I am not a rule breaker (POLL!)

I'm just not. Knowingly breaking rules makes me uncomfortable. So when people come up to me in airports and ask me to watch their luggage while they go to the bathroom I always say no. I get that it's a hassle to take all your stuff into the bathroom with you, but I do and so can you!

I've been asked this multiple times with various reactions. Some are fine with it, understanding of my hesitancy. One guy got mad at me! Today's case felt he needed to explain the hassle (again, something I understand, not a difficult concept) and then mentioned that it was ok because he "is with the FAA anyway". Awesome.

So what do you think? Am I being uptight here? Or is this appropriate in a post 9/11 world? Take the poll to the right and feel free to comment below

What a difference a day makes!

Tuesday night on my way from DC to Des Moines I few Delta and was upgraded to first class. I've taken this flight probably 4 times now and always been upgraded, and I only have the lowest level of status on Delta.

Wednesday night I flew back from Des Moines on United through Chicago. On the Chicago to DC flight I was "eligible" for an upgrade...but so were 34 other people...and I was 29th!  So not only did I not get upgraded, but I had a middle seat.

I don't understand how some people manage to sit so still. The folks sitting on either side of me didn't seem to move at all during the flight. Just sat there nicely and did work on their computers or read. I, meanwhile, am repositioning ever five seconds. Crossing legs, uncrossing legs, stretching, one leg up on seat, 2 legs up on seat, crossing, uncrossing, repeat as necessary.

I feel bad for whichever one of my family members sits next to me on our flight to the Dominican Republic!

I want to know where this conversation started...and ended...

My colleagues and I were walking down a hospital hallway yesterday and ended up behind an older, white gentleman and a younger (than the gentleman) black woman. We only heard a brief snippet of the conversation but it was enough to want more!

Woman: Was she black or white?
Man: Oh she was definitely white
Woman: ...
Man: And she was taller, and more slender than you...

So where do you think he was going with that?

I'm not where where he thought he was going, but I'm guessing he didn't end up anywhere good!

Poll Results

I know all of you who participated in my poll last week (all 10 of you...thanks family) have been waiting on bated breath for feedback on the poll results. With the benefit of hindsight I still believe the option (C) I chose was the right one. Here are my thoughts on the various flights:

A. The one gets in the latest (midnight) and is the only one with a layover. Plus there is nothing to do in the DSM airport where I would have had to wait for multiple hours.

B. In a perfect world this is the flight I would have loved to take, unfortunately I would have missed it! Due to the multiple inches of snow coming down I we arrived right at 4pm.

C. Best Option! (I do love being right)

D. My colleague was on this flight and it ended up being canceled because at the time it took off too much snow had come down

Unfortunately for me I am taking none of these options this week! Instead I'm on a Delta flight that leaves DSM at 5:50 cst; arrives DTW at 8:45 est; leaves DTW at 10:02pm; arrives IAD at 11:41 est. Oh, and my meetings start at 6:30am...it's going to be a long day!

What would you do? (POLL to the right --> )

Let's take a poll.

Often when I book my travel I struggle with what the "best" option would be. Or sometimes what is the "least bad" option. My travel yesterday was one example and I'm not sure I ended up with the best option. So now it's your turn to decide. What would you have done? I've laid out the options below and there is a poll to the right. Tell me which option you would book!

Parameters:

• Meetings end at 12:15
• 15 minute drive to the Des Moines airport (DSM)
• 3 hour drive to Kansas City airport (MCI)
• 15 minute, 15 dollar, taxi from Reagan-National (DCA)
• 45 minute, 60 dollar, taxi from Dulles (IAD)

Variables:

• The last meeting of the day may very well run over
• Weather (always a factor this time of year)
• I have status on Delta & United

Options:

A. DSM to ATL to DCA leaving at 5:50pm and arriving at 11:28pm on Delta (4h 38m)

B. MCI to DCA leaving at 4:05pm arriving at 7:25pm on US Airways (2h 20m)

C. MCI to IAD leaving at 5:54pm arriving 9:15pm on United (2h 20m)

D. MCI to DCA leaving at 7:15pm arriving at 10:30pm on Frontier (2h 20m)

The good and the bad of last minute travel plans

Let's start with the bad:

