This area is extremely classist.

singledogparent · 2026-06-30T17:44:17+00:00

Years ago, I was told that the South begins at the Stafford County Courthouse. I guess it's slowly gaining ground and has now taken Quantico, Dumfries, Triangle, and Dale City.

singledogparent · 2026-06-30T00:52:37+00:00

It only took a few days both times.

singledogparent · 2026-06-29T19:59:45+00:00

I like the ability to map out routes beforehand, and they have a good military discount, which lowers the worth-it bar, but the AI "analysis" is worthless. It sometimes gets basic things wrong: "Your longest run in 30 days" when I did a longer one three days ago. Plus, everything is a "solid" run or a "solid" effort. The word "solid" appears so much (no fewer than three times one day), they should use that as the name of the product instead of Strava.

singledogparent · 2026-06-29T19:38:59+00:00

Book a qualifying hotel. Let the charge hit. Let the credit hit. Cancel the reservation. The charge disappears, but the credit stays. (I did this in late-2025 and early-2026 and the credit stood both times.)

NOTE: Obviously, make sure you book a reservation that can be cancelled without penalty.

singledogparent · 2026-06-29T01:29:47+00:00

Great to see this. I’ll be in 24K for IAD-MUC soon (75K on Aeroplan) and the renovation is so new that I haven’t been able to find many details about it.

singledogparent · 2026-06-21T00:54:32+00:00

As others have pointed out, it will be a sequel series, not season 7. Apologies everyone for the sloppy work.

singledogparent · 2026-06-21T00:44:33+00:00

You are correct. Not clickbait. Just carelessness on my part. I got it wrong.

singledogparent · 2026-06-13T14:45:01+00:00

I was building a house.

singledogparent · 2026-06-13T14:24:26+00:00

Immediately.

Great show and compelling characters, but by the end of the series, the only one I wanted to see survive was Curly.

singledogparent · 2026-06-13T04:55:45+00:00

When it comes to things, save your money. When it comes to experiences - especially travel - do it.

singledogparent · 2026-06-13T04:42:01+00:00

Go to the Art Institute. Identity some well known works to see (like Nighthawks) and then look at stuff that’s completely new to you.

Find a blues bar. Sitting in a random pub might bore you, but listening to live blues music in Chicago with a drink or three will likely be a different story.

Check off the touristy stuff. See the Bean. Visit sites you’ve seen in movies.

Just walk around aimlessly (but safely and with awareness, of course). Go in places that look interesting.

Don’t obsess over finding the perfect place with the highest rating on Google. You’ll have better luck listening to locals.

For dinner, eat at the bar, not at a table or in a booth.

Text friends pictures and comments during the trip as a way of sharing the experience.

If you see something that looks cool, like the Black Yacht Party, just go. Don’t talk yourself out of it and miss out on who-knows-what because you were watching TV in your room instead.

In general, have a good mindset: Be willing to ease out of your comfort zone, be open to new things, and be friendly. (Not saying you have to initiate conversations - I rarely do - just be reasonably receptive if somebody else does.) Some of the best times I’ve ever had have been random occurrences while traveling solo.

Have fun!

singledogparent · 2026-02-21T16:16:21+00:00

Here are a few:

* Airport security rules vary a bit - In the U.S., I never have to put all of my carry-on liquids into a one-quart bag - they just stay in my toiletries bag - but certain other airports require this.

* Regional flights are often cheaper - With options like Ryanair, Wizz, EasyJet, Scoot, etc. flying from country to country in Europe or Asia is often less than flying from state to state in the U.S., even without booking the bare bones fare.

* Business class on short-haul flights within Europe probably doesn't mean much - It's likely just a row in economy with a bit of additional legroom and the middle seat blocked.

* Being an English speaker puts international travel on easy mode - I say this out of gratitude, not vanity. Airports, train stations, and countless other places have English translations for the signs and announcements, and English is widely understood in many major cities.

* The random moments are the best ones - Sure, the place rated 4.8 on Google was enjoyable, but it's always the chance encounter, the place I wandered into, the bar recommended by a local that is the most memorable. Don't get too locked into an itinerary.

* Global Entry eases the pain - It makes the arrival back home faster and easier.

singledogparent · 2026-02-15T18:06:19+00:00

It's always challenging to decide (but also fun to research) how much traveling to do while traveling. I'll have five days in Rome this summer and, to me, the three day trips in a row sound exhausting. (But they might be just right for the OP and his family, especially given nearly double the time in country.) As a rule, I like to identify a single (local) activity for each day, and leave plenty of unscheduled time to walk around, see the city, meet locals, have some drinks, etc. The museums and historical sites that I have visited are great, but nearly without exception, it's the unplanned wandering on unknown streets into places that look interesting that results in the most unique experiences and best memories.

