually not too bad, the chocolate Brookie was really nice. I left the rock hard roll though

After lunch I didn’t put a film on but instead started talking to the lady next to me for a good few hours.
They were flying on to Vegas so only connecting through Philly. They’d never flown indirect before so I was telling her what to expect and to haul ass off the plane as they now had a shorter connection because of the delay. She didn’t realise they had to collect their luggage and to recheck it in so was thankful I told her.
We had a good old chit chat about this, that and everything

About halfway through the flight I decided to watch something. Didn’t fancy a film but instead watched a few episodes of The Morning Show with Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon. This was actually really good!

The drinks trolley came around so I got another Diet Coke and settled down. They changed the lighting in the cabin and tinted the windows which made it feel cosy. I’ve never flown on a Dreamliner before so this is all new to me.

I had to put the light on to fill out the customs form though as it was a little too dark!
With about an hour and a half left to go of the flight we got brought a ratatouille Stromboli and a drink. I didn’t fancy it so not sure what it was like.
The guy in front was right a*se and kept complaining his roll was cold, then that his white wine wasn’t cold enough so he’d settle for red and said that they should be ashamed serving this. This was about his 5th or 6th glass as he’d been ordering two every time so he was being a righteous git! He was so rude to the Cabin Crew
I’m sorry, but you’re on a plane, in economy, what the heck do you expect?! What a Richard
This is what I’m worried about when I start as crew with BA as I’d feel like pouring the bottle over someone if and when they speak to me like that, manners cost nothing! I promise I’ll be professional though

Shortly after, the Captain came on to say that in about 30 minutes we would be experiencing some severe turbulence so we all had to drink up and go to the loo now as the seatbelt sign would be on for the duration of the flight.
I know I’m going to have to get used to it, but I hate turbulence. Especially when they pre warn you about it you know it’s going to be bad

Turned out there was nothing to worry about and it wasn’t that bumpy. Phew!

The overall flight time was just under 7 hours so we must have had a good tailwind behind us.

We landed just before 18.00 which is 1pm local time so not long after our original flight would have got in.
We disembarked quickly and made the 10 mile walk to immigration. It was empty! You had to first go to a machine to answer the same questions as on the custom form and do your finger prints. This was going fine until it wouldn’t recognise Mum’s prints. She was trying everything she could but nothing was working! Eventually flagged someone down to say you needed oils from your skin so she wiped her hand on her face and what do you know it worked and 3 slips printed out
We now had to queue for a bit to see the customs officer. A lady came along the line and told us to go to the far end of the hall where they had opened more desks. Result!

He took all our passports and slips but only needed my info and fingerprints again.
With a stamp of approval we were allowed into the USA, yay!

As it had taken no time at all I was expecting us to wait an age to get our luggage but nope, all 3 suitcases were there waiting for us. So far so good!
After a quick loo break (and suddenly remembering the HUGE gaps in the side of the doors and the ridiculously uncomfortable toilet seats they have in America!) we made our way to the taxi rank. Loads of cabs waiting outside.
We found an SUV size car that would fit our luggage and were soon on our way into the city.

The airport really isn’t far away and about 20 minutes later we were being dropped off outside the Club Quarters Hotel on Chestnut St. It was about 2.10pm so just over an hour from landing we were at the hotel. Pretty good going! It was $40 including tip for the fare.

You needed to take the elevator up to the 1st floor to reception and I quickly checked us in. Thankfully our room was ready so we made our way up to the 7th floor and room 713.
First impressions were it was a good size but unbelievably basic and in need of some TLC. It would be fine for the 2 nights we were here though!

We had a quick freshen up and got changed then walked into the city.

We headed for Reading Terminal Market which is similar to Chelsea Market in New York. There were all sorts of eateries and market stalls selling all kinds of food and treats. We decided we’d come here in the morning for breakfast as there looked to be a good choice.

From here we went into the Hard Rock Cafe for a drink and a sit down. You’d think we had sat for long enough on the plane but we were starting to flag already!

Got seated at a high top table and ordered a Bahama Mama for me, a BlackBerry Sangria for mum and a Dr Pepper for Hope.
This went down a treat

We stayed here for a while before moving next door into the Fashion District shopping centre.

They're everywhere!

This didn’t have a tonne of stores but we looked in H&M, American Eagle, Journey’s and Hollister with Hope buying a top in the sale from the latter.
We now went next door into Burlington as mum was after an over the shoulder bag as she’d left hers at home, only bringing a large handbag that she didn’t want to carry around with her.
This shop is similar to a TKMaxx but nowhere near as organised.
Mum did find a cute Navy Tommy Hilfiger bag that was reduced to $22.99 so a bit of a bargain and Hope a Guess rucksack but she wasn’t sure if she loved it enough to spend $40 on it. I told her to sleep on it and we could always come back tomorrow.

It was now just after 5 and we had a table booked for 6pm at Iron Hill Brewery which was opposite the Hard Rock. This was easy to book online at home using the Yelp app.
We went for a wonder to kill some time so just walked around a few blocks.
I have to say, I have been to a fair few US cities but Philadelphia is by far the worst we’ve seen for the homelessness, and that includes San Francisco and New York! It’s got quite a grotty feel to it with clearly a real poverty issue, it was quite sad to see. I mean there was a group of young homeless men urinating right in front of us on the pavement! We noticed so many police cars around, I’m sure they’ve got their work cut out for them.
I live in London and a dodgy borough at that, so I’m really not sheltered, but I did not feel safe walking around at all. Maybe it was just in this particular area and where we’re going tomorrow by The Liberty Bell and Independence Hall it will be different.

