Flight Report – AC 1237 – RSW to YYZ

After five days on Captiva Island, it was time for me to head back home.  It was a gorgeous sunny day with balmy 24° C weather.  I wish I had a bit more time to enjoy the good weather, but I was okay not spending extra time on Captiva.  Since my flight wasn’t scheduled until 1:40pm EST, a few of my colleagues and I drove back together around mid-morning to make sure we got there in time for check-in.  During the hour-long drive, I tried to take in as much of the scenery as possible.  Captiva and Sanibel Islands are certainly interesting islands that are completely different from each other – Captiva being more of a sleepy retirement community while Sanibel being a busy beach destination for tourists.

Taking the Sanibel Causeway back to the Florida Mainland

After a quick stop to buy some gas for our rental car, we finally arrived at the airport around 11:24am EST.  Because Southwest Florida International Airport is relatively small, check-in with Air Canada was extremely quick for me.  While it should have taken me about 5 minutes, I had to fight for my right to waive the $25 baggage fee as an Aeroplan Visa card holder.  It was a successful fight and only the second time within the past couple years I have been a member of this program where this benefit has been honoured.

Southwest Florida International Airport

Security took a bit longer than expected, though.  There were essentially two lines passengers could choose from – TSA Pre-Clearance/NEXUS Pass Holders and regular passengers.  Since I don’t travel to the United States enough to justify paying for an annual NEXUS Pass, I had to wait in line with the regular passengers.  That probably took me about 10 – 15 minutes to get through.  Not too bad of a wait, but still kind of long for a small International Airport that doesn’t get the same amount of traffic like the airports in Tampa, Orlando, Fort Lauderdale or Miami do.

Southwest Florida International Airport - Concourse B

With an hour or so to spare before boarding, my colleagues and I decided to grab some lunch at Beaches Boardwalk Café as it was the only restaurant in our Concourse that was available.  The only other options we had here were Burger King and a small bakery.  Since I didn’t take any pictures here, I will summarize my experience instead of posting a separate “Airport Eats” article.  Beaches Boardwalk Café can accommodate up to 60 – 70 people with some tables available on the outside of the café – like a pseudo-patio within Concourse B.  I ended up eating a Cobb Salad to tide me over and washed it down with a pint of Hi 5 IPA brewed locally by the Fort Myers Brewing Company.  Service was kind of slow due to the lunch hour rush, but the television sets were tuned into European soccer action to keep me occupied – Spanish league action if I am not mistaken.

Getting ready to depart Southwest Florida International Airport

Following lunch, my colleagues and I headed towards Gate B3 only to find out we had been moved to Gate B1 instead.  It was literally just two gates over, though, so not really a big deal for us at all.  Even though we boarded on time, there was a 20-minute delay in departure as the flight crew had to wait for a few late passengers to arrive.  A bit irritating for sure, but beyond my control, of course.  The flight configuration was 3 x 3 – the same as it was on AC 1234.  Luckily, there was no one in the middle seat and the lady who sat along the aisle moved back a few rows to grab an available window seat.  Bonus!  I wasn’t expecting to have the entire row all to myself for the flight home.

One final look of Fort Myers before the journey home

We took off shortly after 2pm, which kind of scared me a little as we experienced noticeable turbulence for a few minutes.  It was kind of like the experience I had in Orlando the previous year.  Once that subsided, I decided to watch “Battle of the Sexes” again.  Steve Carrell and Emma Stone put in great performances in this one as Bobby Riggs and Billy Jean King respectively.  While it is labelled a “black comedy,” I didn’t find it to be that funny as I did entertaining.  The style of filming was a bit unusual for this one until I realized afterwards that it was directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Ferris – a famous husband-wife duo who have directed some of the most memorable music videos of the late 1990s and early 2000s.  I have enjoyed some of their previous work with the Smashing Pumpkins and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Just some of the in-flight "snacks" I had to pass the time

