Out of my window...I can see...
Yup. We all knew it was a quick trip to NY. Not a typical spend-the-weekend-fun thing, this time it was work...and nothing but! I thought I had packed a few extra hours in. The first problem is those best laid plans!!!!
Sunday. Beautiful day to fly. Cookouts, friends, fun. Airport at 4:30 in time for 5:45 flight. Left on time, arrived to JFK early - 7:15. Waited on tarmac. Kept waiting on tarmac. Passenger got up to go the restroom and was severely admonished by the flight attendant. I read a book about personal strengths, talked with Melissa, checked over the training materials for Monday. Wondered why we were sitting by the highway. By 9:10 PM we finally moved. Not the terminal, mind you - I am not kidding, they parked the plane about a mile from the terminal and we had to WALK. I had the presentation boards in hand plus my laptop and bag. I try to travel light but because of the boards, I had more in hand than I normally would! Once I figured out where I was going (I am used to LaGuardia), I had to ride a train to get the car. The car wasn't ready - it had to be washed by a nice gentleman who was so focused on his work that he was jamming to the rap music cranked all the way and making circles on the windows with his cleaning tools. I am trying to be patient. Not working. I went and asked the rental car person for a car...any car! I got a mini van with CA plates and a big dent in the side, but I DIDN'T CARE!!!
By the time I drove to Long Island/Uniondale...it was almost 11:00 PM!
No big deal, right! I had the training meeting on Monday and though we hit a few snags (the class not able to arrive on time - they were all stuck in Manhattan due to our president's visit! Oh...also...a slight incident of me falling up the stairs in front of 15 people - grace under pressure!) overall, the class was great and I am very excited for this new program launch!
Well, then I was told by everyone - forget the 7:30 flight I was booked on. Go to the airport NOW and get on the 4:30. Traffic will be terrible!!! So, I gave up my few hours of planned free time and set out for JFK, only about 14 hours after arriving! Traffic was no problem at all, and it was another GORGEOUS day to fly.
At 3:30, I arrived, breathless and ready to fly stand-by.
Yeah, right. This is JFK!!! You can fly alright. A kite maybe.
The 4:30 was cancelled. Great. Now I get to sit! At least I can use my laptop that I have been hauling around. Yep, I can use the internet - for $29.95!!! Come ON!
I boarded my plane at 7:10. Staying positive about arriving home, I saw the absolutely beautiful sunset between planes and snagged a couple of shots. This was at about 7:20. Hmm, we aren't moving yet....
We didn't move until 9pm. That's right. 2 hours on the stuffy commuter jet, no fresh air and no hope of taking off. When the pilot didn't even tell us what number we were (and we hadn't left the terminal!) I thought we were DOOMED. There were 2 runways FULL of planes, all trying to take off from ONE runway. You know how it is when a busy highway goes down to one lane. You got it, a big traffic jam!
So, needless to say, in less than 31 hours, I had spent 14.75 hours in planes, on tarmacs, trains and rental cars. Starting to sound strangely like...a European trip or something familiar!!!
Home again, home again. Rumor has it I might be doing this again next week...stay tuned.
Sunday. Beautiful day to fly. Cookouts, friends, fun. Airport at 4:30 in time for 5:45 flight. Left on time, arrived to JFK early - 7:15. Waited on tarmac. Kept waiting on tarmac. Passenger got up to go the restroom and was severely admonished by the flight attendant. I read a book about personal strengths, talked with Melissa, checked over the training materials for Monday. Wondered why we were sitting by the highway. By 9:10 PM we finally moved. Not the terminal, mind you - I am not kidding, they parked the plane about a mile from the terminal and we had to WALK. I had the presentation boards in hand plus my laptop and bag. I try to travel light but because of the boards, I had more in hand than I normally would! Once I figured out where I was going (I am used to LaGuardia), I had to ride a train to get the car. The car wasn't ready - it had to be washed by a nice gentleman who was so focused on his work that he was jamming to the rap music cranked all the way and making circles on the windows with his cleaning tools. I am trying to be patient. Not working. I went and asked the rental car person for a car...any car! I got a mini van with CA plates and a big dent in the side, but I DIDN'T CARE!!!
By the time I drove to Long Island/Uniondale...it was almost 11:00 PM!
No big deal, right! I had the training meeting on Monday and though we hit a few snags (the class not able to arrive on time - they were all stuck in Manhattan due to our president's visit! Oh...also...a slight incident of me falling up the stairs in front of 15 people - grace under pressure!) overall, the class was great and I am very excited for this new program launch!
Well, then I was told by everyone - forget the 7:30 flight I was booked on. Go to the airport NOW and get on the 4:30. Traffic will be terrible!!! So, I gave up my few hours of planned free time and set out for JFK, only about 14 hours after arriving! Traffic was no problem at all, and it was another GORGEOUS day to fly.
At 3:30, I arrived, breathless and ready to fly stand-by.
Yeah, right. This is JFK!!! You can fly alright. A kite maybe.
The 4:30 was cancelled. Great. Now I get to sit! At least I can use my laptop that I have been hauling around. Yep, I can use the internet - for $29.95!!! Come ON!
I boarded my plane at 7:10. Staying positive about arriving home, I saw the absolutely beautiful sunset between planes and snagged a couple of shots. This was at about 7:20. Hmm, we aren't moving yet....
We didn't move until 9pm. That's right. 2 hours on the stuffy commuter jet, no fresh air and no hope of taking off. When the pilot didn't even tell us what number we were (and we hadn't left the terminal!) I thought we were DOOMED. There were 2 runways FULL of planes, all trying to take off from ONE runway. You know how it is when a busy highway goes down to one lane. You got it, a big traffic jam!
So, needless to say, in less than 31 hours, I had spent 14.75 hours in planes, on tarmacs, trains and rental cars. Starting to sound strangely like...a European trip or something familiar!!!
Home again, home again. Rumor has it I might be doing this again next week...stay tuned.
posted by Gluten Free Gourmet at 11:10 PM
1 Comments:
Just remember...YOU LOVE NEW YORK! More later....
Post a Comment
<< Home