Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Another trip to New York, another storm

I just got back from another whirlwind trip to New York, complicated, as is now my norm, by weather.

So far this year, I've been to the city three times. I'm 0-for-3 with the weather. February: snow. March: flooding rains. April: Nor'Easter. I'm supposed to go again next month, and I'm not sure whether to bet on freak early hurricane or tornado. I think tornado is a safer bet.

Originally, I was supposed to fly up on Sunday -- you know, with the built-in time cushion so I can take the Grandmother for a meal. But then my plans changed, and yesterday, I was forced to abandon the plane, and take the train the Acela. Which was not fast, especially with a switch problem in Baltimore and flooded tracks in New Jersey. But I left early enough that I still managed to take my grandmother to dinner. (I did, however, spend pretty much the entire day traveling, so I didn't know anything about the shootings at Virginia Tech, until I got back to the hotel in time to see the news. It's almost unspeakably horrible.)

Today, I worked all day and took a shuttle flight back. The last 15 minutes or so were really bumpy. As in, "I'm lucky I didn't eat a big lunch" bumpy. I had to put my reading materials away.

Now, I'm just tired. Exhausted, actually. I told my mom that I think that the proof that humans aren't supposed to travel so far so fast is that we're always so tired when we do it, even if we spend the entire trip sleeping. I like to go places, see new things, yadda yadda yadda -- but the getting there kills me. Biologically, I think that means that we're only supposed to go as fast as our legs -- or maybe an animal? -- can carry us.

Still, even with all the hassles, travel can be amusing. Actually, no. It's the other people around that can be amusing -- when they're not annoying. And they continue to say the funniest things. Yesterday, for example, in Union Station, some gentleman waiting with a woman behind me on line said, "Be careful. It (probably New York, but maybe Boston) ain't Iowa. Heck, it ain't even D.C."

Brother, you have no idea. Still, it's good to be home, even if it is just a brief respite before having to head down to Florida this weekend.



6 comments:

mad said...

Traveling is the pits now, even when there are no weather problems. Last month, when I flew back from Cleveland, they told me that my luggage wound up in Montreal. Well, I told the baggage lady, at least it's on the right continent.

dara said...

The baggage thing has happened to me before too. The last time, I was coming back from somewhere out west and I saw the person pick up the wrong baggage ticket and put it on my bag. It was going to Miami.

I told the lady, and she told me I didn't know what I was talking about. Sure enough, my bag wound up in Miami. I just hope it stopped by to visit my parents and grandparents while it was down there.

Ed & Jeanne said...

I was in New York only once for 10 days and every day was sunny and beautiful with no humidity. Better than that though I once spent 9 days in London in early Nov and it didn't rain! How's that for horshoe-up-my-butt luck?

dara said...

Usually, I have no problems with the weather in New York. But when I lived in London, it was cloudy and drizzly for approximately 60% of the time.

honeykbee said...

You know, I think you might have something there (regarding people only being intended to go as fast as a camel, per se, can carry them). There's really no other valid explaination for why I'm so tired after even short flights.

I've also been caught in "the weather" the last 3 times I went to NY. Maybe we should stop going up the same weekend and tempting the weather gods.

dara said...

I'm just going to chalk it up to global warming changing weather patterns, and cross my fingers and pray that West Palm Beach is nice this weekend.