aeronaut and ipad ristretto around new york

[maverick]

i packed myself into a crimson/steel aeronaut and a black/wasabi ipad ristretto for a trip last week.

my first leg was an an embraer jet that had one seat on one side of the aisle and two on the other side.

[maverick]

my aeronaut met the carry on fitting requirements for american airlines.

[maverick]

and fit nicely in the overhead compartment.

[maverick]

rollaboards would not have fit, and had to be gate checked.

[maverick]

i had a little time while transitting through new york's jfk airport, so i took the air train to jamaica station, and from there to the long island railroad train into the city.

these shots are on the air train.

[maverick]

waiting for the LIRR train at jamaica station.

[maverick]

my aeronaut sat nicely on the overhead rack on the LIRR train.

[maverick]

the aeronaut and ipad ristretto with the empire state building behind them.

[maverick]

the aeronaut and ipad ristretto at madison square garden.

[maverick]

the aeronaut and ipad ristretto in the back seat of a new york taxi.

[maverick]

i met a friend in new york, and we flew together from new york to india and back.

she had packed herself in a rollaboard suitcase and a fairly large backpack that probably had a capacity similar to the smart alec. we got stopped at the end of the jetway, right before where you board the plane. she was told that there was no more space in the overhead bins (which we found out wasn't true when we boarded - not cool - i don't like to be lied to), and that she couldn't bring the roll aboard on board. our ride was a boeing 777-200, which has huge overhead bins that hold most any rollaboard. so i was a bit surprised that we got stopped. but it's useful to know that this is happening even on larger jets.

i think we got stopped because of the combination of a large looking backpack and a rollaboard.

my aeronaut was well packed, but it wasn't stuffed. similarly, her backpack had a little space. and her rollaboard wasn't stuffed. we had also picked up some snacks, a couple of big water bottles, and a blanket at an airport shop that were in two huge plastic bags (i hadn't packed a shop bag for this trip because i did not plan any shopping outings at our destination, otherwise we would have used a shop bag).

i suggested we at least move a change of clothes from her suitcase to one of the bags we were bringing onboard in case the rollaboard didn't meet us at our destination. we actually were able to move most all the stuff that was in the rollaboard between the aeronaut and her backpack. the rest of the stuff was moved into these two plastic bags. and we gate checked an empty suitcase. and they were fine with us boarding with the aeronaut, ipad ristretto, her backpack, and two huge plastic bags. it was pretty hilarious - we couldn't stop laughing.

the funny thing is, the aeronaut has a greater capacity than her rollaboard. and if she had her stuff in an aeronaut, they wouldn't have said anything to her.

surprisingly, the rollaboard arrived at baggage claim in delhi. but the pull out handle for pulling the suitcase broke along the way. we didn't want to deal with filing a claim (a mentally draining process with air india, probably 10 times worse in india). we used the rollaboard suitcase to bring back some speaker cones that need to be repaired (which are pretty heavy). concerned that the bag may not show up at the other end, we carried the rollaboard on board rather than checking it (luckily, they didn't fuss this time). do you have any idea how inconvenient it is to carry a heavy rollaboard that cannot be rolled?

my friend's dad was traveling back with us, so we put some of her stuff in his bag (rather than dealing with plastic bags :).

i was glad that we had an empty bag to bring back the speaker cones. but carrying that thing from check in at amritsar to transit in delhi and new york jfk arrival in washington dca was a chore.

here is what i had packed in the aeronaut:
main compartment:
* 2 t-shirts
* 2 shirts
* 2 pairs of shorts
* 2 yoga pants
* 4 pairs of underwear
* a crazy creek camping chair
* a backup nada chair
* a neck pillow (full size, not the inflatable kind)
* a tilley hat

in one side compartment:
* one 3d clear organizer cube for my liquids
* one 3d clear organizer cube for solid (non-liquid) toiletries
* my maui jim sunglass case

in the other side compartment:
* one medium thickness hard back book
* one folding umbrella

in the backpack strap compartment:
* a large envelope holding letter size papers unfolded

in the ipad ristretto:
* ipad
* canon s90 camera in a small padded organizer pouch
* shure earbuds in a mini padded organizer pouch
* clear organizer wallet
* large moleskine journal
* hand sanitizer
* lip balm
* e-ticket, passport, and other travel documents
* 2 pens
* a deck of cards
* notepad

[MtnMan]

Oh! I remember fondly my visit to NYC in mid-July of 2000! I made sure to see the Statue of Liberty and to go to the top of the Empire State Building while I was there for the MacWorld Expo. I still have great pictures!

I notice you carried a deck of cards with you. What do they play in NYC. I remember Oscar Madison used to invite his friends over to play poker in "The Odd Couple", and Oscar and Felix lived in Manhattan...

[Katy]

Wow!! So many awesome pictures!! :)

[maverick]

Wow!! So many awesome pictures!! :)

it's hard for a picture with a tom bihn bag in it to not be awesome :D

[MtnMan]

Regarding the iPad you carried on your trip:

Did you find the iPad useful in airport/airhub settings that offer WiFi, or do you opt not to pay for their access? Or does your iPad use 3G cellular access?