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#237121 by BransonDisciple
30 Jul 2005, 20:01
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Hello, my name is BransonDisciple (Hi, BransonDisciple!), and I'm an Upper Class-a-holic.

This is my first travel report. Be gentle, dear reader.

I arrived at SFO from SEA, via Alaska Airlines, much delayed by weather and a somewhat alarming go-around. Against all odds, this succession of vexations ended up working in my favour, since the VS positions on row 6 of the international terminal's flexible check-in desks was just firing up its old Vickers engines because only the Economy queue was manned, and it was already long enough to dismay.

I took my place at the front of the Upper Class carpet and was immediately addressed by the lady behind the desk.

'Are you Upper Class?' she asked.

'Indeed I am,' I said, feeling all Eton College. I was slightly offended by the question since the airport was kind enough to ensure that signage indicated clearly that this was UC territory and, yes, oddly enough, I do read English.

The lady then indicated that I should move to the sinuation that was the Y queue. I took one more look and said, 'No thanks, I'll go check out the Museum Shop.' And I did .

Returning about 10 minutes later, I discovered the great and good's line was finally open for business. The bloke manning the security-question desk was a kind gent from northwest England who impressed me with his grasp of gentle surrealism. Having convinced this fine fellow that I was not a threat, but merely a revenue generator, it was on to the lady behind the check-in counter, and she was flawlessly polite. Nonetheless, I had to chuckle when I asked her if plane had V:Port and the lady answered, 'No, it's V-HOT.'

I suppose you have to be crippingly geeky to find that funny, but it gave me the fits.

Having been Issued my Clubhouse invitation, I made way for it. I arrived in the the SFO CH as their first customer of the day and had the honor to meet and greet the estimable Claire by name, before she'd had a chance to greet me. I told her I was a V-Flyer and that she was our Betty Grable -- she was so sweet and thankful for the fact that passengers truly valued her contribution to their journeys. What a wonderful soul!

I settled down in one of the Jacobsen 'Egg' chairs and tracked aircraft on the sunny tarmac -- the to and fro of the planes is as captivating to me as it was when I was a young boy. Give me airliner taxiways or railroad switchyards to observe any day! I was cordially served a glass of bubbly.

Champagne was served with a small bowl of salted peanuts.

The menu in the SFO CH was:

LIGHTER BITES
* Lamb kebabs with orzo pasta and mint dressing
* Soup of the day with fresh bread

BIGGER BITES
* Flying club sandwich (roast chicken, bacon, lettuce, tomato w/ roasted herb potatoes

* Warm thai beef salad with nam prik sauce

* Tomato napoleon with grilled bread, crumbled goat's cheese and sherry vinaigrette

NAUGHTY BUT NICE
* Warm peach cobbler w/ vanilla bean ice cream

* Seasonal berries w/ creme fraiche

* Selection of international cheeses with accopaniments

As I planned to have dinner aboard, but had not yet had lunch, I went for the lamb kebabs. I reckoned this was a fair compromise betwixt hunger and holiday gluttony -- I am trying not to gain 20 pounds before I arrive at LHR, after all!

The lamb was excellent in flavor and presentation, and I am not a pushover when it comes to food. I had reservations to dine at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay during this trip, after all, and I had a keen eye to the victuals given all the right kerfuffle over them on in other TRs. But certainly for an airline lounge, and even a neighbourhood's finer restaurant, they were really special.

The general condition of the CH was excellent...carpet, walls, furniture all looking spotless and the bathrooms were as new. Interesting comparison to what some of you all have written with regard to the LHR CH, which they seem to be letting go until they open the new facility. Suffice it to say, there are no moldy grouts in the tile at this facility.

From what I can tell, the overall vibe in the SFO CH is completely upbeat, and not even the slightest signs of flagging morale or loss of focus on customer service are in evidence.

I did not notice our aircraft arrive, even though I was trying to maintain a focus on taxiway and lamb kebab, but at 2:55pm the announcement was made that the day's British papers had arrived. I chose the Daily Mail because a) it promised the best footy coverage of the lot and, b) it had a promisingly catty snap of the HRH The Duchess of Cornwall wearing a most ferocious hat.

I did not have time to find out why Steven Gerrard rates Rafa, at the penultimate moment in the article dear Claire called boarding for VS 20 spot on time, so I gathered my carry-on bag and effected the short walk to gate A8, taking time to get a snap of V-HOT at the gate. Fast Track security was closed and the main security section had only one line open (!!!). On top of that, an older lady in a wheelchair took some time to get thru the scanners which was, one must emphasize, no fault of hers.

