One trick I learned on the first trip I took to Washington D.C. a few years ago was to bring along a few garbage bags. You know the big black bags that stinky stuff goes into and is taken away to the landfill. They are so compact (lay them on the bottom of your suitcase or fold them into a hockey puck size) and versatile to use. I had originally taken them to keep my dirty and clean clothes separate.

On the first day I was in Long Beach and everything was wet. I pulled out one of the bags and laid it on the bench. It also provided a little barrier to the freezing cold bench.

A friend of mine asked that I take pictures of any flags that I saw on 9/11 in New York while flying on JetBlue’s All You Can Jet pass.  I thought this was going to be an easy task until it became a challenge like those picture puzzles where you find differences between the two.  There were so many flags of varying sizes in so many different places, I had to sit down and carefully look for them all.  It was a fascinating game that I would not have tried without the suggestion.

How many flags did you find?  Let me know.

My visit to Ground Zero on 9/11 was truly emotional.  Here are pictures, without my commentary, of what I saw.  These pictures may or may not reflect my personal opinions, and are presented with no discrimination.  Free speech is very important, so let the pictures speak for themselves.

On my final flight of the JetBlue’s All You Can Jet pass, I made my way home on Unforgettably blue. Our Captain was Matt and first officer Theodore. Flight attendants were Penelope and Adrianna.

I had a pleasant conversation with Adrianna, the last JetBlue employee I shared my journey with. It was a good ending to my long journey.

Departing a half-hour late from Chicago on JetBlue’s Blue velvet, there were a ton of All You Can Jet jetters making their way to the west coast. At the gate, the plane was full of chatter with everyone sharing their experiences for the last month.

Many were showing off with the number of flights they’ve taken, the number of places they’ve been to, and where they’ve been internationally. We’ve been a busy bunch!

Headed directly into the sun, this last sunset of the trip was really awesome watching out the window.

On the last day of this incredible experience made possible by the All You Can Jet pass offered by JetBlue, I got up early to see how much I could see and fit in.

My first stop was the Buckingham Fountainonly a few blocks from the hostel I stayed the night before.

Today was another one of those days that just didn’t come together like I had planned. Due to the weather at JFK, a flight that was diverted to Newark and finally to JFK four hours late, I lost focus on where I was headed.

The day began back at Temple Square. This organ was in the Assembly Hall.

After sleeping on the floor of gate 16 at JFK, I started my day by heading into the city to Rutgers Presbyterian Church where my uncle was an elder.