That’s ridiculous. I look forward to the service that jumps you to the front of the CLEAR line.
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That’s preclear.
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Ice cold take: pre check should be free and there should not be alternative lines for pre, clear or first class passengers.
Author’s note: flew a decent amount each year pre COVID (although definitely not business bro miles) and things are picking up again fwiw
If you’re paying for PreCheck, then what you should really do is get Global Entry, since it’s basically the same cost and includes PreCheck.
I agree, but it seems people love buying their way ahead of the hoi polloi.
dude seatac has reservations for security, if you’re ever standing in line at SEA you done fucked up
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clear doesn’t have an alternate line, it’s a paid line jump and you go through the normal security checkpoint (precheck or standard) that you would have used without it.
the biometrics piece of it is a total gimmick, it’s 100% just paying to cut the line.
I agree with you in general, you shouldn’t be able to just pay for VIP security or whatever. I am sort of ambivalent on precheck, on the one hand it makes sense to evaluate people in advance for risk profiles but on the other the “extra” security is basically a joke and if everyone were subject to the same process there would be more pressure to improve it.
Pretty sure if I was considering becoming a suicide hijacker, I would sign up for pre-check. Would want to assure that on my last day on Earth I had time to cage a couple of cocktails at the Centurion Lounge.
The Clear business is an unambiguous outrage. I would like to sell priority access to the Clear line - how do I get that gig?
God damn, how have I not known about this? Thanks!
On the one hand, yes. On the other, that interview is a pain in the ass.
IME the most PITA thing about the interview is just getting it scheduled in a convenient location. But maybe that’s what you meant.
Yeah, that’s exactly what I meant.
Didn’t pin you as a Scientologist.
Seems that entering America requires both vaccination and a negative COVID test within 72 hours of departure citizen or not.
Basically gonna be locking myself down in December. Hard to have a worse Christmas experience than to be vaccinated and get COVID-19 just before flying to see my family the one time a year I get to see them.
@Fossilkid93 , more info on Guanajuato. Considering going there late next year, maybe during Christmas.
Is it fly into Leon and grab a bus to Guanajuato? What should we do in Guanajuato besides the museum? I’m intrigued looking at pictures of the city. Looks extremely walkable. Suggestions on where to stay? We’ll have a 9 year old, and we might be going with 2 other families that will have a 4, 11, and 14 year old.
Yes, you’ll have to fly into León and take a bus.
You’ll see when you arrive, but the city is really compact and picturesque.
As you can see, most everything to see is located very centrally. The museum is very slightly outside the center, and you might also consider visiting the Museo Ex Hacienda (in the bottom left of the map). It’s just a short taxi and it was one of the highlights for us.
As for stuff to do in the center.
-Definitely take the funicular up the hill, get off and go to the El Pípila monument. You’ll be able to take in the whole city and get postcard views.
-Next to the funicular is their theater, which is also gorgeous. We did a tour of the theater and it was fairly worthwhile.
-Walk up the stairs of their university, another gorgeous building.
-Park yourself in one of the central plazas and enjoy the atmosphere, often there’s music or mariachis playing. Also a great place to plop down in a cafe or restaurant, there will be many in the plaza.
-There’s something called the “callejón del beso” (alleyway of the kiss). It’s quite touristy but the Missus will probably eat it up. Have your pic taken while kissing and you’ll supposedly have 7 years of great luck in your relationship (so far it’s served me well). You can also each go up to your own individual balcony and lean out across the balconies for a kiss.
-This is more an adults only thing, but if you’ll have any time one evening, definitely do a callejoneada. Basically a handful of guides will lead a group around the city, singing, dancing, and drinking beer. It was incredibly fun for my gf and I, but my Spanish was pretty solid, so the experience is probably lessened without, but it would still be quite fun.
This was all pre-covid, so not sure what will be open. Also didn’t have kids so not sure which of these will be best for them (they’ll likely love the mummies though).
Awesome, thanks! After thinking about it, I’m lobbying to go during Dia de los Muertos. I think the kids would dig that.
Looks like a great city, and cheap, too. Looks like 3 and 4 bedroom Airbnbs for a week run about $1700.
ETA: reading that the murder rate is high in that part of Mexico, but may be limited to rural areas. I’m assuming the city is pretty safe?
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Día de Muertos would be pretty great and very interesting for the kids.
Yah, most cities in general are quite cheap except Cabo San Lucas, Cancún, the super rich parts of Mex City and Monterrey, and a handful of others.
Re: safety, yah it will be fine in the main cities, the surrounding tourist sites, and the highways in between those places. Obviously don’t go venturing too far off into unknown areas. Acapulco and Los Cabos are supposedly super high in murder rates now and I spent a couple weeks in both and you won’t really notice any danger in the parts where you’re gonna be hanging out.
I’ve spent 3 years in Mexico, and been to half the states and never really felt unsafe or uneasy once. Just stick to known areas and don’t flaunt your wealth and likely you’ll be perfectly fine.
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Any suggestions for finding good tour guides in Europe? Google searches just yield endless ads. Impossible to find any authentic seeming recommendations.
Is there something in particular you feel you need a tour guide for? My folks hired one for a day in Rome, and she was informative and helpful for getting around the Vatican, but that’s about the only time I’ve ever used one. Audioguides are pretty ubiquitous at major sites, and they generally do a good job. For getting around town and finding major sites, we usually had that planned out in advance. I guess I’m taking for granted that with T-Mobile you get free internet overseas, though, so maybe you’re not counting on having a GPS and mapping magic box in your pocket all the time?
I just read an israeli food blogger that spent a weekend in Budapest. Lol at how cheap the food is (including michelin star restaurants)