Sunset at the Reichstagsgebäude

   
      The Reichstagsgebäude is the seat of the German Parliament. Its glass dome can be seen from all over the city center, a gleaming reminded that Berlin is the capital of Bundesrepublik Deutschland. The building's history is perhaps more exciting than its current use.

     It was built to serve the Imperial Diet, a parliamentary body of the German Empire. It was opened in 1894, and was in use until 1933, when it was set on fire. The fire was used as an excuse by the Nazi party to crack down on Communists. Thereafter, it fell into disrepair until the early 1960's when it was protected from the weather. It was not touched again until after the reunification of Germany in 1990.

      Norman Foster led the full restoration of the building, including a replacement dome. Built into the dome was a ramp for visitors to the Reichstagsgebäude, where they could look down upon the floor of the Bundestag. Symbolically, this was to remind the legislators that the eyes of the German people are always upon them.

      The restored building is a striking combination of Neoclassicism and modernism. The external architecture belies the modernity of the interior. Most notably, the frieze contains a dedication, "Dem deutschen Volke," which means "To the German people".

      The night I went, there was also a light show on the Bundestag office buildings neighboring the Reichstagsgebäude, along with a video about the history of the building, subtitled in English.

Today, anyone can schedule a visit to the dome after registering online. An appointment time slot and a government issued photo ID like a driver's license or passport are required for entry. If you neglect to book a slot, you can check a booth across the street to see if any are still available for that day. Once there, a self guided audio tour is provided for the walk up the dome. You can stay on top for as long as you wish, and can even eat at the restaurant on the terrace.

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If you liked what you read, please like, share, use the referral links to help support us! Careful on the way down that ramp, it makes you dizzy. Also, don't ask for an audioguide in Russian as a joke unless you speak it. The guy speaks Russian and you'll get rather embarrassed.

Fire in the Sky: Pyronale

   

Photo by Bethany Jana

 
      The Pyronale is an annual international firework championship held annually on the Maifeld at Olympiastadion in Berlin. This year, I had the chance to view from the top of a "mountain" in Berlin, the Drachenberg. The Drachenberg, whose name means "dragon mountain," is located in the Grünewald, a massive park in the western part of Berlin. The hill next to it is called Teufelsberg, or Devil's Mountain. An abandonded American signals intelligence station sits atop it, further adding to its intrigue.

      From the top, Berlin is laid out before you. Despite only being 99 meters tall, Drachenberg provides an unparalled view to the expanse that is Berlin. On a clear day, the whole skyline is visible, while Spandau is visible from the Northwest side of the hill.

     At night, the soft lighting of the Funkturm shines in front of the lights of Alexanderplatz, the Fernsehturm, and Potsdamer Platz. The sky on a clear night is filled with stars. The night I was there though, the sky was filled with fire.

      When I arrived, the hill was already packed with people waiting for the fireworks show to begin. It took almost 20 minutes to find my friends who had already arrived. Once we found them, we sat down on the far side of the hill to watch the show. It began with a flurry of small, bright fireworks, and then mounted into a 20 minute crescendo of light. After a short pause, the next team's show began on a more subdued note. It emphasized waterfall style fireworks, painting Pollock's in the sky.

      The final show was a cacophony. Fireworks of all kind were used simultaneously, their booms echoing over the city. As the last finale came to a close, the hill began to applaud. The fire and smoke was gone. The stars shown once more over the city. After a short pause, the mass of humanity decamped, off to a new adventure, for this chapter had come to a close.

The video was only filmed vertically because it was pulled from Snapchat. Please withhold judgement and anger.

      Drachenberg is a large flat-top hill. It takes about 15 minutes to walk up to the top of it from the nearest S-Bahn station, S-Heerstraße.  S-Heerstraße can be reached using the S5, S75, Bus 218, M49, X34, and X49. To get to Drachenberg from the station, you need to take Teufelsseestraße Southwest. It will turn into Teufelsseechaussee. From there, a footpath will fork off to the right, and that will take you up the hill.

Pyronale 2017 will take place on September 1st and 2nd.

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Credit Cards for Beginners

First article in the series here: Credit Card Primer

Building up your credit is important. As an absolute beginner with no credit history at all, your choices are limited. You won't get approved for most of the "elite" credit cards with decent welcome bonuses.  However, there are still several options available. To help you start building credit, I'll recommend two credit cards that are best for beginners.

With SSN: Discover it for Students

Discover it for college student is definitely the best choice to start with if you have a SSN. As long as you are a college student and have a Social Security Number (SSN), Discover will mostly accept your application regardless of your credit history. (However they'll reject you if you only have a SHORT history instead of NO history.)

Although Discover is considered a relatively small network in the US, the acceptance of Discover It is not bad. In fact, this card supports four networks at the same time: Discover, Unionpay (银联) - China, JCB - Japan, Diner's club, which makes it super convenient when traveling in Asia. (No Foreign Transaction Fee.)

Features:

• Double Cash Back: Double all cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year, including the 5% bonus category, sign-up bonus, Discover Deals, refer bonus. New customers only.
• Earn $50 after first purchase within 3 months. (Must with referral code. The official application link has no sign-up bonus.)
•  Good Student Reward: Earn $20 each year when you get at least a 3.0 GPA, up to 5 years. 
• Earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter, 1% cash back on all other purchases.
• No credit history needed.
• No foreign transaction fee.
• No annual fee.

Application Link: If you decide to apply for Discover it, please use this link. It gives both of us a referral bonus ($100 for you with this link) and helps keep this blog going. 

