Los Angeles (Episode 1)

Yesterday, I flew Frontier Airlines, leaving Washington at about 6 p.m., stopping in Denver, and arriving LAX at about 10:30. Highlights follow:

1. The drive to the airport was very pretty, over Memorial Bridge and down the parkway. I found a parking space not far from the 'moveable sidewalk', so figured everything would be smooth. Until I found that the escalator up to the ticketing was broken. There may be other escalators, and there probably are elevators, but they were not apparent, so I joined a group carrying our heavy baggage up 36 steps. And when you get to the top, although most airlines are alphabetical south to north, Frontier is at Continental, so I walked most of the airport before I found someone who could tell me anything. But there was no line, and they actually put your bag on a conveyor belt, rather than make you go to a CAT scanner.



2. You would think that on a four hour flight that starts at 6 in the evening, food would be served. Wrong. So, not being hungry, but knowing that I had to eat I wound up at the Federal Tavern (it was that or Wall Street Deli or something called Maui Taco) at the gates in the Delta/Frontier side of Terminal B, where I had my second chicken caesar salad of the day, and ate half of it. It was like it came from the greater Washington DC caesar salad central kitchen, as did my lunch salad at the Fourth Estate. On the plane, I got my choice of 'potato skins' or a Mrs. Fields chocolate chip cookie. Four hours.



3. But Frontier does have individual TV screens. Normally, to access the 24 channels you need to pay $5, but because we were 15 minutes late in taking off, we got it free, which gave me a chance to watch the Duke women's basketball team (18-0) beat Tennessee (18-0) on Big Monday. Duke ended Tennessee's 40 game streak with a victory of thirty points or so, and I have to say they were extraordinary. Tennessee's Pat Summit took it very well.



4. I also read, Nicole Krause's first book, whose name is something like "A Man Walked in the Door" (after all, it's since yesterday), which was very good, although not extraordinary like her "History of Love". But very good. Written about 3 years ago, it is a study of memory and its relationship to both self-identity, and the identity of the memory challenged individual in the eyes of others. The hero (of sorts) is a young (36, although Krause seems to think that elderly) English professor who has a benign brain tumor that causes him to lose the last 24 years memory.



5. During my 30 minutes at the Denver airport, I realized it was time for another bad dinner, and got a low-carb tuna flatbread sandwich at Quizmo's. It was next to my gate. I had been to one other Quizmo's. If there was any such thing as food police, Quizmo's would be in jail. From Denver to LA, no potato skins or cookies. The choice was dorritos or sun chips, and tv was not free.



6. Arrived 15 minutes early in L.A. Baggage was there. Cab ride was quick. Hotel was right where it should be.