DAY 26 & DAY 27 - From Hobart to Brisbane to LA to NYC

DAYS 26 & 27 - January 4-5, 2023 - Journey Back Home

My original flight was supposed to go to Melbourne and then catch a flight to Los Angeles, however, it was changed TWICE! And now, it is from Hobart to Brisbane. The major issue was that now in Brisbane I was going to have a very long layover – more than 6 hours. Not something I was looking forward to.

The arrival at the Brisbane Airport was relaxed. I had to go outside to catch the bus which took me to the International Terminal. Outside, it was rather warm and humid. Overall, the airport was very quiet. I decided to go through the customs right away since there was not much to do. I had plenty of time to make myself comfortable in the Qantas lounge.

There, over 6+ hours, I ate some food (mainly Indian dishes) and snacks, had some drinks, and killed the time working on my photos and playing Steam games on my computer.

One hour prior to our departure, a strong summer storm with lightning and thunder, and heavy rains exploded over Brisbane which forced the airport to close for about one hour. Our flight was also postponed from 10:30pm to past 11:00pm. It was quite impressive to watch this storm from the Qantas lounge. I had time for another glass of wine … was feeling quite relax.

TOTAL NUMBER OF MILES FLOWN = 1,111 miles (1,788 km)

Goodbye, Tasmania!

The flight from Brisbane to Los Angeles was uneventful. Qantas flight attendants are rather friendly, but the overall quality of the food is so-so. Overall, I prefer American Airlines. I was able to sleep but not for too long as I didn’t want to spoil my sleep in Los Angeles. I forced myself to wake up a few hours before landing in Los Angeles. I kept myself awake with coffee and snacks while gorging myself on movies, some were braindead (the usual movie fare nowadays), but I was able to find a couple of gems.

Goodbye, Australia!

We arrived in Los Angeles on time (5:55pm) despite the fact we left almost one hour late. The airport was very quiet. It took me less than 20 minutes from the moment I stepped off the plane, to going through the customs (thanks to Global Entry), and finally picking up my luggage. I didn’t have to go through any luggage check at the customs and just exited the terminal… a record, I’m sure!!

It was another very rainy day in Los Angeles. It seems that Jim and I have been rain magnets since we left NYC. It was raining when we arrived in December and today was a rerun… The rain was rather strong and it was starting to flood the roads as I was walking outside the International Terminal. My Uber made it through the rain and the usual mad traffic at LAX.

The hotel (Hotel June) wasn’t very far from the airport but it wasn’t easy to find. We made it after a couple of wrong turns. Hotel June is a boutique hotel with only the basic amenities. There is no room service there but there was a restaurant on-site. The desk attendant was very helpful and he offered to take care of my dinner order. He even delivered it to my room. I ate my California-Mexican fusion dinner on the bed while watching a couple of Netflix shows. Afterwards, I did fall asleep rather fast!

TOTAL NUMBER OF MILES FLOWN = 7,939 miles (12,777 km)

Last leg of the journey! I woke up early and my Uber picked me up at 7:00am. My flight was at 10:00am with a planned arrival at JFK at approx. 6:30pm. Being early at the American Airlines Terminal was nice as it was not busy at all. I went through the TSA checkpoint in no time and went directly to the American Airlines lounge. There, I had a very nice breakfast buffet. I found a place to sit by the window where I could watch the planes arriving and leaving.

Thanks to my mileage points, I was in First Class, which provides a solo pod. A nice way to travel. It was a very relaxing flight. The meal on the plane was quite good. I read, watched a couple of movies, and listened to music. Time flew by (pun intended) and in no time we landed at JFK in NYC.

I saw my plane arriving and then getting ready for the LA-NY flight. I even saw my suitcase being loaded into the cargo of the plane!!

Here again, it didn’t take me very long to get my luggage. My driver was ready for me and I made it home before 9:00pm… traffic in NYC is not any different than traffic in LA.

Back at the apartment, I was wide awake so I unpacked… a bit sad that this beautiful vacation is behind me now… but I now have wonderful memories of our time spent with Jess and Alex and his parents. Tasmania is a beautiful place!