Where's Johnny Jet? Headed to Toronto and the Northeast

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Cheers from the east coast. Last week, we left off from San Juan, Puerto Rico and this week we're traveling back to L.A. before hopping on a flight to visit two great cities: New York and Toronto. If you're up for enjoying the summer weather and some fun on the east coast with my family and friends, then hop on board.

San Juan to Dallas

From San Juan, I flew five hours to Dallas, then another three hours to L.A. I fly so much that I have elite status on American Airlines and so when I checked in, the agent offered to give me a first-class seat. Well, I kindly declined; it would have cost me five American Airline upgrade units (which elite frequent fliers accrue or can purchase at a discount). Since I was already assigned to seat 9E -- which, in my opinion, is the best seat on American's 757 planes, I decided to stay put. Note: Each airline and airplane has different seat configurations; log on to SeatGuru.com to find which ones they rate as the best.

9E is a bulkhead exit row with plenty of legroom but there's no overhead space so you have to make sure that you board the plane early to find storage nearby. The flight to Dallas was uneventful; I passed the time working on my laptop. I also found myself watching in amazement as people of all ages tried to figure out if the bathroom was vacant or not and how to open the door. This isn't just a domestic problem either. Last month, on my flight from Cyprus to London, it was just as bad (if not worse.). This past month alone, I opened the bathroom door twice to find someone sitting on the toilet. And then they slam the door like it's my fault. What's going on around here? Do the airlines need a better system or are people just knuckleheads?

Dallas to L.A.

I arrived at the Dallas/Fort Worth airport (DFW) in the new, $1.4-billion Terminal D a little bit late. Terminal D is state-of-the-art and looks awesome but unfortunately, I just didn't have time to roam around and explore the many shops and restaurants. I had a tight connection and found myself rushing to make the last flight out to LAX. Another problem: I don't know if it's just me but every time I travel through DFW and take the Skylink high-speed train to travel between terminals, I can't remember which stop to get off at. Coupled with the fact that gate information is not provided on the train or in the station, it's a real problem. Therefore, you have to go all the way down the steep escalator to find out if you're in the right place, something this particular bonehead has had to do on more than one occasion.

Wicked

Back in L.A., I managed to catch the Los Angeles production of the popular play Wicked. I was lucky enough to see it a couple of months ago when I was in London ... and I liked it so much, I thought that I'd take a friend to see it in L.A. The show was at the historic Pantages Theatre in the heart of Hollywood (on the corner of Hollywood and Vine.) The headliner here was Carol Kane who played Madame Morrible. She and all of the other cast members were great, but to be perfectly honest, I much preferred the London production. Maybe I'm biased but I think that London offers the best theatre in the world and it's my favorite place to catch a show -- I even prefer London's West End to Broadway. However, if you want to see Wicked in L.A., LA INC. has just partnered with 12 area hotels to offer special VIP package deals that guarantee VIP tickets to the show and a great place to stay. Click here for more info.

Bi-Coastal for the Holidays

I spent the Fourth of July in Hermosa Beach, CA. It was fun as usual, playing volleyball with my friends and people-watching down on The Strand -- the nearby beach boardwalk. This holiday brings out all kinds of characters -- and drunks -- so it's fun to just sit back and observe. The holiday prior to this (Memorial Day), I spent in New York and Connecticut, just after returning home from my trip to Puerto Rico. I flew LAX-JFK on Delta, which, incidentally, one-upped American by giving elite frequent fliers space available FREE upgrades. I love that about Delta. It's such a welcome surprise when you're sitting in a coach seat and the agent comes down the aisle and hands you a boarding pass for seat 3A, just prior to takeoff. Though there was more legroom in my emergency exit economy seat (27D), I still made the switch because I was starving; Delta does not offer food in economy. They don't even offer a buy-on-board food service. Is that ridiculous or what? All Delta does (though keep in mind that it's more than some other carriers) is hand out a small snack box filled with cheese, crackers and junk food. Meanwhile, first-class passengers behind the curtain are dining on a hot meal (salad, chicken breast with cheese ravioli and chocolate cake). Both meals are fattening as hell so really, the best thing to do is bring your own food onboard. But remember: cold foods don't smell as strongly as hot foods do. I'm just saying: Think of your neighbors when you're thinking of your belly.