Without SSN: BoA BankAmericard Travel Rewards Credit Card for Students

Your credit history comes with your name, DOB, and home address. Even if you don't have a SSN yet because you are an international student, there are still ways to start building credit history. Bank of America (BoA) is the best place to get started.

As a non-US citizen, you have to go to the branch to apply. You likely won't get the $200 welcome bonus. However, the point of one's first credit card is to start building a credit history. Therefore, the welcome bonus should not be your biggest worry. You can go back to the branch and ask for assistance, and they may grant you the bonus regardless.

Usually, you need a good relationship with BoA to get approved for this card. However, YMMV (Your Mileage May Vary). 

Features:

• Earn 1.5 points per $1 spent on all purchases. 
• No Foreign Transaction Fee. 
• No annual fee.

Application Link:

You have to go to the branch to apply if you are not a US citizen or permanent resident.

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Credit Card Primer

Credit cards, and credit in general often lie in a realm of mystery for many college students and young adults. It is sometimes feared because of the crisis of 2008, and its continuing aftershocks. In this post, I, and Zitong want to help explain how credit cards in particular can be used effectively, responsibly, and perhaps most importantly, (for us at least) to help you travel.

Credit Score

Each person who uses an American based credit card, takes out an American loan, applies for a loan, or in almost any way, borrows money has a credit score. This score shows borrowers your credit history, maturity of accounts, and myriad other factors. From this score and accompanying credit report, borrowers can evaluate the risk involved in lending you money. There are three main credit agencies that produce credit reports: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. The most widely used scoring formula is the FICO credit score, although many institutions have developed their own.

FICO scores range between 300 and 850. The factors that affect FICO credit scores are:

Source

Source

From the chart, it is easy to see that payment history is by far the most important factor, quickly followed by amounts owed. Length of credit history is a smaller, but still meaningful factor. Students should likely start trying to build an impeccable credit score now, so loans are easier to obtain in the future after college. One way to build a credit history is to simply maintain one credit card that is paid off every month. Over time, this will pay off handsomely.

Applying for Cards

You can apply for credit cards online, over the phone, and in-branch. Online is the easiest, and often yields a result in a few minutes. You need to enter your Social Security Number, annual income, monthly housing cost, and a few other basic pieces of information. 

If you are instantly approved, it will tell you, and your card will come in the mail within 7-10 business days. If you are denied or pending, there is still something that you can do. You can call the reconsideration line within the lending institution to see if there's something that you can do in order to still get the card. Always be as polite as possible with the representatives. Sometimes, they will truly go out of their way to help you if you're calm and respectful.

Although some aspects of the application are not verified, never lie on a credit application. If the institution finds that out, they will delete your account, confiscate all rewards, and penalize your credit history, at best. 

For Non-U.S. Person (neither U.S. Citizen nor Permanent Resident)

Even if you are not a US Citizen or Permanent Resident, you can still enjoy all the credit card benefits that others can. However, do keep a few things in mind when applying:

• Your credit history will stay with you for your whole life, even if you don’t have a Social Security Number (SSN). So mind your credit history carefully (if you still want to go back to the US in the future). 
• Although an SSN is not necessary, your options are limited without it. We recommend that you obtain an SSN as soon as possible. 
• As an international student with an F1 visa, the easiest way to get an SSN is working  an on-campus job. 
• As mentioned above, applying online is often the best option. However, as a non-U.S. Citizen, you can’t apply for cards online with certain banks (e.g. Bank of America). You must go to a branch and apply in-person. (In doing so, you may be denied the Welcome Bonus. Always remember to check with your banker about this before officially applying.) 

Credit Card Use

Credit cards are used mainly for the convenience and safety of not having to carry large amounts of cash. They can also be used to purchase items before you have the money to pay for them. Each purchase is a small short term loan that the bank expects you to pay off at the end of the statement cycle. While you can carry a balance over, the interest rates on credit cards are usually very high, notwithstanding the fact that a carried balance hurts your credit score. You should pay off your full balance whenever it is financially possible. 

A good rule of thumb is that you should never purchase something on a credit card unless you can pay it off immediately. To effectively use a card, it should be constantly treated as cash, just like a debit card.

Rewards

Many credit cards come with some kind of rewards system, be it cash-back, proprietary points systems, or airline miles. Ordinarily, these points add up to only a fringe benefit, based primarily on what you would normally spend on ordinary things as well as travel. Lucrative sign-up bonuses change the calculus. 

To acquire the bonus, you must spend an arbitrary minimum amount within a certain amount of time (~3 months). For lower level cards, it is usually around $1,500, and for higher level between $4,000 and $5,000. 

The rewards can be used in a variety of ways, the most lucrative of which, are travel-related. For more on different credit cards, and how to use the rewards, go here. 

Spend

That minimum amount required to receive the bonus is known as minimum spend. You might be saying to yourself, that's great and all, but I don't spend $4,000 in a year, let alone a month. The first thing to do is to shift as much spending as possible to your credit card. All manner of things can be charged including, rent, utility bills, eBay purchases, and sometimes college tuition. If you have a large purchase coming up, make sure and put that on the new card. Keeping close track of your spending makes it easier to maximize rewards and stay under budget. 

Other avenues do exist, though. There is something called manufactured spend (MS). This is where a card user buys items that have cash value, or can be redeemed for cash. This could include gift cards, Amazon account credit, and Venmo transfers. I neither condemn nor condone manufactured spending. If you choose to do it, be aware that there are consequences if the bank decides you have been abusing their system.

