Whomever said Jet Blue was a fabulous airline was obviously on drugs

I have heard nice things about Jet Blue. I don't know why. We rode Jet Blue to San Diego this past weekend and, well, in a couple of words...it sucked. What good is 31 channels of satellite TV if the signal keeps going out through the whole flight? What good are leather seats if the air conditioning in the plane is useless and you wind up coming off the plane literally drenched in your own juices (and that is not a good thing)? I swear, I could have steam-ironed clothing with the heat and steam coming off me. Of course, these days, you don't get food on a flight, no matter that it is 6 hours...just little snacky items like cheese and crackers and Oreos. Lovely. And for all the talk of extra legroom (what? 1/8 inch?) and the supposed extra seat recline (what? 1 degree more?) I didn't find it at all valuable. It was positively horrible.

San Diego, on the other hand, was maaaaaahvelous. The temperature was perfect the entire time we were there. The people were nice. The food was delicious. Mexican food like I hadn't had in years - yum. The driving was relatively easy and it seemed to be a short drive to anywhere in the metro area. I couldn't believe that our hotel, which was on Harbor Drive just off downtown, was only seven minutes from the airport and had such easy access to everything.

Encinitas - stunning beach views. Del Mar - beautiful. La Jolla - charming, beautiful, friendly, great shopping. El Cajon - nice, quiet bedroom community. It's all very beautiful. Flowers in bloom in November. Gorgeous Bougainvillea trailing down stone walls and over iron gates. Bird-of-Paradise plants (real ones) in bloom everywhere. Geraniums, Bottle Brush, hibiscus, hydrangea, roses; grapefruit, lemons, and oranges hanging in clusters that would soon be ripening. Giant cactus flowering alongside date palms. It was just amazing. I would so go back in a New York minute.

I have been to California many times, but never to San Diego. I never knew it was such a great place. I've never been that in love with California, but I am now. I'll be back. (Appropriate phrase, given who the governor is.) But I won't be taking Jet Blue.