Lunch with a View

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Fri, 04/28/2006 - 06:44 — David Evans Jr.

Ok, so you've been blogging all morning and now it's time for lunch and you want something substantial but not heavy...a little ambiance would be nice but you'd rather not pay for the view, I have a suggestion. If you aren't already in the San Diego area then snag one of Southwest Airlines' legendary low fares and get yourself to Lindbergh International Airport. Just a short drive (1/4 mile with complimentary transportation) is the Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina.

Once at the hotel check out the awesome aquarium in the lobby behind the concierge desk and then proceed to the Harbors Edge restaurant. If you want to dine inside grab a seat by the floor to ceiling windows along the west wall, but my personal favorite is to lounge at a table on the outside patio where you can enjoy the sights and sounds of the Lagoon Pool and the beautiful Whale Fountain. Either inside or out, dining will give you an unobstructed view of millions of dollars in power and sailing craft moored at the marina.

So now for the food...The menu is extensive but my personal favorite is the Seafood Cobb Salad...A salad you ask??? I know, I know, you just traveled halfway across the country surviving on screw top merlot and peanuts for a salad!! Give me a moment before you throw me out with the bleu cheese crumbles. This salad has mounds of shrimp and incredible crab in addition to the "regular" cobb offerings. It is beautifully presented and tastes as great as it looks; quite refreshing and filling. The cobb is accompanied by a bountiful bread basket with numerous artisan offerings, yum, yum.

So there you have it, million dollar views, a scrumptious lunch, the fragrance of the sea and all for the price of a salad. Wow, I think I've talked myself into a road trip to San Diego.

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Comments

I have never been to SAN but gosh, I do want to go now. That salad alone sounds like a reason to fly. Great article David.

Robin Sell — Fri, 04/28/2006 - 19:00

David,
Nice post. As a pilot, I think you would have an interesting perpective on hotels and potentially a trusted voice on the subject matter. Furthermore, since you work for Southwest which has a strong brand for outstanding customer service, I'd expect your filter on hotel service quality would be high. That is, as a reader I'm assuming you'd apply the same high standards of customer service

Posts like these not only help Southwest customers find great places to go when they're traveling where they can expect a similar service experience to that of Southwest ... they will also serve to reinforce Southwest's brand image. BTW - the tag on this should include restaurant, san sandiego or something like that.

I would love to see more of these types of posts .... particularly if you can expand on your overall service experience at the hotel, restaurant, etc. and provide an honest critique on the positives and negatives. We expect that of Southwest!

I'm curious to see how long it takes for Starwood to comment here or trackback.

Brian Magierski — Fri, 04/28/2006 - 19:23

Will Starwood find Southwest?...

Here one of the latest posts on the Southwest Airlines blog site. There is an interesting opportunity here that I thought I would highlight. David, a Southwest pilot, is posting essentially a review about a restaurant at the Sheraton hotel...

BKM Blog — Fri, 04/28/2006 - 19:40

I've been a guest at that hotel a couple years ago. I was stunned to receive a complimentary bottle of wine along with some fruits and chocolates! I'd also like to recommend their breakfast buffet. It was fabulous. The hotel is in close proximity to SAN and within a cheap cab fare to the famous Gaslamp Quarter.

Paul — Fri, 04/28/2006 - 20:13

Come on, Capt. Dave! We need more JUICE than that! Did you have a layover tryst that Sheraton one time? Did one of your flight attendants get bed bugs there? Did you have to make an emergency landing in SAN after a bird flew into the engine and that's how you found the place?

Well, I guess favorite restaurants/hotels is the safest subject to give to airline crews. Otherwise they could digress and get themselves into ALL sorts of trouble ;-)

Respectfully yours,

Queen of Sky

Queen of Sky — Fri, 04/28/2006 - 20:27

Unpainted planes are lighter and lighter planes burn less fuel. Try one plane.

Joe Serra — Sat, 04/29/2006 - 14:24

Dave,
Which airport (that Southwest) is the most challenging for you as a pilot to fly into? Easiest? In example, San Diego's easterly approach or Orange County's departure looks cool as a passenger but how about in the best seat on the 737?

Travis — Sat, 04/29/2006 - 18:08

Travis,
Great question! Which airport is the most challenging to fly into? I will say that every single approach is very cool. As a fourteen year Pilot Employee ofÃ‚

Rob — Sat, 04/29/2006 - 22:36

Joe Serra,
There was one unpainted plane. It was called "Silver One"
It cost to much to keep it looking good unpainted so it now looks like "Primer One."
i'm not sure how AMR keeps theirs shiney. Different standards maybe?

Joe Friedmann — Sun, 04/30/2006 - 13:34

Hi Joe Serra and Joe Friedmann,
It is true that we left Silver One unpainted for awhile, but the upkeep simply became overwhelming to keep the aircraft in a presentable state. Even though aircraft are unpainted, the bare metal still needs treatment and polishing, and because of this most airlines consider the costs between painted and unpainted planes to be a "wash." Another complication is that many new aircraft are using composites for part of the fuselage, and the composite material has to be painted. American has traditionally left their planes in natural metal, but if you look at the area around the entrance doors, once the aircraft is away from the gate, you will notice that the jetbridge canopies have dulled the shine of the metal. There is really no right nor wrong answer for whether to paint or to go "bare," at least where aircraft are concerned. (Bare can be very nice in other contexts!) By the way, I will be posting soon about some of our special paint schemes, so stay tuned.
Brian

Brian Lusk — Tue, 05/02/2006 - 12:49

ON TOPIC POST!

The San Diego Sheraton is the paradigm of hotel nickel-and-diming, and they have the best location possible to do it. If you're staying at the hotel, you are a $12 to $14 taxi ride away from anything and everything in San Diego. I would only recommend it if you're there for a convention at that hotel... and even then you might get a little stir crazy.

By the way, expect to pay a lot for that Cobb salad. San Diego isn't the cheapest place in the world... and the Sheraton takes advantage of that fact. :) I haven't been out there in over a year, but if they're still on the menu, the don't miss entree for me is the pancakes at breakfast.

Patrick — Tue, 05/02/2006 - 14:53

Dave:
I certainly hope it wasn't you going halfway across the country living on the melot and peanuts. At least not if you were doing the pilot thing.

Kevin — Fri, 05/05/2006 - 18:32

I'm NUTS about SWA too! If it weren't for your Rapid Rewards I wouldn't have been able to see my
grandchildren in Walnut Creek, CA. as often as I like.

Sincerely,
Loretta Reid
Kempner, Texas

Loretta Reid — Mon, 05/08/2006 - 14:56

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