Conclusion

Credit cards are useful not only for their convenience, but also their ability to help build your credit score for the future. When used strategically they can reward you greatly with travel and other perks. That said, they also carry a great amount of risk when not used properly. Strict budgeting and self control must be exercised at all times. Spend only what you can afford to. Always try to avoid carrying a balance over, and if you ever do get into credit card debt, try to pay it off as quickly as possible because of its higher relative interest rate to other forms of debt.

Good luck, and many travels!

Read the next article in the series: Credit Cards for Beginners

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Delta Air Lines Economy Review CAK - SJO

Verdict: 7/10

Delta and I have a bipolar relationship. Sometimes it goes well. Sometimes it ends at 3 AM in a small Central American country. Such is the nature of any relationship, really. I last flew Delta economy on December 26th, from Akron to San Jose, Costa Rica.

The early morning check-in went well enough. I was flying without checked-bags, and thus managed to avoid the horrendous line at the counter. I went to the security line and waited. And waited. (This was prior to my approval for PreCheck) After a rough 45 minutes in line I made it the ticket verification stage, and passed onwards to the next line. After being thoroughly patted-down by one of three agents on duty, I made my way to the gate about 50 yards away.

Lounges are a foreign concept at that airport; so don’t even bother wondering about them. Besides, the cheap seats are more fun, right? Discomfort builds character as some used to say. I sat down and waited for the sun to rise and the pilots to arrive.

After staring out a dark window and examining the cracks in the ceiling, boarding began. All us zombies shuffled our way onboard with little conflict and settled into our backbreaking seats for the flight to Detroit. Yes, I typed that correctly. Detroit. The takeoff was bumpy, as the plane was a small regional jet. I slept a little and awoke to our bumpy descent into Detroit half an hour later.

After a nerve-wracking tiny-plane landing, I made my out into the Detroit Terminal to wait out my three hour sentence in Motor City. Looking for something to do, I did what any other highly logical person would do. I rode the terminal train back and forth multiple times. It was a flashback from my childhood, when the train was still painted in Northwe(or)st livery.

The train in Detroit is a very convenient way to kill time.

I finally got bored after 15 minutes and went to look for food. I had heard tell of a McDonald’s that made a mean McBiscuit 15 or so gates down from the Pandora. I followed my nose and was cruelly led to a Cinnabon. So much for that sense. This time, I followed the signs and found it. The line was long, so I settled in to a new review of the Etihad Residence from everyone’s favorite travel blogger. The opulence on that plane was astounding. Too bad Delta can't deliver a product like that.

After wandering around for a few more hours, I finally boarded my plane to JFK. I know, right, still not heading that far south like I should be. The flight was uneventful. Drinks and Biscotti cookies were served without much fanfare. The landing was good, and all were happy to be safely out of Detroit.

Leaving purgatory behind.

JFK doesn't have the same kind of convenience to kill time on the train, so I just took it over to the terminal where my final flight would be. I wandered around for an hour or so, before settling into the waiting area. The seats were hard and uncomfortable, but that is to be expected in waiting areas. After a few hours staring at my computer, I decided to go get food. A knock-off Shake Shack was directly behind me, so I went for that. It was passable. I talked to a few people around about Christmas and how it went for them, until the boarding for my flight was almost completed.

I had an aisle seat in normal coach, about two-thirds of the way back in the plane. The entertainment screen had sufficient options, so I started watching a subpar Adam Sandler comedy. Highbrow no, but I was tired. Don't judge me. We waited. And waited. Finally, the pilot got on the intercom and told us that the co-pilot hadn't shown up and that they were waiting for a new one who was totally on his way right now. We waited some more, and then were ordered to disembark in order to keep the clock from hitting three hours of wait time. Back out in the terminal we milled around some more. Delta bought us pizza as a bribe not to tweet mean things about how their pilots don't even show up to fly.

A few hours after our scheduled takeoff time, we finally boarded the plane. Boarding went quickly, as did the taxi. We took off for Costa Rica soon after. The seat was new, a bit on the smaller side of life, though. Legroom was practically non existent. There was enough overhead bin space for all. Drink and snack service went smoothly. I received my third round of Biscotti cookies that day. The cabin was darkened for the next few hours. The lights came back on as customs forms were distributed. 

The landing was smooth. The deplaning process was slow. The families on board had problems with strollers and overhead bins. After about 20 minutes I made it off, and headed towards customs only three and a half hours after I expected. I made it through and exited into the tropical night where my girlfriend was waiting.

Conclusion: The Delta flight routing was curious. Why fly north, then east, to go southwest. A routing through Atlanta would likely have made more sense. Despite the delays, Delta staff were polite, they bought the whole flight pizza, and the pilot was upbeat throughout the whole ordeal. The seats are small in economy, but that is to be expected. I hope I never have to see another Biscotti again. Delta's economy product is solid, and perfectly bearable for shorter flights.

Random roadside view between San Jose and Playa Jaco.

Near the lighthouse in Puntarenas at sunset.

Disclaimer: Delta was in no way involved in this review. I was not compensated for my time, flight, or emotional distress in any way.

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United Express Economy Review: LGA - CLE

Verdict: 8/10

LaGuardia. Arrayed out before in the setting sun, it looked precisely as it did during the Summer of Love. That image was of course, in true New York fashion, ruined by the traffic jam between the highway exit and the central terminal. After 35 minutes going up the ramp, I finally made it into the terminal and checked in. The check-in kiosks were post-modern invaders in the Kingdom of Fiorello. It went quickly, although I had to transfer four pounds out of my checked bag into my carry-on. The United attendants were polite, an unexpected bonus.

