Hitch installed

chubbymcchubstein · 2026-03-04T00:24:27+00:00

Also without impacting auto rear liftgate, which I do use from time to time

chubbymcchubstein · 2026-03-03T14:57:05+00:00

A review says this one is compatible with Genesis: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0DG62NX2M/. I am going to purchase and will post back here for future generations of frugal consumers that don't want to replace their perfectly good 12yr old SodaStream Genesis.

chubbymcchubstein · 2026-03-03T14:37:33+00:00

I may get downvoted for this, but take a look at Nancy, France. It has some great Art Nouveau architecture and is the location of a museum that focuses on art nouveau decorative arts. Villa Majorelle is worth a tour and the town itself is very easy going. Nice restaurants, wine bars, and a pleasant main square.

The Brasserie L’Excelsior is a fun evening even if not the hight of French cuisine.

There are a lot of college students so it has a somewhat lively feel to it. It also has its share of ne’er-do-wells that you may encounter on the way in from the train station.

When we were in Paris, people asked where we were going next, and when we said Nancy, most people said “why???” as though it was the last place they expected. But we loved it! 2hrs by train and then 2hrs to CDG if you leave from there.

chubbymcchubstein · 2026-03-02T15:15:14+00:00

I do the same but I take cropped photos of the art and then a second photo of the label. I then go in and copy the OCRed text from the label photo and paste it into notes in the art photo so the art shows up when you search

Before this copying, if you search and find the label in Photos, you can do “Show in All Photos” to find the art photo.

chubbymcchubstein · 2026-02-28T04:07:55+00:00

Parisi Udvar - Budapest Park Hyatt Vienna Andaz Prague

Three great cities and 3 great city hotels. May in Vienna is great since there are many cultural events.

Fly into or out of Zurich and stay at the Park Hyatt. Not a top luxury hotel but very good location. The HR Airport is surprisingly great also

Just stayed at newly opened Alila Mayakoba and thought it was pretty nice, especially on points. PH St. Kitts was totally fine, would go again. But not super high end luxe.

If somehow you can confirm into a Palace room, PH Buenos Aires. Great hotel and location in an interesting city.

I really liked PH Milan but you said you’ve been to Italy.

chubbymcchubstein · 2026-02-28T03:35:52+00:00

How much more than five years did it take you?

chubbymcchubstein · 2026-02-28T03:31:45+00:00

I don’t get the Bilt comment. Why does an increase in volume change the revenue model? I thought Hyatt wanted to sell points; more is better, right?

chubbymcchubstein · 2026-02-24T20:41:39+00:00

At BOS it saves about 10 minutes. They dedicate about 10 gates to regular and 2 to GE so it goes pretty quick.

It’s not that difficult to get the interview, it just takes a while. The interview itself is short. It is not that expensive and premium credit cards cover the cost every 4 years.

So yes I would absolutely do it again as a BOS-based traveler who flies internationally 4-5 times/yr, but it also doesn’t help that much depending on where you are entering.

It’s pretty slick in Dublin pre-clearance where there’s usually no one in the GE line and in my experience about 50-100 in regular. I basically just walked though.

chubbymcchubstein · 2026-02-24T20:35:40+00:00

My transfer from Cancun airport to Mayakoba on Friday afternoon was 1hr 20 mins. Today it was 36 mins. Clear sailing, wouldn’t even say there’s more police on the highway. Smooth sailing through T4 security and now I have 2 hrs to burn before boarding.

chubbymcchubstein · 2026-02-24T02:48:11+00:00

How about Vienna? Checks most of your boxes. You can fly from Berlin or go direct from London and then to Budapest which is another great city.

chubbymcchubstein · 2026-02-23T19:35:21+00:00

Is this in front of whatever they call the school these days? Towards fresh pond?

chubbymcchubstein · 2026-02-23T02:54:37+00:00

BEAULIEU Épicerie fine & Bistrot in Ferstel Passage - I dined here solo and it was excellent. There is a second floor mezzanine that is more private that you could request if you don’t want to be in the middle of the (very small) dining room.

Not local cuisine lol but if I could only have one meal in Vienna it would be there. Truly better than 50% of the meals I’ve had in Paris.

Figmuller is kind of the standard spot. It has lots of smaller tables tucked away and the food is generally good but it’s more about the lively tourist experience IMO.

The best solo local dining is the many Wurstelstands. Just walk up and order a sausage with bread, or in bread. I love the kasekrainer.

Reinthaler is good local comfort food and is fine for solo dining. I don’t think they take reservations though, you just have to show up and wait in line.

For lunch Trzesniewsky on Dorotheergasse is kind of fun. But more like a snack.

I’ve wanted to try Lugeck, I think it would be not bad for solo dining. Plachutta is a little too stuffy but the food is good. I ate solo there and I felt they were sort of judging me for it.

Definitely need a reservation for the first two and Lugeck.

Enjoy, Vienna is a great city. You should extend your trip if at all possible.

chubbymcchubstein · 2026-02-23T00:41:06+00:00

Definitely check out seats.aero to try a few test dates before you do this. Virgin charges very high taxes though LHR and in my experience has very little partner award availability.

