Feature Stories
FlyGirl Blog: A stop at Fenway, then Homeward Bound
AeroChannel FlyGirl columnist Katie O'Brien keeps us up-to-date on her latest travels ...
Wednesday, September 3, 2008, 6:00 p.m. PDT
It turns out that the "small explosion" that they were investigating at LAX was in fact a fire extinguisher on a bus. A passenger bumped into it and set it off, and it covered everyone on the bus. Surprised by this, they called the bomb squad to investigate. Now, one might argue that you could also solve this mystery by, for instance, turning around, seeing a fire extinguisher, and deducing that you bumped into it. But hey -- I'm no Sherlock Holmes. I'm sure it was more complicated than that.
Either way, I was very pleased that it was not an actual emergency, because that meant that when we got into LAX it was only the usual "annoyingly crowded" and not the next step up: "mass flight-delay-induced mayhem." We got out of the arrivals area and to the curb with no drama.
I'm on the way home now in a cab. It’ll be good to be back. See you soon, reporting from the office!
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Wednesday, September 3, 2008, 4:42 p.m. PDT
We’re touching down in LA in about twenty minutes, so it’s time to turn off the laptop. It has been a nice flight, though. Despite all the cutbacks and fees, United is still a great airline…if you don’t check bags. I mean, at least the water was free…
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Wednesday, September 3, 2008, 4:08 p.m. PDT
I boarded my Chicago-LA flight, read one page of my book, and then immediately passed out. I think we have about ninety more minutes before landing, which means that I just slept for almost three hours. I am feeling way refreshed. This plane is much bigger than any I’ve taken in a while—and I fly some of the major routes often. But I haven’t been on a 767 since the last time that I flew overseas. Maybe this is a sign of the schedule cutbacks…fewer, bigger flights instead of many options on smaller aircraft.
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Wednesday, September 3, 2008, 2:40 p.m. CDT
I was just about to leave when AeroChannel emailed to let me know about a small explosion that occurred at LAX just now. It was apparently in Terminal 1 and they’re investigating whether it came from a bus or someone’s luggage on the bus or what. This makes me very excited to be boarding a plane for LAX right now. Fortunately, United is Terminal 7, so hopefully I’ll be landing away from the action.
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Wednesday, September 3, 2008, 2:10 p.m. CDT
O’Hare is a fun airport! We have about an hour of layover time, and we had to go between the B and C gates in the United terminal. There’s a very cool passageway for this journey, and both areas have excellent concourses with tons of food options and seating. I must admit, I am quite impressed with the selection. Sitting now in a food court with a really yummy turkey sandwich and root beer. Life is good.
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Wednesday, September 3, 2008, 1:45 p.m. CDT
We made great time on the flight, and then as we were almost touching the runway, the pilot pulled back and we ascended again. Apparently he didn’t like how that runway looked, or he found another one that also had a pool and a two-car garage, because we circled for a bit and then landed on a separate runway, which apparently was more to his liking. Sheesh. Picky picky.
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Wednesday, September 3, 2008, 12:15 p.m. EDT
We walked (ran) straight onto the plane and sat down. Our seats are in the very last row of the plane, which I normally try to avoid. However, these do recline, so good job, United. Still, there was much unrest amongst the passengers at first because apparently in addition to slightly changing the schedule, United also changed the plane. The seating configuration is different from what showed up on the seating chart, and thus families that were supposed to be seated together are now separate.
Oddly, the result of this is that the plane is about two-thirds full, and yet people can’t move around to get better seats. United has Economy Plus seats now, which you can select online; those seats offer extra legroom and are usually a section toward the front of the plane, starting around row 12. Today, none of those seats were taken, and yet the crew made it very explicitly clear that if anyone wanted one of those seats, they could pay to get one on their next flight. So, there’s an empty void of people for about six rows on either side, and everyone else’s legs are squished.
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Wednesday, September 3, 2008, 11:40 a.m., EDT
Thank goodness T.F. Green Airport in Providence is intimate (read: tiny) enough that you can literally return a rental car and run the 500 feet to the ticketing and security area. We were more than a little bit late leaving for our flight today, but we rather miraculously made it on time.
There was something that did upset me about this process. I’ve noticed that increasingly, as airlines continue to cancel flights and reschedule and consolidate, for every plane ticket that I have booked from now through Thanksgiving, I keep getting email updates and changes to my itinerary. However, I apparently did not receive all of them, because when I got to the airport, even though I a) had already checked in and b) had only carry-on luggage, the kiosk said I was too late to print out my boarding pass. Apparently, I was in time for the OLD time of my flight, but there had been one final update to the flight time, and it was now within one half hour of boarding. Still, usually as long as you’re checked in, you’re safe. I ran to the check-in counter (which had no line), and with some quick complaining, I got my boarding pass and sprinted to security.
