New York, #7 Train, Bullet Proof
Vests and Chicago
by Sean
Mendis
|
30 June 2000
NW 490
Douglas DC-9-40
Atlanta Hartsfield to Detroit Metro
====================================
The flight was due to depart at 1050. Accordingly, I arrived at
hartsfield at 1015am with E-ticket itinerary in hand and headed to the
E-Service center to check in. Unfortunately, all 6 machines were "out of
order" and the agent told me to head straight to the gate and use one of
the machines there.
I arrived at D16 around 1030am and tried to check in at the machines
there, but got a message of "Flight Oversold - Please See Agent". So I
walked over to the gate and stood in line with 6 other people in front
of me. Sure enough, I was one of the poor souls selected for the
involuntary bump. NW yield management really screwed up badly on this
flight, because in addition to 13 volunteers they wound up denying 7 of
us who wanted to fly - a total of 20 pax on an aircraft that carries
just over 100.
A quick look at the day's loads had the agent offering me either a trip
to DTW at 8pm with no connection to LGA till the next morning (NW would
provide Hotel at DTW), or the 620am flight to DTW connecting to LGA a
little later in the day. Neither of these were acceptable to me since I
had to be at Shea stadium before 7pm on Friday evening to drop off
tickets at will-call for various clients. A search through MEM and MSP
connections revealed nothing available either. I asked the agent to
interline me to another carrier but she said that she could not do that.
Rather than argue the vagaries of Rule 120.20 with her, I asked for
Shirley (the supervisor who had saved my bacon a few times before) and
she turned up shortly with many apologies and immediately printed up
$500 compensation vouchers for each of us. We then turned our attention
to rebooking us on other carriers. All but two of us were headed to DTW,
so those people were immediately interlined to a DL flight leaving in a
couple hours. The guy going to BDL was interlined to a US flight through
CLT. That left me. CO had an ERJ leaving for CLE with an LGA connection
and Shirley printed out my coupons, endorsed them over to CO and off I
went to their gate.
I activated my standby listing and watched with a sinking heart as CO
too asked for volunteers. They wound up taking 5 of them for the ERJ,
which sent me back to Shirley looking for more alternatives. US was
showing 2 seats on an ATL-DCA flight with a shuttle connection to LGA
arriving at 6pm. I hurried over to US to check-in, calling some friends
along the way to see if they wanted to meet up at DCA. Just as I get in
touch with one of them, I see the flight status change to "Cancelled".
Aagh. I was ready to cry. I picked up my cellphone and began calling
airlines to find even the most obscure routings. The best I came up with
was ATL-DFW-CVG-LGA on AA/DL but that too got me into LGA too late.
Checked options for JFK, EWR, HPN, ISP and SWF too but nothing
convenient would get me there in time.
I went back to Shirley and got her to endorse my coupons over to DL now,
and headed out to the DL concourses to take my chances as a standby on
their plethora of overbooked flights to the NYC area. First stop B18
where JFK was boarding. Watched pathetically as the flight left without
me. Next stop T3 for LGA where I once again sat and waited as another
standby list cleared sans moi.
I was wandering down to T2 where the next EWR was due out when I
suddenly heard an announcement "LaGuardia passenger Gardner please
report to T1 immediately". My heart leaped. Turns out the flight was
from earlier in the day and had been delayed due to maintenance
problems. I rushed to T1 and asked them if I could have Gardner's seat
if he didn't show up. The agent went "Ok, we are closing the doors right
now - give me your ticket". YES! There is a God!
30 June 2000
DL 526
Boeing 727-200
Atlanta Hartsfield to New York - LaGuardia
==========================================================
The agent tore up Gardner's boarding pass, issued the seat to me and I
scrambled aboard into seat 24C pausing only to gate-check my carry-on
bag. The flight itself sucked pretty badly. One bite of DL's "Bistro
Snack Service" reminded me why I try to avoid them with a passion.
