Thursday, April 29, 2010

Southwest Airlines

I'm making my summer travel plans, which include a variety of places. For airline tickets I turned to Southwest Airlines. I was a little surprised this year because their prices are about the same as everyone else's. Usually I save money by flying Southwest. Oh yes!! They don't charge for checking luggage. That saves me $100 and yes they do cost less.

But I also just like Southwest. I'm not the sharpest ladder on the highway, and I tend to make mistakes such as booking my flights on the wrong day. I thought I was in trouble and heading for some big fees to change the dates on my tickets. I called the SW 800 number and... no problem. They canceled my flight and gave me a full credit to use toward purchasing flights on the correct date. Which I immediately did.

Plus I like Southwest just because they are friendly. I'm typically flying across the country and a smile and good attitude really help. Thank you Southwest!

Monday, April 26, 2010

Cruise In Country Diner, Hillsboro, OR

A few months ago my son and a friend of his were heading home. It had been a long day and they were REALLY hungry. They stopped at a little restaurant in the middle of nowhere in the farm country part of Hillsboro, Oregon. It was called the Cruise In Country Diner. They had such a great meal that my son has been wanting to take me there... which he did a few days ago.

I should have keep in mind that when you are REALLY hungry, anything tastes REALLY good.

The atmosphere at the Cruise In Country Diner is unique. Although it does not have the long narrow shape of the diners I remember from the early 60's, it does have the decor and the friendly feeling. It's an atmosphere I really like. Our waitress was very friendly, even sitting down at our table to talk with us a bit.

But the important part of an eating experience is the food, and the Cruise In Country Dinner falls far short in quality, quantity and value. They serve burgers and I like burgers. But at $10.00 a burger I expected more than a tiny three inch (round not thick) bun that went down in four bites. Yes, you do get unlimited fries, but it's the burger that's the main course -- and the fries weren't that great in any case.

But, not only was it small, my burger was dry and just a hair short of being totally burned. I'd have to be REALLY hungry to call this good food.

We had a long wait for our food, so maybe something went wrong in the kitchen, but the Cruise In Country Diner is not a restaurant I plan to return to. The cost is too high and the risk of poor food too great.