I walked past the lounge entrance without a second thought of the subdued glamour that surely awaits the anointed inside. I passed through security without problems, PreCheck once again did its job. The TSA agents didn't give me too much faith in the process, though. I found my gate as was pleasantly surprised by the waiting area. The seats were new. No tears. Oh! How the gods had smiled upon my day.

The first half hour passed slowly. I thought about all the free drinks and food the titans of industry were enjoying in the lounge before remembering that I fly coach. I then thought about all the great drinks available at Hudson News for only $5 before an argument between two roommates broke me out of my daydream. I'm not quite sure what the full argument was about, but somebody was assuming that someone else slept with someone they weren't supposed to. Just riveting stuff.

The new kiosks and pillars are a curious juxtaposition.

The airplane was an Embraer ERJ 145 in the one-by-two seat configuration. For economy. First and business class do not exist on this configuration. It is a fine example of the legendary Brazilian regional jet industry.

To occupy myself further, I looked through the United app. It seems to function passably well. It will even tell you where your plane is coming from, and where it currently is. In most of my experiences with airlines, this would usually tell me that my plane was circling somewhere over Little Rock, but this time was different. My plane was already in New York. What a pleasant surprise.

I went back to staring at the strange Communist era shiny pillars in the terminal until boarding started.

The flight was overbooked, and they began with a solid offer of $300 and a hotel night, with a replacement flight at 5:59 AM the next morning. People were excited until they heard about the ungodly takeoff time. It took a while, but they drew one taker. Boarding finally began shortly thereafter. I boarded in Group 2, a perk afforded me by the mildly usable Chase Explorer card. Free baggage comes with the card too. Snacks not included.

The seats have substantially more padding than Spirit. I think United needs to run a shop like Procrustes to make people fit into the seats. I think I could stand to lose about four inches in height in order to fit comfortably.

Very spacious, right?

Takeoff was only around 20 minutes late. Who cares though, I don’t have anywhere to be. It’s not like I have a connection. The sunset over the New York skyline was truly something to behold.

Sunset

Snacks and drinks came about 15 minutes into the flight. “Zesty Ranch Snack Mix” is a little ambiguous. I felt it to be a bit like the Holy Roman Empire. They were not zesty, ranchy, nor very mixed. Oh well. At least the Diet Coke washed it down after a round of profuse coughing.

The cough inducing Zesty Ranch Snack Mix

The rest of the flight went smoothly. The landing was average, and deplaning was civil. I got my gate checked bag back and got my suitcase from the baggage claim.

Conclusion: Overall, this flight was a pleasant surprise. The staff was polite, the flight was fairly smooth, it wasn't delayed substantially, the bump bribe was substantial, (Most Delta flights were delayed today due to computer outages), the snacks were half-edible and I ended up where I wanted to go. What more can one ask for in a domestic coach flight?

Approach into Cleveland

Disclaimer: United was in no way involved in this review. I was not compensated for my time, flight, or emotional distress in any way.

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Spirit Airlines Coach Review: OAK - CLE

Verdict: 1.9/10

Spirit Airlines. A name so soothing and sweet that if one had no prior knowledge about it, one might assume that it was a fine experience in the sky. Alas, it is not possible for one to be so tragically, terrifically, terribly, undoubtedly, horribly wrong.

My first, and last Spirit experience was a roundtrip flight from Oakland to Cleveland. The destinations should be omens to the flight experience. Oh. I didn't mention, it was an early morning flight through Las Vegas. I booked the ticket through Priceline, refused to pay for luggage, or a carry-on. Come on guys. $35 for a carry-on? That's just criminal. I packed my "personal item" as much as I could and left.

I got to Oakland using the BART around midnight, because the BART likes to close early on weekdays. I went through security, was patted down very thoroughly and went into the terminal thinking that I could spend my five-and-a-half hours until the flight in peace. But little did I know that the terminal closed around 1. No one had thought to mention this to me as I passed security. But oh well. Upon being thrown out by the janitor, I settled in to wait out the night in the luxury lounge known as the arrivals meeting area. It even had chairs in it. Glorious. Four hours, and three and a half episodes of The Man in the High Castle later, (Boingo didn't throw me out after 30 minutes for some reason), I got up to go back through security. I was thoroughly patted down again, but this time, the agents were not so nice about it.

Finally into the terminal, I made my way to the gate. It was surprisingly full considering that security had only been open for ten minutes. That was only a sign of the horrors to come. We boarded, slowly, called by our assigned group numbers to crowd into the cabin. I would show you a picture I took of the cabin, but I couldn't get my arms up because the people behind me were pushing so hard. It looked like a long expanse of blue holding cells, the exceptions being the "big seats up front". All looked enviously at those city-slickers who could afford the up-charge for such prominence on this fine airline.

I found my seat at the far back of the plane. Thankfully, it was a window seat. I wriggled around, trying every possible position to see if any one of modest comfort existed. I gave up and concluded that there are none. I looked at the tray table, usually a wide expanse of plastic and was flummoxed. It was metallic, and looked suspiciously like the new iPad Mini.

Not funny, I know.

We waited for boarding to finish. It finally did, but only after 30 minutes. Takeoff was a bit bumpy, but otherwise fine. After coming to cruising altitude, the stewardesses emerged. And began to sell. They started off with food. "Does anyone want some gourmet Spirit chicken fingers?" Umm. No. That sounds horrible. Drinks too. All overpriced. After they finished that up, the credit card sell began. 15,000 points if only you write your information down on this card, regardless if you get approved. It went on and on. Never before had I wanted to sign up for a card less. Sleep was my priority, but credit was theirs. I, and all the other passengers lost that battle as we descended into Las Vegas.