Long Weekends in Connecticut

I love being on the east coast during the Memorial Day long weekend. In fact, it's my favorite weekend of the year and I always try and spend it with my family and friends back home in Connecticut. There's just something about late May that makes everything feel so alive back there. My theory is this: the trees are green, the flowers are in full bloom and everyone is in a good mood because they've survived yet another miserable winter. Besides that, it's the unofficial first day of summer and most of the beaches open up on this weekend, too. The people of Rowayton, Connecticut know just how to kick the season off right. It starts with a moving Memorial Day parade, followed by free hotdogs at the fire station. Then, while everyone else is running off to attend BBQs, my friends and I head to the community center to play an annual game of stickball. Every year, we have so much fun.

It's up to You, New York, New York

If Connecticut is too slow-paced for you, then New York City is just a one-hour train ride away. I love strolling around the city and Central Park this time of year. Obviously, there are thousands of fantastic places to eat in NYC but this time, I dined for the first time at Cercle Rouge in Tribeca. It's a trendy French restaurant with solid food and a popular outdoor patio; so popular, in fact, that you need a reservation to snag a seat. Cercle Rouge is known for its chicken wings, which, if I might say so, are damn good. But be warned: they don't come cheap. Four of these juicy things will set you back -- hold your breath -- $8. Ouch. Cercle Rouge, 241 West Broadway; tel. 212/226-6252.

The Road Less Traveled

I grew up in Connecticut and after my mom passed away in 2000, my dad moved to Erie, PA. Just this past April, he gave us all a scare when he had to have emergency quadruple bypass surgery. It's not been easy, to say the least, and his recovery has been long. Since he wasn't feeling up to traveling to Connecticut for the holiday, I went out to western Pennsylvania to spend my birthday with him. And this time, I took a new route to get there. Instead of flying directly into Erie, which requires two flights from New York, or flying nonstop into Buffalo (105 miles away), Cleveland (112 miles) or Pittsburgh (134 miles) and driving the rest of the way, I flew into Toronto. You're probably thinking: what the heck? That's right. Toronto's Pearson Airport (YYZ) is Erie's other, lesser-known alternate airport. I know; it's a bit further away (196 miles) but there actually is method to my madness. I had to be in Toronto for business the following week and my good friend Natalie lives up there and since she was going to Erie as well, it all worked out.

Border Crossing

The trip to Toronto was smooth and easy; it's just an hour flight from New York's LaGuardia airport (LGA). After I landed, I had dinner at Sher-E-Punjab, a fine Indian restaurant (351 Danforth Avenue, Toronto, tel. 416/465-2125) and the following morning, we drove three hours to Erie. It takes 90 minutes to get to the Peace Bridge, which is one of the U.S./Canada border checkpoints. It was just a five-minute wait and the agents asked a bunch of personal questions. I don't want to divulge the nature of the questions, just in case some cowardly terrorists are reading this. But I will tell you that they even checked the trunk for contraband. Fortunately, they didn't see the ... just kidding. Once we crossed the border, we were in beautiful downtown Buffalo, New York. And as my Canuck friend pointed out, the drive from Buffalo to Erie is actually much prettier than the first part of the drive, from Toronto to Buffalo.

John E. DiScala (aka Johnny Jet), is the founder of www.johnnyjet.com, the ultimate travel website and weekly newsletter. He logs over 150,000 miles a year, has been featured in over 850 articles (including Frommers.com, USA Today, Time, Fortune, the New York Times, CNBC and MSNBC), and has published the book, You Are Here Traveling With JohnnyJet.com.

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