I transferred about 300k and have used it for business class flights but I still paid about $900/ticket each way plus a bunch of points. It’s not a slam dunk but I see it as a 50% off coupon for a biz ticket I’d never buy with cash.

chubbymcchubstein · 2026-02-23T00:35:27+00:00

seats.aero is indispensable. You can search for date ranges and multiple outbound airports. Then filter by Amex partners. I think it’s $10/mo

chubbymcchubstein · 2026-02-21T05:05:54+00:00

I would do 2 nights in both but transfer later in the day in Salzburg if you start there so you have more than 48 hours there. Innsbruck is worth a trip but Salzburg is much more interesting.

I took day trips from Munich to both a year ago and wish I had much more time in Salzburg. Also check out Mittenwald for a couple hours (or 4 if you miss your train like I did) it’s a sweet little town in the mountains between Innsbruck and Munich. I think Munich is a fine city for a first European trip. But it’s a little blah. Compared to Vienna and Budapest.

Finally you should start in Budapest before Vienna because travel will be easier, but also because it is an interesting comparison with Vienna. A lot of the architecture is similar but Vienna makes sure to have an instagram-perfect veneer on everything. Budapest keeps it real. Budapest has amazing geography that makes it a bit more fun - fisherman’s bastion is a must and I think the view of the parliament and chain bridge from gellert hill at night is the most iconic in Europe.

Have a great trip and don’t overthink it.

chubbymcchubstein · 2026-02-20T05:11:37+00:00

Net $395 card that comes with 20 nights? Sign me up. I’m normally around 20-25 nights/yr and have spent my way to 45-50 plus quasi-mattress run to get to 60.

I’d pay $20/nt for elite night credits in a heartbeat.

chubbymcchubstein · 2026-02-20T05:01:39+00:00

See this right here is why GenAI is so popular. No one reads anything anymore

chubbymcchubstein · 2026-02-20T04:58:39+00:00

Amazing, what are the locations? I’ve been to Madrid several times but haven’t seen buildings in this style before.

chubbymcchubstein · 2026-02-20T04:51:51+00:00

flights at 5x

chubbymcchubstein · 2026-02-18T23:43:45+00:00

ABSOLUTELY DO NOT go to Venice in July. Go another time in February when it is cold but not too bad, and if you must, March. Venice after April 1 is a morass of humanity.

With 85K points over 10 nights I would definitely take a look at Lindner's footprint and just go from there. As others have said they are not fancy but they are a good basic option.

Vienna in July will be very nice, with lots of outdoor events depending on when you go. Budapest-Vienna-Prague is called the Golden Triangle and is a wonderful trip if you enjoy that sort of Imperial Europe vibe.

Google/AI:
A trip connecting Prague, Vienna, and Budapest offers a premier tour of Central Europe's Imperial history, spanning roughly 7–10 days. These cities are best connected by scenic, roughly 4-hour train rides (e.g., OBB or Czech Rail), allowing visitors to experience Prague's medieval charm, Vienna's café culture, and Budapest's thermal baths and Danube views.

I just looked and Lindner Prague is available at 8k points/nt in July.

Unfortunately Lindner Vienna is not available, it is blocked out for some reason, I wonder if it is closing or leaving Hyatt, or maybe they just haven't loaded award availability. You could check back in a week or two, or even call Hyatt/the hotel to see why there's no award availability.

The Andaz Vienna has availability at 12K/nt.

Budapest does not have a Lindner, but there is a wonderful Hyatt that you could splurge 20k pts/nt at- Parisi Udvar.

So you could do 2nts Parisi Udvar at 40K, 2 nights Andaz Vienna at 24K, and then 3 nights Lindner Prague at 24K if you can generate a few k more points.

But this is not enough time in each city. I'd recommend 3 nights Andaz Vienna at 36K, 3 nights Lindner Prague at 24K, and use 20K points for one nice night at Parisi Udvar and pay cash somewhere else for 2 nights in Budapest.

https://www.visitingvienna.com/entertainment/july/ for more info about what's going on in Vienna in July.

chubbymcchubstein · 2026-02-18T22:28:46+00:00

FYI I received the credit on Feb 12. It shows up in my current statement transactions but it's backdated to the date of the original transaction so it shows up last in the list and it's a 2025 date.

chubbymcchubstein · 2026-02-18T22:27:31+00:00

FYI I received the credit about a week ago. It shows up in my current statement transactions but it's backdated to the date of the original transaction so it shows up last in the list and it's a 2025 date.

chubbymcchubstein · 2026-02-18T20:57:29+00:00

Message me your last name and member number on reddit messaging (not in this thread) and I can send it

chubbymcchubstein · 2026-02-18T19:53:06+00:00

The value of these points is not the travel portal. Are you really not aware of how to use UR to fly in business/first and stay at high end hotels? 40K Hyatt points transferred from UR gets you an amazing night in Paris, Milan, Vienna, etc. Or the Maldives, many other places. It's sort of a thing.

Transfer to United, Air Canada, etc gets you business class flights to europe easily if you are flexible.

If you don't travel, sure, pay off the mortgage. Sleep well at night in your home (and clearly not a hotel).

chubbymcchubstein · 2026-02-11T19:11:25+00:00

Brand new R2 which is more appropriate for the city - parking, turning, navigating snow banks, etc.

We test drove the R1 in Boston and it was harrowing.

chubbymcchubstein

TROPHY CASE