[By the way, Providence gets major bonus points for their security lines. I thought we’d have to wait behind about ten people, and then someone called us over because there were two whole lines that no one was using. Take that, JFK.]
All of this was not devastating, by any means, but once again, it proves true that it is ALWAYS important to check in online when they send you that email the day before your flight. Sure, it’s easy to say, “Oh, right right. I’ll get to that when I remember.” But in this age, when almost all tickets are e-tickets and the advanced check-in is an option, it can be the one thing that saves you from missing a flight when issues arise en route to the airport. Or when you just want to squeeze in that extra half hour of beach time.
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Tuesday, September 2, 2008, 10:06 a.m. EDT
My friend texted me last night to say that she did get into Houston alright. Apparently the hurricane was not along the flight path, so that was good news for her. Lots of interesting news today, though. I read about the potential Boeing strike…I’m flying home tomorrow, so I’m hoping the industry is not too up-in-arms. I need to get back to LA!
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Monday, September 1, 2008, 4:45 p.m. EDT
Well, that last claim was a huge lie, because I just had a massively hectic (and very fun) Labor Day weekend. We had a ton of people at our house on the Cape and I ate WAY too much and played tons of tennis and went swimming and just had a fabulous weekend. It was like summer camp for my group of friends...I believe there was even some badminton and croquet involved. It was nice to escape for a bit, and we had such a fun group of people there! Alas, soon I am going back to the grind.
I just dropped one of my friends off at the airport, and surprisingly, she is still on track to take off on time for Houston. This seems odd to me because there is a weather advisory in Houston and a hurricane headed right for the Gulf Coast. But I suppose they wouldn’t fly if it was going to be too dangerous, so I’ll just wait to hear from her when she lands!
Right now, we’re off to finish our holiday weekend at Fenway Park, which is basically my favorite place on earth. This will be my first time this year seeing the Red Sox play (in person) and I cannot wait!
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Wednesday, August 27, 2008, 10:30 p.m. EDT
Apparently the FAA computer crash did not interfere with too much future scheduling, because I’m on Cape Cod now with my family and my college roommate is flying in (on time) from Houston. I’m heading now to T.F. Green in Providence to pick her up. That’s one of my favorite airports; small, clean, and very easy to navigate, because it’s about the size of a postage stamp. I’m off to get her, but I’ll write more tomorrow!
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Wednesday, August 27, 2008, 1:15 p.m. EDT
I lived in and around Boston for many years, and grew up in New England, and all this time, I have been missing out on a critical experience: the Duck Tour. Yeah, you heard me. We spent the morning taking a duck tour of the city and the Charles River, and it was actually quite fabulous. We quacked at pedestrians and got a great history lesson. I’d totally recommend this to future Boston tourists…and to Bostonians who need a new reason to appreciate their own city…namely one that involves barnyard noises.
The afternoon also involved walking around Copley Square and Newbury Street. Seriously, I can’t even believe how great the weather has been the entire time I’ve been here. It’s rivaling LA…which is confusing. Usually that’s the first thing that makes me eager to go back to the West Coast!
Leaving Boston this afternoon and driving to Cape Cod. I’m excited to catch up with my family!
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Tuesday, August 26, 2008, 11:00 p.m. EDT
Alright, it’s official. I have eaten all of Boston. Like, everything. If you were thinking of visiting Boston, and there was a restaurant that you were considering trying, and you thought maybe they’d have food there, you are mistaken. Because I ate it today.
In my effort to be a good tour guide, we hit up all the best Cambridge eateries all afternoon—everything from Noch’s to Herrell’s. Then we did Ethiopian for dinner, followed by dessert and wine at Finale…and I am so so full. And so happy.
Back at the hotel, we got into the elevator and ran into two pilots who were just getting into the city. I made a joke to them about making it in just in time before the computers went down. They looked somewhat caught off-guard and then countered with a joke about never paying attention to computers or radar anyway. Um, that’s not a funny joke, sir.
All in all, though, it was a glorious day, and I can’t wait to crash and do some more exploring tomorrow!
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Tuesday, August 26, 2008, 4:00 p.m. EDT
This is craziness! I’ve been spending the day back in my old stomping grounds in Harvard Square, and I just got a call from the AeroChannel headquarters. My news director alerted me to the MAJOR news that’s breaking in the airline industry today: the FAA computers in Atlanta are down, and thousands of flights are in holding patterns in the air, while thousands of others are stranded on the runway! Apparently the FAA is using backup computers in Salt Lake City, but still, this massive upset to the schedule could affect flights for days to come. I’ll be interested to see how this gets resolved…
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Monday, August 25, 2008, 8:00 p.m. EDT
We did a ton today; explored all of the Faneuil Hall/Government Center area, as well as Boston Common, the Public Gardens, the State House, and much more. I love Boston because you can cover the entire city on foot in one to two days. Went into the North End for dinner tonight, capped off with a visit to the super-famous Mike’s Pastries. Thank goodness that even when you haven’t seen a city in two years, some things (like ricotta-filled chocolate chip canoli) never change.