Nonetheless, we touched down on runway 13 at LGA around 235pm and then
taxied for what seemed like eternity. My bag took a while to come out as
well, but I finally made it to my room at the Wyndham Garden Hotel just
after 330pm. I grabbed some food from a local lunch truck and got back
to the room only to find a message from my friend who was driving up
from DC that he was stuck in traffic and would meet me directly at the
stadium.
THE BIG GAME
Braves at Mets
Shea Stadium, NY
====================
Around 5pm I commenced my ritual for the game. Ballistic vest and Rocker
jersey were donned, straps tightened and trauma plate inserted. Left the
room just before 6pm and had the doorman get me a cab. I received my
first "You are a brave man" from the doorman, a sentiment oft repeated
through the evening.
Traffic was hell and we arrived at the stadium just after 630pm. I began
to walk across the parking lot amid shouts of "Go home you redneck
*expletive*" and "*expletive* you Rocker!". There were NYPD officers
everywhere and a mounted patrol sergeant came over and trotted about 30
feet behind me as I walked through the parking lot. I had to speak to
someone at the Mets ticket office and arrange for tickets to be placed
at will-call, and once I emerged from their office I had an officer walk
up behind me and tail me for the rest of the evening. When I went to the
concessions, he went. When I went to the restroom, he went. Quite funny
actually!
My friend turned up in the 2nd inning and we spent the next couple hours
chatting with the Mets fans around us. They had their share of cracks
about the Rocker jersey, but at NO POINT did I ever feel even mildly
threatened by them. These were BASEBALL fans, and they respected John
Rocker for his talent just as much as they despised him for his words.
What a great place to watch baseball!
The game itself was great for the first 7 innings, but then the Braves
proceeded to self-destruct and gave up a MAJOR LEAGUE RECORD TYING 10
runs to the Mets with 2 outs in the 8th inning, finally losing 11-8.
Needless to say, I received my fair share of taunts after this but it
was all in good fun. There was a fireworks display scheduled for after
the game, so we decided to head out to the train station and watch the
show from there.
30 June 2000
The infamous "7 train"
Willets Point/Shea Stadium to 42nd Street/Times Square
==========================================================
The fireworks show was impressive and we headed to the platform at
Willets/Shea station, still being tailed by my personal NYPD officer. I
got on the train and suddenly the friendly Shea stadium fans weren't so
friendly after all. I took the precaution of telling my friend to sit
away from me on the other side of the carriage, just in case something
happened.
The first few stations were fine, but around 82nd/Jackson Heights the
ridership began to change from game-goers to locals and the attitudes
too changed from good-natured taunts to more serious threats. I had a
few folks get in my face with a bunch of abuse, but the NYPD officer
standing impassively by the doorway deterred them from doing anything
beyond that. One somewhat inebriated guy tried to shove me at one
occasion but came up against the vest and his eyes opened wide as he
backed away apologetically whispering to his buddy that "the dude's a
f***ng undercover cop".
The train slowly emptied as we rattled on towards Manhattan, until we
reached 42nd/Grand Central and pretty much everyone exited, including
the NYPD officer who had been *guarding* me for the last 4 hrs. It was
just me and my friend left in our compartment, with a smattering of
folks in the other bogies. I glanced over and saw a guy sitting in the
next compartment who looked kinda familiar, which set off warning bells
in my head. As the train pulled into 42nd/Fifth Avenue, I abruptly
jumped up and stepped onto the platform, to be mirrored exactly by the
guy next door. Just as the doors were about to close, I stepped back in
and he followed once again into the next compartment. Thankfully, a few
other people also boarded in each compartment. I walked up to the door
seperating the two compartments to get a closer look at the guy. He
walked to his door and we were face-to-face across the compartments with
just these two doors seperating us. The tension was electric as he
pulled up his Mets shirt to reveal what appeared to be a .22 caliber
revolver tucked into his waistband.
