McAllen Redux

As my reserve month winds down, I of course am glad it is almost over. No one likes being on call. Yesterday they called me in the afternoon with a three day trip. One leg to MFE (McAllen), 32 hour layover, three legs home on Monday.

Well, you would think that 32 hours in McAllen would be right up there with some of the other places like Birmingham and Omaha, but it actually proved to be quite enjoyable. This is my second layover here in as many months. The hotel is quaint and charming. It's actually a historic building and has lots of character. Of course I won't mention it by name for crew security reasons, but while part of a chain, it's not like your regular chain hotel.

I had a very pleasant day. There happened to be a Presbyterian church around the corner so I went there this morning for Sunday services. It's Reformation Sunday, so we sang lots of hymns from John Calvin (Father of Presbyterianism) and Martin Luther. It was a rather geriatric crowd but everyone was real friendly and made me feel welcome.

-Side note.... McAllen is primarily a retiree area....known for fantastic shopping..... Muchos mexicanos come across the border to shop here. There are more malls than you can shake a stick at. Given the close proximity to the border (8 miles) it's blossomed into a major retail area.

I came back to the hotel and spent some time on line. You just can't beat free High Speed Internet connections. I watched a Netflix movie I brought along.... "Madea's Family Reunion". It was OK.... not as good as "Diary of a Mad Black Woman". I got in a nice work out at the fitness center and then met my coworker Cindy and went to what has to be the best Mexican restaurant in the whole world, Costa Messa. I ate here for the first time in September on a layover and loved it. They bring out three different types of salsa and seasoned chips. For the main course, I had Enchiladas Suizas. There was no need to have the plate washed, because I all but licked it clean. Washed it down with a couple of Sol cervezas, and I was about as happy as you can get.

So now it's off to sleep. We have an early departure tomorrow. I will be glad when this reserve month is over, but what with this trip and the Tampa trip last week, I really cannot complain about the quality of trips I have gotten.