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Yes, it’s technically cheaper but the Basic Economy ticket isn’t worth the savings – and probably won’t save you anything in the long run, especially if you happen to travel with luggage, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The Basic Economy Fare as sold by Delta, United and American, is about $30-50 less than “Standard” fare but lots of downsides including:

On all three airlines: no seat assignment until after check-in or at the gate. Worse, you’re the most vulnerable to losing your seat if the flight is oversold (aka “involuntary denied boarding” or “getting bumped.”) If you’re traveling with a group or family, there’s no hope of sitting together.

United and American: You can’t put anything in the overhead bin without a $25 charge each way (so there goes your modest savings from getting the Economy fare.); You also board in the last group, further reducing your chances of finding bin space.

Delta gives you overhead space but again, you board last.

United: you can’t even check-in online unless you’re checking luggage (i.e. paying $25). you have to check in at the airport. And, oh, no frequent flier miles. (American and Delta let you have miles.)

On the High line Friday

I was in Chelsea on Friday afternoon, about 10 minutes from the sight of an explosion by some sort of homemade bomb (last I heard) on Saturday night. SObering, especially after starting my day on Friday at the 9/11 Memorial. BUt New Yorkers seemed to take it in stride and today we passed soldiers on patrol in Grand Central Station that weren’t there pre-explosion yesterday and the attitude seemed to be “whatever.”

Zaha Hadid building on High Line

We had a lovely day and a half in Fairfield county, attending the wedding of the son of our dear friends Myra and Mike at a pretty Greek church in Bridgeport, with a reception, dinner,Marty and dancing to music from a great live band in Monroe. SHane and Mary (Takebetsywithyou readers!) are honeymooning in Santorini and Barcelona, among other places — and two of my favorites from long  ago wandering spin the 1980s. WE chanced upon a smaller farmers market in Fairfield before taking the train back to the city where we found more farm stands at a street festival on Columbus Avenue. Tried a delicious arepa (sp?) a Columbian street food, two pancakes made of sweet corn with a little mozzarella between them, grilled. I ❤️ NY.

9/11 Memorial

New York was stunning today. It helped that the weather was also stunning. I took the subway down to the 9-11 Memorial, which was as impressive and moving as expected and packed with tourists from all over. Also dazzled by the white winged Oculus trainstatuin/mall that I am assuming is a Calatrava design since it looks very much like his Milwaukee Art Museum. I kept walking north, stopping at Duane street Patisserie in TriBeCa for two tiny ginger snaps, then on along Greenwich and Hudson Streets to the Highline which is highlighting its Prairie Grasses (from the American Midwest…two park people were impressed I had lived in Kansas, aka home of the tall grass prairie) and they looked stunning blowing in the wind on a sunny September day. IN Chelsea market, I seemed to be the only one among the throngs eating salmon poke but I had my heart set on poke and it was an interesting version, with crunchy white rice noodles and edamame and some other things I didn’t recognize at added crunch and a slightly picked flavor. While waiting for my order I sampled several types of seafood bisque, all delicious.

oculus

I walked all the way to the end of the Highline at 34th street and would have kept walking if my back permitted. But no dice. I ended up taking a “select” crosstown bus which was confusing. instead of inserting your metrocard on the bus, you have to insert it at a machine by the bus stop that’s akin to the machines in the subway station you used to buy a metro card. YOu press a button, insert your card which spits back out and you get a paper receipt. Then you walk onto the bus. it reminds me of similar system in Berlin and Prague where you are on the “honor system” and I was warned there of periodic checks to make sure riders have paid and you get in trouble if you’re caught.  Today, I not only had trouble figuring the system out…a very nice bus driver explained it patiently.  But at the third stop, transit police boarded the bus and checked to see that we each had slips. One flustered woman didn’t although she quickly produced her metro card. So rider beware.

It wasn’t bad. But it could have been. MY 50 minute connection in St. Louis was cut in half due to delays last night but fortunately the gate for my connecting flight to Laguardia was nearby (I dashed from E20 to E12.) so I arrived just as the flight was boarding.

I wasn’t pleased when Southwest changed the eastern hub for Des Moines from Chicago to st.Louis but maybe it will be okay. The flight I was on was continuing onto Newark which, if it’s a standard thing, would perhaps be easier than rushing to another airplane. The flight is only 45 minutes to st.Louis (slightly shorter than To Chicanos midway) but I am not a fan of connections under an hour. it was nice to have the outbound flight short so I had less time to worry about making my connection and more time on the second flight to relax.