traveling with the aeronaut and ristretto for the 11" macbook air

[maverick]

hi folks!

i'm off to philadelphia again! - this time with the aeronaut and ristretto for 11" macbook air, and i wanted to share a few pictures...

[maverick]

i took the metro from west falls church to union station (via metro center). the orange line from west falls church to metro center was packed, and i stood the whole way (about 20 minutes). i was wearing the aeronaut with the backpack straps, and it felt wonderfully comfortable on my back - so much so, that i had to think about the fact that it was on my back as i started to write this. the ristretto was on my shoulder.

the red line from metro center to union station wasn't so full, so i set my bags down and got this picture...

[maverick]

you can enter the hall at union station a couple of different ways when you arrive on the metro. to enter onto the lower level, you have to go up a few steps. this is where you appreciate the fact that you can wear your bags rather than pull them behind you. it is also a quieter entrance.

there are escalators (and elevators i suppose - i didn't go looking for them) that take you to the upper level.

amtrak is a wonderful alternative to flying or driving, at least between washington, dc and new york (and probably other places also!). you don't have to arrive early to check in or go through security or any of that stuff. there are a couple of trains leaving pretty much every hour. you can relax while you travel (as opposed to driving and dealing with possible traffic issues). this isn't to say that amtrak doesn't have issues. trains can be late, and they can get canceled. but overall, it's a wonderful way to travel.

here is a picture of the aeronaut in the overhead compartment of the amtrak acela...

[maverick]

oatmeal and a ristretto! what more could you want for breakfast?! :)

[maverick]

what's in your padded organizer pouch?

my mini holds a nifty little verizon mifi router.

amtrak does offer free wifi on the acela, in case you were wondering. but the throughput of the verizon mifi is much better!

[maverick]

so what have i packed inside the ristretto and aeronaut for this trip?

the ristretto for 11" macbook air holds -
- an 11" macbook air (no big surprise here) :)
- a canon s95 camera in a small padded organizer pouch.
- the verizon mifi in a mini padded organizer pouch.
- macbook air ac adapter and various cables and adapters in a 3d clear organizer cube.
- lip balm.
- weleda skin food.
- a pen.
- a rhodia pad.
- etymotic hf3 in ear monitors.
- a 2.5" usb hard drive in my FOT pouch.

the aeronaut holds:
- toiletries - many of them full size, carried in a clear quarter packing cube, which is in one end compartment. another wonderful thing about taking the train rather than a plane is that there are no restrictions on liquids.
- a book, a travel clock and an apple in the other end compartment.
- keys in the exterior zippered pocket.
- in the main compartment:
- 2 dress shirts, a pair of pants, 2 pairs of socks, 2 pairs of underwear, a shawl, a sweater and a lego man whose feet light up when you press his belly.

some notes -
- the shawl is a men's shawl (uncommon in the west, but not uncommon in india). it's much bigger than a woman's shawl, and i like to wear it in the hotel room.
- the lego man is a surprise for my son when i come back. i always try to pick up something when i go somewhere, but he wants one of these, so i cheated a little and picked one up at a local toy shop.

[Maria]

Maverick - your detailed entries are informative, and heart warming at the same time! I'm sure the Lego Man will be a treat for your son when you get home.

I also always enjoy reading packing lists, and seeing photos! Thank you again.

[backpack]

I second that!

[ams123]

Love the photos and descriptions. I have the same color aeronaut and ristretto.

What is a verizon mifi? I am intrigued.

[maverick]

Love the photos and descriptions. I have the same color aeronaut and ristretto.

What is a verizon mifi? I am intrigued.

hi ams123!

a mifi is a portable access point for your wifi enabled device that connects to the internet via a mobile network. the one i have connects to verizon's 3g service. though, verizon just announced a 4g (LTE) mifi. their 4g service, which just launched, is much faster than their 3g service, and should be deployed across their network by the end of 2013. they do have coverage in the washington, dc area and other major metro areas now.

the mifi device allows 5 devices to connect to the internet simultaneously.

at&t, sprint (and other mobile carriers, i imagine), also offer similar solutions.

[maverick]

i was in philadelphia with a couple of colleagues, and we left the hotel together this morning. because we were returning from philadelphia today, we checked out in the morning and brought our luggage along.

we got a little snow in philadelphia early this morning - perhaps an inch. the roads were wet and there were puddles here and there, specially at curb ramps when you went from the sidewalk onto the road and back onto the sidewalk.

the hotel is just a few blocks from the office, so we walked as we usually do. i had my aeronaut on my back and my ristretto on my shoulder, and both my colleagues had rolling suitcases with their laptop bags on top of their suitcases.

it's interesting to see how one navigates around these puddles with rolling luggage, specially when you're going from the road back onto the sidewalk - you essentially have to stop and lift your suitcase onto the sidewalk, stepping to the side to avoid the curb ramp where the water had collected.

i don't know how a rolling suitcase would handle being pulled through a puddle of water. hopefully, the water wouldn't enter the suitcase or damage the wheels!

[ams123]

hi ams123!

a mifi is a portable access point for your wifi enabled device that connects to the internet via a mobile network. the one i have connects to verizon's 3g service. though, verizon just announced a 4g (LTE) mifi. their 4g service, which just launched, is much faster than their 3g service, and should be deployed across their network by the end of 2013. they do have coverage in the washington, dc area and other major metro areas now.

the mifi device allows 5 devices to connect to the internet simultaneously.

at&t, sprint (and other mobile carriers, i imagine), also offer similar solutions.

Thanks for the explanation. So I guess there is some kind of monthly fee or contract like with a cell phone?

[Fat Crip]

Well, Love the picks Mav. I'll be ordering another, smaller, Ristretto as soon as I get back from my next trip to Spain (i.e. two weeks), and I am still trying to decide what sort of larger carry-on bag I want, but the Aeronaut is right up on the short list, but I've got to have that mifi! It beats my 3G dongle hands down! In the meantime, I still can't make up my mind whether to get the iPad or MBA 11" version? I only have an iPad, but the 11" would be more flexible, but the iPad version might be a better 'man bag'. I need to see side by side pics of all three sizes - ideally on a 6'2" man!

[maverick]

Thanks for the explanation. So I guess there is some kind of monthly fee or contract like with a cell phone?

there is a monthly service fee. whether you end up in a contract or pay month to month is up to you. you'll pay less for the device up front if you get into a contract, and more if you choose to not get into a contract. if you bring your own device, you also don't need to get into a contract. you'll find a bunch of mifi devices on craigslist and ebay.