My wife were on business in Baltimore and we met up after she finished her business meetings to rest for a few days in Baltimore and the onward to Aruba for some sunshine.
Flying from the Nordics to the US
For some reason, when booking the flights I focused on traveling into Dulles, I guess I was looking for direct flights from the Nordic countries… However, I ended up traveling on SAS to EWR and then onward to IAD, and NOT BWI! Well, this resulted in an extra hours drive in the rental car from Dulles to Baltimore. Traffic was OK, so the trip was quite fine.
When checking in to the flight to EWR I was immediately upgraded to business class – thanks a lot for this SAS! This was my first flight with SAS’s new service concept in long-haul business. The meals were tasty and nicely presented. Not that different from the old concept, but a little more choice and a more restaurant feel to it. The selection of wine is OK, but it seems like they stay with the same wines for a long time. The business seats are not really up to standard, but SAS is now launching a new business cabin with improved seats. The flight were on time and there were no lines at immigration. I flew United to IAD, got a rental car at AVIS and were on my way.
Baltimore
We stayed at the Hampton Inn Downtown Convention center in Baltimore. Good location, close to the convention center. We walked a short 10 min to Pratt Street Ale House, had some food from the bar menu and some good beer. This is a nice place for drinks and bar type food – highly recommended.
While in Baltimore, we also went shopping to the Arundel Mills mall a short 15-20 mins drive south of Baltimore. Lots of shops to choose from!
Aruba!
Then onward to Aruba! We had booked a first class ticket with United from BWI via Chicago to Aruba, returning to Newark. Domestic first class was note much to write about – here United can certainly improve! At least some decent food could be served. But, we got to Aruba in time!
Beautiful weather and pleasant temperatures met us when we landed. The immigration went rather smooth, and we took a taxi to our hotel, Radisson Aruba. This was a very nice hotel with large grounds, several pools, restaurants and a nice beach. We were given a deluxe room with nice ocean views and access to the club lounge. In the lounge they served breakfast, drinks and snacks in the evenings. I must say that this was very good – good selections and quality of food and drinks. I would highly recommend this hotel!
As we only had 4 nights in Aruba, we spent most of the time on the hotel property – after a long winter we were starving for sunshine and relaxation on the beach! We visited the Butterfly farm a short walk from the hotel, and this was a nice experience.
Returning to the US and New York City
Again, we flew United First/BusinessFirst to Newark. Seats are OK, but could be better as goes for the food. But again, we arrived on time, got our luggage and called Dial7 (I had order transportation some days in advance, this was only to get to get the driver to pull into the terminal) to be picked up for transportation into NYC. I have used Dial7 several times before, and they have always been reliable and with relatively good prices.
As we most often do when we are in NYC, we stay at the Radisson Martinique hotel, located on 49 W 32nd St. We were promptly checked-in, and given an OK room on one of the penthouse floors. The hotel is in a nice location, close to good shopping and a subway station.
When in NYC we often stop by Centry21 (right next to Ground Zero) and Macy’s close to the hotel.
Flying back to the Nordics
On the return to the Nordics, we were on SAS. Check-in at EWR was efficient, but the check-in staff (some agent) is generally not that accommodating. I am a very frequent flyer with SAS, and expect to be given good service. At several occasions at EWR, when the business section is half-full they do not upgrade you at the counter, at least not complimentary. You can get upgrades, but then you always have to use miles. The SAS lounge at EWR is very good, good selections of food and drinks, but can be crowded at times.
This time the boarding process was extremely disorganized, much thanks to the customer service manager. He also had a rather arrogant attitude when we checked in. But, despite of this agent, we boarded on time and were on our way back to the Nordics.