Atlanta Airport, Thursday, March 18, 2010
Arrive at the last gate on the concourse. Walk about twenty miles to the escalator down to the tram level. Take the tram to the baggage claim exit. Walk a block or two to the baggage claim area. Get baggage. Walk outside and across “street” to rental car offices. Take care of paper work, walk a block, go up a level to the tram. Ride tram to rental car garage. Load all my stuff into car, set up Stella the GPS, figure out the controls, and put on the seatbelt.
Wait! Where’s the holder for the seatbelt? Where do I plug it in.? Get help. Watch guy fiddle and crawl all over the front seats. Find out it’s wedged between the seats and will not come loose. Transfer all my luggage to new car. Re-start Stella. Escape the airport!
Atlanta Airport, Saturday, March 20, 2010
Arrive at the rental car return and return car. Go up a level to the tram and ride to the terminal. Do the self check-in. Go to “dump bags” and wait while the attendant learns how to put new paper for luggage tags in her machine. Leave area minus two of my three bags, yeah! Walk to the tram, ride to concourse E. Buy some super nutritious fast food. Walk twenty miles to gate 34 at the end of the concourse. Note that 6:45 flight has been delayed to 8:45. Grumble.
Arrive at gate. Begin to eat yummy, nutritious fast food. Hear announcement that gate has been changed to B34. Grumble, grumble. Walk back twenty miles to the beginning of the concourse, go down a level to the tram, take tram to new terminal…………but, get confused. Think it is D34. Get off at concourse D. Walk to the last gate on the concourse. See a plane going somewhere other than O’Hare, check monitor and realize I’m in the wrong concourse. GRUMBLE, GRUMBLE, GRUMBLE.
Walk back again, go down to tram level again, take train again, go up from tram, walk to gate B34….at the end of the terminal. Collapse to wait two hours for delayed plane---which is visible outside the window awaiting clearance at O’Hare.
I’m sooooooooo excited that I get to fly four times next week. At least I don’t return to Atlanta.
Between Thursday and Saturday Evening
Had a wonderful 24 hour visit with dear transplanted friends Donna and Ed. Went out in their boat………in mid March. Saw forsythia, saw bulbs, saw flowering trees. Wore short sleeves. Felt rejuvenated.
Had a wonderful on-site seminar in Joneboro, GA today, I feared I’d face hostile teachers angry at having to come to an all-day Saturday inservice. Instead they were 60 of the kindest, most welcoming,, most enthusiastic teachers I’ve ever worked with.
So, if airport hassles are the price for wonderful experiences, I guess they’re worth it!
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