The next leg was almost precisely the same. Shoving, pushing, light punching to board. Cramming into a seat that I think they stole out of a race-car. Actually, on second thought, I think Spirit bought all the seconds from a failed run of Recaro race seats. The stewardesses again sold and sold, a few retirees went for the points offer. Everyone else stared into the back of the seat in front of them, wondering where the padding was, and what had they done to deserve this. Eventually, we got to Cleveland, but we weren't Believelanders anymore. The flight had sucked out all of our spirits, and left a cold, sad, begrudging longing for United in our hearts.

The flight back to Oakland began with an evening flight from Cleveland back to Las Vegas. The people going to Vegas were much merrier than those returning, most likely because they still had their money. I made some conversation from my cramped seat, and settled in for the ride. Soon after, some drama began to unfold. Eager for some kind of entertainment, the whole plane looked to the front, near the bathroom. A man, quite intoxicated, was trying to get past a stewardess to use the restroom. She then yelled at him, saying something about a pilot needing to use the restroom, and that passengers were not permitted to congregate at the front of the cabin. 

He came back to his seat across the aisle from me, grumbling. He tried again about twenty minutes later. He was told the same thing and was ordered back to his seat. This time he tried the aft restroom, but it was now out-of-order. (It hadn't been at the start of the flight) Somewhere over the Mississippi he began to get enraged and started yelling at the flight crew that he would "piss in this seat" if they didn't let him up front. Naturally, this didn't go well, and they prevented him from using the bathroom during the entire flight. As we were landing, we heard the head stewardess call the McCarran police, reporting an unruly passenger. At the gate, no one was allowed to disembark until the police took said drunk man off the plane. After that, everyone pushed and shoved to get out. I saw the drunk standing happily next to the gate to meet his friends when I exited. It turns out the police were on his side of the argument. The lesson one should take away is this: If you want to be first off a Spirit flight into Vegas, just try to use the bathroom as often and angrily as possible. 

After all this, I was less than excited to continue on to Oakland, but I had to. I found my seat, but it was occupied by large shopping bags. I politely asked the woman sitting in the middle seat, and she did so, albeit, angrily. I sat down into the plastic bucket of seat, and waited for takeoff. Another woman sat down in the aisle seat. They began to complain about the seat and were talking about ways to change. Suddenly, the woman in the middle seat began shouting to the stewardess that she was having a panic attack. "I need an aisle seat!" she yelled. They suggested she swap with her friend, but then her friend said that she too would have an emotional breakdown if she had the misfortune of sitting there. I suspect that they wanted more room for their bags of liquor than any actual malady. The attendants told them no, politely. But they continued to yell for a seat change. Eventually, after the taxi had begun, they changed seats without permission and laid down across two entire rows. The flight attendants came back and told them to put their seat belts on or we couldn't take off. 

They did so, but only with scowls. We took off, and they immediately went back to laying down across the rows. Oh, what manners up here in paradise. I spent the rest of the flight ignoring the numerous sales pitches and listening to music. 

Conclusion: After landing and the pushing and shoving of disembarking, I made my way back on the BART. Spirit's product is truly revolutionary. People pay to be miserable. The seats are terrible, the service is terrible, the pricing really isn't all that cheap after the myriad fees, and the flight attendants just try to sell you more stuff for the whole flight. And so, after this experience, perhaps only exceeded in their terror and misery by an Air Koryo flight, I have to wonder. Is Spirit really the worst airline, or does it merely bring out the worst in us?

Disclaimer: Spirit Airlines was in no way involved in this review. I was not compensated for my time, flight, or emotional distress in any way.

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The Return

It's been a little over nine weeks since I've written. In that time, I've lived in New York, spent more on cabs than I ever thought possible, and done fairly well earning airline miles for having next to no money. These should be able to fuel me through three more semester location changes, despite the recent re-valuation of the Mileageplus program. Much has happened in the world since I stopped writing, much of it relevant to travel.

So here's an eclectic ride through the summer news, with short bits of commentary from yours truly.

Brexit

The United Kingdom decided it didn't want to be in the EU anymore by a narrow margin of 52% Leave, 48% Remain. Scotland doesn't want to go, though. 

Ok, enough Buzzfeed. The immediate macro effects were clear. The pound plummeted overnight and continued falling the next day from a high of $1.52 to around $1.32 over the course of a single day. The loss was unexpected, so of course the stock market reacted badly. It's since recovered in the US, however, the FTSE 100 still hasn't made its recovery. Exports should go up in the near term for properly positioned firms. Airlines basing flights out of London may run into problems in the future. The banking industry could pack up and leave if single market access is not preserved. If you're in the market for a glass tower formerly occupied by bankers, this is a great time to buy. In good news for would-be London tourists, the UK is now on sale. So go, have a few pints, and enjoy the 12% discount.

Turkey

The summer has not been easy on Turkey. First, the horrific terror attacks at Istanbul Ataturk Airport. No upside exists in this situation. People are dead, and Turkey loses even more in possible tourism income, as does the rest of the travel industry. Later, in July, an attempted coup paralyzed Turkey for a weekend. Immediately, the Lira rapidly declined against reserve currencies. The fallout and subsequent crackdown have endangered Turkey's chances to join the EU (threats to reinstate the death penalty), removed a large amount of senior military officers, police, teachers, and academics. It is still too early to conclude if stability will return. 

