Billi Pod Is Back In The Big Apple==>WHEW!!

Oh the drama and the nail-biting times leading up to Billi Pod’s successful return to The Big Apple, The Greatest City In The World.

I spent most of the day and evening yesterday trying to access the Delta website to checkin for my “confirmed” 6:05am flight this morning and to get a seat assignment. Man, was it frustrating because the site was obviously overloaded and it just didn’t work. I even had the help of my trusted Travel Agent, Blanche Bryant, but she was unable to gain access even though she tried until her 11:00pm bedtime. Thanks, Blanche, you are indeed a professional and a friend.

Finally around 1:30am I was able to checkin but was unable to get a seat assignment. Was advised that I would have to see an agent at the airport.

Finished packing and got about 90 minutes of sleep. When I woke up I checked the flight status and it was a go for the scheduled 6:05am departure. At 4:15am son-in-law Dr. John drove me to the airport, only about a 15 minute trip at this time of the morning. Thank you Dr. John!!

I wasn’t surprised that there were already lines at the Delta checkin area but it didn’t bother me because all I had to do was print out my boarding pass and baggage ticket at one of the self-serve kiosks - no problemo, right? WRONG!! None of the machines were working, none of them, so everyone had to check in with a live (and obviously stressed-out) agent.

Nothing I could do about it and, fortunately (ahem Dr. John) I had gotten there a bit early. When I was finally checked-in I wasn’t given a boarding pass with a seat assignment, rather, it was called a “seat assignment request” to be given to the agent at the gate. OMFG!!!

This made my heart begin to pump. Had no problem clearing security although the lines were again long. Was at the gate at 5:00am. When I presented my “seat assignment request” to the agent she told me that she hadn’t figured out yet what to do with the 9 of us who were booked on this flight following yesterday’s cancellation and would I ... “like to volunteer for a later flight?” I told her no and then she said she would get back with us once the boarding process began. Now my heart was really pounding. But, nothing I could do about it.

Well, let me make this a bit shorter ... in summary, all of us were given seats and I had an excellent one, 1A. The plane was full, of course. We were delayed in taking off in order to de-ice but were airborne at 6:40am.

The flight up was uneventful and we made-up time. As we were approaching the New York area we could see the results of the blizzard.

We touched down at LGA at 8:10am, or only 15 minutes past our scheduled arrival time. Man, LGA is still covered with snow as the picture taken from my window shows.

The terminal was packed. Picked up my duffle and got in line to catch the next “express” bus into the city, with stops at Grand Central Station and then Port Authority Bus Terminal, which is only 1.5 blocks from my building. It is not a bad deal at only $10.00. The lines for cabs were unbelievably long and out in the blowing cold. I was on the bus at 9:20am.

Well, my loyal and faithful readers, in the name of fair and unbiased reporting I have to state that from this point it took as long for me to get to PHC as it had for me to fly from Columbia to LaGuardia. The Delta terminal was the first pickup and we had 4 more and that took forever. Then when we finally were headed into the city the traffic was very heavy and very slow moving, but, honestly, I was expecting that, so ... I just sorta relaxed.

Then came the killer -- when we finally got to Grand Central the driver announced that this would be the last stop for this bus, that the dozen or so of us headed to The Port Authority would have to wait for a shuttle bus. Man, everyone was really angry, including moi. Lots of cussing and yelling, to put it mildly. We huddled together in the freezing cold. No one would tell us how long we would have to wait for the next shuttle bus to arrive.

At this point Billi Pod said Fuck It and went out to 42nd Street and hailed a cab, which cost an additional $9 with tip.

Anyways ... it was 10:51am when I opened the door to PHC. I silently thanked my Higher Power for bringing me back to The Big Apple.

Was hungry, tired and just a bit out of synch. Unpacked, checked the mail, paid the last of the first of the month bills and then went to the grocery store for fruit and stuff. Man, it was/is very treacherous walking in the snow, ice and slush, especially at the crosswalks. I was very very careful.

Bottom-line==>Billi Pod had an awesome time in Columbia with family: Kathi and John, Bill, and Alex and Gina.

A special shout-out to Kathi for hanging-in-there despite some major pain and discomfort from her slip and fall on Thursday.

Now Billi Pod can return to his Big Apple life-style, despite the nasty weather, so he will end this much-too-long posting with the highly anticipated ...

Musings from THE MIND OF BILLI POD (a memoir in progress):

“A platypus never puts the seat down.”

GO YANKEES AND GO GATORS!!

Billi Pod

“Don't pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he'll just kill you.”