I drive the three hours in monsoon like conditions. Check into hotel and look on internet to check flight status. Flight is en route and on time! woo-hoo! But she sent me message from Moscow stating there is a half-hour delay before I left. Figuring time for getting through customs, luggage pick up etc. I decide to call Limo service and delay an hour. Just after that my phone rings and driver is in front of hotel. I stall him for twenty minutes to check flight status one more time --- flight is going to be "on time". So I gather a couple things and climb in the back. The driver, Sammy from Lebanon is quite talkative. Proud to be an American citizen - 17 years. Didn't want to tell me his real name is Osama. Osama Been Lebanese. Get to terminal and it seems awfully quiet. The big board does indeed state flight has landed. Except it says the flight has landed in Washington Fucking DC! I go up to Aeroflot check in terminal to inquire. The ladies from another airline give me the scoop. Now I am hoping to get a call. She does not have cell phone for here. I call limo driver and tell him -"Don't park. Come and get me now." He was excited because he thought we timed it perfectly. She already made it through immigration and we were out the door.
Nope-nope-nope, naw,naw,naw. NYET!
Not only was her flight redirected, all but one were sent to a different airport. Seems they have a policy against trying to land jumbo jets in 50 mile an hour wind gusts. So I had a nice chat with the limo driver to and from the airport. I didn't get a free ride even though the package hadn't arrived.
But on the way back -- right as we are driving through Queens, the phone rings. She is happy to report she is alive and on the ground - in Dulles International Airport! I'm in New York, She is in Washington D.C. I told her if she sees Obama to slap him in the head for me. Well I didn't but I wanted to. So now it appears that Chinese take out is off the menu. Just happens to be a pub 100' from the window of the hotel. 64' down and 36' directly across the street. I think I deserve a beer! A nice hoppy IPA from a local brewer. Not too bitter with just enough bite and a smooth swallow.
Phone finally rings again. Still no answers. In the mean time I called the airports, the airlines, the ticket agency -- spent a couple hours making phone calls, mostly on hold. JFK wouldn't answer phones because the lines were so saturated. Most of the airline phones were jammed up. This kinda reminds me of my first trip.
Half the people in the hotel were stuck there because of canceled flights. There were several I ran into who were just returning to hotel after having spent hours at JFK.
Still waiting to here back from her. They started loading people on buses to ship them to NYC.
I went over to the pub for another brewsky. The barkeep recommended I go to the deli up the street if I wanted take out beer. So I did. An amazing sight! Just at the intersection of the hotel I saw no less than fifteen umbrellas totally destroyed. As I was waiting for the light to change a guy was trying to stuff another on in the corner trash. Then I noticed there were a lot more broken umbrellas. A conservative estimate would be two thousand umbrellas rendered useless March 13, 2010 in New York City. And twice as many people stuckk or diverted to another airport.
The good life gets tougher every day.
So here I am wasting your time drinking a cool beer. The ice melted on the champagne hours ago. And I am waiting for the next phone call update.
BTW, the Letterman Show called the other night - we're in! Just in case Dave wanders the audience talking to people, tune in and look for us. You'll be able to pick me out - I will be wearing a baby blue LaCoste cap.
Nothing wrong with 50mph wind gusts and larger aircraft landing etc. providing that the wind direction is, more or less, aligned with the runway direction and, it helps, if the runway surface is dry.
Very wet runway, 50mph winds blowing across it, would you fancy landing in that? :)
Yea Ralphie....got up to 73 today so I decided to lay out on the beach...not real hot yet but sun feels real nice, sound of crashing waves and birds chirping above led me a short nap...too bad I couldn't put down a brusky too. Let us not get too excited now....there will be a tomorrow, sh$t happens, still got that number to your shirnk, maybe you should use it? ;-))
it turned out almost all flights were either directed to Boston or DC. I stayed awake most of the night waiting for a phone call. Of course there were many Russian speaking folks who had American cell phones on the plane. She hooked up with someone much like I did when I was stuck in Moscow cause of snow delays. Arrived by bus from Dulles Int at 7:00 AM. Took a cab to meet her. As I was sifting the the crowd when a bus arrived at the airport I felt a tug behind me.... :)
Made it back to hotel and slept a few - had show tickets for Jersey Boys at 3PM.
Spent a couple days in NYC. Just had to see the Empire State Building! The Letterman Show? A one time deal. Interesting but not worth the hassle. Call it a novelty unless you live for it.
First stop in PA was Cabela's.
For the guy with the "language" thread... Is it possible for someone to meet and fall in love with a deaf mute? It happens.