Goodbye American

It's official. I am no longer an employee of the airline industry. My heart is very heavy, but the future looks bright. I gave more than four years to my lust for travel and I regret none of it. But it is now time to move forward and get serious about my career.

The Dominican Republic

Amsterdam

Las Vegas

Paris

There are many things that I will not miss, like delays that keep me at work until 2am, or people yelling at me for something that is out of my control, etc. But there are so many things that will make me wish I could stay, like the people I work with and of course the travel.

Rome

New Orleans

Monterrey

I started this blog because of my travels and I wanted one last post to commemorate the amazing adventures I've had thanks to this job. I've been to Hawaii 9 times, Las Vegas 7 times, California 6 times, Dallas twice, Florida twice, Washington, New Mexico, the East Coast, the South, the Caribbean, Europe and Japan. It's been a whirlwind but the best whirlwind of my life.

New York

Atlanta

Chicago

Thank you to all the cities that have hosted me and all the people I've met these past four years. I'll still travel, but not as often or as elaborate. I'll still dream of destinations, although they might just be dreams. But my new job will nurture and teach me and help me become who I want to be.

My last day at work with my Airline Family

Thanks again,

Carly

Hotlanta Part 2

Onto the main event. There is one reason I wanted to come to Atlanta. It wasn't the food, or the history or the architecture. It was the aquarium. The Georgia Aquarium is the largest in the world. I've been to a few aquariums in my day, but this one transported me back to childhood. Waves of excitement and awe washed over me like I was a six year old all over again. Things I never thought I would see in person were only a few feet from me. Magical. 

In the tube

Manta ray

Stay in school

Longnose sawshark

Whale shark

Divers with manta

Pardon our bubbles

This was by far the most hypnotizing part of the aquarium. The tube was amazing, seeing the gentle giants flying over you. But you really get the full scale of everything from the viewing window. Four whale sharks, four manta rays, different types of fish and sharks and other beautiful sea creatures. I could have stayed there for hours, and I think I did.

There were other exhibits that were more traditional for aquariums. Jellyfish, tropical fish, river fish, etc. I was pleased to take Bryan to his first dolphin show. No pictures of course, didn't want to spoil the magic, but Bryan's level of excitement was adorable. The child-like excitement that he expressed when we saw the trainers ride the dolphins, was priceless.

Belugas

I thought they were mushrooms

Penguin habitat

Penguin observation tube

Penguin selfie

That underbite tho

Three hours later... We got back to the hotel. A few blocks down, we found Fandangles. Elevated southern cooking is the way I would describe their food, and boy did it deliver.

Chive biscuits

Atlanta beer sampler

Fried green tomatoes 

Chicken pot pie

Braised beef short ribs

Sweet potato cheesecake

After dinner we called it quits. We had been up for about 16 hours on 4 hours of sleep, and we had a 5 am flight to catch. So our approximate 24 hours in Atlanta was a success. Many things done, many things seen and many things eaten. My work here is done. 

Home sweet Chicago 

This was possibly my last non rev trip in a while. I got some news that I was accepted at a new job. So for now I will be balancing two jobs in Illinois and will not have enough time for casual traveling.

It's been one crazy, wonderful, life-changing adventure and I would not trade it for the world. But it's time to buckle down and get to work. I will deeply miss the non rev life, but for now my relationship with air travel will be put on hold. It's been quite the ride and pleasure has been all mine.

-Akemi-chan

Hotlanta Part 1

I had a long weekend off and I wanted to make the most of it. It's Summer and I was craving a weekend away. Luckily flights seemed pretty open and we got seats to Montreal. Unluckily, the flight canceled and we went back home. Try again the next day, only this time we'd be heading south. Atlanta, here we come!

So tired

We landed at ATL at 230am local time. So we managed to get downtown and get a few hours of sleep before a full day the next morning. Starting bright and early with breakfast at Prime Meridian.

Peach and pecan waffles with bacon and orange juice

 Fried green tomato Eggs Benedict with hash

After a very filling breakfast we walked across the street to Centennial Olympic Park. Atlanta was the host of the 2008 Summer Olympics and the park commemorating that event was beautiful. On a nice sunny day, I couldn't find a better way to be outside.

Next to Centennial Park are some key attractions in downtown Atlanta. First up, World of Coca Cola. I've never been to the Vegas one, because there are so many other things to do in Vegas, and I'm not much of a soda drinker. But when in Atlanta, drink Coke. I probably had too much fun in the tasting room, thanks to all the sugar.

Cheers to the inventor of Coca Cola, Mr. Pemberton

Soda jerk

The original bottle at top, classic bottle at the bottom

Vintage fridges

Olympic torches

Vault of the secret formula

The tasting room, over 100 flavors from around the world

Flavors from Africa

Flavors from Asia

Classic Coke flavors

Souvenir bottle to-go

Koka-Kora

Polar bear hats

My new baby, drinking my Coke

After the World of Coca Cola, we walked down Peachtree Ave and came across White Oak Kitchen and Cocktails. It looked beautiful with a very modern and fun menu. Lunch was light, only two appetizers, but very flavorful and indulgent. 

Berry lemonade for me, Blue Sky cocktail for Bryan

Pork belly with Carolina Gold rice, corn, black eyed peas and mushrooms

Pork meatballs with collard green kimchi and blue cheese

Supreme Court passes marriage equality, btw

Next, the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. Although they were in refurbishment, it was very pretty. Maybe not worth what they charged for cover, but pretty enough. A part of me was getting tired and the humidity was starting not to agree with us, but the air conditioned Uber ride from downtown to the gardens got us in a better mood.

Canopy

Iron throne

My new bus stop buddy

Sitting on a swinging porch in the afternoon

Fiber-optic plastic bottle sculpture

Tropical conservatory

Only about half the day is done at this time, approximately 4pm. We were tired, but still on our Coke tasting room high. One more major stop to go, my prime reason for visiting Atlanta, coming up next.

-Akemi-chan