The Adventure Begins.......

I honestly don't know why I follow the 'arrive 2 hours prior to departure' rule when flying out of the airport in Harrisburg. It's always empty. Well, morning it's fairly busy. But even that doesn't require you to be there 2 hours prior. I was the ONLY person in the security line. I still marched through the Pre-Check line so I could keep my shoes on and my liquids stowed. The laptop did have to come out of my back-pack though. I did NOT have to go through the 'make you naked' scanner--even though they do have one.
HIA Midafternoon:

Not that there are many refreshment options here to begin with, but EVERYTHING was closed except for Auntie Anne's. The food court and Dunkin Donuts were all barred and dark. So it was a pretzel hot dog for breakfast/lunch. (I have absolutely nothing perishable to eat in my house) I have a layover in Charlotte so I will be able to get something there. But, I am flying first class and will be served a meal on the way to Seattle. That should be interesting. I'll keep you posted.

Gate C3 in beginning to fill up. And when I say fill up, I mean there are now about 20 people here, instead of just me and the ticket agents. I don't see an airplane yet, but I do believe I will be on a real plane, instead of the Buddy Holly thing I usually have to ride to Philadelphia. As always, there is a jetway but I can't tell yet if it will actually be pulled up to an airplane.

An airport is a great place to people watch and I am always fascinated by the attire people choose to wear for travel. Me, I am wearing jeans, socks, clogs and a black v-neck t-shirt. I also packed a long sweater in case the plane is cold. A majority of people have taken a similar approach.

However, there is a young girl (20s) wearing short shorts, a tank top, flannel shirt and cowboy boots. One person looks as though they never bothered to change out of their jammies. Another person is wearing leggings and a too tight t-shirt and looks like she is encased in sausage casing. No one really dresses to fly now, like we did 'back in the day'.

Another thing I am observing, there are only 2 people sitting here that are not plugged into some sort of technology.

OMG some woman just walked up with an effing YIPPY little dog. It's not even harnessed. She is now feeding the thing treats and also has a saran wrapped bowl of wet food for the dog. A mini dog dish has now been placed on the floor near my feet. After she puts it in the canvas tote she has, where is it going to go to the bathroom? I only hope she is not sitting near me. And what do people, like my son, do when they are severely allergic to dogs and board a plane sitting near one? My son's allergies were so severe that he would get hives if a dog brushed up against him. WTH? Since when is this OK? Put the dog in luggage hold, or better yet leave it at HOME in a kennel or with a friend. Now, she put the dog in her lap and the thing is licking her lips--"giving her kisses". Can you say Vomit?

Ok, we are boarded and I am loving my seat. The woman and her yipper walked on by to coach.

I have to say, 1^st class on this regional jet was very nice. More leg room than I knew what to do with. Very comfortable seats and service was wonderful. I could have flown comfortably for a much longer  flight.

We landed in Charlotte right on time. I did attempt to get into the Admiral’s Lounge but alas, even with a first class ticket, no admittance. What a bunch of crap that is. Of course, I could buy a day pass. I don’t think so. 

I am now ensconced in a California Pizza Kitchen/Bar. I am trying a local draft beer as they are out of Blue Moon. It’s ok, but a bit more bitter than I would prefer. I also ordered a personal Cheese Pizza from California Kitchen. I’ve never had their pizza before. It’s pricy but not sure if that is just because we are at the airport, or it’s just a pricy brand.

Have to say, not a fan of the pizza. Very bland and tasteless IMO.

Off to the gate for the last leg of this journey.

I am settled into seat 3A in first class. Nice wide window seat. Standard old style first class. The attendant came around with water prior to take-off. Once in the air, we were given warm, oven roasted cashews and almonds. About 1 ½ hours into the flight, dinner was served. It was pretty decent for airline food. The alcohol was flowing the entire time and I had 4 gin and tonics in real glass glasses.

We ended up having to fly to Seattle in a very in-direct way due to some storms in the mid-west. The pilot came on and told us we were actually going to fly down to Atlanta and then across Mississippi before we started to head northwest. I checked out status a few times and we headed across Nebraska, then at one point we were over Colorado Springs. Finally we made it North and flew across Montana and Idaho before making our way to Seattle.

I took a ton of pictures of the gorgeous cloud cover as we flew above it. And for most of the way, we were chasing the sunset. It was very beautiful. We finally lost the race and descended into Seattle in darkness. 

Carren and Max were waiting in the Cell Phone lot for me. My luggage was the 2^nd piece to come out in baggage claim!! And off I went to wait for Carren. After the ride back to my cousins’ house, we talked a bit and then I pretty much face-planted into the bed as it was almost midnight in Seattle—so 3am for me.

After a solid 8 hours of sleep, I was up and ready for the new day!!

And so it begins....

