So maybe taking the day flight from JFK wasn’t the best idea. We started well on Saturday, with an early Father’s Day dinner with Andrew, Emily, and the boys. The restaurant, Flex Mussels on the Upper East Side, was good but frenetic: the usual NY scene: too many tables, too many strollers, etc. To say nothing of the absurd prices.
We knew we were being gouged for a hotel at JFK, but the Marriott Courtyard was pretty dismal nonetheless. At least the shuttle ran on time.
Check in at Virgin Atlantic at 6 AM on Sunday morning seemed very easy…and it was until we made the hike to the Clear gate and were turned back because our TSA Pre status wasn’t marked on our boarding passes. Rather than brave the now very long lines at Virgin Atlantic, we used the Clear line without TSA, which worked out OK. The world certainly looked better with a good sized Peet’s C0ffee in hand.
The flight was actually very easy: it is a huge plane and the seats (and armrests) are pretty narrow, but the people on either side of us were nice and respectful of our space. And the food was actually OK: a nice English breakfast, and a mozzarella and tomato sandwich for lunch. Although we found it mildly annoying, the age of the entertainment system was actually hilarious. It still had bizarre iPod connectors and a touchscreen from hell.
Our luck seemed to continue when we landed: we flew through the border check and were looking for our driver within fifteen minute of landing. And looking…and looking…
After somewhat predictable communication problems (our English SIM cards needed new profiles; the BT pay phones were broken) and a very long wait, we found our driver–with the help of a very nice young man at the Checked Luggage counter, who let us use his cell–and checked into our hotel in Oxford about 10:30. The Cotswolds Lodge Hotel is old, but with lots of British character…and tiny rooms to match. No food was to be had, but they did have chips and nuts in the bar!
So that, ladies and gentlemen, concludes our coverage of traveling to the UK.