• Flights are expensive
• Flights are sold out (or only have first available)
• Flight times are inconvenient so one must drive 3 hours to Kansas City to get a direct flight back to the DC area
• Flights back to the DC area actually arrive into Dulles (ugh)
• Hotels are sold out so one cannot stay in the same hotel as colleagues
• One must stress about how one is going to get from hotel to hospital in an area not known for their taxi availability
• Plans for doing laundry on Thursday night get thrown out the window
• Apples bought yesterday might go bad before one can eat them all
• Plans to work out get squashed due to late travel Wednesday, early morning meeting Thursday and late night travel Thursday
• Packing for vacation gets puts off until Friday (although, let's face it, probably wasn't going to do it any sooner than that anyway)

The good:

• One gets to fly direct to Des Moines in First Class as opposed to in Economy (Plus) through Chicago

I can only imagine they need this because it has happened before?

Do people really need to be told not to hang clothes from a sprinkler head?

Also that thing is like 8 feet high. Do people stand on the bed to hang their clothes on a sprinkler head that is almost on the ceiling?

I mean, for me, the closet works just fine.

And this would be why I always set two alarms.

Whenever I travel I always set 2 alarms. One on my cell phone and another on the hotel alarm clock. That paid off big time yesterday. I had set the hotel alarm for 4:50am and my cellphone alarm for 4:45 am because I noticed the clock was about 5 minutes off. What I didn't notice was that the time was actually 12 hours and 5 minutes off. When my cellphone alarm went off at 4:45 am and the clock alarm did not I finally noticed it was set to PM.

How does this happen? Who changes the alarm clock to 12 hours off?

The 8 hour trip to nowhere

I don't have it in me to recount today. The best way to tell the story is in my emails to Jenny (or my facebook status updates). Please find (a slightly edited version and some additional color commentary) our emails over the last 8 hours

From: Allison
To: Jenny
Sent: Wed Jan 26 11:41:23 2011

Well getting a taxi was no problem! I'm going to be super early to my flight (Wishful thinking apparently)

From: Allison
To: Jenny

Sent: Wed, Jan 26, 2011 at 11:55 AM

Aaaaand my flight is delayed (The beginning of the end)

From: Jenny
To: Allison
Sent: Wed Jan 26 11:58:39 2011

delayed why? it's raining, right?!

From: Allison
To: Jenny

On Wed, Jan 26, 2011 at 12:00 PM,

Its delayed out of chicago. Hasn't even left yet

From: Jenny
To: Allison

Sent: Wed Jan 26 12:01:22 2011

i feel like that's not a good sign for you to then GO to chicago and beyond! are there weather issues in chicago or just traffic?

From: Allison
To: Jenny

Sent:  Wed, Jan 26, 2011 at 12:12 PM

No idea. Fortunately they reserved a seat for me on the same flight as my colleague (At one point or another I had seats on 3 different flights from Chicago to Des Moines, none of which I actually made)

From: Jenny
To: Allison

Sent: Wed Jan 26 12:53:27 2011

same flight out of chicago?

From: Allison
To: Jenny

Sent: Wed, Jan 26, 2011 at 1:08 PM

Yep. Although I just heard an announcement that all flights to LGA have been cancelled at all carriers except for the one leaving here next. That will be the last flight.

That's the airport my colleague is flying out of

From: Jenny

To: Allison
Sent: Wednesday, January 26, 2011 1:14 PM

Yeah I think you're gonna be cooling your heels in Iowa alone, my friend.  Hope you have a good book!

From: Allison
To: Jenny

Sent: Wed, Jan 26, 2011 at 1:49 PM

Ugh I really don't want to eat Panda Express if I don't have to! But I'm hungry!

