Would you believe I didn’t take a single picture?
I flew to L.A. this past week for business and the whole trip was quite an experience. It was my first time going through BWI. First time using their long term parking (which included two ginormous parking lots and shuttles you had no choice but to use because of the distance from the terminal). First time traveling to California. First time at LAX. First time in our L.A. office. First time at a delicious, delicious Fatburger (which, I might add, I realized we have here in Maryland, and it’s on our way home from work! Jack and just might have to schedule regular Fatburger burger days… WOO!). First time in a Barnes & Noble as big as my old apartment. First time actually seeing the living, breathing embodiment of stereotypes I thought only existed in the minds of TV writers. First time in Arizona and the Phoenix airport. First time on a Southwest flight…
All in all it was a decent trip, but when the plane took off from LAX and banked out over the Pacific, I was definitely uncomfortable. It made me consider how I would actually do on a flight overseas. All three of my flights were really turbulent, but the difference between my direct flight to L.A. on AirTran and the return flights (changing planes in Phoenix) on Southwest was, by far, the service. AirTran kept their cabin frigid, offered no blanket, no pillow, and crammed me in a non-reclining seat for 6 hours and only offered me a single measly bag of pretzels.
Southwest, however, had personable staff, and comfortable seats, and a giant box of munchies for folks to pick from while in the air. I will admit that I wasn’t a big fan of the lack of assigned seating (I need order and organization, and when you line me up in numerical order to board and then it’s a free for all once you step foot on the plane, I tend to become anxious). But the flight attendants were personable, and the temperature was tolerable, and even though our flight was delayed getting from LAX to Phoenix, they were sure to update the passengers on what the status was on our connecting flights. I can appreciate that.
Okay, look… I had thought about taking pictures… I even took my camera with me! But the problem became one of location, not necessarily of opportunity. I just didn’t see any thing that caught my eye. Palm trees? Boring. Buildings? Kind of interesting, but not spectacular. Beach? Not close enough. Traffic? Who wants to look at pictures of traffic? So yeah. I do have a picture from the Phoenix airport of our sign announcing the flight delay, but these days that’s more common than a flight being on time.
I see that LA trip as a first-blind date with someone your best friends have talked up for the past week. It was…. nice. It was something to be experienced, but as it stands, L.A., I don’t think I’m interested in taking this any further. I’m just not ready for the kind of commitment you require. Sorry.
You’re nice and all, but honestly, it’s not you… it’s me…
Tags: L.A., My Crooked Neck Demands We Never Flying AirTran Again, travel