I was not sure whether to panic or be relieved at this point. Panic for
rather obvious reasons, but relief because I was confident that my vest
could stop a .22. Weird thought, eh? Anyway, I quickly activated what
had become my backup plan just in case something like this happened. My
friend was carrying a backpack with him that was almost totally empty. I
signalled to him to follow me and we exited at 42nd/Times Square and
headed seperately towards the Port Authority Bus Terminal exit with the
majority of the crowd. I was trying to shake the guy, but he was pretty
slick and managed to stick with me through the crowd. Anyway, I headed
down the stairs towards the Greyhound area (which is always PACKED
around midnight) and entered into the men's room, followed by my friend
with the backpack about 10 seconds later. We waited by the sinks for
about 30 seconds to make sure he didn't tail us in and then went into
adjacent stalls at the end of the aisle. He then slipped the backpack
under the divider to me. I proceeded to shed the Rocker jersey and the
vest and dump them into the bag. I was wearing a plain white T-shirt
under the vest and I pulled out a cap from the backpack and brought it
down low over my forehead. I then exited the restroom with the backpack
and walked right past the gunman who was camped outside without him even
giving me a second glance. My friend followed a few seconds later and
also got past the guy safely.
It was just past midnight at this point and Times Square was rocking. We
were approached by a bejewelled pimp who offered us "hot Indian girl"
for $200. We declined, at which point he asked if we "prefer Indian boy?
I have that also". Once again we declined and headed off to get
something more conventional to eat.
No visit to New York is complete without a trip to Tad's Steak House and
this was no exception. Even at midnight, the succulent T-Bone with baked
potato, garlic bread, onions and salad for $8.59 is one of the best
deals you can find! We enjoyed our meal and then wandered around the
square for a while before heading back to the subway station around
130am. We alighted at 82nd/Jackson Heights and caught a cab to the hotel
where we proceeded to watch a replay of the Braves' self destruction on
Sportscenter before turning in for the evening.
1 July 2000
NW 539
Douglas DC-9-30
New York - LaGuardia to Detroit Metro
================================================
Woke up around 845am for the 1115am departure. We got ready quickly and
headed out on the 10am hotel shuttle to LGA. Tried to check-in at the
E-Service center, but it would only allow me to do the first sector.
Headed out through security and was pleasantly surprised that the pin in
my jaw didn't set the machine off. Grabbed a quick breakfast at the
cafeteria and then my friend headed back out to DC while I headed off to
gate 7 where the DC9 was just beginning to pre-board.
I had selected seat 5A at the E-Service Center which is the first row of
coach allowing me extra legroom, but the disadvantage of being in the
last group to board. Anyway, I was horrified to find a lady with FOUR
carry-on bags trying to preboard. She spent a while arguing with the
agent that she should be allowed to preboard so that she could find
space for all 4 bags. I glanced at her boarding card and to my utter
horror it said 5B. This was gonna be a long flight.
Nevertheless, she sneaked on board when they called rows 15 and higher
and the boarding process was immediately slowed as she attempted to stow
her 4 bags in various places. The flight was pretty open, so the crew
chose not to enforce the one carry-on rule, which was probably a good
thing since this gal could talk the hind leg off a donkey if you gave
her half a chance.
I trundled on board at the tail end of the process as usual and assumed
my seat next to Ms.Carry-On. We proceeded to push back and began the
lengthy process of waiting in line for takeoff. I tried to doze off, but
she kept trying to engage me in conversation. We were discussing the
delay when I mentioned that the East Coast had a lot of trouble due to
ATC.
She then remarked that ATC was a huge problem everywhere, especially
because of language problems. She told me a story about "a Boeing 747
flying from China to Washington National that crashed and killed 400
people because the pilots didn't speak English". I figured that
discretion was the better part of valor here and mumbled "Oh really, I
don't seem to remember that one".
Thankfully, she was able to stike up a conversation with the guy behind
her and I was able to grab a little shuteye once we finally took off.
