The shuttle service to the airport was an unexpected surprise. We had booked a shared ride to the airport to save a few bucks and ended up with a private ride anyway. Turns out nobody else in our zip code was needing a ride to the airport at the same time we were, so we had the entire van to ourselves. (We have splurged for a private ride home, however, to completely avoid the "stuck at the airport for an extra hour waiting while a fellow passenger argues with the service" scenario of last year)
The overnight flight was as pleasant and quiet as an overnight flight can be. The man in the seat next to me snored something awful, but having grown up with my dad being the Master of Snorers, I actually found it lulled me to sleep, and I did not even need my iPod.
I was a little concerned about sleeping on the plane because I've been feeling my back tensing up for the last couple days... probably all the tension from litany of last minute "To Do" items we were scrambling to get done. However, we were packed and ready to go a couple hours early, and I spent that last bit of time stretching and rolling my back on my foam roller before the airport shuttle arrived. After having slept in contorted positions on a turbulent flight, I'm surprised my back is better now than it was when I left the house.
We flew over some pretty crazy weather on our way from Seattle to Charlotte. The turbulence woke me and I peeked out from under my sleep mask to see the bright flashes of lightening going on outside the plane.
A word to other airline passengers: I won't presume to be the voice for everyone, however I'm guessing that I am not alone when I say that loudly expressing your desire to not die in a plane crash while inside a plane flying through a lightening storm is not appreciated by your fellow passengers... as well as telling your partner that he *should* be afraid to die because he's the one going to hell. I understand feeling fear, but for the sake of others... some things can be kept to yourself.
The lightening storm was actually quite cool to fly through, and we landed without incident... just a wee bit of shaking through the descent.
We hiked through the airport in Charlotte, pausing to freshen ourselves up and grab a bite to eat. The 2 hour layover was just about perfect... once we had checked in, ate and had changed our clothes they were just about ready to board. When they called our zone we popped right over to the door and were the first people on the plane. We had plenty of time to settle ourselves into our seats as other passengers trickled onto the plane behind us. The door to the cockpit was open, so D suggested that G go ask if she could see what it looks like inside. She was a little nervous at first, and I truly thought they wouldn't allow her anywhere near that open door, but they welcomed her in and the flight attendant asked if we had a camera with us.
I leaped out of my seat, camera in hand, and timidly poked my head past the door to find G inside, absolutely delighted with herself. They let her climb into the co-pilot seat and even raised the seat up so she could see out the windshield.
How unbelievably cool is *that*?
I'm off to post this before we fly out of range... time to fill out immigration forms!
For future reference, the proper response when flying through a lightning storm is to sacrifice a fellow passenger; this will appease Zeus, and He will permit the plane to pass through His heavenly domain undisturbed. (Actually, He probably would've been okay with a goat, but did anyone have the forethought to pack a sacrificial goat? No? Well, sorry, Billy, but Daddy drew the short straw. He can take that whole heathen-god-versus-Bible-thumpin'-Christianty thing up with Hades in the afterlife.)
ReplyDeleteOh - stupid airport question. My uncle claims that the current trend in airports is regional/upscale dining, without any of the quick-grab stuff and national chains. I guess they figure that you're already being rooked for airline fees, so if you can afford that you can afford to pay through the nose for fancy food. Apparently, Phoenix has already made this transition. Have you noticed that in any of the airports you've passed through? (Seems like a bad idea to me, not just for families traveling with young kids...)
Hey... I thought I'd answered this before but I think Blogger ate my comment. I've seen both options in every airport I've been through (though truth be told, my trek through Phoenix last year was racing to our next flight, so I didn't look around at offerings much)
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