The Great Traveling Adventure of 2010

12.29.10
7:30a(PST): Mom hears rumors of airport closures in Chicago. I call Southwest and speak with someone who is coincidentally in the Midway airport. I am told that the weather is beautiful and clear skies. “Girl, you are gooooood!”

11:30a(PST): Board flight in LA. Check flight status of connecting flight in Chicago and it’s “on time.”

5:20p(CST): Land in Chicago 20 minutes early and am stoked to have an extra 20 mins on my short layover. I turn on phone to receive a text alert from Southwest alerting me that my flight is cancelled.

5:35p(CST): I go to the gate and get in line. While in line, I check the weather in NYC and Chicago and both are clear. No wind, no storms, nada.

6:45p(CST): Finally able to speak with a gate attendant and am informed that no flights are leaving Chicago because of an extreme storm warning. Confused, as it is still beautiful out and there are no weather alerts to be found. Apparently, they are expecting dense fog and freezing sleet rain. I can tell you that nothing ever surpassed a light drizzle for the whole night. She is unconcerned with the fact that She can’t put me on a confirmed flight to La Guardia until 1.2.11 and is extremely unapologetic. I consider telling her to relocate to the DMV.

6:50p(CST): I have two flight options out of Midway: fly to Providence, RI or Pittsburgh, PA. I choose Providence. I’ll have to find a bus/train from there.

7:00p(CST): Sit down at gate and make a hotel reservation… $140. Oof.

7:10p(CST): Meet another girl at my gate in the same predicament. We go to the bar where I order a double.

7:15p(CST): We decide to rent a car together and drive to NYC. I have to check into my flight at 8:30 so I have my boarding pass, and then decide to go check out prices on rental cars.

8:30p(CST): Check into flight but am talked out of driving by my mom. Cancel hotel room, and decide to stay in the airport. I can check in to fly standby to La Guardia beginning at 5am. We decide that we will be staked out at the Southwest counter like a Star Wars premier. Carly (my new friend) and I hunker down to ride out the night and make jokes about the “terrible weather.”

9p(CST): We stock up on McDonalds, magazines, and snacks. I grab a neck pillow because I don’t know where I’ll be sleeping for the next two nights.

10:40p(CST): I am starting to doze and we are awoken and ushered to another concourse where they have cots. I am unsure of the cleanliness, but grab one anyway.

11:10p(CST): I have the straps of my bags looped around my leg and resting in the crook of my knee, and my iPhone tucked underneath me. It’s the only way I feel secure enough to sleep.

12.30.10
12:30a(CST): Still awake. Between coughing, snoring, cell phones and squeaky cots, it’s nearly impossible to fall asleep.

2:45a(CST): There is a man snoring loudly. I want to throw my pillow at him and consider what the consequences might be.

3:00a(CST): Carly checks the flight board and the 7:50am flight has already been cancelled. Awesome.

3:25a(CST): I can’t sleep at all, so I start researching bus options for when I get to Providence. I am relieved that it won’t cost a fortune to get home, but disappointed that it looks like I’ll be spending another night in either an airport or a bus station. Feeling grateful for my neck pillow purchase.

4:00a(CST): “Good morning folks! Time to wake up!” Ugh.

4:10a(CST): Back at the gate from last night, B15. McDonalds and the Southwest counters both open at 5. We wait.

5:00a(CST): McDonalds is open, but we are afraid to leave our post. We wait.

5:20a(CST): We wait.

5:25a(CST): Fuck it, I’m hungry.

6:00a(CST): Carly spots a Southwest employee and asks her what gate she’ll be working at. She bolts back, grabs me and we run to the gate before anyone can get in front of us. We are the first two there. Two other women were also trying to get to La Guardia and we made sure we stayed in front of them. I was ready to throw elbows and shoulder-plow people out of the way to keep my position. I am desperate to get out of this airport.

6:15a(CST): We are the first two people on the standby list for a 9:45 flight that is cancelled but may be reinstated. I decide to chance it, because planes are starting to leave. If that falls through, my standby position will roll over to the next flight, and the next. If I have not gotten a plane by 8:30pm, I’ll be heading to Providence. I have a small amount of hope, but am mostly exhausted and frustrated.

