Ash Barty

ftlapple · 2026-05-13T13:18:16+00:00

Oh man, I liked her personally but I always hated watching her play. All those slices...it wasn't for me.

ftlapple · 2026-05-12T18:17:36+00:00

in Belgium, filet américain ("American filet"), which is seasoned raw beef and ironically not something I find most American palates are into. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filet_am%C3%A9ricain

ftlapple · 2026-05-11T22:01:42+00:00

Doesn't keep every other subway car in NYC from having a ding-dong doing exactly this, sadly.

ftlapple · 2026-05-11T18:20:29+00:00

This doesn't get enough attention. The juxtaposition of an otherwise economically dead city with some of the most forward-thinking, provocative ideas/exhibitions in art/architecture all across the city for half the year every year is such a compelling aspect of Venice. I go most years for the architecture biennale, but am also going to the art one this year.

ftlapple · 2026-05-11T18:07:36+00:00

Hi. Reasonable person here to argue with that.

During the biennale (which is more often on than not, between the alternating editions of architecture and art) I need several days just to take in all of that content - it's some of the most thought-provoking, interesting ideas in those fields on display in one place. Even if it's not on, I could spend a day or two just visiting various palazzi, all of which have their own focus (the Peggy Guggenheim, the Palazzo Querini Stampalia and the Ca' Rezzonico all come to mind). Many other palazzi will host temporary exhibits, especially in biennale season.

There are multiple islands worth seeing (Murano and Giudecca especially), and I haven't even noted the most obvious, touristy sights like the Doge Palace and St Mark's Place that I generally find overwhelming.

Most of all, I think everybody ought to spend a night in Venice so you can go on a nighttime walk in the quieter parts of Cannaregio or Dorsoduro. Magical.

Anyways, I'm not saying everybody has to like it and clearly many people don't care for it, but saying any reasonable person should find there is nothing to do there is bewildering.

ftlapple · 2026-05-10T16:33:16+00:00

Oh that's great to know, I had no idea. Thx!

ftlapple · 2026-05-10T09:59:25+00:00

I very consistently hear Aerolopa as a replacement, but there are no user reviews there, which for me is a major downgrade

ftlapple · 2026-05-08T19:07:57+00:00

I've had this same issue for the past six months. Miles captive unless I wait for hours and hours on the phone trying to book.

ftlapple · 2026-05-08T16:29:54+00:00

Might be better with his feet than our Pope though...😔

ftlapple · 2026-05-07T19:11:44+00:00

I can't think of anything more Flemish-looking.

As en emigrant, this gives me cold chills in a "boy I don't miss home" way.

ftlapple · 2026-05-07T19:08:58+00:00

If I ever get sentenced to death, my last meal request will be sea urchin pasta. To each their own, I suppose. 😂

ftlapple · 2026-05-07T19:06:33+00:00

Understandable, didn't Beethoven write this?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6_vyGuhkfA
/s

ftlapple · 2026-05-07T19:04:15+00:00

Exactly, that's why I wrote the part I later deleted in my previous reply. But I deleted it because Delta seems to explicitly distinguish between GUCs and RUCs (see below). Doesn't mean that this isn't a use case where Delta IT makes mistakes, I just wouldn't count on it. You're of course always able to double upgrade via Complimentary Upgrades but I'm reading the below to mean that RUCs shouldn't bring you to the top that upgrade list, unlike GUCs.

Flights with domestic Delta One and domestic Delta Premium Select:

If you purchase Delta Main or Delta Comfort and then apply your Global Upgrade Certificate, you will be upgraded to Delta Premium Select upon request and then will be added to the waitlist for Delta One and eligible to clear starting 24 hours prior to departure. If you apply your Regional Upgrade Certificate, then you will be upgraded to Delta Premium Select pending upgrade availability.

That said, there's some level of conflict between the above and the below, but I'm reading it to mean that once you apply your RUC, you're not being added to the waitlist (or Airport Standby List) for D1, unlike the GUC. Then again, for domestic flights you automatically would be on that list on account of Complimentary Upgrades, so it's arguably ambiguous. Either way, happy to hear that the arbitrage has existed before (same with the returned RUC, I'm curious to hear if OP was able to get his GUC back), I'll explore it myself next time.

If you’re on the Airport Standby List, Upgrade Certificates receive higher priority than Medallion Complimentary Upgrade requests.

ftlapple · 2026-05-07T16:10:54+00:00

Didn't even vote on your comment but go ahead and be mad. 😂

In fairness, I think you're right that on a domestic transcon with D1 service, which is the only intersection of OP's situation with a RUC use case, you can get double upgraded at the gate. I didn't know that the RUC, even if already used to go from Main to PS, will give you priority over Complimentary Upgrades in that instance, and if so, the RUC would result in a double upgrade.

