Travelin' Days

A Southwest Airlines jet crashed at Chicago's Midway airport last night.

I flew into that airport roughly this time last year, and I recall thinking the houses were amazingly close to the airport. We were brushing the housetops when we came in for a landing. It was also amazingly cold. You don't know cold until you've been to Chicago in the winter. When I was on the plane out of Chicago I had a fantastic view of Lake Michigan from my window, and by the time we broke through the clouds (at who knows how many thousand feet) I still couldn't see the other side.

I flew into Newark, New Jersey a few months prior to the 9/11 attack. One of the planes flew out of Newark, but off the top of my head I can't remember which. I don't have fond memories of Newark. The landing approach took us over what looked like an enormous sewage treatment facility. The airport monorail was always broken (it may still be broken), which forced you to use the airport shuttle buses, which were of course driven by New York cabbie rejects. One of our bus drivers honked the horn from the time we stepped onto the bus until we got off (he was just driving around the airport).

While I was in Newark a couple of us rode into New York City (I wasn't driving) in the middle of the night and found a Thai restaurant in the garment district (or near there). That was the first time I had ever eaten Thai, and I still think that was the best Thai I've ever eaten. Parking was $17 an hour, and we came across one of the largest rats I've ever seen. You could've put a saddle on that thing. Yikes!

I've also been to Des Moines, Iowa, which is basically about four tall buildings in the middle of nowhere. When the plane was landing, I remember thinking, "Hmmm... there's nothing here." There were miles and miles of what looked like mini-lakes, sprinkled here and there all over the landscape. Hardly any buildings. So, what was in Des Moines (pronounced Duh Moyn), you ask? Dice.com, one of the largest technical recruiting web sites in the world. Who woulda thunk it?

That's a lot of traveling to do for someone who absolutely hates travel (by air). I don't have a problem with the actual flying through the air, but the whole procedure of getting on and off the plane is a pain. When I flew to Chicago security unpacked my luggage and I had to repack my underwear in front of everyone. And then there's the hassel of finding adequate overhead storage. Once I took a slightly large carry-on on board and there was no room, so the stewardess had to check my bag for me, which I don't like doing at all. If you don't check any luggage, you never have to worry about it getting lost.

To add to the fun, if you're traveling with frequent flyers, they'll almost always get some kind of "medallion" upgrade to First Class, and leave your second-rate self back in Coach with your knees scrunched up around your ears.

Yes sir, I hope my travelin' days are over.