In marked contrast to our Keystone Cops at security, Virgin's priority boarding scheme worked like a charm and it was no time before I was up to my 4K aerie. I encountered plenty of smiles and warm welcomes from the crew on the way to my seat and, once ensconced therein, was greeted by (mispronounced) name and asked if I wanted a sleep suit (yes) and a drink (oh you bet! Buck's fizz, please!).

My suite looked to be in very fine shape...no dings, scratches or broken bits.

Like a dark storm cloud on the horizon, I noted the presence of a 6-year-old across the aisle, his mum next to me in 3K. He seemed besotted by Gameboy, so hopefully he'd cause no worries!

Already feeling a bit peckish, I perused the menu:

STARTERS:
* Chicken caesar
* Tomato bisque

MAINS:
* Pan-seared duck
* Beef steak wiff potatoes
* Mushroom Wellington

CHEESES:
* Buttermilk bleu
* Camembert
* Double diamond cheddar

SWEETS:
* Wild berries in puff pastry
* Ice cream with chocolate sauce

SMALLER BITES:
* Panini wiff prosciutto
* Herb veggie slices with cream cheese in pomodoro sauce
* Potato gnocchi in basil cream sauce wiff sundried tomatoes

BREKKIE:
* Cereals
* Bagels/croissants/pastries
* Fruit
* Scrambled eggs with chives and bacon with potato rosti
* Bacon rolls with brown sauce or ketchup

Alas, no bangers and mint pea mash [:(]

The funny cartoon safety film played -- I love the black hipster guy with the bling necklace.

We took off at 4:42pm against a scheduled departure of 4:30pm on a clear, beautiful day. The bay and city arrayed themselves alluringly below. We reached 10k feet in no time, and IFE system (V:Port) was started approximately 17 minutes after wheels up (including the ads and newsreel which had a good story about
Mercury Prize candidates and most importantly they showed a Ruud van Nistelrooy hat trick! [:)].

The flight appeared full indeed after a brief walkabout...no empty seats in UC on top and below, and PE was full, too. Good for VS -- I like to see them making money so cost-cutting doesn't pressure reductions in the UC experience.

Eighteen minutes after wheels up, one of the FAs came 'round asking for drinks orders and, having had enough Champagne, I opted for a vodka and cran...in this case the brand being served was 'Fallen Vodka' (named after my soul, no doubt) and it was delicious and while in all honesty a month-old potato fermented in Moscow tap water would have probably satisfied, they offered better and I accepted it. :-).

I eavesdropped as the FA asked other UC pax if they had travelled in the suite before and I seemed to be the only one in the upper deck who had, so more good news for VS in the form of increased market share at the high end. IFBT (who was drop-dead gorgeous!) passed out amenity kits at wheels up (WU) + 22. I got the keychain so I can only hope to get the cufflinks (which I really want, having several Ozwald Boateng French-cuff shirts) on the way back.

At WU+30 FA presented crisps and olives...I took the olives. For dinner I had the tomato bisque to start and the roasted veggie slices, keeping weight gain in mind! I have lost 25 pounds and three pants sizes before this trip and don't aim to gain it back [:)]

On the down side, fully an hour into the flight V:Port had not started...very lame. It finally began at WU+75. Luckily I had a book (Truman by David Mccullough) to keep me entertained.

Waiting for dinner to be served, I ordered the Malbec on offer as I thought it's spice would make a nice pairing to the tomato bisque and pomodoro sauce on the veg. Before the meal was served I was presented with a selection breads: garlic, wheat and multi-seed ( I had the latter and it was quite good.). The soup was rich, delicious and served hotter than Kylie. However, the exceptionally long interval
betwixt the serving of starter and main left me deciding to cancel my main and go straight to bed...blessed Ambien, take me away. But the main arrived just in the nick of time...I had a bit but really wanted some kip so sent it back and, frankly, it only tasted 'OK.'

The little runt across from me was running around and yelling to his mom across the aisle during dinner and I was resolved to raise an objection if he caused trouble whilst I tried to sleep...

But, glory be, the tearaway was relatively quiet and I got a good 6 hour kip! I woke myself just before the FA was going to wake me anyway with my brekkie: they were out of Weetabix (the nerve!), so I fell off the diet wagon and had the bacon roll with HP sauce and a cuppa with milk. The roll was a bit too much more bread than bacon, but the taste of HP, the cuppa and the sight of Blighty's shores out the window nearly made it the best meal of the past few months [:)].

I made a note of films to watch on the way home: Downfall and It's all Gone Pete Tong. I very much enjoyed listening to KT Tunstall's 'Eye to the Telescope' during our final hour in the sky...normally I would have listened to the chill zone station, but having heard her single 'Other Side of the World' on Virgin radio via iTunes radio, I wanted a go at the whole record and I was well-rewarded as it was perfect music for gathering one's wits with nary a bleep nor blip to be heard! FAs came through with immigration forms and I handed in my last few dollar bills for the childrens' charity appeal -- hard for me to sit in winged luxury while kids are living as orphans due to
AIDS, war, etc., and do nothing.