I was also kind of hungry at this point.  Personally, I don’t believe in buying meals on North American flights.  But since I wasn’t sure what I was going to have for dinner once I got home, I figured it was best to eat now rather than risk the chance of hunger later on.  Since my flight was already paid for, I decided to go all out and order a trio combo for about $20 CDN.  That included a roast beef panini sandwich, a cup of chicken noodle soup, and a can of Goose Island IPA.  I even asked for complimentary water and tomato juice, which was a bit ridiculous consider how crowded my table tray was at this point.  No complaints about the panini or the beer on my end, but the soup wasn’t good at all.  You could tell that the Air Canada staff just poured hot water into the container, but the noodles were still stuck together when I got it.

Flying over Downsview Airport upon our descent on Toronto

We landed just after 4:30pm EST – about 20 minutes early – as the sun started to set.  While going through Customs was relatively quick and easy, there was a massive lineup and Baggage Claim due to several planes arriving in Toronto within minutes of each other.  I don’t think I have ever seen Baggage Claims this busy before.  It must have taken me at least 10 – 15 minutes to wait in line before exiting towards the taxi pickup area.  Nevertheless, I had arrived safe and sound back home wondering when my next trip would be.

Beautiful Winter sunset over Lester B. Pearson International Airport

AC 1234 – YYZ to RSW

Operated by: Air Canada 

Aircraft:  Airbus A321-200 (twin-jet); Seat: 38A

Cabin:  Business: Meal / Economy:  Food for Sale

Depart: 01:52PM EST – Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) – Concourse B, Gate B1

Arrive:  04:39pm EST – Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) – Terminal 1, Gate F36 

Flight Time: 2:47; Non-Stop Flight – 1240 Miles/1995 Kilometers; Date:  January 26, 2018

Tasty Travels - Cantina Captiva

After arriving from Toronto that resulted in me having a late afternoon lunch, I didn’t get hungry again until around 8pm.  While Captiva Island has quite a few different restaurants, many of them close super early.  I don’t know if this is typically the case or the fact that I was here during late January, which is low tourism season around here.  That being said, I ultimately decided on having some Mexican food at Captiva Cantina.

Cantina Captiva

Located less than a ten-minute walk from the South Seas Island Resort along the main road, Captiva Cantina is easy to find.  As it was already pitch dark when I arrived, the neon lights welcomed me in despite the patio being completely void of patrons.  Upon entering the restaurant, I was completely shocked to find the place near capacity with a party of about 30 women celebrating a special occasion.  What that was, I am not sure as they finished dinner only a few minutes after I arrived.

First time trying Carta Blanca

Once Jay arrived, we sat at a table near the front with less than 30 minutes until close.  We started off with some tortilla chips for an appetizer, which included some salsa and guacamole dip.  I decided to wash this down with a bottle of Carta Blanca – a Lager brewed in Monterrey, Mexico.  While I have had a few different Mexican beers through the years, this was a new one for me.  The jury is still out on this one, but at 4.5% ABV, it was light enough for me after a long day of travel.

Chicken Chile Poblano

Now that I was completely hungry at this point, I opted for the Chicken Chile Poblano.  This entrée included two grilled chicken breasts in a spicy chile poblano sauce with a side order of sautéed vegetables and Mexican rice.  While the poblano sauce was decent, the Mexican rice was a bit underwhelming.  I am not sure if they just refried the bean sauce because it was almost closing time and weren’t expecting any more orders, but I would have expected a little bit better for an $18 US entrée.  It did come with a small cob of corn that I did not expect, however.  Meanwhile, Jay ordered a Chicken Fajita sandwich thinking it was a smaller entrée.  However, it nearly covered his entire plate resulting in him having to taking back some of it to the hotel.