7:25a(CST): A plane lands at Midway!! This is good!

7:30a(CST): We make more friends, also waiting for standby flights and discuss what caused this. All flights were cancelled without gate assignments, so we assume it was done the night before. We speculate that Southwest didn’t have enough planes, cancelled everything and blamed it on the imaginary weather. Assholes.

7:55a(CST): Ashley (aforementioned new friend) comes back to our group grinning, announcing that she’d just been given a confirmed seat on a flight to Hartford, CT at 10:55. She begins explaining that her dad lives in Bridgeport. A lightbulb lights up and I realize I know exactly how to get home from Bridgeport!! I already have the ticket! I inform Carly, she trusts me (she will have no idea how to get home from there) and we run –run- to that gate and both get a confirmed seat. Relief passes over me like a wave and I cannot stop grinning.

8:15a(CST): We are still on standby for the cancelled 9:45 flight to La Guardia. We pretend we have no hope, but continue to check the monitors every twenty minutes.

9:45a(CST): La Guardia flight definitely cancelled, though we don’t care.

10:00a(CST): We (myself, Carly and Ashley) move to our flight’s gate. We are too anxious to sit, so we stand around talking.

10:33a(CST): We overhear that there might be a problem and panic. I ask the gate attendant if we are still on schedule to depart at 10:55 and she replies “10:43, actually!” NICE. We have been given priority boarding (at this point, I’ll take the pity) and get in line.

10:40a(CST): This flight is empty and I get a row to myself. I had popped Dramamine and I am asleep before we reach cruising altitude.

1:30p(EST): I am awakened by the flight attendant declaring that we must have our seat backs and tray tables in the upright and locked position to prepare for landing.

1:55p(EST): Ashley’s dad meets us and drives us to Bridgeport.

3:20p(EST): We arrive at the Bridgeport train station. Carly and I have missed the 3:15 train, but are unconcerned. She buys food (I offered her one of my day old, soggy ham sandwiches and she declines; weird) and we eat.

3:55p(EST): We board the train to Grand Central. I doze for a bit.

5:15p(EST): Arrive in Grand Central. I can’t believe I’m back in NYC after all that’s happened.

5:20p(EST): We hop on the 7 train to La Guardia to attempt to get back our luggage. We were promised that it would be on the first flight out of Midway, which is arriving at 5:55 (and I know it’s on time as I’ve been monitoring it obsessively). It’s packed but we are soaking in being back in NYC.

5:40p(EST): Arrive at the La Guardia stop where we are to catch the Q72 bus to La Guardia. We join a crowd of people in the snow and confirm they are all waiting for the same.

5:50p(EST): No Q72. Traffic is a bitch and there are no buses to be seen at all.

6:05p(EST): Carly- Wanna grab a cab?
Me- GOD YES.

6:10p(EST): We finally find a car. Traffic is STILL a bitch and we try not to panic that our luggage may disappear, if it’s arrived in NYC at all. We get an awesome driver who doesn't charge us much and gives me tips to make sure the next cab driver doesn't try to take advantage by driving in circles. I get his card because I love him.

6:30p(EST): We are delivered to La Guardia. We rush to baggage claim.

6:45p(EST): I spot both of my bags immediately. I am again overcome with relief. Carly is having a harder time, but eventually finds hers when the turnstile starts to move.

7:05p(EST): We get in line for a cab, and can’t see the beginning or end. Fuck. I try not to get upset, as this is home stretch. Almost done!!

7:55p(EST): We finally make it to the front of the cab line. We are already facebook friends and promise to keep in touch.

8:40p(EST): The cab pulls up in front of my house. I am grinning like a tool, but it fades when I realize there’s hip-high snow blocking all the driveways and sidewalks, except for two, which are blocked by large trucks. I don’t know how I’m going to get my suitcases to the front door! I end up kicking a small walkway with my brand new most-amazing-snow-boots-ever and tromp though, one piece at a time. It’s still calf deep, but the most-amazing-snow-boots-ever come up to my knees. Oh, NYC. It’s a good thing I love you….

8:50p(EST): I’M HOME. Goodnight world!!