There was no Carlos on offer [:(] I really like that magazine, so it was missed and I shall reduce my inflight entertainment rating for that fact and the fact that the IFE did not start for so long after the flight began.

A slight air traffic delay still had us on the ground with an uneventful landing (don't know which runway, but I am quite certain it was a runway as the wings hit no post boxes or parked cars) -- we were a full 20 minutes early at 10:12am, which was very welcome...all the faster to that hot shower in Revivals and a chance to catch up on footy news over yet another cuppa, but hopes were somewhat dashed due to fact our gate was occupied for a few minutes and we had to sit still. Got a brilliant view of the new Wembley on the approach -- GO ENGLAND!

V-FAB Birthday Girl was towed on a taxiway right next to us as we went to gate. I also caught glimpses of V-SEA, V-XLG and V-BIG at their respective stands.

Unfortunately, there was one last unpleasant surprise -- after the usual London marathon from gate to (empty) Fast Track line, I got to Revivals to find out they had no hot water and that it had been this way for TWO WEEKS? Intrepid V-Flyers, where was the warning? The lady at the desk blamed it on BAA doing work on the pipes.

Well, here's your warning, friends -- better inquire ahead if Revivals has their hot water sorted. This is too bad because it seems that both the CH and Revivals are offering a sub-standard experience at this point. [:(]

Nonetheless, like a good squaddy, I took my 'lukewarm' shower and was certainly revived! I then had a cuppa and repaired to the front sitting room where I caught up on why Jude and Sadie should reunite in the Daily Mail. Then I bid farewell to the apologetic Revivals team and made my way to HEX for the trip into London and the adventures awaiting me there. All in all, a trip made above average by the wonderful UCS and some friendly service, particularly in the SFO CH.

Thus endeth the TR. [:D]

{preiffer - edited to change flight no. from 19 to 20}
#306484 by mitchja
30 Jul 2005, 20:44
[y] [y]

Excellent first TR thanks BransonDisciple [:)] A very enjoyable read.

Regards
#306485 by preiffer
30 Jul 2005, 20:46
Great TR, BransonDisciple [y][:D].

I see you met Alan @ SFO - Any football updates from him [;)]. (He's a great guy)
#306491 by BlackCat
30 Jul 2005, 21:55
Excellent trip report. But I cannot believe that Revivals is still without hot water... [:(!]

BC
#306494 by slinky09
30 Jul 2005, 23:33
Very entertaining TR with a sly and comic twist that I like. Good to hear of lots of new customers too. Enjoy the return!
#306496 by honey lamb
30 Jul 2005, 23:59
Loved it! I look forward to the return - there is a return isn't there?
#306503 by DavidM
31 Jul 2005, 00:22
Great TR, BD - thanks [:D]

Now what in God's name is 'Nam Prik' sauce?

Best wishes

David
#306516 by Dave Adkins
31 Jul 2005, 08:30
Great TR, makes me want to see the SFO clubhouse with all these good reports it keeps getting. Have a great trip and I hope the return is as good if not better.
#306523 by JAT74L
31 Jul 2005, 11:51
'"Top hole' TR. Most enjoyable!

Regards

john"
#306527 by mungo
31 Jul 2005, 12:28
Hi
Send me your address and I will send some cufflinks. Have plenty, dont need them.
#306529 by seany
31 Jul 2005, 12:36
Great detailed TR BD [y], thanks.

Regards
#306576 by BransonDisciple
31 Jul 2005, 20:34
Originally posted by DavidM

Now what in God's name is 'Nam Prik' sauce?



I don't know, but since I don't know Nam at all, I certainly wasn't going to order this dish!

BD
#306577 by BransonDisciple
31 Jul 2005, 20:35
Originally posted by mungo

Send me your address and I will send some cufflinks. Have plenty, dont need them.


That is very kind but of course the first thing I did when I got home was buy a pair off e-Bay so now I'm sorted. Nonetheless, a very kind offer. Thanks!

BD
#306655 by ChuckC
01 Aug 2005, 15:45
BD,
As is my habit I read your TRs in the reverse order. Loved both!

Regards,
Chuck-
#306695 by buns
01 Aug 2005, 22:35
Branson

a truly excellent TR [y][y] - your writing style had me captivated from the outset[:D]

I am glad the nearby young travelling companion did not interupt your 6 hour sleep (aren't those suites wonderful[;)])

Looking forward to reading your return TR

all the best

buns
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