Service was typically efficient, although Ms.Carry-On spent a while
arguing with the F/A over whether they used bottle water to make the
coffee. We arrived at E12 in DTW around 45 mins late, but still ample
time for my connection.
1 July 2000
NW 489
Douglas DC-9-50
Detroit Metro to Atlanta Hartsfield
================================================
I headed out to gate D11 where the incoming aircraft for flight 489 was
just arriving. So I wandered back to the food court and grabbed me a
roast beef and swiss sandwich from the City Deli. Returned to D11 around
230pm for a 305pm departure and tried to get a boarding card. I was told
to take a seat and wait since there were no seats available at present.
Announcements were being made for volunteers, but only 2 people offered.
Finally, with 10 minutes left before departure, they cut the seats loose
and printed boarding cards for the lucky few of us. Mine was just about
to be handed to me when up comes a panting NW agent with 2 unaccompanied
minors in tow. Sure enough, once again I am the lamb selected as the
sacrifice on the altar of involuntary denied boarding. The kids are
escorted on board and I am left to once again collect the $500 voucher
and get myself rebooked.
The NW staff at DTW were absolutely great about the situation though.
Curlee, Deborah and their supervisor John had our vouchers out and ready
within minutes of the aircraft departing and also furnished us with two
options - coach on a DL non-stop or first class on NW through MSP. Most
people took the DL option, but I figured that since I was late enough
already I would go with the MSP connection. Deborah also plied me with
about $40 in meal vouchers valid for 7 days (instead of the usual 24
hrs) saying "you can eat well on us this week". The entire transaction
was quick and painless and I traipsed off to gate C5 for my flight to
MSP after visiting the Starbucks and spending my first voucher on a
Venti Frappucino Mocha.
1 July 2000
NW 757
Boeing 757-200
Detroit Metro to Minneapolis-St.Paul
=======================================
Boarding on the 757 commenced around 430pm for a 450pm departure. We
were delayed a little during pushback because of another aircraft
pushing from an adjacent gate who was blocking us. Nonetheless, we were
quickly airborne for the short hop over to MSP. I was seated in 3D and
had a great view of Lake Michigan as we passed overhead with barely a
cloud in the sky.
The service was exceptional and we were addressed by name. Immediately
after take-off the F/A came around for our drink order (I picked a Vodka
Orange) and later with the snack. The food was exceptional, a turkey
club on croissant. The bread was soft and still warm and the sliced
turkey was miles better than the congealed lump of mystery meat you get
in coach.
We touched down at MSP around 6pm local time and taxied to gate 78 on
the Green Concourse. My connection was at 630pm from Gate 17 on the Gold
Concourse, a veritable 20 minute walk away.
1 July 2000
NW 862
Boeing 757-200
Minneapolis-St.Paul to Atlanta Hartsfield
==================================================
I arrived at Gate 17 somewhat out of breath only to find that the flight
was going to be delayed due to the incoming aircraft being delayed out
of Fairbanks. Nonetheless, we boarded around 7pm and I took my seat 1B
next to a NW captain who had just brought a DC-10 in from SEA.
We got to talking during the flight and wound up discussing the merits
of the Airbus avionics system versus that employed by the US
manufacturers. It was highly interesting stuff. We also discussed
whether NW would go with the A330/A340 over the 777 as a replacement for
the 747-200s. His verdict was that the Airbus was "highly unlikely" and
that the Boeing order would be announced as soon as the Farnborough
airshow later this month.
Once again, the service was exceptional and we were addressed by name. I
ordered a Vodka-Orange right after take-off and also a glass of Cabernet
Sauvignon with the meal. Dinner was one of the best I have eaten aboard
a US Domestic Carrier. The salad was fresh and the lettuce was still
crispy. The entree consisted of steak in a wine sauce with mashed
potatoes and sauteed vidalia onions. Finally, they finished it off with
a slice of fresh Strawberry cheesecake. Since First Class was so empty,
I found it a nice touch that they brought each passenger their food
individually and course-by-course, rather than saddling us with a tray
from the cart.
