I always had this image in my head of what my first time would be like: Spiffily-dressed bartenders, crafting up an Old Fashioned or a Dry Martini, while you sit at an uncrowded, high-top, modern bar. Waiters walk around with cute little trays of hors d’oeuvres, consisting of mini crab cakes and small finger sandwiches. Boy, was I wrong.

And by the way, I have no idea from which corner of my mind that my brain has conjured up that first image from. I guess to me, an airport lounge was synonymous with being elite. But now it seems like everyone and their mothers are able to score a pass to these lounges. For me, I have Chase to thank. Ever since acquiring their Sapphire Reserve card, I finally got the chance to use the Priority Pass that comes with their hefty $450 annual fee. I’ve been keeping an eye out on locations I can use this pass at, but it seems like it doesn’t apply to a lot of lounges in the United States. That, or some U.S. airports don’t even have a lounge. It seems the list of eligible spots are mostly overseas (you should see the list for Singapore – it’s pretty impressive).

So naturally, when I saw that the Air France/KLM Lounge at SFO Airport would work out with my trip back to NYC, I was super excited to rub elbows with other Priority Pass-ers. But in reality, it’s just a large, office-looking room with musty carpets, a self-serve drink station with half-filled wine/liquor bottles, and a warming food station with some basic looking food, which I would not trust, least of all with half an hour left before the lounge closes.

Unfortunately, I didn’t snap any pictures of the lounge itself because I was just too tired (not that there was anything worth seeing). I KNOW – so unlike me! There’s always next time, I guess. I just hope it’ll be a better experience. My next chance will be when I fly home from Heathrow Airport in London in May. Wish me luck!