trinacriabob

Congrats. What a cool place! Is there an implied or stated dress code? I looked at the link and saw that piece of salmon. It may be good but, like most fine dining, the portions are small and I'm always hungry.

I did it! I finally rode on a Boeing 787(-9 version) "Dreamliner" on a medium-haul flight. It gets a "thumbs up." It looks small but feels much larger once you're inside. Their selling points are all there: much quieter, better overhead bins with a design that gives more headroom, larger windows, windows that don't require shades because you control the dimming with a small imperceptible button, a beautiful raked wing that eliminates the need for winglets, and, best of all, higher humidity inside the cabin. The lack of humidity inside the cabins of yesteryear really messed with my sinuses and I'd get headaches. That high level of dryness also makes for more fatigue on a longer flight. This ride on the 787 was quiet and comfortable. However, they'll get the passenger revenue they need. It is set up as 3-3-3. The outgoing 767 was set up as 2-3-2 which made it easier for everyone to get a good seat. Of all the 767s, I'd sure like to fly on the rare 767-400, of which U.S. carries only ordered about 36. I'll say that the proper humidity issue cannot be underestimated. The latest Boeing 747-8i was built with a lot of the same features: noise baffling, better bins, the raked wing, and higher humidity. Flying over the pond back to the U.S. on this latest 747 showed the difference humidity control makes - you stumble off the plane and into customs feeling a lot better and more together as opposed to feeling like a wet rag. This one belongs to United ... beautiful! Many European and Asian carriers (Air France, Japan Air Lines, etc.) now operate them.

Cool. Yep ... very 1970's with those get ups. Was this in WA state? Your relative reminds me of some movie star from the 40s or 50s but a name doesn't come to mind. So, then, you're the youngest kid in your family?

This is what I will do.

@ccap41 4 a.m pick up on a weekday - nice, wide boulevards and freeways from starting point to the airport. @Drew Dowdell I will keep that in mind (Uber) for scheduling ahead and for an early morning flight. I may just walk over to a fairly major hotel and schedule the pick-up to begin there. Thank you to both of you!

I like most vantage points of the current Lincoln Continental, especially the front, but do not like how the rear tapers and is sort of weak for being meant to be a commanding "boulevardier."

Cadillac Cimarrons were the ultimate pieces of crap. GM waved a wand and tried to turn a frog into a prince? They didn't succeed. It was just a Chevy Cavalier with more power gizmos. They also did not go the distance. The only person I knew who owned one was also a turd.

I do not like the new Regal - either as the sportback or the wagon. I find the styling bland from almost all vantage points. Inside, the choices of interior colors is dismal. I am warming up to the more horizontal dash.

Guess what? I am NEW to these. Typically, I've had rental cars while on vacation or, if in foreign urban centers, I've just used their metro systems to get around. I need to get to the airport. Early. If not an early flighty, I just take a bus from a suburban mall to a train station for the subway into the airport and go on the cheap. Can't beat that. Plus, I love riding subway type trains. There is no early bus or train service for those first flights out. So I plan to take Uber or Lyft. Questions: 1. Have you had success with early pick ups in the burbs to go to the airport with Uber or Lyft? 2. Do you prefer Uber or Lyft? Pros and cons? 3. Should one schedule the ride in advance or should one schedule it when you're almost ready to depart? 4. Will they show up? I recently had an insane experience with a supposedly reputable shuttle service ... and in the middle of the day. Your input is sought! Thank you.

I can see how one would think of (American) politics but this was often in the logos of Mexican restaurants in California. I like Mexican food but I don't love it. - - - - - Interesting car spotting ... sort of ... Yesterday, I saw an Alero coupe. I like those and am happy to see them motoring about. However, it was an interesting dark blue-turquoise color I don't recall. It looked sharp on the coupe. Then, earlier today, I saw an Alero sedan in the exact same color. Both were in respectable condition. That little coupe would have been a nice car to putt around in ... throw in a beige cloth interior, buckets, console, and a sunroof. - - - - - My apologies - we're in June now.

I don't know if my opinion is unpopular, nor if the car is unpopular. I'd say it's a niche car and a small few still like these a lot over 20 years later. I would be in that fold. 1994 to 1996 Caprice LS - if in immaculate condition, with the up-version LS 60-40 cloth seats, the small (263 c.i. or 4.3L) Chevy V8, and low miles. This interior, but in cloth. Console? Yes, please. I'm going to assume these ride a little smoother than would a W-body FWD. I can't be sure of that but I certainly like the idea of a centered engine, suspension components that are easier to see, and a transmission that sits in the back, so to speak. And to think I borderline hated this car model when it was currently being sold and seen everywhere.

I had a '84 Cutlass Supreme Brougham coupe. It was the most comfortable car I've ever owned. (It was a hand me down.) I never did buy a new Intrigue, though I very badly wanted to. I was in a Buick showroom just recently and test sat in the E triplets ... the Envision looks glassy enough from the outside but has a whole different view from the inside out, meaning the exterior is deceiving. I also saw what the sticker looks like and was surprised it was that high on the one on the floor. The Encore, as you know, is small. The Enclave is the only one that, to me, has a conventional and generous enough greenhouse from both outside and inside, but it's a heavier vehicle and costs more money. Personally, I would be indifferent between Buick and GMC for CUV-SUV products just as long as the visibility factor from the inside is good and the vehicle is equipped with a naturally aspirated 3.6 V6. I also prefer cloth seats, especially in hot or cold climates.

