Ok… new project- Here is my latest attempt at a video podcast. Take a look- I hope you enjoy!
Denver
Travel Week: 3
My assignment for my two-day trip was to fly from DEN to BOI to MDW, and finally, I was to end up at CVG. I was looking forward to this since I’ve never flown into Cincinnati. Day two was supposed to work two legs back to Denver. This got me to Denver with plenty of time to kill before my 13:40 check-in.
Low and behold, my first leg to Boise had been canceled. They still had me scheduled, however, to fly the rest out of Boise. The only problem: I’m in Denver, not Boise. Sure enough, they fixed my schedule. Instead of working two two-day trips back to back, they changed it into a three-day trip.
Sunday: DEN > GRR
Other than a slight delay, we landed in Grand Rapids without any incident.
Monday: GRR > RIC > BWI > DEN
With all of the delays and reroutes happening this week, I probably had a change to my assignment at least five times. When I woke up, the plan was to go GRR > BWI > MCO > PHL. Coworkers tell me that you should never make plans because once you do, the scheduling gods know, and they end up changing your trip. It’s like a Murphy’s Law thing. I jinxed our day because I was excited to take two of my crew members to get cheesecakes in Philly.
About forty minutes into the flight, we were rerouted to Richmond, Virginia. The result was 141 upset passengers. It would have been good to be finished there for the night, but an hour-and-a-half later, we were on our way to BWI. I reminded the passenger several times that we always try our best to be on time, but safety is our biggest concern. When we finally landed in Baltimore, I walked from the ‘C’ terminal to the ‘B,’ just in time to work the last leg back to Denver- which was the latest change to my assignment.
Both of the crews that I worked with on this two-day trip were just amazing. We had so much fun laughing and joking around with each other. It almost made it worth working a late shift (not quite, but almost). I got back to the crashpad at about 02:30 and was fast asleep about fifteen minutes later.
Tuesday: DEN > FLL
Another change! When I left the crashpad, the assignment was to work two legs to San Jose, California. Instead- I was to work one leg to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. This 18+ hour overnight on the beach was just what my soul needed! I was scrolling through my pictures, and then it appears that the last time I was at the beach was back in January.
I stayed at B Ocean Resort-like last time. This is located right on the water. The only thing that I don’t like is the fact that the food there is so expensive! I know this is a vacation town thing, but still. Paying thirteen dollars for a waffle on Wednesday morning was a bit much. Not waffles (plural), mind you- one waffle.
After eating, I hit the beach. The hotel has a private beach area where those staying can use one of their beach chairs for free. If you want to fork out some cash, you can upgrade to one covered with a shade. I sat in the sun for about five minutes before deciding it was time to swim in the ocean.
We didn’t even have to head back to the airport until 18:30, so I had almost a full day of relaxation and enjoyment. I only headed back inside when I was starting to turn pink. I didn’t want to get sunburn like I always do.
Wednesday: FLL > BNA > DEN
Wednesday’s workday was very easy, as we only had to work the first of the two legs. The second was just a deadhead back to Denver. It was great to see my friend and coworker Linda, who happened to be working that flight.
Now that I’ve had the mental reset from some beach time, life is good again. Not that life wasn’t good before, but this particular beach visit was just such a welcomed surprise!
NYC 2017: Day 1
09.13.17 | Denver International Airport | 07:10
I love my life so much and so I often I feel guilty that I need a vacation. I guess need is a harsh word. I want a vacation, that is. I would like a brief escape from my everyday, where I won’t have to set an alarm in the morning. I thought that it was time to check off another item on my bucket list. I’ve always wanted to spend a week in New York City, as I first mentioned here on December 10th. (Link: https://davsaddiction.wordpress.com/2015/12/10/2189/) As of today, this dream is becoming a reality.
Years ago, I went to New York City for 4 or 5 delays with my friend Colee and her friend Amy. Even though that’s close to a week, I haven’t checked off bucket list item #72. This is because it wasn’t a full week in the city and because we actually stayed on the New Jersey side, taking the Weehawken ferry over each morning.
I arrived at the airport way too early! That’s the thing- if I’m going somewhere that is fun or exciting, I don’t sleep very well. I woke up at 04:00 and after 45 minutes of laying there, I decided it was time to get up and get ready. My flight doesn’t even leave until 10:20. I remember the same thing happened last year when I was going to Scotland. My body woke up so early, long before the sun even came out. My flight wasn’t leaving until about way late in the afternoon but I want to get to the airport. I remember Dawn having to tell me to relax and go back to sleep. There is no way I’d be able to fall back to sleep! Why even try?