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Monday, August 25, 2008, 11:55 a.m. EDT
Traveling again today, although not by plane. I am heading to Boston this morning on the Amtrak, which is always a fantastic ride because you basically pass through 8 million tiny New England towns with harbors full of sailboats and rows of little wooden waterfront houses. It’s nice to be headed home.
I’ll get into Boston in about an hour; we’re at the Providence station now. I only have two days in Boston too, so I need to start narrowing down my itinerary—there are way too many places to visit (and places to eat) for only 48 hours! The only concern: although I had no time to shop or acquire anything new in NYC, I already seem to have no hope of getting back down to fitting in two bags. Flying home will be…erm…challenging.
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Sunday, August 24, 2008, 2:15 p.m. EDT
Today is a busy day; my schedule is packed with meetings. Still, it is SO nice outside in New York this week that I am loving walking all over the city to get from one to another. I spent the morning in Battery Park, and now I’m heading to midtown for a bit. Will finish the day on the Upper West Side. Two days in New York is never enough…
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Saturday, August 23, 2008, 7:00 p.m. EDT
I got into the city and basically crashed for about three hours. Feeling much better after the critical triumvirate: nap, shower, coffee. Had a bunch of meetings today, followed by a trip to Crumbs on Amsterdam for cupcakes. Heading back to change; I’m having dinner tonight at a new place on my old corner. Five Napkin Burger is the new hotspot right below the apartment where I used to live. Apparently the neighborhood is moving up in the world, now that they got rid of the riffraff.
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Saturday, August 23, 2008, 6:15 a.m. EDT
UM, YEAH. I’m tired. It’s also rather creepy in the Arrivals Hall at JFK at this hour. None of the shops are open yet, and it looks a bit like a battlefield: deserted, except for random bodies strewn about (sleeping) in various corners. I’m going to grab the AirTrain to the A Train and head into the city. (p.s. VERY happy I don’t even have to wait for baggage!)
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Friday, August 22, 2008, 10:30 p.m. PDT
The Virgin American Terminal (Terminal 6, gates in the high 60’s) at LAX has very little in the way of foodstuffs. Thus, I am eating a nutritious and delicious late dinner of animal crackers and peanut M&Ms (yum, protein!). I did get some fabulous cranberry juice from the beverage cart, though. Simple pleasures.
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Friday, August 22, 2008, 10:06 p.m. PDT
The flight is going well so far, although I have two things that could have gone better. One is that I have an aisle seat. When I booked, there were no window seats left. I realize that many people prefer the aisle, but when I’m trying to fall asleep, I become overly conscious about my stretched-out feet and whether they’re in the way of the drink cart. Hey, it’s stressful.
Also, I totally took the wrong red-eye. We left at 9:30, and that was convenient for me in terms of ending my workday at 7 and heading for the airport. What I didn’t think of was the time zone issue. There’s one more flight out that leaves LA around 11pm and arrives in NYC around 8:30 am. This allows for some almost-normalcy of sleep. On the 9:30 pm flight, as you can see, I am still up, because I wasn’t tired at 9:30, or even close to it. My transportation narcolepsy is failing me, and while I am reading like a maniac, I am not dozing off. I’m going to try to sleep soon, but when we land, it will be just before 6am EDT (feeling like 3am PDT). If only I wasn’t so lazy about doing math…
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Friday, August 22, 2008, 8:55 p.m. PDT
Despite my really incredible knack for picking the security line in which someone five spots ahead of me will do something moronic that will halt everything until half the TSA comes to sort it out, I got through with time to spare. It was my first time going through with a tennis racket sticking out of my backpack. Although the TSA website mentions checking sporting equipment (I suppose because it’s a potential threat…I have a mean serve), I asked about it and they let me keep the racket in my backpack and just send it through. Game, Set, Match: Me.
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Friday, August 22, 2008, 8:30 p.m. PDT
Taking a red-eye tonight to New York City. I was kind of late getting a cab to get to LAX, so I was starting to drift into mild-panic mode, but let me tell you, as much as I hate to admit it, this new “I don’t check bags mantra” is really handy. Granted, I now have to set aside a minimum of five to six hours for packing the night before (and hire a sumo wrestler to sit on my suitcase so that I can get it zipped shut). It was a lot of effort to Mary-Poppins (now a verb) that bag into holding everything I may potentially want to wear, or at least try on, or have just in case, as I travel.
I’m flying Virgin America for this leg, and they still allow you to check one bag for free. But because these days, every time a fee is born, an angel gets its wings, I have changed my travel style drastically. And it’s going well!
I arrived at the airport, waltzed past all the people waiting in line to check in or check bags or just check out the scene, and printed my boarding pass at a kiosk. No waiting, no hassle. It took less than a minute and I was already en route to security. Loving it.
