Getting to San Francisco was definitely quite the journey. I realized I only had an hour layover the at Dulles (DC), so I happily paid the $39 to upgrade to a seat closer to the exit lane of the airplane. Little did I know that the hour layover I thought I would have turned in to a 2 minute layover. The whole flight was filled with tense people who all had connecting flights leaving less than 20 minutes after our approximate landing time. The poor flight attendants. Luckily, I have a way of persuading people to do what I want/need them to do… more on that later. So far, I have met a very sweet elderly lady who is visiting her brother and family in DC (she lives in Tampa), a family of five from plantation Florida… all of the kids are foster or adopted (their destination is Adriondaks), a very chatty retiree from Crystal River who is headed to visit her daughter and grandbabies in upstate NY, and the coolest flight attendant named Omar… I will call him Ernesto, don’t ask me why… maybe because he looks like an Ernesto?
Those who know me know I never meet a stranger. This has proven to be true for this trip as well. Ernesto treated me to first class service, including the meal they give to first class travelers (I was flying in Economy Plus… United Air… highly recommended IF you MUST fly United!), and he kept checking on me to make sure I was okay. He also asked me numerous times if I wanted free drinks. At first, I thought he meant diet coke or water. Then, I remembered… normal people drink. He said “no rum? What about wine? Vodka?” handed me a whole bottle of each as I was eating my meal in the flight attendant’s quarters. Grateful I stayed sober, as I needed every bit of clarity to make my connecting flight.
Speaking of clarity, it helped immensely... Let me go back to my point of persuasion persuasion… I went to each and every person sitting on the front row until I found one who did not mind trading with me upon descending. She was a large woman, needed the room, but was happy to oblige. I then was able to use the flight attendent’s space to store my luggage and make my get-away upon landing. (During this time, I also met another woman taking her family to Rome via Munich… she works in the medical field; and a nice gentleman who is a healthcare consultant for a private firm) I love meeting new people. Clearly.
Upon landing, I made my getaway… luckily, the boarding gate for San Francisco was directly next to the arrival gate from Tampa… Whew! When I got there, I was none too pleased. My seat had been given away, and all overhead storage space was being utilized. I received a free checked bag, and promptly had the individual removed from my aisle seat… after all, I am claustrophobic and need the room. So here I am, in the sky, waiting for SF… 5 hours to go. Looking forward to an amazing 10 days.
Fly
I must add an addendum...
Upon finally arriving in San Francisco, I automatically breathed this breath of relief, inexplicable peace, and felt this instant "I am home" feeling.... before I even reached baggage claim. I have never felt such, and am soaking it up... More to come in the days that follow...
P.S. If you are ever at "Park Chow" in SF, do yourself the most amazing treat with the Ginger Cake (comes with pumpkin ice cream and caramel). I know, it sounds odd, but it's the best dessert I've ever tasted... and I have a devlish sweet tooth at times. Do it.
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