Airport Lounge Review: Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse, Newark International Terminal B

Dan and I flew to Dublin in February 2022 with Aer Lingus. We were not expecting lounge access due to the terminal assigned (Newark’s sparse Terminal B), but Dan just happened to see a sign for the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse when walking to our gate. The sign seemed to indicate that the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse was open and we could enter with our American Express Centurion Card. We decided to give it a shot. When we arrived at about 3:25, the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse looked totally closed, but we knocked and they opened the door, stating that they formally open in 5 minutes. So we waited the couple minutes and went inside!

Kind of a vague sign.

Kind of a vague sign.

Upon further discussion with the staff, the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse only reopened a few days prior to our visit after being closed for nearly 2 years due to Covid. We also learned that the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse is now operated by the Plaza Premium Group. We did not visit this lounge pre-Covid, so I cannot compared it to its pre-2020 state. We really enjoyed it this time though!

ENTRANCE TO THE VIRGIN ATLANTIC CLUBHOUSE

The Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse is located in Newark’s Terminal B. Terminal B is split into 3 areas, each with its own security, and the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse is located in the B2 area, near Gates B51 – B57. After clearing security, all passengers walk down a pretty depressing hall toward the gates. Entrance to the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse is at the beginning of this hall via an elevator. Had there not been a sign, we would have totally missed it. We took the elevator to the second level and there it was, the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse! Its right next to the British Airways Lounge.

Entrance.

Entrance. Dan was very excited to locate this lounge!

Once the doors officially open at the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at 3:30, we checked in with our boarding pass and American Express Centurion card. While we both have the card, we used Dan’s and I got in as his guest. It was unclear how many guests are allowed per card. This lounge used to be on Priority Pass, but that is no longer the case. Dragon Pass appears to still work.

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Airport Lounge Review: The Emirates Lounge @ JFK T4

After a somewhat disappointing visit to the new American Express Centurion Lounge at JFK two weeks ago, Dan and I made our way to JFK’s Emirates Lounge for a proper breakfast and drinks before departing on Emirates’ morning flight to Dubai.  Spoiler alert, the Emirates Lounge was great and service was fantastic. We both prefer this lounge to the new American Express Centurion Lounge.

Airport Lounge Review: The Emirates Lounge @ JFK T4

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Airport Lounge Review: American Express Centurion Lounge, JFK T4

Dan and I finally made our long anticipated visit to New York JFK’s American Express Centurion Lounge two weeks ago! We have been waiting for this lounge to open for over a year and honestly, I kept my Platinum Card just for this experience. We visited JFK’s Centurion Lounge on a Thursday morning around 8:00 AM, prior to boarding an 11:20 AM Emirates flight to Dubai. We wanted a place to respond to a few last minute work emails, drink some breakfast beverages, and eat a small breakfast. In short, the American Express Centurion Lounge in Terminal 4 did provide what we were looking for, but it was not as great as I imagined. And it was very crowded, even on a Thursday non-holiday weekend morning.  Here is our review; be prepared for crowds and waits as travel continues to pick up.

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Wine Tasting With My Parents In Charlottesville, VA!

Dan and I attended our friends Pryor’s and Bryan’s wedding earlier this month in Richmond, Virginia and, since my parents live in Virginia and I had not seen them alllll of quarantine, we met them for two fun-filled days of wine tasting in Charlottesville, Virginia before the wedding! While Dan and I have wine tasted all over the world, from Mendoza, to Stellenbosh, to Bordeaux, we had not spent a lot of time in Central Virginia, so we were pumped to try some VA wines, especially since I am from Central Viriginia!

Appropriate signage.

Appropriate signage at Pollak Vineyards.

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Pizzicletta, Flagstaff, AZ: One Of My Favorite Casual Restaurants Ever.

Do you ever stumble upon a restaurant randomly and its surprisingly the best thing ever? Well that exact thing happened to me and Dan when we were in Arizona earlier this year. We found ourselves in Phoenix, Arizona for our friend’s wedding and decided to spend one night in Flagstaff for a quick visit to the Grand Canyon. Arriving in Flagstaff in the evening, we were pretty tired and totally without dinner plans (super odd for me not to pick a dinner spot in advance), we almost ordered room service and called it a night. But, I happened to look on Trip Advisor and found a good looking pizza restaurant that seemed to have a legit wine list only a 10 minute drive away. Perfect. Done.

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The adorably tiny Pizzicletta!

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