San Francisco, March 2023: San Jose & Sentinel Bldg

This was one of my two awesome layovers in San Francisco in 2023. This time I was able to get a crew willing to visit the Yosemite Park but I will leave that report for later.

On the day we arrived we decided to go to a rooftop for a drink and stay awake as long as we could since the time difference is -8h.

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Charmaine's Rooftop

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Cupertino

On our way back from Yosemite, me and a colleague decided to see the Apple Park and stop in San Jose for a short visit before we returned our car in San Francisco.

There wasn't much we could see at the Apple Park site since we didn't have an appointment for a visit but the building itself is really impressive.

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City of San José

We stopped in San Jose out of curiosity but after our short visit I was thinking the city hasn't much to offer for a tourist. Here are the main highlights:

Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph

Sonic Runway

City Hall

We had dinner there (we went for Ramen) and we got back in San Francisco.

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San Francisco

Next day I was all by myself and I went to explore SF a little bit more. The Sentinel Building (or Columbus Tower) was something I wanted to see and photograph.

Sentinel Building

Down below the sister cities of SF and a TWA metal poster I bought at the Pier 39.

And the last day of my layover was already the return day to Lisbon. I went to the Ferry Building Marketplace. But first, a couple of photos on my way...

And finally inside the marketplace:

The last set of photos I took show the SF-Oakland Bay bridge and some kind of street art. I was also lucky to get a cargo MD-11 overflying it.

Despite its miserable longitudinal stability that caused some accidents, the McDonnell Douglas MD-11 is always a beautiful and gracious aircraft to see.

New York, January 2022: Manhattan

When I decided to move back to the narrow-body fleet I had this thought: of all intercontinental destinations I just need New York to be happy!  And I still have it flying the A321LR. These photos are still from the years when I belonged exclusively to the wide-body fleet. Almost every time I'm in New York I'll walk so many kilometers on foot and I won't ever get tired of doing it. Even if it's winter and freezing cold, like this time!

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Newark Airport

Airbus A330-900

Newark Liberty & Manhattan view

Spirit Airlines

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1700 Broadway

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Central Park

I love to roam over the Central Park any time of the year. And I absolutely love that low winter light.

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Midtown

Rockefeller's ice rink

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One WTC

Flying Transbrasil: Maceió-Aracaju-Salvador

This is a footage of a flight I did with Transbrasil in the early nineties:

1. Our Boeing 737-300 PT-TER (non-standard livery because of its bottom bare metal fuselage) can be seen on the tarmac from the old Maceió terminal;
2. Take-off from Maceió and approach to Aracaju;
3. Approach to Salvador.

London, March 2011: Canary Wharf

In 2010, after spending a few days there, London became my favorite european city and a place where I'll always be happy to return to.

One year later I took a friend with me for a nice layover there and we decided to visit the east part of the city, including Canary Wharf and the London City Airport.

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Canary Wharf

Canary Wharf is part of London's central business district with modern architecture buildings.

I don't have photos of our visit to LCY Airport but some years later there was a short period of time when the airline I work for used to fly to it using the smaller aircraft of our regional fleet.

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Thames Cruise

After spending the day in the east side of London we decided to return on an upstream boat trip on the river Thames.

Tower of London

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Big Ben

We reached our destination near the Big Ben. London Eye was lit in blue color and the moon was full.

Then it was time to return to the Heathrow airport area on the west side where our hotel was located and get ready for another early wake-up.

Maceió, November 2023: Praias do Francês, Gunga & Pajuçara

I visited Maceió the last time in 1994. I was curious to see how it changed since then. The flight, operated by the A321LR, has one stop in Natal both ways.

The night we arrived we went to a bar in Pajuçara called "Coconut" for some food and beer.

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Praia do Francês

The following day we would be doing a tour to explore Praia do Francês and Praia do Gunga, none of which was a new place for me. I remember visiting them in the early 90s.

Because it was a holiday in the state of Alagoas, the beach was somehow overcrowded... we didn't spend much time in Praia do Francês.

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Praia do Gunga

To have access to Praia do Gunga everyone must pay a fee. And I believe because of that, the scenario was totally the opposite to that one we found in Francês. We chose to stay here to sunbathe a little. Praia do Gunga has a much more isolated and wild vibe.

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Budega do Zito

The venue for our dinner was "Budega do Zito", close to the Maceió city center. The place has a cool vibe but the food and service was nothing special and it was somewhat overpriced.

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Pajuçara

In the last day of my layover I decided to stay at Praia de Pajuçara where our hotel is located and from where I have my most vivid memories from my childhood days.

The iconic Enseada Hotel

I was shocked to learn that the hotel (Verde Mar) where I stayed so many times with my parents was demolished and a whole new massive project was being built in its place.

Jangadas (rafts) are still a strong business in here. They take tourists to the "Piscinas Naturais": natural pools of coral reefs, very close to the beach. You can even have lunch in them and enjoy wonderful seafood.

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Ponta Verde

Ponta Verde is another beach contiguous with Pajuçara. Christmas decorations were already in place as this was the month of November. I find it so strange to see Christmas trees in regions where temperatures are always hot or where it is summer season.

And one final view over Pajuçara...