Saturday, May 9, 2015
Woke at 2:45 AM for a very early flight. I had a $35 Wingz ride scheduled—my first time using this service—but the driver canceled five minutes after the scheduled pickup time saying he had been stopped by the police. I then requested an UberX driver, and driver Paul arrived in three minutes and got me to SFO quickly and safely for $28.35. Waited in line for about 15 minutes because the JetBlue counter did not open until 4:30 am. No food or coffee seemed to be open in pre-security International Terminal despite a sign indicating 24-hour coffee service. Waited in line for some time because the security checkpoint was not yet open. Breakfast to go from L'Amoura: vanilla yogurt with sliced strawberries and granola. Ate while waiting for JetBlue flight 735 from SFO to LGB, seat 7A. Mom and Dad picked me up. I enjoyed seeing jacaranda trees everywhere in full bloom. They breakfasted and I ate at Huff's Restaurant: I had fresh fruit, an English muffin with butter, and coffee. We then visited and photographed the new ARTIC Amtrak train station on East Katella Avenue. At the station my dad explained that Metrolink provides commuter service to Los Angeles Union Station just like Amtrak, and I realized that it was significantly cheaper than the $20 Amtrak ticket I had purchased by earlier reservation for business class service not knowing Metrolink existed. I'm guessing and hoping that Amtrak business class is correspondingly less crowded and more comfortable. Home. Speedtest over my parents' FreedomPop internet connection: 0.5 Mbps down, 1.32 up. I turned off wifi and retested on T-Mobile 4G LTE: 2.59 down, 2.28 up. Dad attempted to show me a 50-minute dvd he made of photos that included me, but I got sleepy after a few minutes. Nap. Walked in on and joined my dad watching NHK World on broadcast (antenna) television: koalas, news, Japan Railway Journal, Yuko Yamaguchi. Dinner at Tin Tin Seafood Restaurant aka Ten Ten Seafood Restaurant with Mom and Dad. Dessert at home: turtle pie from frozen, fresh cherries. More photo slideshow watching.