08:42
I’m having trouble staying awake in the airport. After I get my boarding pass, in another 38 minutes, my mission is clear: Find a Pepsi.
DEN > LGA | 10:54
My seat is 27 C. The girl in 27 A told me that she is an art student on a class trip. There are about 20 students in their group, and they’re going to spend a week in New York City where they will go to different galleries. She told me that she is excited, but a bit nervous about getting around in the city. I told her not to worry and that it’s very easy.
The guy in seat 27 B is a Yogi and he’s making his way to London where he is going to attend University for the next 18 months, this will be his first time flying internationally and he’s also excited. London is wonderful, and he’s going to love it! I’d like to get back there someday. I’m somewhat jealous. At the moment, he’s sitting cross-legged doing some kind of meditation. At least he doesn’t smell like he hasn’t showered. I sometimes worry when the person next to me has dreadlocks. It’s my understanding that you can’t really wash your hair with dreads. Yes or No? Who knows?
I’m watching Lara Croft: Tomb Raider on my iPad. I don’t think Angelina Jolie does a very good job with the Lara Croft character. I’m scratching my head wondering what caused me to purchase this movie in the first place. It must have been on sale for like $4.99 or something on the iTunes store. Perhaps I bought it because Daniel Craig is in it. That’s very likely- he’s a great actor!
Jamaica, New York | 18:42
I finally made it to New York City! After a 50 minutes Lyft ride (that only cost about $32), I’m happy to have found the first Airbnb. The neighborhood is very cozy and homely. It seems rather safe. My studio apartment sits above the family home. It’s small, but more than I need. I will post more tomorrow. It’s early still but I’m extremely exhausted!
For my own safety and security, I usually don’t post in advance any information about the places I’m traveling to. If I do post, I never give out the dates of when I’m going to be there. I hope I’m not being overly cautious, but I’ve learned that often times, people are crazy. If I posted half the things that I happen to see when I’m riding some sort of public transportation, I’d have to start questioning my own sanity.
Most of the hotels for my work layovers are rather nice. They are nicer than anything I would ever pay. Not that I can’t on occasion afford them, I’m just far more frugal than that, when it comes to the bed I’m going to sleep in. My personal room requirements (whether I’m paying out of pocket or I’m there for work) are the following:
1. The bedsheets must be clean. The first thing I do when I get to a room is pull down the cover on the bed. If I see any marks, hairs, or even signs that someone had been in that bed, I’ll call down to the front desk and request a new room. Years ago, when I was a new flight attendant, I pulled back a blanket and found a condom wrapper. Should I just be thankful that I didn’t find the condom? New room, please.
2. The room may not smell like smoke. Not only do I hate that smell, but I don’t want it on my clothes the next day. Most importantly, I don’t want to get blamed for it. Many hotels charge anywhere from $200 to $500 for a cleaning fee if they think you smoked in the room. New room, please.
3. The shower has to be clean. We used to stay at one hotel in Las Vegas (which no longer exists) and on two seperate occasions, I found loose dirt in the bottom of the bath tub. LOOSE DIRT! That tells me that they didn’t even TRY to clean the tub. That could have been hidden by simply running the water for a moment. New room, please.
Other than that, I’m not very picky. Don’t get me wrong, I love the nicer hotels and I love well-planned decor, but those are just extras. I love a good fitness center, but I don’t include it in my must-haves, because I don’t work out as much as I should.
The other night, I found myself in College Park, Georgia. My airline put me up at a Renaissance Hotel right next to the ATL airport. This is one of the nicest hotels I’ve stayed in in quite awhile. So nice, that I took some pictures to share, including that picture of my dinner (Geechy Boy grits, done up right).
Travel should inspire!
Tonight I’m in Denver. Even though I’m based here, work has me staying at the Westin DIA tonight. Yet another beautiful hotel! Earlier, I took the train into downtown Denver to walk around and have dinner at The Avenue Grill. This is a great restaurant downtown that I used to come to, when I would get Denver layovers years ago. I hadn’t been in about 5 years, so it was good to get back.
I repeat: Travel should inspire!
On Sunday evening, I was at the Salt Lake City International airport.
It was time to commute to Denver since I had an early A.M. trip on Monday. Apparently, one of our flight attendants had gotten very sick and started throwing up after the passengers had boarded the plane. When I approached the customer service desk to get my boarding pass, the agent asked if I’d be willing to work a flight out of Salt Lake City. I told the agent that I was happy to help but wouldn’t be legal for it. After working six days in a row, the F.A.A. requires that we rest for 24 hours. Since I was about to work six days in a row, this wasn’t going to work. The only way this could be if my work scheduling department were to change my trip.