The world needs an icon for an asshat (great term) ... a clean one that everyone could use ... the question is whether the hat would vertical or horizontal in said icon. Then there's a question of what the hat itself would be like ... a top hat, a sombrero, etc.?

For some reason, it works better on the Intrigue ... possibly, it's the smaller pods for different functions under the A/C vents rather than one big plastic one that reaches up that high. The glove box appears to be smaller but the big ARS lid is visible atop the dash on the passenger side. The in-dash ignition switch is a big plus. I prefer it over there. I will always have a soft spot for this W-body and still see 20 year old Intrigues on the road!

I disagree on this one. I like this dash more. For one thing, it parallels what the Regal did at the end of its similar cycle as a coupe. It went from the "ravine dash" to one similar to this. In the case of the Buick, I prefer the old "ravine dash" because it had curved edges and the nice cowl across the top. In the case of the Cutlass, I preferred this dash. It's way better when there is a console. It was easier to work with, it had contrasting horizontal and vertical A/C vents, the glove box was large, and it was similar to the forthcoming Intrigue's dash. I remember that the illumination was blue and that's my preferred dash illumination color when driving at night.

I'm guessing all of these are W-body Cutlasses? Toward 1995, wasn't there a more rounded looking dashboard? I once took one of those, a rental coupe (!) with a 3.1 V6, up to Vancouver, Canada. It was white with alloys and plump black bucket seats. It was comfortable and handled well, with good gas mileage to boot, but I only sort of liked it. I don't know what the terminology is or was, but Olds chose to give their W-bodied Cutlasses a blacked out C-pillar treatment that, IMO, looked terrible. It took the Cutlass Supreme from being the best looking of the G-bodies to the worst looking of the W-bodies. The design possibilities with a body colored C-pillar were there and the car could have still looked different enough to distinguish it from its W-body siblings. The Cutlass Supreme is what enabled Olds to rocket upward in its heyday but was sadly a big contributor to its demise when they couldn't reinvent it properly.

I only wish they could get it to handle a little more tautly, get the faint droning sound of the tires/etc. to stay out of the cabin, get rid of the front fascia's appliance look, and not have the "laptop left open" (2020) at the top of the center stack. I think that's too much to ask for the price point and its position on Toyota's pecking order.

Yes, much room to improve, and that's even the situation with the Camry I had a rental and swapped out ... after one day. It wasn't because it was a Camry as much as it was about how this newer rental unit shook at idle with the A/C on ... and, in Florida, your A/C will be on.

Give some of the credit to UK folks who have to have their "fish and chips" wherever they go - the Canaries, the Balearics, Portugal, etc., etc. Some streets in beach towns in the south of Portugal may as well have been transplanted from the UK - pubs and "fish and chips" ad nauseum ... But, best of all, the Athens Metro now goes all the way into the airport and there are no train changes to get into the historical center. I was last there before they completed the Metro into the new (opened in 2001) airport.

The problem in Greece is how many places actually do serve french fries, especially in tacky tourist venues. If I can and do get seasoned, lemon soaked Greek potatoes on this side of the pond, I want them in Greece, too. That "go to" gyro place in the tourist books that's near the Monastiraki Metro in Athens served up french fries and the Greeks looked as happy as clams eating them with their gyros. I was not.

@oldshurst442 I've had Greek food in Greece, Montreal, Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver, and in each corner of the U.S. plus in the middle. The tzatziki sauce that comes with pita or to slather on your meat is not at all like dressing. It has a thicker consistency. It's a sauce and it's good. @balthazar Beautiful location for that commencement. Is that the Delaware Water Gap or somewhere else?

I went into a store chain that features odd batches and stumbled onto some Greek cucumber dill dressing. I bought a bottle. Unbelievable stuff. I then wanted more of it the next time I went in. They told me they only get it in from time to time. The next time I see it in stock I will have to buy at least half a dozen bottles. It was priced at about $ 1.50 per bottle.

@frogger Very true. Corolla sales have been strong but flat, and they have even declined slightly.

Okay. Everyone has something that doesn't resonate with them. In our house, most everything was topped with tomato sauce. I'm guessing that when you get pasta you probably order it with another type of sauce, such as pesto, mushroom/garlic, clam, etc. I tend to get sick if I eat anything with curry, for example. I brought this up because Wishbone made this dressing in the '90s and I'd buy it regularly. Then, it started disappearing from the shelves but they'd still feature raspberry vinaigrette. Why? That doesn't sound appetizing. At any rate, I was buying cases of the sun dried tomato vinaigrette toward the end. Twenty years later, Kraft is making it. I never saw it at my regular supermarkets. I just found it at a new supermarket. Score. This market will therefore become a regular shopping stop.

I'll arrange some photos and put them up.