Like most of my trips, I like to put together a post about my observations on the trip.
1. Flying Sleep Deprived Is Better Than Hungover
I have previously written that I have a problem flying hungover/drunk. Well, on this trip I
was sober, but sleep deprived. The night before my flight, I could not fall asleep. A last
minute problem with a client kept me up all night. The best part of being sleep deprived
was that I slept all the way to Chicago and 3/4 of the way to Calgary.
2. Calgary is Dull & Expensive
The city of Calgary is city lacking any major attraction. Yes, there is the tower.
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| Photo Credit: http://www.calgarytower.com/photo-gallery |
lacks a reason to come visit.
3. A City Boy Can Be Silenced By Mountains
Driving from Calgary and Montana, you pass some of the most beautiful scenery.
I liked to talk on road trips. However, I was silenced by these the scenery outside
my car window:
4. Glacier is Beautiful, but Probably Better In Spring
The reason why we traveled to Montana was Glacier National Park. However, in
Winter, there is little to see. Most of the park is closed. The little that was open
was AMAZING.
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| Flicker: Glacier NPS |
5. Whitefish, Montana is a Cool Town
Since all of the hotels near or in Glacier National Park were closed for the season, we
decided to stay in Whitefish, Montana. Whitefish is 25 miles from the park entrance.
The town has a great downtown with lots of great restaurants and cute shops.
6. Grouse Mountain Lodge is Awesome
My friend got a Groupon for 3 nights at the Grouse Mountain Lodge. I was hesitant
at first about staying here. However, the hotel stay was one of the best. The hotel has
a fire pit, outdoor hot tubs and an amazing restaurant.
7. Dog Sledding is Awesome
I wanted to do something different on this trip. With many things closed due to
winter, I needed something to remember this trip by more than pictures. We
spoke with the concierge at the resort and he suggested Dog Sledding.
He was totally right. It was an amazing experience.
For $100, we got a ride on an 11 mile+ trail. The trail had super flat portions,
so we went really fast and it had steep hills that made for a bumpy ride. The
company we used was Dog Sled Adventures. I highly recommend them.
8. Air Canada has a Great Product
On the way home, I decided to take Air Canada from Calgary to Toronto. I
had never flown them before, so I was a little excited to try them out. Overall,
I was very impressed.
What impressed me the most was their own board product. Each seat in economy
had their own in-flight entertainment system with USB cable hook-up. Also, most
seats had an AC adapter to plug in your gear.
The IFE was filled with a multitude of modern movies and TV shows. I decided
to watch American Hustle. I didn't like it. The system made a 4 hour flight
fly by quickly.
The other part of the on-board product I liked was the food for purchase. Air
Canada had a whole menu of food for purchase aboard at reasonable prices.
For $9CD, I got a pulled pork sandwich and pretzels and hummus. It was actually
pretty decent.
Earlier in the week, one of my daily deal sites was offering lounge access to
the Plaza Premium Lounge in Toronto's airport. Since I had a layover, I decided
to pay the $15 for 2 hour voucher. Overall, the place is a rip-off.
You can get access to the lounge with a variety of different non-US AMEX cards
or the Priority Club pass.
The other option is to pay per hour, which I don't recommend.
Plaza Premium has 5 lounges at Toronto. I went to the one in the F terminal. The
lounge had many places to sit, but few power outlets.
The food selection was average with a few hot dishes, a salad bar, and middle
shelf liquor.
A few computers were available for your use, as well.
The worst part was the "free" wifi internet. Well, the wifi they advertised was actually
the wifi provided to everyone in the airport. No separate lounge wifi was offered.
Let's just say that it was a terrible connection. I don't understand how a pay-per
use lounge doesn't have a separate wifi connection.
Overall, a decent place to kill 2 hours, but I wouldn't use it again.
As always, each trip brings more adventures and observations.
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