Cantina Captiva - A "Taste of Mexico" Off the Gulf of Mexico

While waiting for the waiter so we could settle our bill, I took in some of the interior décor.  It was interesting to see into the kitchen from our section while admiring the dollar covered walls of the restaurant.  Where this tradition originated from, I have no idea.  But I always smirk when I see this as it almost immediately brings me back to past quirky establishments I have been to on my travels.  Two places that quickly come to the top of my mind are this dive bar in Fort Worth about a year ago and this kitschy restaurant near Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.  Although I don’t have a lot to compare it with, Cantina Captiva certainly hit the spot and is one restaurant worth checking out on this sleepy little island.

Some of the American Dollar Bills adoring the walls of Cantina Captiva

Cantina Captiva

14970 Captiva Drive

Captiva, FL 33924

Open Daily:  11:30am – 10:00pm EST

Phone: (239) 472-0248

Flight Report – AC 1865 – MCO to YYZ

Thursday morning arrived and it was time for me to go home.  Rather than take a cab to Orlando International Airport, I decided to use Uber instead.  If you’ve never used Uber before, then here’s a summary of how it works.  You download the app to your smart phone and create an account with your credit card information.  Once your Account has been set up, you then request a pickup time and an Uber driver by choosing from a selection of different sized vehicles or even select a carpool option if you so choose.  Once you select a vehicle type and pickup time, you then input the destination you want to go to.  Uber will automatically quote you a flat rate to get you there from your current location.  From there, you then hit the “CONFIRM UBERX” button and your driver will arrive in the estimated time given to you.

Goodbye, Orlando!

The pros of using Uber are that the rates are significantly cheaper than those of taxis.  I also like that you pay for the ride upfront on the app with your credit card so you don’t have to worry about payment at your destination.  The negatives of Uber are that tips are not included with payment.  However, Uber plans on adding a tips feature in a future release.  I also don’t like the fact that it is mandatory for you to keep at least one credit card on file on your Account even if you don’t plan on using the app anytime soon.  This is a security concern that they really need to address in the event that personal data is hacked by a third party in the future.  Furthermore, it is a bit difficult to identify which car is picking you up as these are independent drivers using their personal vehicles.  To deal with this situation, Uber provides customers with a map so you can see where your driver is coming from and see how close they are to your pickup location so you can wave them down.  In a worst-case scenario, the Uber driver has your cell phone number and will call you if they can’t find you at your pickup location.

Waiting to board Air Canada Flight #1865

Now that we have the basics of Uber out of the way, I must mention that my Uber ride was memorable for a couple of reasons.  First, the Uber driver knew of an alternate way to the airport as the main highway was already starting to back up with traffic.  Secondly, we had an interesting discussion about President Trump and Muslims after news came out about the Manchester Arena bombing the night before.  With so much fear and anger running rampant in the Western world about Muslims and refugees due to ISIS activities in recent years, I felt obligated to let my driver know that not all Muslims are terrorists.  I know someone who grew up in the Islamic faith and I fear for his son who hasn’t experienced bigotry yet, but I know will someday.  My driver’s outlook about Muslims changed after that personal anecdote.  It was a small victory for me that day in a long battle ahead that I doubt can ever be won.

Taking off from Orlando International Airport

We arrived at the airport around 9am even though my flight wasn’t scheduled until Noon.  Based on my experiences in Chicago and Fort Worth, I wasn’t sure how busy Orlando’s Rush Hour traffic would be, so I opted to get there as early as possible just in case.  Check-in took a bit of time as Air Canada was taking forever to open.  There was a family beside me who didn’t have a Passport for their child even though they were planning to visit family in Canada.  For some reason, they thought passports were not required for children under a certain age.  They probably got that confused with getting a free seat for children who are two years old or under.  As I was about to go to the next available agent, some asshole brushed right past me without apologizing to get there first.  They were upset because the frequent fliers had to wait much longer than usual.  That’s still no excuse to be rude.