European Terrorism

The spate of attacks in France and Germany does not reflect well on the security establishments in both countries, nor does it give hope to a more peaceful future in Europe. Lone-wolf self-radicalized extremists are difficult to detect and are unpredictable. Uncertainty stemming from the Bavarian ax-attack and mall shooting, Nice Bastille Day truck rampage, police couple killings, and the most recent knife attack in Belgium will undoubtedly slow the down travel from the US and other countries. Carrier capacity is up, but passenger growth is slowing, leading to lower ticket prices on many carriers. While this is advantageous to some, the events do not bode well for the future.

Stock Market Highs

I know right. I guess everyone is a bit confused as to how we can have a summer like this and still see market records. Many hypotheses have been posited, ranging from mutual fund return desperation to pure irrationality. Whatever it is, the end result is likely not positive. Bubble bursts often aren't. The question still remains as to will it burst, or is it a bubble in the first place. Only time will tell.

Misc.

Enough world events, I can see that I have less and less to say as I go. In terms of fun news, rumor has it that Chase is bringing out a new elite credit card to compete with Amex Platinum and Citi Prestige on August 21. Will it actually happen? Will I qualify for it? First, no idea, second, probably not. But that bonus sure does look enticing. In fact it would let me get that United Round-the-World ticket. But wait. They just got rid of that in their Mileageplus adjustment scheme. United, come on. Oh well. It's good to save money and points for a rainy day. In self-aggrandizing news, upon reading some travel blogs throughout the summer to kill downtime, I've found that points blogging often suffers from the same problem Top Gear did. Nothing they review is really all that attainable for the average person with something called a job. We can't all be full-time travel bloggers. Statements like "This was a great redemption deal, only 125,000 points" sure do seem ridiculous to most. To solve this heinous problem, I've decided to review coach seats in a profoundly serious deadpan manner. Where the vast majority of people sit anyways. Any accidental upgrades will not affect my review in any way, even if the airline pays me. I do not have a price. 

And as summer fades away, remember that nothing gold can stay. Shut it Robert Frost. Stay golden, Ponyboy! 

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Heverley Bills: Part I

Back-seat drivers are the worst. They give commentary, advice, directions, restaurant preferences, speed observations, wrong directions, editorial remarks, conflicting directions, and sometimes, can't even decide which direction right actually is. And for some odd reason, they get angry when you get lost on top of a large hill and find yourself on a road that dead-ends onto the edge of a cliff.

Now, I must admit that I made the different wrong turns at the same intersection three times. But seriously, Beverley Hills traffic is messed up. Now, I know what some of you are thinking, "You went to Beverley Hills?! That's not continental or exotic! Lame attempt at travel blogging." Yeah, whatever cynical travel elitist. I was curious, and I lived in California for the last year. I had never been to Los Angeles before. So, why not?

But back to the story. Well, back up a bit, I like non-linear story telling. It keeps you on your toes.

It started back in November or December, I forget when exactly. I, and two other guys from my college bought tickets to the David Gilmour Rattle That Lock concert at the Hollywood Bowl in April. I promptly forgot about it for a few months until suddenly, without warning, the concert was three weeks away.

I had three weeks to figure out a way to get down to LA for the concert and make it back up without going broke. My girlfriend was in town then as well. So, I rounded up two of my friends. Two of them, plus my girlfriend and I made four. We looked through all the possible modes of transportation that could get us down there. Planes were way too expensive. We were unlucky and didn't tie into any of the periodic specials that airlines run for the SFO-LAX route. We looked at buses, but they were ungodly expensive. They were almost $120 per person because we started making plans so late. For some reason, Amtrak was even more unreasonable and took an ungodly amount of time to get to LA.

We naturally started looking at renting a car after all of our public transport options turned out to be too expensive. One fact continued to give us problem after problem. Although every one of us is an adult, no-one will rent us a car. 20 was the lowest we could find, and that company seemed a bit sketchy. The rest of the mainstream spectrum was between 21... and 25. In San Francisco, there are a good number of 24 year olds who can afford Porsches. Yet they aren't allowed to rent a Prius C. Because that totally makes sense.

Anyways, as our frustration at the mind-boggling duality of age-related laws in America (Opportunity to be forced to fight, can sign contracts, get married, but can't drink or rent a car) increased steadily, we were forced to consider one the worst possible options, price-wise. Zipcar. But then in a deus ex machina level of fortune, I received an offer from Zipcar that I could get 40% off of a five day rental. We booked a Zipcar. A Subaru Impreza, in fact. (No, not the WRX, the "Sport" model is what we had.) The Impreza is a five seat car, and we only had four people. We couldn't convince our other friend to go with us, so we did what any reasonable adolescents would do. We posted in our college Facebook group asking if anyone wanted to come to LA. One person did reply, so naturally she was our first choice.

On the appointed day, one of the two aforementioned friends and I set out on our arduous journey to pick up the car. Five minutes later we arrived at the Fairmont parking garage. Set amongst the Mercedes SLS', Porsche 911's, and even a Ferrari La Ferrari was our little Subi. A nice white little blip of proletarian underpowered steel, in a sea of import carbon fiber bourgeoisie. We scanned into the car, and set out. We made it 200 feet to the corner of Powell and California, where all we would have had to do was make a left turn and drive for between 20 and 800 feet (Location is a secret.. Shh...) to get to the dorm, but alas, there was a no left turn sign. Being the constantly lawful and limit following drivers that we are, we took the right turn onto California. And promptly found it impossible to turn around. 20 minutes later, after much googling, polite cursing, and questioning the intelligence of San Francisco planning department, we made it back. We angled in in front of the door as best we could on the hill, and packed everything and everyone in to the back of the Subaru. For some mysterious reason, the car felt much more sluggish after that. The rear suspension also appeared to be about two inches lower. That's mass for you, I guess. We made our way out of the city.

