Got to fly Jet Blue for the first time out of Austin to Boston for  a recent East Coast swing.  I’ve always liked Southwest Airlines for domestic flights but I might have a new favorite airline.  Plenty of legroom, efficient check-in, assigned seats, DirectTV and satellite radio at every seat (it truly helps pass the time).  Heck even the snacks were decent (choice of 3-4 snacks instead of just peanuts).  If you have a chance to try them–Highly Recommended.

The highlight of this trip was getting to go to the 2006 US Open (Ticketcity got me hooked up).  The US Open is a quick subway trip from Midtown Manhattan (thanks to AMEX we got to stay 2 blocks from Broadway).  The Open is a blast.  Compared to going to a UT football game it is an intimate stage–only 23,000 in Arthur Ashe stadium, and the outside courts are like watching a match at a neigborhood tennis court (well OK the guys and gals playing there make the average club player look like they’re playing 1/2 speed).  You do run into major tennis stars on the grounds of the tennis center–Jimmy Connors was signing autographs and having his picture taken the day we went.  Cool trip and highly recommended if you’re a tennis fan.

Pictures are at:

http://www.tejasphotos.com/gallery2/v/eastcoast/usopen/

Pictures of the extended trip are at:

http://www.tejasphotos.com/gallery2/v/eastcoast/?g2_page=5

This was also the first trip that we used Priceline.  We sure lucked out.  Got 2 hotels that were $200 on Expedia/Travelocity for $99.  If you’re a geek and in Boston/Cambridge you need to try out Hotel MIT.  It basically is a Radisson hotel with geeky decorations like Robots in the lobby, circuit boards for lamps, pictures of famous scientists in the rooms.  The throw on the bed was filled with equations–been too long since engineering school I could only identify about half of them.