Orlando has one of the most interesting landscapes

After going through security, I ended up having to use a tram to get me from one terminal to the next to where my departure gate was.  I had almost 2 ½ hours to kill before boarding, so I ended up finding a bar to have a drink in since I already ate breakfast at the Walt Disney Dolphin Resort prior to check out.  Time was passed by overhearing a group of people discussing travel tips for Boston.  I have been to Boston once for a work trip many moons ago, but our meetings were held in the suburbs and my only “experience” was eating dinner near Quincy Market with the rest of the team.  Beantown is a city that I would love to go back to properly visit.

One last look at sunny Orlando

Although it was mostly cloudy, the Orlando weather upon takeoff was a warm 26° C.  The flight took off shortly after noon, but it got off to a rough start.  We experienced a lot of turbulence upon takeoff from Orlando that last for a few minutes.  It was very unusual to experience such turbulence so early in flight.  Not going to lie, but I was kind of worried here.  The landing wasn’t much better as it was one of the roughest ones in recent memory.  For whatever reason, we just couldn’t shake off the turbulence on this flight.  Then again, it was a chilly 10° C and rainy upon arrival in Toronto, which didn’t help.  Overall, it wasn’t the best flight I’ve ever had, but at least it will be the last one I will have for a while.

Arriving in a cold, wet Toronto after an unusual turbulent flight

AC 1865 – MCO to YYZ

Operated by: Air Canada Rouge

Aircraft:  Airbus A321; Seat: 42A

Cabin:  Business – Breakfast; Economy – Food for sale

Depart: 12:15PM EST – Orlando International Airport (MCO) – Terminal E, Gate 95

Arrive 02:46PM EST – Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) – Terminal 1, Gate 69

Flight Time: 2:31; Non-Stop Flight – 1123 Miles/1808 Kilometers; Date:  May 25, 2017

Airport Eats – Red Rocket 192 Grill

After countless flights out of Pearson International Airport in Toronto, there’s been one restaurant that has caught my eye for quite some time – Red Rocket 192 Grill.  Designed as a streetcar inspired retro café, the Red Rocket is a diner that I usually only ever see when flying back to Toronto on the second level of Terminal 1.  With my flight to Dallas scheduled to depart out of Gate 34, I had about an hour to try to this place out.

Red Rocket 192 Grill

As you enter Red Rocket 192 Grill, you will see a sign above the entrance with a street car logo on it.  The entrance is also lit up with red lights, although I am not really sure if that really adds to the mood of the environment or makes you question if you are walking into another type of “establishment” instead.  Once inside, I grabbed a spot at the bar as I usually do.  There was nothing really special about the bar (i.e. it did not have a retro countertop), but it was spacious and clean.  There were also a handful of patrons inside the restaurant, but I had the entire bar to myself.

Photos of Toronto's iconic sites adorn the walls at Red Rocket

Behind me were bright red walls adorned with photos of Toronto’s iconic points along the Toronto Transit Commission’s various street car stops.  Right in front of me past the bottles of liquor, I could peer into the kitchen.  And to the left of the bar was a huge window peering into Gate 51 where the plane arrives to either drops off or pick up passengers.  Red Rocket is one of the few restaurants within Pearson that give you this opportunity to see this transfer of passengers.

Looking out onto the tarmac at Pearson International Airport

With about an hour to spare before boarding, I had time to eat a full breakfast and decided to order the Big Red – Omega 3 eggs, peameal and smoked bacon, potatoes and toast.  This sizable breakfast cost $12 CDN.  I decided to go with poached eggs with this one.  They were good, but slightly watery.  I also ordered a coffee to go along with my breakfast as I had hardly slept the night before, but wanted to have enough energy to explore Fort Worth in the afternoon once I arrived.

