Conference in Pittsburgh - Day 1 (23rd November 2013)

The flight was at 5:45am and so I was at Changi Airport Terminal 1 at 4am. After checking in my luggage and getting my boarding passes, I trudged towards my gate and while waiting for my turn at the security checkpoint, an american businessman behind me chatted with me. He asked where I was going and commented that it's going to be really cold in Pittsburgh this year. I told him that I was hoping to see snow if possible and he commented that I may very well get to see it. Soon, it was my turn for the security checks and I had to take off my cardigan, my shoes, my bag, my personal electronics and my ipad for the X-ray scanner. Afterwards, I waited for my turn to board in the waiting area. Not long later, I was in the plane, waiting for my flight to Narita Airport, the first of three flights to bring me to Pittsburgh.

During the flight, I was served lunch and snack and they were rather horrible. This was what I received:

- Chicken curry with vegetables and rice.

- Mixed fruit tray

- Cupcake

- Meiji Yogurt

- Chicken ham sandwich

- Pound cake slice

- Soy milk

The 7hour flight was rather uneventful and I tried to sleep but was not very successful at doing so. Soon, I was at Narita Airport with 1hour 20minutes to clear any security checkpoints for my transit. The queue was rather short and I managed to clear security after about 30minutes, even though it also required me to remove all items, including shoes and jackets. After waiting for a while in the quiet transit area, it was time to board the second plane. This time round, it was an 11.5hour flight to Detroit Airport. As I had purchased the upgrade to Economy Comfort, the seats had bigger leg space and I was allowed to board earlier than the rest of the economy-class passengers.

During the flight, I was served a dinner and two snacks. It was pretty decent and this was what I received for dinner:

- Beef steak in Red Wine Sauce with Fettuccine and mixed vegetables

- Shrimp Cocktail with potato salad

- Mixed vegetables tray

- Roll with butter

- Pound cake slice

After dinner, I could not sleep and so I watched 3 movies and even drank a shot of baileys since I was getting bored on the plane. In the middle of the flight, I was served a chicken ham sandwich and soon, I started to see sunrise outside of the airplane. I were flying across the Canadian Rocky Mountains when the sun was rising, and the view was simply spectacular. Then, the air-stewardesses started serving breakfast.

My breakfast was pretty decent and this is what I received:

- Omelette with cheese and caramelized onions, Potatoes and Port Sausage

- Roll with butter

- Fruit tray

- Orange Juice

A couple hours later, we landed at Detroit Airport, an hour late due to a delay at Narita Airport (Engine unable to power up due to power failure). I had only 40 minutes to collect my luggage, clear customs, clear security, re-check in my luggage and reach my plane. The luggage collection took very long as Delta used two instead of one luggage carousel and so my luggage ended up at the other carousel that was not announced and I only saw it after the carousel I was at had finished distributing the luggage.

Security checks were rather thorough and they were using the millimeter-wave scanning machine which required passengers to stand still for a couple of seconds while the machine scans their bodies for foreign objects. The x-ray scanning was also very thorough and required all passengers to remove all shoes, electronics, jackets and bags and send them through the scanner. 

Unfortunately, due to the shortened transit time, I was unable to board my plane and I had to take the next connection available which was at 19:55hrs instead of the original 14:05hrs flight. This meant that I had to stay in the airport for 6 hours. During this six hours, I walked through the entire airport, exploring every single shop and also had my dinner. Detroit Airport has a very interesting connecting tunnel that links the main terminal with a smaller terminal and this tunnel has a psychedelic lights and sounds show that goes on continuously. It was rather relaxing and by the time I left the tunnel, I was feeling less frazzled about my missed connection.

With about two hours left, I bought my dinner at Woodruckers and had it to go, so that I could eat it at my gate instead. The 2/3 pounder with bacon and mushrooms was really huge and unfortunately rather dry too. It was rather disappointing as I had expected juicier burgers. However it was also rather pricey at US$15. With the burger finished, it was also almost time to board the flight. The 1hour flight was in a tiny plane that had a 2-2 seating arrangement. By the time we were about to land, I started seeing snow flakes fly past my plane in copious amounts. The airport roads were all white and it was an amazing sight for me, someone who has never seen snow before. Since customs was already cleared at Detroit Airport, all I needed to do was just collect my luggage and head for the shuttle-service's counter. I had pre-booked a shuttle service to and from my hotel and so within 15 minutes of collecting my luggage, I was sitting in a shuttle-van with 7 other passengers and heading for downtown Pittsburgh. I was the last to alight and when I got out of the van, I felt the full force of the freezing cold winter winds blowing at me. I quickly brought my luggage and I into my hotel and checked in. For the next four days, I will be staying at DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel - Pittsburgh Downtown and the hotel's staff are of the warmest that I have ever seen. Check-in was quick and fuss-free and soon I was given the card key to my queen suite on the 16th floor. 

Much to my disappointment, the queen suite turned out to be pretty small. The living room area was furnished with a 40" TV, a sofa, a big couch, a dining table with a chair and a work desk with a roller chair. In my bedroom was a large queen-sized bed, a huge wardrobe with mirrors for doors and another 40" TV. The bathroom was tiny but had a bathtub in it. There was also two closets located in the living room, both suitable for hanging more clothes. I quickly unpacked all my belongings before enjoying a nice warm shower.