Even more fun was being downwind ...
Two similar trips I recall fondly.
(a) HBA - SYD, L188, empty, late at night. FL300 (just for the interest) cleared for descent many miles south of SYD. Numerous (increasingly anxious) checks from ATC along the lines of "have you commenced descent yet ?". Despite our many suggestions that all was well and the view just great, and just about when we figured the guy was going to get very bitter and twisted, we started down about 5nm north of the airport .. turned inside the Harbour Bridge and still had to put on power before 1500ft. Guess I could have made it tighter but we were a tad tired after several sectors.
(b) DRW - CNS, B733, normal rough as guts westerly mid summer conditions. Overhead the upwind end around F130 for a very relaxed (and nil bumps) RH circuit over the water.
We had a standard keep us awake at O-dark-30 fun trick, again on the L188, HBA-LST. Aim was to handfly to TOC, nil cruise, nose straight over into the descent, close the levers, with bar money penalties depending on being on slope turning final with power up at the height nominated predeparture. No FMS, etc., and not much else to help other than mental back of a fag packet calculations.
Actually, this sort of thread does sadden me somewhat ...