Wouldn’t you know it? As I was saying this to her, my phone rang. It was scheduling. I answered, and they asked if I would work that flight to Chicago, and they would adjust my trip so that everything was legal. I told them I would but didn’t have time to check my assignment before boarding the plane. After all, the passengers were already boarded and now late. I boarded the plane, stowed my bags, and we were off. I thought that my new assignment was to work to Chicago, and then they’d either work or deadhead me back to Denver to start my trip the following day. It wasn’t to be. When we landed at Midway, I checked my assignment. I was to work for another flight that night to Boston.
Usually, stuff like this only happens if I’m excited to get to a particular layover. Somehow the powers that be, scheduling, and even the weather, knows when I’m excited to be somewhere, and it seems that that’s when I get some kind of reroute. It’s just the way things go (sometimes).
I’m looking forward to my next trip day-after-tomorrow. Hoping for smooth flights, and if I am rerouted, I hope I get a great destination.
This past week, I started to read Wicked again. I love this book! If you’re not familiar, it’s the story of the rise [and fall] of the wicked witch of the west. Please understand that I’m not a huge reader- so for me to read on my own, is a pretty big deal. When I read this book, it’s easy to understand why the witch turned out like she did. I know that some of you may have the musical in mind, but the book is very, very different. Come to think about it, the only similarity between the musical and the book is the fact that Elphaba and Galinda meet while attending college at Shiz University.
I started the book again because I really wanted to read the next book in the series, called Son of a Witch. This way, Wicked will be fresh in my head. There is so much that happens in the first book, I’m sure that Son of a Witch builds onto it. I have set a goal, to spend some time in a book every day. We’ll see how long this lasts. I love reading it on my
I have set a goal, to spend some time in a book every day. We’ll see how long this lasts. I love reading it on my iPad because I can read it with a split screen- on one side of my screen is the book, and the other side is a screenshot of a map of The Land Of Oz- this way I can immediately understand where the characters are. It makes it more clear for me and means that I don’t have to constantly turn back to the beginning of the book, which is what I have to do when reading a hard copy.
After having worked the last six days in a row, I’m very thankful to be off for the next four. My plane landed just before 02:00 this morning and after about 2 1/2 hours of sleep at the crashpad, I somehow managed to get myself together and head back to the airport in Denver. The goal was to get home as quickly as possible. As I sat in the airport, waiting for my flight, I found it very hard to keep my eyes open. A nap would have been nice, but I don’t think my employer appreciates it when I nap in full uniform.
My nap came later in the afternoon- and it was a heavy, three-hour affair. Even though I feel rested at the moment, I can’t wait to fall back to sleep tonight! I think it’s going to be a very chill evening. I plan on popping some popcorn and watching a movie. Perhaps I’ll watch The Wizard of Oz.
When I was leaving Colorado early this morning, a late winter storm was pushing through Denver.
Not a bad view from my hotel room in Fort Lauderdale, Florida!
On the news, they told us that they could experience up to 6 inches of snow. We took off a few minutes behind schedule since we had to wait in such a long line to get de-iced. That was this morning- this is now- one work leg, and now I’m sitting in a beach-side hotel in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
After a failed attempt at a nap, I decided it was time to go find a late lunch/ early dinner. I ended up across the street at Bahia Cabana, a marine-side outdoor restaurant. A coworker introduced me to this place a few months ago, and I was happy to return and order the fish tacos, just as I had the first time.
When I traded into this trip yesterday, I envisioned a fun swim in the ocean. Today, however, I was faced with the reality that Fort Lauderdale is quite windy and even a little bit chili. Yes, Florida is cold today- I thought I’d never see the day. Still, I needed to get at least a walk up the shoreline. It felt like incredible therapy and a welcome departure from stormy Colorado.
I walked about a quarter of a mile, but since most of it was through beach sand, it felt more like a mile and a half. I could definitely feel the burn in my legs! I soon found one of my favorite treats: ice cream.
It was a nice little walk, but now I’m back at my hotel, hoping to fall asleep before too much longer. I have a feeling that my 03:30 alarm is going to sting, just a little.
Sometimes the fact that I don’t live at my base (Denver) can get annoying. Instead of driving to work, like most people. My commute is a 50-minute drive to downtown Salt Lake City, then I have to wait for a shuttle (up to 30 minutes) to take me to the airport. Next, I make my way to the plane but mind you- if it’s a full flight I need to get there early because our non-revenue flying is on a first come/ first serve basis. If I know it’s going to be a full flight, I try to get to the gate at least two hours before the flight. Add to that an hour-and-fifteen-minute flight and that’s a commute that can often take me three and a half hours or more!