We touched down in Atlanta around 15 mins late, and I immediately
grabbed a cab home as I had to be back at the airport in a few hours for
my Chicago trip.
2 July 2000
CO 1144
Boeing 737-500
Atlanta Hartsfield to Newark
======================================
I was supposed to be flying ATL-CLE-ORD on Continental, so I went online
once I got home to check if my flights were running on time.
Unfortunately, the webpage showed that my CLE-ORD flight had been
cancelled. So I called CO and after much load checking, they rebooked me
ATL-EWR-DTW-ORD. The nightmare weekend of travel was continuing.
I got to the airport around 1015am for my 11am flight and breezed
through the check-in lines only to find that CO could not issue me a
boarding card for the DTW-ORD sector since their code-share pre-seating
allocation quota was maxed out for that flight. I would have to get with
NW directly at DTW to get a seat.
I boarded the 737 and quickly assumed my seat 20C. The flight was
totally full, and I was glad to have landed an aisle seat with such a
late rebooking. The service on the flight was poor - the F/A was
somewhat rude to passengers who requested the full can of soda ("If we
gave everyone in front a full can of soda there wouldn't be any left for
the back") and the food was atrocious. I have had my share of bad turkey
sandwiches over time, but the lettuce in this one was soggy and awful.
One passenger asked the F/A for peanuts/pretzels/snack mix in lieu of
the sandwich and was told that "this is a snack service flight - you get
the sandwich or nothing". Fortunately, I was able to sleep through the
flight and we landed in EWR with no major incident.
2 July 2000
NW 363
Douglas DC-9-30
Newark to Detroit Metro
================================
I had to transfer from Terminal A to Terminal B for this flight so I
grabbed the monorail and headed out. I had a great view of the
International ramp which included a Singapore Airlines 744, the SAS 763
in STAR alliance colorscheme and a BA 777 among others.
Arrived at Gate 41B just as pre-boarding was commencing on the DC9 to
DTW. I was highly annoyed that they allowed a tour group of around 40
teenagers to pre-board since one of their chaperones was a Silver Elite.
By the time I got on board, the overhead bins were saturated with stuff
like pillows and stuffed toys which meant that I had to stow my bag
under the empty seat next to me even though the flight was less than
half full.
Fortunately, I had managed to get an exit row for this sector so legroom
was not a problem. I tried to doze off, but excited teenage girls
chattering loudly and giggling over the young male flight attendant made
this kinda hard so I sat back and read through Sports Illustrated for
the short flight. We touched down at DTW almost 20 minutes early, but
had to taxi for 25 minutes all the way around the new Midfield terminal
construction site to get to our gate, so our actual arrival at E7 was
around 5 minutes behind schedule.
2 July 2000
NW 171
Airbus 320
Detroit Metro to Chicago O'Hare
===================================
My connection was right across the hall at E4 so I walked over and got
myself an Exit Row seat for the DTW-ORD sector pretty easily. The flight
appeared to be totally open, which surprised me since CO had told me
that they couldn't issue me a seat as it was full. I queried the agent
about this and he told me that CO had inadvertently booked me on flight
173 two hours later, but he corrected the record. I thanked him and took
a seat in the waiting area.
Around 445pm, the pilot came out and told us that we were going to have
a ground hold before we could take off for O'Hare, but he wanted to
board the aircraft and hold short for an active runway so we could get
underway as soon as it lifted. Everyone seemed agreeable so we pushed
back on time with no more than 40 of us on board the A320.
I was seated in 11D and had an Asian gentleman (who turned out to be a
Professor of linguistics at the University of Chicago) across the aisle
from me in 11C. Ahead of us, in the other exit row 10C was a Caucasian
woman. The flight attendant walked up the aisle to us and pointedly
asked me and the Asian man in 11C if we spoke English, as it was a
requirement for sitting in the exit row. I replied impassively in the
affirmative, but the man in 11C took offense to the question especially
since the lady in 10C was not asked. To pacify him, the F/A asked her
too and was mortified when it turned out that the lady was from Eastern
Europe and DIDN'T ACTUALLY SPEAK ENGLISH! She was accordingly reseated
and the now red-faced F/A offered both of us profuse apologies. It just
goes to show how deceptive appearances can be sometimes!