At this point, I should probably point out, that upon deciding to get a car, we also resolved to take the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) all the way down to Los Angeles. We had also booked two Airbnb's. One roughly halfway between SF and LA and the other in Long Beach.

Anyways, we hit Highway 1 pretty quickly and fell in behind a fairly quick Camry. The day was not all that ideal in terms of picturesque weather. Pacifica and Half Moon Bay came up fairly quickly in the light mist. We got out, took a few pictures, and whined off, the little 2.0 liter struggling to make way at speed on the turns, hills, and switchbacks of the PCH.

It was all going well until we pulled up behind a minivan. This particular minivan was not even making 10 MPH below the speed limit. After ten minutes, I started to feel my soul departing my body as I aged. "Don't let me expire of old age in a base model Subaru!" I thought frantically. About ten years later a long straight came up, thankfully divided by a broken yellow. It was clear, so I floored it. And nothing happened.

Somewhere on the PCH before Pacifica and after Half Moon Bay.

About 3 seconds later, a strange pingey growl emerged from the hood of the car, and we surged forward in a very similar fashion to a supertanker coming out of port. Eventually, we passed the Camry and took off back into the hairpins bordered by cliffs. This is when that dreaded back seat driving began. One in the back prefaced the third set of turns with a, "You know what you're doing right? Cause don't kill us." I took the turn at a reasonable speed and did not cut the apex, because I am of course, a consummate professional. The rain began to get worse as we neared Santa Cruz. It suddenly cleared as parked next to the boardwalk.

The rainy, cold, excuse for a boardwalk.

After being deeply disappointed, our day was further saddened by the drizzle that slowly turned into a downpour. Leaving Santa-let-down-Cruz behind, the road cut inland and evened out. There was possibly one wrong turn on the way out of town, but that didn't cause too much outrage from the cheap seats because the different phones were disagreeing with one another. Google Maps really needs to see a psychologist. It can't even give the same answer to one person twice, let alone three.

We roared into Monterrey at an astounding 40 MPH. The rain was gone, but the misery was replaced by traffic. And hunger. Monterrey has many signs pointing to many things. The problem was though, some in the back seat still couldn't decide where they wanted to eat. We first tried Fisherman's Wharf, but decided that the parking cost too much and there was nothing we could afford. We continued down the road, and ended up at Cannery Row. Also a place full of quality, low-cost food. Not.

Used to be sardines, now its Range Rovers. Who'd a thunk it.

Yelp did provide an alternative. A small cafe up the road with solid reviews and a classic chowder became our mess halt.

Although Monterrey was quickly left in the rear-view mirror, the smell of chowder was not. The sun started to set as we made time down the flats near the beaches. I started to see signs with pictures of giant seals on them. A series came up advising us that an elephant seal rookery was near. I turned in without too much thought. The back seat woke up on the rough entry to the parking lot and wanted to know why exactly we were stopping.

"Elephant seals," I said. "What?.." was the collective response.

Elephant Seals.

Sunset with a side of elephant seals.

We walked out, and immediately found elephant seals. And a brilliant sunset. But the elephant seals were cooler. After twenty minutes or so of elephant seal watching we decided to finally head for our overnight halt in Templeton.

After the sun sank below the horizon, fog began to roll in. Visibility went from great to almost nothing. Our phones were dying, and one charge cord was broken, another horribly inefficient. We made to an inland two-lane highway and followed a local through the rolling hills. The fog got thicker and I started following the local BMW more closely. The thing is though, that BMW was doing around 70 MPH in thick fog. Keeping up was a chore. The rain faded a little as our hypothetical turn came up. Waze announced that the turn was in 500 meters. I couldn't see any road, though. The fog was too thick. Waze by Morgan Freeman announced the turn again, I still couldn't see any intersection, only fog. Wet asphalt glimmered for a fraction of a second off to the right. There it was. I made the turn. But the back seat complained again. Tire squeal and traction control noises aren't marks of a quality turn apparently. The road darkened further as it ascended a large hill.

Eventually we found our way to our destination somewhere in the middle of the woods. Just as promised, quiet, secluded, and surprisingly cozy. The day was done. I had managed to survive the first day of the back seat drivers. Unfortunately, the worst was yet to come.

Next, we hit Los Angeles. The city of Angels, Hollywood and the Interstate system gone horribly, dreadfully, miserably wrong.

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Berlin: The Basic Tour

Now that you've not only arrived in Berlin, but also know how to purchase BVG tickets and have the ability to navigate it, it's time to figure out where to go. Berlin has a multitude of parks, museums, cultural centers, memorials, monuments, lakes, restaurants, rivers, historic sites, clubs, stores and everything in between. You cannot possibly see everything, no matter how long you are there. What you can do is make a good attempt.

The first basic tour for most usually turns out to be a bus tour. Berlin has private tour buses, but let's be honest here, those cost way too much. The BVG runs a bus line that is not only double-decker, but also passes some of the most iconic landmarks (Sehenswürdigkeiten) of Berlin. And it is ridden using a normal BVG ticket. The 100 Bus line was created after the Fall of the Berlin Wall (der Mauerfall) to link the East and the West. It starts in Alexanderplatz and makes its way west until it reaches the Berlin Zoo station. (Zoologischer Garten) I highly recommend taking it to begin your time in Berlin.

Zoologischer Garten is a great station to continue sightseeing and shopping at. As you exit the station, you should be able to see the ruins of a church. It is the Kaiser Wilhelm II Memorial Church (Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche). As you get closer, you will begin to see a blue building. That is the newly built part of the church. The interior is astoundingly beautiful.

