So you attempt to fly from Rochester to Pittsburgh to connect to a flight to Seattle. That falls through because of a bum tire and you get rerouted to DC, which feels like backtracking, but at least makes for a snappy blog title. Trying to get from Rochester to DC is an entirely different matter, as the other airline is closed for the evening and security refuses to honor your new ticket and or let you through. So you return to your original airline, watching the newly repaired tire take off while wondering whether you should have given up on getting home that night, and instead spent the night with friends Pittsburgh.
The attendant who helped change your ticket walks you over and argues with TSA for a bit. After some more waiting you infiltrate to the gate, and get on that plane, also late. A short nap and a lot of circling later, you run to the connecting gate in DC only to find that plane pulling out.
They hook you up with a couple of meal vouchers and put you up in a hotel, which takes about an hour to reach via the complimentary shuttle. You're able to get a hold of the two friends you know in DC, put some flip flops on, and watch TV while waiting for them to show up.
You all go to T.G.I. Friday's and have a great time catching up.
The next morning you fly home, get picked up by your new houseguests, and work a full day. You go grocery shopping with them but things are catching up with you, and you're too tired to cook. You retire around your normal bed time and get up on time for once. In the morning you're far less jetlagged than you have any right to be, and end up going in to work half an hour earlier than usual, which is your official start time, anyway.
In conclusion, knowing people at major hubs can make getting stranded fun, and crunch hours are a good remedy for jetlag.
September 9, 2004 08:09 PM