Part I

My friend, MaryAnn, arrived early this morning to take me to the airport. I even managed to sleep last night

OMG—I am at HIA waiting to board my flight to Philly. I actually heard the plane arriving before I saw it. Eeeeee---eeee---eeeeee. It looks even smaller in person. Then I saw the pilot arriving and being admitted to gate C3. He looks about 14. He is now ‘checking’ the plane over.

I have been assured that my luggage will be checked the whole way through to Papeete. I guess we shall see. The big suitcase weighed 50.5 pounds per the airline scale. I guess they give you some leeway or they don’t care. LOL  No, actually, the woman at check-in was very nice and very funny.

I’m not sure why but the last couple of flights my boarding passes have been noted with TSA Precheck. I did not purchase it but I have it. That means, I can leave my shoes on and if I had a jacket, I could leave that on too. They did not make  me go through the ‘make you naked’ scanner either. Just a plain ol’ metal detector. So far, life is good.

I hear the plane revving up outside although we don’t board for another half hour. No luggage aboard yet either. Hmmmmm. I see someone loading a bag of ice onto the plane. I guess we will be having beverage service. A double Bloody Mary for me. It’s 5 o’clock somewhere right?

A plus for using HIA is that there was absolutely no security line—well like 5 people. It was painless. Unlike BWI where security is always a nightmare. I only hope we don’t have to gate-check all the carry-on. I am in boarding group 2 so hopefully, there may be room for my stuff.

Rush hour at HIA:

Dunkin’ Donuts was open and I treated myself to a pumpkin spice donut. Meh. Glazed would have been better.

We actually have a jetway! I was very surprised. Hopefully, this flight won’t be as bad as I anticipate. But my Ativan will still be in my pocket!  

Next stop Philadelphia. Thankfully, the Pope and I came to an understanding and he is staying in NYC until tomorrow so my flight from there won’t be impacted.

Part II

Walked down the jet-way and OUT a door and down a flight of steps and across the tarmac to board my flight. LOL The jet-way had me confused. I did not have to gate check anything though.

Arrived in Philly after a surprisingly ‘ok’ flight aboard the Buddy Holly plane. Upon arrival, at Gate F22, I had to take a shuttle bus to the A gates. That was interesting. (Made me think of that bus we had to ride in FCO, Italy.)  As our bus drove along the RUNWAYs, we had to stop several times to Yield to departing planes. At one point, we were driving alongside a taxi-ing plane. It was interesting though because I got to see the business side of the airport—luggage being loaded, refueling etc…

Arriving at the A-B gates, I immediately made my way to the Admiral’s Lounge. What a difference this makes in the whole airport experience!  You enter by a not very visible doorway, like a secret club….make your way down a carpeted staircase and to a desk where your ‘credentials’ are checked. Then you are in. A quiet space with complimentary breakfast, snacks, drinks—including alcohol. There are comfy chairs with power supplies and a secure wi-fi connection that is password protected, newpapers, magazines and beautifully furnished restrooms.

Part III

After an uneventful, but very full flight, I arrived in Chicago. The taxi to the gate was almost as long as the flight. I made my way to the Admiral’s Lounge, once again. It’s very large and it is very busy. The view is of the tarmac. They have some nasty looking food out for free—but of course you can buy better stuff. My stomach feels disgusting though. I’m sticking to coffee. Each flight is getting progressively longer. This one to LAX is about 4 or so hours I think.

Part IV

I was paged at the gate and asked if I would switch seats so a couple could sit together. The man said the move was up three rows and still a window. I said OK. Not so sure that was a good move. It started off OK, the middle seat was empty and stayed empty as the plane filled up. The very last person on the flight was an off-duty pilot and he took the middle seat. He was very nice to talk to and very informative about airplanes. He told me to ask away. All was going well, until we reached cruising altitude. Without any warning at all, the man in front of me reclines his seat right into my laptop. He didn’t get any more endearing as the flight progressed. First he fidgeted and kept pressing back on the seat, shaking my tray table. Then he starting coughing and sneezing—repeatedly—without once covering his nose or mouth. UGH He twisted his hair around constantly and wiped his nose with his hand. I could feel the germs settling on me. I used my anti-viral inhaler a bunch of times. I hope it works.

We arrived in LAX after doing a touch and go landing and had to circle—but we still got in early. Once again, I went to the Admiral’s Lounge and immediately asked for a shower. They are very nice. After scrubbing the day’s dirt and germs from me, and changing into comfy clothes, I am now in the quiet lounge typing this report. Beside me is a plate of complimentary cheese & crackers and some vegetables. I’m going to wait until I transfer over to the International Terminal to get a real meal. After chilling here for a bit, I will head over to the complimentary bar and have a few drinks. I think I hear a Bloody Mary calling my name.

My Air Tahiti Nui flight doesn’t leave until almost midnight and it’s only about 5:30 here.

Pictures of the shower in the Admiral's Lounge.