Big Red Breakfast – Poached eggs with toast, smoked bacon & peameal bacon

For dessert – if you can even call it that during breakfast – I ordered a Vanilla Almond milkshake.  My waitress warned me that it wasn’t an authentic Almond milkshake, but Almond milk mixed with vanilla ice cream instead.  For $6 CDN, that is an expensive artificial Almond milkshake.  Nevertheless, I wanted to get the full diner experience and ordered one anyway.  It is very rare to find diners nowadays, so when I do find myself in one, I have to order a milkshake like people did back in the 1950s.

Vanilla Almond Milkshake

Overall, I found the food to be average.  The real highlight for me was the window view onto the tarmac of Gate 51 as you can watch the planes load and unload passengers.  By the time I had arrived, the sun had already risen.  But my waitress said that you can watch some pretty amazing sunrises and sunsets here at the bar – something for me to keep in mind for the future.  Speaking of my waitress, she was also the second highlight of my dining experience here at Red Rocket – friendly, attentive, full of knowledge, and concerned about my customer experience (e.g. warning me about the Vanilla Almond milkshake).

Peaking into the kitchen at Red Rocket 192 Grill

For most people, this might not mean much as you would expect this from your servers.  But for me, it is important to point this out whenever I eat at an airport restaurant as they are consistently busy throughout the year with passengers coming and going to all parts of the world – either for business or pleasure – and typically have little patience or are in a rush to get to wherever they are going.  I can’t imagine working at an airport restaurant can be an “easy experience” for the servers.  So kudos to the wonderful staff here at Red Rocket!

Red Rocket even has a Snack Counter for those on the go!

Red Rocket 192 Grill  

Pearson International Airport

Terminal 1 – After-Security (USA) – Level 2 Gates, Near Gate D51/F51

Hours of Operation: 7 days/week from 5am – 11pm EST

Phone: (416) 776-3100, Ext. 1

Airport Eats – Apropos

Apropos is a unique cocktail bar located in Terminal 1 at Lester B. Pearson International Airport just outside of Toronto, Canada.  After checking in for my flight to Dallas, I had about 30 minutes to spare prior to boarding.  Not wanting to miss the call for boarding, I decided to have a quick bite to eat at Apropos.  Here is why.

Apropos

Location-wise, you couldn’t ask for a better spot.  Apropos is located right near Gates F62/63.  My flight was departing from F64, so it was the closest place to eat.  Furthermore, Apropos has two “locations” across from each other.  I call them locations, but really, Apropos has two main cocktail bars located across the hall from each other.  So if you are departing out of Gate F62, you have one Apropos located right in your section.  If you are departing out of Gate F63 – literally located right across from Gate F62 – then you have an Apropos located in your section, as well.  There is no need for you to leave your gate whatsoever, which is such a huge convenience for passengers who are running late, but still need to eat before takeoff.

Apropos - part Delicatessen/part Cocktail Bar

Each table at Apropos has their own iPad where you can order right off the menu and pay for your meal.  I opted for a Montreal smoked meat sandwich with chips and a can of Muskoka Cream Ale.  The Montreal smoked meat sandwich was wonderfully prepared with just the right amount of mustard.  However, I found the potato chips to be very underwhelming and extremely salty.  Regardless, the Muskoka Cream Ale really hit the spot with a rich amber colour with floral tones that was smooth and easy-going.  I actually had time for one more beer before boarding, and opted for a Samuel Adams Boston Lager.  This lager had a caramel sweetness balanced with distinct citrus and piney notes and a strong, smooth finish and mouthfeel.

Montreal smoked meat sandwich with chips & a Muskoka Cream Ale

If there is one highlight about Apropos, then it is the speed in which you are served.  Food-wise and drink-wise, you aren’t going to get nearly the same choices that you would at a full service airport restaurant or pub.  But, it sure beats going to a quick snack shop where the pre-packaged sandwiches may already be a day or two old.

Apropos

Pearson International Airport

Terminal 1 – After-Security (USA), Level 2 Gates, Near Gates F62/F63

Hours:  Seven days/week from 5am EST to Last Flight

Phone: 1-866-508-3558