We taxied to the runway threshold and held there for over an hour until
we finally got a clearance into ORD. Flying time was a brisk 47 minutes
and we touched down at ORD at 623pm right behind an AI 744 that was
coming in from LHR.
The Executive Plaza Hotel is located smack on the river in downtown
Chicago, right across from the Sun-Times building. The room was
excellent as usual with a bedroom with 2 queen beds, a living area with
a foldout couch and a small dining room/work area with a table and a few
chairs.
3 July 2000
Chicago
=================
My mom wanted some rather obscure prints, so our first stop for the day
was the store at the Art Institute of Chicago. It was a beautiful day,
so we decided to walk the mile or so down Michigan Avenue from the hotel
rather than take a cab. Spent around an hour there scouring portfolios
for the right prints.
The next stop was the Field Museum, to see Sue the dinosaur. The entry
lines at the Field were pretty long, and we stood about for almost 20
minutes before we got in. However, it was well worth the wait. The
restored skeleton of Sue was remarkably breathtaking. The sheer size of
the T-Rex surprised me, but I was even more impressed by the excellent
condition that the skeleton had been restored to. The rest of the museum
was also impressive and we spent around 3 hours wandering around the
various exhibits. Notable "must-see" sections were the Egyptian mummies,
the Africa resource center and of course, Sue.
After the museum, we headed back along Michigan towards the Buckingham
Fountain and the "Taste of Chicago" festival. For those not familiar
with this, it is a huge open-air festival that takes place in Grant Park
every year around the July 4 weekend. There are amusement park rides,
promotional tents (Pepsi Taste Challenge, etc...), but most notably
there was every conceivable kind of food available. We wandered the
aisles for a while and gorged on an assortment of exotic cuisines
ranging from "Sauteed Goat Meat with Plantains" to the more conventional
"Ice Cream with fresh Strawberries"
Took a cab back to the hotel after that, where I proceeded to call NW to
check my flights for the next day. To cap of a perfect weekend, my
DTW-ATL flight had been cancelled. I then spent another hour or so
trying to find flights that had availability on them. Finally, we found
a routing MDW-CLE-IAH-ATL on CO that had available seats and I got
myself booked on that just as it was turning dark. The room provided a
decent view of the fireworks display so we watched the explosions and
then grabbed a late-ish dinner at a local eatery.
4 July 2000
Chicago
===============
Mid-morning, I called CO to double check my flights and was informed
that the IAH-ATL flight had now been cancelled too. By now, I was so
used to this that I actually laughed at the irony of the situation. The
telephone agent was "glad that you are taking it so well - most people
freak out and start yelling at me". We spent another while looking for
connections and finally concluded that I would have to leave earlier in
the day than I had intended. CO/NW had availability between them for a
230pm ORD-CLE-DTW-MEM-ATL and NW was oversold (but still selling) for a
4pm ORD-DTW-MEM-ATL. I decided to take my chances with NW and went for
the 4pm without a confirmed seat assignment.
We had a light lunch in the Hotel's restaurant (excellent Linguine
Marinara with Sauteed Shrimp on the side) and then headed up to the room
where we finished packing. The doorman told us that he could arrange a
stretch limo to the airport for only $35, which was about the same as
the cab fare so we decided to take him up on his offer. Sure enough, he
came through and we rode all the way into ORD in luxury.