From: Allison
To: Jenny

Sent: Wed, Jan 26, 2011 at 3:48 PM

So I boarded. Then they had to deice the plane. Then they heard there are ice pellets so they had to stop deicing the plane and they're not sure what's going to happen. So we're sitting

From: Jenny
To: Allison

Sent: Wed Jan 26 15:49:55 2011

this is the most ill fated trip! (and it's only half way through!)

From: Allison
To: Jenny

Sent: Wed, Jan 26, 2011 at 3:52 PM

Seriously. I left my apt at 11:40! I haven't gone anywhere! I don't know if I should take out my laptop and try to be productive or if it is going to be a matter of minutes

 From: Jenny

 To: Allison

 Sent: Wed Jan 26 16:08:30 2011

 any progress?

 From: Allison

 To: Jenny

 Sent: Wed Jan 26 16:23:36 2011

 Ok so we are leaving? But I might miss my connection

From: Allison

To: Jenny

Sent: 1/26/11

 Just kidding! Now they need to treat the runways so its going to be another  45 minutes

From: Jenny
To: Allison

Sent: Wed Jan 26 17:21:06 2011

Did they treat them? I heard some domestic flights were being cancelled...

From: Allison

To: Jenny

Sent: Wed, Jan 26, 2011 at 5:30 PM

I wish they would!

I was supposed to be getting in to des moines right about now and still haven't left.

I was able to be productive initially but since then everything has been stops and starts. Sit in one place for 20 minutes. All electronics off for 20 minutes etc. So I haven't been able to get nearly enough done. And our meetings start at 6am tomorrow. Awesome.

From: Allison

To: Jenny

Sent:  Wed, Jan 26, 2011 at 5:47 PM

They boarded us just to tell us its taking longer to plow the runways than expected. And we still need to de ice

From: Jenny
To: Allison

Sent: Wed Jan 26 17:48:57 2011

you deserve a big, giant, glass or 3 of wine en route/when you arrive!  i havent heard any planes in quite a while... (This is why I shouldn't get used to First Class. I really wanted that wine...but they don't serve it in Economy plus!)

From: Allison

To: Jenny

Sent: Wed, Jan 26, 2011 at 5:52 PM

They closed the airport for the plowing. Apparently there are flights that have pulled away from the gate and been deiced only to need to come back and get deiced again (we never made it past the gate!)

From: Jenny
To: Allison

Sent: Wed Jan 26 17:53:02 2011

yeah, conditions are not good! so what does it mean if the airport is closed?  can your flight still take off?  if not, can you get back in?  i realize you prob dk the answers, but yikes!

From: Allison

To: Jenny

Sent: Wed, Jan 26, 2011 at 5:54 PM

Its just "closed" during the plowing. So no planes have been taking off or landing. The actual building is open, and plenty busy!

From: Jenny
To: Allison

Sent: Wed Jan 26 17:56:01 2011

What a mess! Speaking of, I just looked out the window to check the snow, and approx half of a tree has fallen on 2 cars in the lot! YIKES.  That best not happen to me!! (Another example of perspective being everything. My day was frustrating but at least I didn't sustain property damage!)

From: Allison

To: Jenny

Sent: Wed, Jan 26, 2011 at 6:02 PM

Oh my gosh! That truly sucks

From: Allison

To: Jenny

Sent 1/26/11

One of the deicing trucks broke, The other is getting refilled, Its taking multiple applications to get the ice off

From: Jenny

To: Allison

Sent: Wed Jan 26 18:27:47 2011

How long have you been on this plane on the ground now? 3 hrs? Miserable! (yes, yes it is)

From: Allison

To: Jenny

Sent:  1/26/11

well we've been on and off. But about 3 hours since we first boarded.

Its been over 6.5 hours since I first got to the airport

From: Jenny

To: Allison

Sent: Wed Jan 26 18:34:37 2011

Even if you don't take off, I'm not sure how you'll get home! At least you live so close to the metro! My power keeps flickering...

From: Allison

To: Jenny

Sent: Wed, 26 Jan 2011 18:38:07

We're being deiced now.

Take 7

From: Allison

To: Jenny

Sent: Wed, 26 Jan 2011 18:58:56

Guess what (!!!)

