costa mesa

correction: after a huge setback which wasn't really a travesty yet more of an inconvenience was the fact that my brand new nikon decided to fall apart on me after having owned it for less than 24 hours. i was determined to correct the situation and had it replaced with a canon PowerShot A520 digital camera. [4.0 megapixels, 4x optical zoom].

my flight out of portland was a smooth one. i flew alaska airlines flight 500. [i repeat, i flew alaska airlines ;)]. they serve you onboard a WARM macadamian coconut cookie. very nice. i landed at john wayne airport [other names are santa ana or orange county] and saw my first palm tree along with a touch of 65 degree weather. after riding 2.5 miles via the costa mesa shuttle, i arrived at my destination.

i have learned so much today. about conrad hilton: not only was he a successful business leader, his legacy lives on through his empire and the hilton foundation: an organization that helps people in need.

the other neat thing i learned today was that the waldorf=astoria was first built where the empire state building now stands today.

i leave you with this: 'a dogsled team makes good time across a snowfield near Nome in alaska's annual iditarod race'. the next time i fly alaska airlines will be to see this race.