New York City -- Saturday Morning
The skyline of New York greets me through my open window presenting itself draped in sunlight and a cool nip in the air. It's gorgeous, and I'm glad to be here -- now that I finally made it!
You would not believe what it took to get here. I can't even believe what it took to get here.
My flight out of the Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, CA was scheduled for 10:55 AM. I was flying Jet Blue. Up to this point, my only knowledge of Jet Blue was that it was the airline that got its front wheels stuck and was televised on every news channel as viewers waited for it to land and watch the wheels snap right off -- as every news analyst predicted. The pilot of that plane showed everybody up by making an expert landing and everyone on board exited unharmed. If that pilot didn't get a promotion, or at least a raise -- he was robbed. So...having never flown Jet Blue in the past, I figured I was in good hands. And to be perfectly honest, most of this wasn't Jet Blue's fault. It's just a shame that I have to associate their airline with this trip.
Upon my arrival at the Bob Hope airport I was immediately hit with a sign on the boarding pass machine informing me that my flight to JFK Airport would be delayed until 12:30 PM. All right, fine. I have work I can do on my laptop while I wait. I proceed through security. My bags get held up. My bags always get held up. I'm a magician. My case doesn't contain the normal stuff that most cases carry. And then I always get the slow and confused head upturn from the contents of the case to my face with a look of, "Could you please explain all the nonsense I see here in your carry-on?"
I finally get to my gate and work on the computer until our boarding time. Once on board, our captain informs us that our non-stop flight to New York would be making a stop in Salt Lake City, Utah. The reason was to re-fuel for safety's sake seeing as how JFK had to delay our flight due to heavy air traffic and weather. I'm still not sure I understand that, but I'm all for anything to keep me safe while I'm hurtling 590 MPH in a metal tube 35,000 feet above the ground! The bad part of it was that this meant we would be delayed even longer in getting to New York. We were originally supposed to be landing at 7:10 PM EST. Now, God only knew when we'd be touching down.
I hadn't eaten any real food all day, and during this flight I still didn't eat any real food. Nuts, cookies, and Doritos Cheesy Crunchy Mix (I don't even know if that's the right name for the concoction that awaited me when I opened the bag) made up my in-flight diet. Thank God for the bottled water and coffee. And apparently they didn't get extra rolls of toilet paper in Salt Lake when they gassed up, because toward the end of the flight each of the three lavatories had run out.
We finally land at JFK at 10:30 PM. After getting my bag, I grab a taxi to the Belvedere Hotel on 48th Street, where I'll be staying. Do I even have to mention the cab ride? It was expensive and too damned fast. I mean, I'm all for getting me to my destination quickly, but quickly and alive is what I prefer.
I arrive at the Belvedere at approximately 11:25 PM. About three hours later than I should have been there. I'm tired, I'm starving, and I want to unload my stuff in my room and get something to eat. I give my name to Julio at the front desk...and he can't find my name. He is on the phone with Hotels.com for, I'm not exaggerating here, 40 minutes until they were finally able to give him information pertaining to the room. Julio was very accommodating during the entire process. It was Hotels.com who dropped the ball.
By the time I had dropped off my bags, checked messages and e-mails that had come to me while I was in the air, and finally sitting in an all-night cafe eating a pastrami sandwich, it was 1:00 AM.
I really have been looking forward to this trip. Lots of good work will be coning out of it. Let's just hope the rest of the trip goes better than my first day.
--Shawn
Shawn McMaster
Conjured-Up Creations
P.O. Box 973
Newbury Park, CA 91319
(805) 480-0703
www.conjuredupcreations.com
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