From: Jenny

To: Allison

Sent: Wed Jan 26 18:59:45 2011

You're coming home?

From: Allison

To: Jenny

Sent: Wed, 26 Jan 2011 19:02:05

Well probably. They closed DCA again. I don't think I can get to chicago tonight and I don't think I'll be able to get anything to DSM if I do get to ORD

From: Jenny

To: Allison

Sent: Wed Jan 26 19:03:36 2011

Bummer for you, but good for me :) Now, let's have a snow play date tomorrow?

From: Allison

To: Jenny

Date: Wed, 26 Jan 2011 19:05:44

Haha we'll do something for sure...but I'll still have to work! We don't really get snow days! Has OPM said anything about tomorrow yet? (For those that don't work in DC - OPM is the Office of Personnel Management and they decide if federal offices are open or closed, my company follow OPMs decisions during inclement weather)

From: Jenny

To: Allison

Sent: Wed Jan 26 19:06:38 2011

Oh I for sure have to work, too, even if the gov is closed. Haven't seen a status for tmrw yet.

(we are such good employees!)

From: Allison

To: Jenny

Sent: Wed, 26 Jan 2011 19:07:48

Its official the flight is cancelled. I can't get in touch w my colleague so I imagine he's flying

From: Allison

To: Jenny

Sent: Wed, 26 Jan 2011 19:12:14

I hope I can get a taxi!

From: Jenny

To: Allison

Sent: Wed Jan 26 19:16:48 2011

You honestly might be better of trying to metro?

From: Allison

To: Jenny

Sent: Wed Jan 26 19:17:23 2011

Subject: Re: Fw:

Ugh probably

From: Allison

To: Jenny

Sent: Wed Jan 26 19:24:48 2011

Yep you were right. Metro it is

From: Allison

To: Jenny

Sent: Wed, 26 Jan 2011 19:48:25

Seriously? I'm stuck on the metro now

From: Allison

To: Jenny

Sent: Wed, 26 Jan 2011 20:05:01

Home

From: Jenny

To: Allison
Sent: Wednesday, January 26, 2011 8:06 PM

Good! Now you should have the wine! (And I did)

Fingers Crossed!

I'm getting ready to call for a taxi and head back to Des Moines. The only problem is my colleague is in New York where they are already getting snow and are anticipating getting more. His flight isn't until 5pm and mine is at 1:30pm.  I won't know if he made his flight until after I land in Des Moines.

There is a decent possibility I could get all the way to Iowa just to need to turn back around and head back to DC...which should be getting their own snow at that point.

I've said all along I anticipate getting snowed in somewhere this winter and it's look like this could be it!

Fingers crossed we both get to Des Moines (and more importantly, are able to get home from Des Moines)!

Deja Vu?

Back to Des Moines tomorrow. Same day of the week. Same flight.  Last week I made it from my apartment, to DCA, through security and to my gate in approximately 17 minutes.  I'm not sure I"ll be able to replicate that this week. I tried to make a reservation for a taxi but was told they're not taking reservations for tomorrow "due to the weather." Um... we're only supposed to get 1 to 3 inches. And it isn't supposed to be all snow until 3pm tomorrow.

Hopefully I can get there!

The nicest part of tomorrow and last week is that I get to travel in comfort. It's so much nicer to travel in jeans than a suit.

On the other hand I think people treat me differently when I look like a professional instead of a college student!

I love a good restaurant recommendation

Unfortunately, not all of them are good!

My colleague passed along a few restaurant recommendations for Des Moines the other day, one of which I went to last night (thank you Davina). My colleague spent his night with family in town and I needed to eat so I went to Centro, a restaurant downtown for dinner. It is an Italian restaurant with a nice atmosphere and good wine list.

I was the awkward person eating alone in a corner - but the food was good.

Since I was eating alone, that gave me ample time to eavesdrop on others...one of the things I noticed is that someone at the table next to me ordered a margarita with dinner. Now I like tequila as much as the next girl (and probably more) but when you're eating Italian...why do you order a marg???