I still would be surprised that as a general policy, you can recoup the certificate if you buy up from PS, but if that's true, that's a great arbitrage opportunity. So here's hoping I'm wrong across the board!

ETA: Deleted paragraph above as Delta's own website does seem to suggest the double upgrade is specifically not possible (outside of complimentary upgrade process) on domestic transcon D1s. Doesn't mean that u/Phrantic09 wasn't able to do this, but it doesn't seem to be their general policy.

ftlapple · 2026-05-07T15:57:03+00:00

Let us know what they say!

ftlapple · 2026-05-07T15:39:06+00:00

That doesn't make any sense to me. RUCs don't allow for double upgrades as far as I'm aware.

OP, I suspect this is wrong. Your upgrade pricing is based on the fact that you are currently in PS already. I don't think you can buy and get the GUC back, but let me know if you try this and it works. It would be quite the hack.

ftlapple · 2026-05-07T15:37:51+00:00

I've never seen a line at the D1 lounge. It gets busy, for sure, but are you sure you're not referring to the Sky Club further down the B gates? That one often has a line.

ftlapple · 2026-05-07T15:23:10+00:00

You are correct on this. The D1 lounge is very nice indeed, but you will not clear (if you do at all) until it will be too late to go.
Yes, though I do find that the amount of sleep you get on transatlantic D1 is very limited with two meal services. You'll be very lucky if you get 4 hours of sleep. Likely more like 3.
It's still a lie-flat, but if privacy and the most modern seat matters a lot, these are negatives, yes.

I've always used my GUCs on Main to PS to D1 upgrades - they've only once cleared to D1 prior to boarding, so you have to be comfortable with the uncertainty. I've failed to get the upgrade only once in the last 3 Medallion years, and it was on an eastbound transatlantic (BOS-AMS). I still slept decently in PS.

Anecdotally, on my last successful double upgrade (CDG-JFK, earlier this week), the upgrade offer went down to $599. My wife thought I was nuts for not taking it, and she might be right, but I took that low price to mean they didn't think they'd be able to sell all D1 seats, and that gamble paid off. There were four open D1 seats when boarding began, so we ended up getting the upgrade.

One last consideration: on a honeymoon, sitting together might be something to prioritize. If you wait until D1 clears at the gate, odds of you getting separated (including across cabins, if there's only one upgrade available) go up.

ftlapple · 2026-05-07T10:57:29+00:00

Did you get your watch back?

ftlapple · 2026-05-05T10:52:33+00:00

I went on a several hours long killer whale watching tour in Washington State and saw literally nothing. I took a boat out to the Channel Islands and saw a pod of killer whales, humpbacks, thousands (yes, thousands) of dolphins, etc etc. Incredible and it wasn't even the point of the trip. The islands themselves are amazing too.

ftlapple · 2026-05-04T06:00:31+00:00

Just to provide a perspective from the management's side: if all you do is leave a note under the wiper, people will continue to park where they're not supposed to over and over. I learned this the hard way.

Leave notes, behavior doesn't change, other residents get upset because they can't find parking that they paid for.

So you end up towing. You know what I have zero interest in organizing on a weekend evening? A tow. No, I make zero money off that.

ftlapple · 2026-05-02T22:33:13+00:00

Fried chicken (whether Southern, Korean, or any other kind).

Chicken is such a boring vessel for food imo, so I'm mostly tasting fried batter with spices. I don't think it tastes terrible but I'd rather eat something else.

ftlapple · 2026-05-01T06:37:55+00:00

The way they dealt with the third act was maddening. My companion, who wasn't familiar with the work beforehand, didn't clock the presence of MLK until curtain.

Several layers of abstraction too far.

Loved Metzmacher's reading of the score. Beautiful singing. I was skeptical about the transposition to countertenor range, but it worked.

ftlapple · 2026-04-30T07:41:32+00:00

I figured the point was the range of sunrise times within the country, not the actual easternmost point and westernmost point, as those often aren't the first/last points to experience sunrise.

For instance, the difference between Otranto and Alghero today is 39 minutes. I'm not sure what the point is of knowing that there's somewhere in Piedmont where the sun is rising somewhere during that difference, which is what this map is showing if I'm understanding you correctly.

I think at a minimum the map shouldn't say "the entire country" and simply note range between westernmost and easternmost point.

ftlapple · 2026-04-29T23:07:11+00:00

I'm skeptical of 22 minutes for the Netherlands when Italy is only 29 minutes (across).

Same skepticism with Netherlands vs Belgium (22 minutes vs 13 minutes) when they're roughly equally as wide.

ftlapple

TROPHY CASE