4 July 2000
NW 996
Boeing 727-200
Chicago O'Hare to Detroit Metro
===================================
While checking in with NW at ORD, once again my name came up in the
system with a SECURITY flag on it, meaning that I was escorted to a side
room and made to open up my carry-on luggage, etc.. before they would
allow me to collect my boarding pass. My check luggage was also sent
through for an X-Ray and explosive residue inspection before I got my
boarding pass. I asked the agent why I kept coming up with a Security
flag and he replied that officially it was a random selection, but
unofficially they used it to target people with "abnormal travel
patterns". Looks like my mileage run last month triggered something in
the WorldPerks system.
Apart from that, check-in was painless and I headed over to E15 for my
flight. The 727-200 was packed to the gills, and I was glad that I was
able to snag an exit row aisle seat. Once again, a quick and efficient
flight to DTW and we taxied in to gate E6 around 15 minutes early. Back
to Detroit airport, my *home away from home* for this weekend!
4 July 2000
NW 287
Douglas DC-9-50
Detroit Metro to Memphis Shelby
===================================
I was originally supposed to be on flight 283 leaving at 645pm, but I
saw a large teenage tour group camped out at the gate and did an
immediate about-face and headed back to E concourse where I switched
myself over to the 710pm flight. This flight was also full, and although
I did manage an aisle seat, the exit rows were unavailable. Ah well, you
can't have it all. My seat was 23D which is four rows from the rear and
the noise difference compared to the forward seats was quite
considerable.
There was a snack served on this short flight, consisting of a miserable
excuse for a turkey sandwich and a cookie. I took one bite of the
sandwich, put it back on its platter and spent the remainder of the
flight dreaming about the Chopped Pork Sandwich at the "Interstate BBQ"
on concourse B in Memphis! We arrived on time and I almost sprinted over
to B17 where my flight was leaving from, conveniently located right
across from the BBQ place mentioned above!
4 July 2000
NW 826
Douglas DC-9-30
Memphis Shelby to Atlanta Hartsfield
======================================
The line for BBQ take out was around 15 people deep, but that did not
deter me. The smell of succulent pork dripping with gooey, tangy
barbecue sauce wafted over to the gate area and the gathered minions
there stared back with yearning and almost envious looks at the intrepid
souls who had braved the long lines to satisfy their cravings. I finally
reached the front of the line just as the flight was commencing
boarding, but I still took my time to savor the delicate sandwich (well,
about as delicate as BBQ can get!) before wafting on board with the
stragglers.
I was in an exit row seat 11B for this sector, and the F/A named Teddy
(who reminded me a lot of Lenny Henry) managed to keep us entertained
for the entire flight with his antics. For starters, he explained the
exit row responsibilities to us and then promised a free buddy pass
ticket to the person who opened their exit first in the event of an
emergency evacuation! It was quite a sight to watch 10 people reach for
their safety instruction card in unison!
During the safety demo, he proceeded to do a bit of magic with the
oxygen mask. He showed us his empty hand as he reached up, but an Oxygen
mask dropped out of his sleeve as he brushed the overhead unit. At the
end of the safety demo he announced that in the event of a water
evacuation, he would be teaching swim lessons at the rear of the
aircraft on a first-come first-serve basis. Most of the cabin was in
splits by now, but he sure as hell got the point across!
Service was excellent for a short flight and Teddy kept us entertained
with gags like the plastic *spilled soda can* and the
$20-bill-on-a-string dropped by a passengers foot! We were lucky to take
off from Memphis right at 9pm, so we got a great view of fireworks
during takeoff. On approach into Atlanta, the Braves game had just
concluded so we got another whole display there. It was kinda strange to
watch a fireworks show from above (especially from an aisle seat!), but
it was pretty spectacular nonetheless.
At luggage claim, my bags failed to show up which annoyed me and I set
off to file yet another claim with NW. I arrived at the office and
started giving my info when the lady suddenly smiled and told me that my
bags had made it in on an earlier flight (a sold-out ORD-MEM-ATL) and
were waiting for me in the storage room next door. I was very relieved.
I collected the bag, hopped on the MARTA train and was home just after
midnight. What a hectic weekend!
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