Today during one of our client meeting we solicited additional restaurant recommendations. There were 2 restaurants that were clearly the favorites, one of which was the one I went to last night.  My colleague and I decided to to try the other restaurant tonight, Latin King.

Now when you hear the name Latin King - what kind of food would you anticipate?

Italian right? Clearly Latin King screams Italian.

Let's just say the food tonight did not live up to the food yesterday and leave it at that.

2 Nights in Des Moines

So far it has been rare for me to spend 2 nights in any one place. But this week I'm going to be in Des Moines Wednesday evening through Friday afternoon. To date all I have seen of Des Moines is the 6 miles between the airport and the hospital. This time around I really would like to see more of the city.

The only problem is - I'm not sure what to do in Des Moines...

Any ideas??

Thankful.

As one of my colleagues called it - today was definitely a marathon. I was up at 3:00am and I'm hoping to be home by 2:00am.  I was a little bitter about having to travel at all today as I was initially scheduled to be on PTO. But as I reflect on my day and put it into perspective, I'm a little ashamed of my initial bitter feelings!

I was upset to miss 1 day of vacation while traveling in relative luxury. I was picked up by a car service this morning, sat in Economy Plus for my flights to Des Moines and I'm currently sitting in the Delta Sky Club waiting for my last flight home sipping a glass of red wine. Meanwhile, men and women around the world won't be home at all for the holidays.  When I think in terms of the sacrifices others are making, I'm both supremely thankful for their service and appreciative of my life and opportunities.

I think this little dose of reality was brought upon by an email update from my cousin yesterday, a Marine who is currently stationed in Afghanistan. Hearing from him about their work in counter IED operations makes my concerns about having enough overhead luggage space seem just a bit ridiculous.

So with that all said - thank you again to all our Armed Forces who are always in my thoughts and prayers but never more so as during this holiday season.

So about that light at the end of the tunnel...

I thought it was supposed to get closer instead of farther??

Initially I was going to be on vacation starting this Monday through next Friday for a full 2 weeks. Unfortunately things happen and I have to go to Des Moines, IA on Monday. What I didn't consider when that was scheduled initially was that instead of giving up just 1 day of vacation, I sort of feel like I've given up 3. I haven't been able to enjoy my weekend like I otherwise would if I was going to be on vacation, instead I have this last trip hanging over my head. Maybe because the travel is going to be so ridiculous...

3:00am - Wake up
4:00am - Car service picking me up
5:00am - Check-in/security
6:00am - Flight
10:00am - Land in Des Moines and taxi to hospital
11:00am - Meeting
4:00pm - Leave hospital
5:00pm - Check-in/security
6:00pm - Flight
12:00am - Land/Car Service picking me up
1:00am - sleep!!

Fortunately I'll have quite a few days to recover from that long day!

Light at the end of the tunnel...

The 2 weeks before Christmas are always crazy. Friday, December 17th is my company Christmas party and I'm headed home to NJ for two weeks the next day. However in the meanwhile I'm traveling a ton and have a lot of work to wrap up. Knowing I have 2 weeks to recuperate makes it a little bit easier!

The last few days have been particularly painful. This past weekend I was in Atlantic City and I didn't go to sleep before 4am Friday or Saturday night. Sunday I was asleep by 8 am but had to wake up at 4am.  Monday morning I flew 2 flights to Des Moines, IA for 3 hours of back to back meetings. That afternoon I flew 2 additional flights to Duluth. Intellectually I knew I would be cold in both Des Moines and Duluth but I was prepared for the reality of it all. It was definitely in the negatives when I got into Duluth last night. We (I was traveling with a colleague) landed at 11:25 but it took us a while to get out of the airport because they did not have our car ready for us. And then when it arrived and we went out to start it after completing the paperwork the battery had died and it wouldn't start...so they had to go get another car. Words can not express how miserable I was at that point. Let me remind you - I had been up since 4am and it was now after 12am...and -3 degrees (at least)! Fortunately we got to the hotel without incident and I was able to get about 5 hours of sleep!