The interior of the new Gedächtniskirche.

The ruins of the Gedächtniskirche

The church is situated at a fantastic place to start shopping. If you cross the island it is situated on to the opposite street, you will find yourself on Kurfürstendamm, Ku'damm to locals. It is the premier high street in Berlin. Continuing down Ku'damm away from Zoologischer Garten, you will eventually see a massive building on your right. That is Kaufhaus des Westens, or KaDeWe. It is a massive department store, on the order of Harrod's in London. I used it as far more of a wishing store, than actually buying anything. Except chocolate. They have an amazing truffle selection on one of the upper floors as well as a wide selection of "American food".

KaDeWe's interpretation of "American food".

After you're finished there, (it might take a while) you'll find yourself at Wittenbergplatz. The U-Bahn station is a beautiful example of old German architecture. You can either take the U2 back to Zoologischer Garten or walk. This part of town is particularly beautiful at dusk.

U-Bahnhof Wittenberplatz.

Looking down Ku'damm from Wittenbergplatz.

Zoologischer Garten is a great station for connections back towards the center of the city. The S5 and the S7 will both make the same stops until you get to Friedrichsfelde-Ost in the far east. If you still have some time after the sightseeing and shopping, head back to the Hauptbahnhof. From the S-Bahn platform head down and follow the signs to the U55. It goes straight to the Brandenburg Gate. (Brandenburger Tor) The area around the Tor is lit at night, and makes for a memorable time.

The Tor on the Day of German Unity. (Tag der deutschen Einheit)

While looking at the gate from the front, the United States Embassy (Botschaft) will be on your left, the French Embassy on your right, and the British farther back on the left. After you're done viewing the Tor, walk through it and turn left. Keep walking until you come to the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe (Denkmal für die ermordeten Juden Europas) on your left. Walking through the Memorial at night is a haunting experience. Be sure to be respectful whilst inside the memorial despite others' behavior.

Next, reverse course and head back towards the Tor. Go past it, and walk to the end of the street, and turn left. Cross the street, and you will find yourself in front of the Reichstag, the seat of the German parliament (Bundestag). It's another building that is stunning at night. After the Reichstag, go left and continue through the gardens, and past the large glass Bundestag building. Eventually, you should be able to see a field of grass that ends in a bridge back over to the Hauptbahnhof. The river that bridge crosses is called the Spree. The lights on the water at night make it to the perfect way to end a day in Berlin.

From the Hauptbahnhof, you can make it back to any part of Berlin rather quickly. Use the BVG app to find the best route.

This day of sightseeing only barely scratches the surface of what Berlin has to offer. Hundreds of museums, parks, and landmarks still await you. Go out and explore, and see what beauty you can find in Bärlin.

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Berlin: First Movements

First Post in Berlin Series

First things first. When you get out of a train and enter the main station area, do not, I repeat Do Not sign any kind of petition that is offered to you. I know it talks about helping the disabled of Europe, but it's absolutely fake. The same piece of paper is used by theft rings around Europe. I have seen it in seven cities so far. Don't sign it, you're in serious risk pickpocketing if you do.

Now that that's clear you can start to navigate public transport to your place of residence while you're in Berlin. The first line of defense for navigating Berlin is the BVG App. iOS Android Google Maps works, but is not quite as good as BVG Fahrinfo.

A fair understanding of the Schnellbahnnetz is also a good to have. It's really rather simple as one can see.

2008 version of the Berlin rapid transit system. The 2016 one is available here.

This map includes SBahn (City light rail), UBahn (Subway), and RE/RB (Regional trains). The oblong oval shape is a continuous line known as the Ringbahn and is number S41 and S42. The rest of the lines snake through the city's various Bezirke (Boroughs) until their termini.

UBahn stations come in many forms. This one is on the U2.

The city is divided into three different fare zones: A, B, and C. Tickets are sold for AB, BC, or ABC. Single use extension tickets are also available to add one zone of validity to a ticket for two hours. Single tickets are valid for two hours within their fare zones for one direction of travel and cost EUR 2.70. The ticket must be validated at a machine in the UBahn station, on an SBahn platform, or in a a bus or tram. They are small yellow or red boxes with a slot that the ticket must be inserted into. It is then stamped with a date and station code.

Illuminated signs in English and German show when the next bus
for each route are coming at busy stops. This one is at S-Bahnhof Heerstraße.

Tickets valid for a longer period of time are also commonly used. There are day, two day, three day, four day, five day, six day, week, and monthly tickets. For tourists, a selection of tickets that include museum entrances and other benefits are available. For longer term visitors there for three weeks or more, month tickets make more fiscal sense. They are known as Monatskarten. One month of an unreduced VBB Umweltskarte which is valid on all BVG forms of transportation costs EUR 81.00 per month for zones AB. If you are a student studying in Berlin on a study abroad program and have a valid Berlin issued photo ID you may be able to use the Monatskarte Azubi/Schüler for EUR 57.00 for zones AB. If at a German university, there should also be an office to purchase semester-long tickets at for further reduced prices. An ID from BVG is required to use the reduced tickets.

Tickets are most commonly purchased from yellow machines at train stations, and single tickets are sold on buses. The machines take cash, EC cards (A unique German kind of charge card), and some debit cards. Many convenience stores also sell tickets. One way to save a small amount of money is to buy four tickets at the same time in a 4-Fahrten-Karte configuration. Each ticket must be individually validated when it is used.

Now you have everything you need to make it to your accommodations without problem.

Next: Berlin: The Basic Tour

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