Michael

Hotel review: Kimpton Marlowe Boston

For my 2025/2026 transitionary post, I’m going to attempt to grade a hotel properly for once. This review is effectively an update from 2023 when I stayed at the Kimpton Marlowe in Cambridge, MA. In the last few years of traveling, I’ve started to realize that what I look for in a hotel isn’t theContinue reading “Hotel review: Kimpton Marlowe Boston”

2025 comes to a close with a final regional flight: RIC-BOS

It’s time for my final flight of 2025! It’s not a particularly interesting flight by itself, but I got some pictures of the Delta SkyClub in Boston, so I figured it would be worth including! This was also my last flight as a Delta Platinum Medallion member; in 2026, I only have Delta Silver Medallion,Continue reading “2025 comes to a close with a final regional flight: RIC-BOS”

Airline Credit Cards Updated Comparison: mid annual-fee versions (2026 version)

I’m updating this mid annual-fee card comparison to reflect that since I last did the comparison, United has updated its card and AA has added the AAdvantage Globe Card and the Aviator Silver Card is officially scheduled to be deprecated (and presumably existing card holders will be switched over to the Globe Card). I’m updatingContinue reading “Airline Credit Cards Updated Comparison: mid annual-fee versions (2026 version)”

Another 2025 transcontinental journey on Delta Airlines but without DeltaOne

To the surprise of no one, my last big trip of the year is a multi-week trip to the East Coast! In this case, I’ll actually be flying Delta back once again. I had expected to fly Alaska Airlines like last year on the direct flight to DC from SF, but that flight was, asContinue reading “Another 2025 transcontinental journey on Delta Airlines but without DeltaOne”

The Bilt Palladium Card

Now that I’ve introduced the new Bilt ecosystem, and introduced the Obsidian card, it’s time to go through the most expensive new card on offer: the Bilt Palladium Card. This card sits at a $495 price point, and so is intended to compete in the premium credit card space. While it’s unfortunate that the betterContinue reading “The Bilt Palladium Card”

2025 home stretch: JFK-SFO with a free upgrade to DeltaOne!

We’ve almost reached the end of the 2025 flights. We’ve only got 3 more to do, and, interestingly, they’re all Delta flights. I’m not sure exactly how that happened, but they were three separate trips where Delta flights made the most sense (especially in the context of me still having Delta Platinum status). In November,Continue reading “2025 home stretch: JFK-SFO with a free upgrade to DeltaOne!”

The Bilt Obsidian Card

Now that I’ve introduced the new Bilt ecosystem, it’s time to go through the new cards on offer. The new no annual fee card I covered in the initial post, but they have introduced two additional cards at the $95 and $495 price points, which are intended to compete in the mid-tier and the premiumContinue reading “The Bilt Obsidian Card”

The New Bilt Ecosystem and Cards

Several years ago, I wrote an article about the rent payment startup, Bilt. Their entire premise was to let you earn points on rent, which for many people, is a major expense that has historically been paid by check or ACH and thus has been ineligible to earn rewards points. In creating the new paymentContinue reading “The New Bilt Ecosystem and Cards”

2025’s big trip: India! Part 5B: LHR-SFO in BA First Class on the A380

Now it’s time for the main event. British Airways First Class from London to San Francisco! I got to the plane relatively late in the boarding process because of the amount of time that it took to get from the Concorde Room to the C gates (and wanted to take some additional pictures before headingContinue reading “2025’s big trip: India! Part 5B: LHR-SFO in BA First Class on the A380”

2025’s big trip: India! Part 5A: LHR Concorde Room

It’s finally time to finish up the trip to India! I’ve been in the process of moving locally for the last month and so have been bogged down by that, so these have been coming out a bit more slowly than I would’ve liked, but here we are: British Airways First Class from London toContinue reading “2025’s big trip: India! Part 5A: LHR Concorde Room”