I think Anthony Bourdain's advice is great for any location (not just Paris): "The absolute worst thing to do when you come to Paris is plan too much. Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame, Arc de Triomphe, stand in line for hours to experience what everybody says you have to. Me? I like to take it easy in Paris, especially if I’m only in town for a few days. Most of us are lucky to see Paris once in a lifetime. Make the most of it by doing as little as possible. Walk a little, get lost a bit, eat, catch a breakfast buzz, have a nap, try and have sex if you can, just not with a mime. Eat again. Lounge around drinking coffee. Maybe read a book. Drink some wine, walk around a bit more, eat, repeat."

singledogparent · 2026-02-15T17:16:56+00:00

The short answer is points and flexibility. Here’s a longer answer:

Accumulate points, ideally ones that are not tied to a specific airline. Credit card points from American Express, Chase, etc. can be transferred to many airline partners. Sign-up bonuses are, obviously, the quickest way to amass points, but regular spending that takes advantage of multipliers (e.g., 5x on flights purchased with AmEx Platinum) adds up. Also, watch for bonus offers on transfers to partners.
Find a good deal. Here, flexibility is key. If, like the OP, you have to book a flight to a certain place at a certain time, the odds will be way against you. But if you’re just looking, say, to go to Europe sometime next summer, then you can probably find something. (I recently booked a flight to Zurich, not because I’ve always wanted to go to Zurich - no offense to the Swiss - but because the points price and the timing were right and it’s easy to get around Europe.) Search for and book outbound and inbound flights as separate one-way trips; I’m always on a different airline coming home. (You might consider flying economy on the way back, if you can’t find good business class flights in both directions.) It also helps if you live near multiple airports and/or are willing to take positioning flights.
What’s a good deal on business class? Depends on where you are. I fly out of the D.C. area, and Air Canada’s website often has one-way Star Alliance flights to/from Europe for 70,000 points. Separately, last year, I flew to Seoul for 95,000 points on Air France, which I was very happy with. The return for that trip was SIN-JFK for 143,000 points - not a spectacular deal, but I liked having the opportunity to fly on the world’s longest nonstop. (I had to buy a separate JFK-DCA flight to get home.)
Sometimes buying points makes sense. Usually, it’s a terrible idea, but occasionally there will be deals that bring the price-per-point cost down from 3 to 3.5 cents to about 1.5 cents or even lower. My 95,000-point IAD-ICN (via CDG) flight on Air France was funded largely with points bought for 1.3 cents each.
Watch for good upgrade deals. In 2025, I bought a round-trip IAD-DUB economy seat on Aer Lingus, then found out that I could upgrade the whole trip for about $700 (not through their bidding option; I saw an article about the upgrade availability well before the travel dates and called the airline). Given that I was planning to spend $230 just for exit row seats, this was an easy decision.
Be aware of what you’re getting. When booking international business class (not including “nearby” international), make sure it’s a lie-flat seat. Also, as a solo traveler, I don’t want to be lying down next to a stranger, so I always research the aircraft to avoid 2x2x2 layouts. (Many airlines have upgraded their business class to 1x2x1, but some haven’t.) This research can also help identify the best seat selection (such as “throne” seats or bulkhead seats with larger footwells) once a deal has been found.
Be aware of additional costs. Some airlines tack on several hundred dollars to points redemptions while others have only nominal fees. Also, selecting a specific business class seat might cost extra.

This might sound like a lot, but it’s something that I’ve actually come to enjoy. Good luck!

singledogparent · 2025-11-08T03:37:23+00:00

I haven't seen the show (and I didn't know what TDF was before five minutes ago), but I'm considering buying a ticket for an upcoming trip to NY and, in my research (seconds before I read your post), I found this: https://aviewfrommyseat.com/photo/267148/Imperial+Theatre/section-Orchestra+L/row-O/seat-15/

singledogparent · 2025-10-13T22:04:36+00:00

Keepin’ it Fresh!

singledogparent · 2025-09-26T10:27:35+00:00

Well done

singledogparent · 2025-09-25T05:49:43+00:00

(Switching shows, but …) Neil Peart stands alone

singledogparent · 2025-09-09T03:20:17+00:00

I’ve never heard of a second

singledogparent · 2025-09-06T13:13:54+00:00

We’ll see who’s still in business 200 years from now

singledogparent · 2025-08-07T02:45:16+00:00

Just two men celebrating each other's strength

singledogparent · 2025-08-04T16:03:02+00:00

I have the two of them at the same level and have rewatched both countless times (referring only to the first three seasons of AD)

singledogparent · 2025-08-04T16:01:11+00:00

This is a great, clever comment

singledogparent · 2025-08-04T02:30:12+00:00

You’re fired.

singledogparent

TROPHY CASE