The only saving grace is the fact that I don’t have to make the commute every day. I usually work at least two trips in a row, so that leaves me away from home a minimum of six days (this is my own choice- a normal shift would be three days on and four days off). This is the reason I don’t own any animals or even plants. If I have to feed or water something to keep it alive, it’s probably going to die. I’m totally a dog lover, so this is a horrible fact of my life right now.
The good news, however, is that our union protects my commutes. If I get to the airport and find out there there’s no room on my flight, and no other flights to get me to Denver, I just have to call crew scheduling and tell them the situation. I may miss out on some of my trip pay, but at least I don’t have any attendance points against me.
There are two ways to look at a commute like this:
- It SUCKS that I don’t live at my base!
or - I’m so thankful that I work for a company that allows me to commute from anywhere in the world, as long as I’m willing to make that commute.
I try to focus on the latter.
So- why on earth do I live in Utah? Among the reasons if the fact that this is where my parents live. I was living in Kentucky for five years and when they opened up our Denver base, I decided that it was time to go live closer to the folks’ (close enough that I don’t have to board a plane to go visit them, but far enough that they won’t come over unannounced. I need to make sure my living room is clean, don’t forget). I figure that an hour-and-a-half warning should be plenty of time to clean up any house, right?
I’ve been traveling for about a week and a half, and I’m ready to get home and sleep in my own bed tonight. At the moment, I’m sitting on the floor at Denver International Airport. This is because I’m using the wall socket to charge my various devices and there’s no chair nearby. My plane should be here soon.
As I was leaving my hotel room this morning, my phone rang.
It was crew scheduling again. Even though I was literally in the hallway, walking toward the elevator, they told me that there had been another change in my assignment. Instead of working in Las Vegas and then to Indianapolis, they told me I was now going to work to Denver, then on to Indianapolis. Now I didn’t have to be at the airport for another 3 hours or so- that I would be filling in for a flight attendant who had to call in sick when they were already working a trip.
Before my flight pushed back, I checked the temperature outside. -2°. I love the cold, even when it’s THIS hard- it’s magical. En route to Denver, I took a picture of the fields below. Not a bad view from the office!
By the time I landed in Denver, there was yet another message to call my scheduling department. No longer am I needed to go to Indianapolis. Instead, I’m off to Minneapolis. I do understand that flight attendants get sick. I also understand that there will be weather and mechanical delays and cancellations in this industry. Still, I am starting to feel like the flight attendant whipping boy.
After three hours of “airport appreciation” in Denver, I worked one more leg to MSP in Minnesota. I worried that there would be another message letting me know about yet another assignment change. Luckily, there was no such message. I was free to head to the hotel.
After changing out of my uniform, I walked over to The Mall of America for a few minutes. Even though it’s very close to the hotel, it was a strenuous walk. It was only 5° out, and so I felt an instant and constant ice cream headache. I don’t think the north pole would feel much different.
Even though I only worked two legs, I am exhausted. I can’t wait to climb into bed and nod off. Even though I wondered where I’d end up, it was still a good day. I was blessed to meet so many new coworkers and report that all the passengers were great.
Yesterday morning, as I was coming through the security line at Denver International Airport, the T.S.A. agent stopped his work for a moment and pointed up to the overhanging balcony. I turned and noticed that the flag was being presented for a 9/11 memorial tribute. It amazed me how fast the thousands of passengers in the security suddenly got quiet to show their respect. The world just stopped.
After a moment of silence, Amazing Grace was played on the bagpipes, and I did get a little teary-eyed. I love how we, as an American people are able to take this horrible act of terror and turn it into a day of remembrance, prayer, and reflection on what makes this nation so great! I don’t think the men who committed these atrocities, fifteen years ago, knew that they would ultimately, and in many ways bring us together and make us stronger.
Where were you on that day? I was living in North Logan, Utah at the time. I remember my dear friend Brooke calling me and telling me to turn on the TV because “We were bombed!”. I asked her what channel to turn to- she told me ANY CHANNEL. Soon, I realized that it wasn’t a bomb, but a plane had been flown into one of the buildings at the World Trade Center in New York City. My eyes stayed glued to the television and I remembered being so frightened as I watched the second plane collide with the second building.
One of my crashpad roommates, Amy, has her own tradition where she never works on September Eleventh. She puts on her flight attendant uniform and goes to 9/11 memorial grounds at Ground Zero in Manhattan to pay tribute to those who lost their lives on that day. I would like to make this my new tradition. She and I have decided to organize a group of friends and fellow flight attendants who want to attend this event in 2017. I figure a year is plenty of time to plan this. Perhaps this can become a new tradition for myself and others as well.
DavTravels 