It was still only 5.30 so we thought we’d try the restaurant and get an earlier table but they told us it’d be another 20 mins. There were loads of free tables so it must be a staffing issue like we have in this country.

We went back out as we’d passed a 7-11 (remember those!) around the corner so thought we’d get some drinks and crisps for the room to save us stopping after dinner.
Also stumbled upon the worlds tiniest Target so obviously went in for a look about. Miraculously nothing was bought as I’m saving myself for one of the superstores!

We now went back to the restaurant and just waited for our table. Only had to for about 5 minutes then got seated in a booth at the window.
To view the menu you had to scan the QR code in the table but my internet was playing up so I asked if they had some physical menus which thankfully they did. Ah like the good old days

I went with the Chicken Pot Pie and a Diet Coke, Hope a cheeseburger and Diet Coke and mum the Seafood Bisque with some fries and a white wine.
Soon came and mine was huge! Was very tasty though, I gave it a good go but couldn’t quite finish it. Mum’s bisque was Luke warm which is a pet peeve of hers so asked them to heat it up which they did no problem.

All in all not an outstanding meal but did the job seeing as we were fairly dead on our feet now!

We paid up, $78 including tip then walked back to the hotel. It was only about 7pm so we had a while to stay up if we didn’t want to wake up in the middle of the night.
Housekeeping hadn’t brought up the bedding for the sofa bed so I called down to get some. They only brought 2 sheets and a thin, scratchy comforter that wouldn’t be warm enough so I called them again asking if they can provide a duvet but apparently they don't provide them even though there are duvets on the actual beds?! So they bring up another comforter to add another layer.
Pulling out the sofa bed it is clear it has seen much better days with some salubrious stains on the mattress so we use both sheets to cover that up. Thankfully Hope says she’s fine to sleep on it, I’m not sure I’d have been able to. It’s not on though and I’ll be speaking to the front desk in the morning.

I typed up notes until about 8.30 but my eyes were giving up on me so I had to admit defeat and go to sleep, we all know what that means though…..!

[Goldia]

Yay, you've started!

Pretty standard annoying guy on the plane there's always one isn't there?

Hmm, Philly doesn't seem to have wowed you on the first day. The sofa bed sounds yucky, the urinating in the street...I hope it picks up a bit on day 2.

[Cutiepie]

That was a smooth travel day

Fair play to Hope for sleeping on that sofa bed. I definitely couldnt
Looking forward to the next instalment

[anji]

Really looking forward to reading this and great day 1. Didn't know you were going to be cabin crew! I definitely wouldn't have liked to be told severe turbulance was on the way either.

The market looks like a good one and hope you sort out your room issues.

[katnav]

That was a jam packed travel day! How lovely to have space on the plane to spread out, I am yet to fly on a plane without it being basically full.

Looking forward go day 2.

[NewtoOrlando]

Oh been waiting for this Alicia! How lucky on that flight out! Loads of spare seats! I have to say I have watched loads of videos on the homelessness and drug issues in Philly, as we're from areas local to each other, I know what you mean about not living in the best place but Philly is so far away from that, it's sad to see. Looking forward to more!

[scottishnellie]

Busy start! Poor Hope on that bed. Yuck.

Not good about all the homeless around - that would really put me off too. So looking forward to the rest of this 😁

[P&S]

A good travel day apart from the annoying man! I've had Philly on my city list but a friend went a few weeks ago and said exactly the same as you. Why the hotel could not give you another quilt is so silly.

[Fuellady]

How lovely to have the option of spreading out on the flight, and a lovely new travel friend too! Shame about the idiot kicking off 😡.

I’d heard Philadelphia could be a bit rough. Hopefully you’ll feel safer around the attractions tomorrow. Oh, and get the room issues sorted.

[smithlane]

Originally Posted by Goldia

Yay, you've started!

Pretty standard annoying guy on the plane there's always one isn't there?

Hmm, Philly doesn't seem to have wowed you on the first day. The sofa bed sounds yucky, the urinating in the street...I hope it picks up a bit on day 2.

See more...

Thanks Abby!
I have to say Philly didn't wow me, it felt like New York's not so shiny poor relation. It is a very interesting city though from a historical point of view but I'll get to that tomorrow

Originally Posted by Cutiepie

That was a smooth travel day

Fair play to Hope for sleeping on that sofa bed. I definitely couldnt
Looking forward to the next instalment

See more...

It really went a lot more smoothly than I expected which I was very thankful for.
Oh I know it was grim, was much better with doubled up sheets but not great at all! These teenagers will sleep anywhere though

Originally Posted by anji

Really looking forward to reading this and great day 1. Didn't know you were going to be cabin crew! I definitely wouldn't have liked to be told severe turbulance was on the way either.

The market looks like a good one and hope you sort out your room issues.

See more...

Thanks Anji! Yes, I am finally having a midlife crisis and will be training to be BA cabin crew later this summer . I'll keep you posted when I start!

They didn't charge us for the larger room which was something I guess but I wouldn't recommend the hotel apart from the great location in the city