Last Friday started promising. The skies were clear and sunny when I arrived at Newark airport. I checked in, got my seat assignment, no problems. The gate agent gets on the loudspeaker at 1:25pm, which I'm assuming is to start boarding. I gather my things together. But instead of proceeding, he tells a packed gate area the flight has been cancelled. An estimated gazillion people rush the desk to get on the next flight or the flight after that. I'm somewhere in the middle of the pack. I call American Airlines who are of no help. I call my Dad who gives me the name of his travel agent. With her help, I am able to secure a place on the next flight. A couple hours pass and those once sunny and clear skies have now turned omnious. The packed plane boards on time but it has now started to rain. It's another hour before we take off.
Karen and her boyfriend, Ryan meet me at O'Hare. Seeing as my food consumption had consisted of 2 donuts and a pretzel for the day, I was a bit hungry. We met up with our friend Tania, who although we don't look or sound alike, are the exact same person ("You like obscure character actor William Devane??? Me too!!!") We ate at this excellent steak place called Wildfire. Great food, company and atmosphere. I was spent by the time Karen and I got back, and knew Saturday was going to be a packed day, so we called it an early night.
Saturday was awesome. Although it felt more like mid-October than mid-August. Karen, Ryan and I took the train into Chicago and met up with Jamie and Rosie to take a boat architecture tour. It was cool, but the rain held off, and the tour guide was really interesting. From there we ate at the sister restaurant to the Cheesecake Factory called Grand Lux. Very good. We then went to the Art Institute of Chicago. I saw Grant Wood's "American Gothic" which was a true highlight for me. From there we hung out at Rose and Jack's apartment to recharge the batteries. Dinner was at a mexican place. Karen, Ryan and I headed back to the suburbs, where Karen and I spared in Yatzhee and Monopoly.
It was Jamie and Rosie's turn to travel and they came to the suburbs. I had my very first Chicago deep dish pizza, which was par excellent. A tour of Frank Lloyd Wright houses and pedicures followed. The late afternoon led us to a Starbuck's to loiter and talk, which honestly was my favorite part of the trip. Before I knew it, I was back at O'Hare. The flight was delayed a half hour, which was almost on-time compared to what I endured on the way in. Got home around 1am. A whirlwind of a trip, but those are always the best kind.
And once home, I had to deal with the annoyance of getting a refund for the flight that was cancelled. I first call the online company I booked my ticket with. They direct me to American, since they cancelled the flight. American directs me to United since my return flight was with them. I call United and the customer service person says I have to go back to Newark airport to "un-check" myself from the return flight. I tell her no and that's stupid since I already took the flight. This is when I start to lose my cool. After venting my frustration, she puts me on hold and then gives me the number for the United Refund office. Why show just couldn't of done that on the onset, I don't know. Two hours later, I got my refund, but it was customer service runarounds like that that remind me why I like to drive instead of fly.
Quote of the Day:
"Health food makes me sick." -Calvin Trillin
No comments:
Post a Comment