I've learned some pretty amazing things from flight attendants, like how to mask the horrible lavatory smell with a single packet of coffee and how to make coffee taste better by using a drop of club soda and an extra coffee bag in the pot. All of these amazing tips lead me to believe that flight attendants are some of the most creative and knowledgeable people in the world. Seriously, you wouldn't believe some of the things I've learned in the galley.

On my last trip from New York to Los Angeles, I was instructed on how to choose the perfect eggplant. According to Kim, one of my fellow coworkers, there are "girl" and "boy" eggplants. For real. Because the "boy" eggplants have the least amount of seeds inside, those are the ones you want when you're making eggplant parmigiana, or an eggplant casserole, which is what I'm going to attempt tonight, thanks to Kim and her Italian recipes.

Each and every time I come into contact with a flight attendant, I learn something new and interesting and unusual. What I learn could be just about anything, really, but whatever it is, that one little nugget of information somehow manages to change my life in some way. Well it happened again. Today.

Today's amazing flight attendant tip of the day comes from Frank, a Gadling reader who is also a flight attendant for an airline I do not know. He had commented on my post, The best thing about being a flight attendant - Travel! Apparently, travel is the last thing Frank wants to do on his day off. In fact, the best thing about being a flight attendant for Frank are the days off, not traveling on the days off. I have to admit, I like my days off almost as much as I enjoy traveling, which is why being a flight attendant is the perfect job for me. One of the main reasons Frank loves his days off so much is because he lives in one of the most exciting cities in the world, New York. You see when you live in New York City, there's really no need to travel - that often, not when you have it all at your finger tips, or a short drive away.

But if you are a New Yorker, or are traveling to New York, or any other big city for that matter, and you do decide to venture out, you're probably going to take public transportation, which isn't always the easiest thing in the world to figure out, especially in a fast paced city like Manhattan. If you do find yourself lost in an unfamiliar place, do what Frank does and go to Hopstop.com.

Here's what Frank had to say about the website...

Passing some travel knowledge on to you, Heather. HOPSTOP.COM. Not sure how often you layover in NYC, but this site will be of great benefit to anyone who travels around the city via public transportation. It's just like MAPQUEST, except it gives you step by step instructions on how to get to your destination (within the city) on "public transportation." it's awesome, I never get lost in the city! I take my step by step instructions with me from home (you, your layover hotel) and get to my destination without paying for an expensive cab. What's great, the site has several other cities. SFO, LAX, ORD, BOS. I use it all the time in SFO.

enjoy, travel safe!

Frank

I have to tell you, Frank, this bit of information could not have come at a better time. I'm an LA commuter based in New York with a two year old son at home, which means for the last two years whenever I've had to go to work, I fly in and out of town fairly quickly, working back and forth across the country as many times as possible in as few of days as possible, leaving me little time to take the train from Forest Hills, Queens, where my crash-pad is located, to Manhattan. Now I love the city, yet I haven't really had the opportunity to experience it the way I used to in years - three years to be precise. Which is why I miss it so much. Why I long for it whenever I find myself spending the night in Queens. Why I dream about taking the subway in and wandering around aimlessly. It doesn't matter where I go, as long as I go.

Now that my son is a little older, making it easier for the husband to take care of him when I'm out of town, I find myself wanting to slow down a bit and spend a little more time taking advantage of a place that has so much to offer. The first thing I want to do is go to Chinatown for soup dumplings at Joe's Shanghai, followed by a walk around Central Park, a Broadway show at night, and maybe even an evening stroll around the village. Hey, a flight attendant can dream, can't she? Though I do know my way around the city, it has been awhile, so Hopstop.com will definitely come in handy when the time comes. Thanks again for the tip, Frank!

Filed under: Galley Gossip