Reply #19: Well, I finally arrived. What should have been a half-day easy

[kestrel91316]

trip turned into a nightmare, lol.

I got stuck for over three hours in dead standstill traffic in Los Angeles, causing me to miss the baggage check deadline for my flight by 10 minutes. The plane hadn't left yet. They just couldn't put me on it.

Because I was late, the United person tried to tell me that they had no obligation to me, but I whined and twisted her arm and sang my sob story about the traffic and the THREE sigalerts (!!!). So she found another United flight for me to NOLA.

Unfortunately, the new route, instead of being a direct nonstop, was LAX to O'Hare, then a several hour layover in the middle of the night, and then O'Hare to NOLA. I told her I didn't, at that point, give a damn if she routed me through NYC, I was just so glad to actually be standing in the airport.

Well, the best plans sometimes go awry (rather often in my case - I appear to be cursed). The plane that was supposed to take us to Chicago was "broken". They dicked around with it for a couple hours, moving the departure time farther and farther back, risking a crew timeout for sleep. So they ditched that plane and commandeered another one (an advantage of a MAJOR airline) and then it was only an easy three gate changes and a few MORE hours' delay before we got in the air.

I was already completely exhausted, and my trip had just begun, 4 1/2 hours later than planned.

We landed in Chicago in pouring rain at 4 AM. I was wearing a sleeveless cotton shirt and my sweater was safely esconced in my checked suitcase, the original game not having involved Great Lakes weather. I got really cold in the airport and my hands eventually went partially numb for a while. It kept raining, but I love rain (getting virtually none here in LA) and enjoyed watching it.

The planned-on 9:30 AM departure from Chicago for NOLA OF COURSE WAS DELAYED. Why on earth would you expect it to be on time at this point???? We left in the pouring rain, and landed in rainy (yes, sportsfans) NOLA around 1:30 or 2:00 PM - I no longer recall because I am getting rather rummy as I write this. Did I mention to you the screaming baby on the LAX-Chicago flight that kept me from getting a single minute of rest, let alone actual sleep?

I had been keeping in touch with my hotel (Intercontinental) throughout this whole fiasco and they were totally cool about my not showing up at 1AM today as planned. They aren't even going to charge me for the night I spent in O'Hare (isn't that magnanimous of them??) that they held the room for me.

The shuttle to and from the airport is $30 RT, very reasonable, came with a nice commentary on the sights from he driver, and set me at the front door of my hotel. The hotel is VERY nice. There are lots and lots of those little personal care freebees you always get, including: two flavors of shampoo, conditioner, bar of hand soap, bar of face and body soap, apricot lotion, vanity kit (cotton swabs, cotton balls, emery board), shower cap, shoe mitt, and sanitary bags (for the ladies). All in lovely floral packaging brought to us by "Lord & Mayfair". Oh, and the TWO QUEEN BEDS each have feather bed tops!!!!! The furnishings are all lovely faux french style antiques. I look out the window at an insurance company skyscraper, but that's ok. The French Quarter is three VERY short blocks away. There is a pool on the roof that I may take a dip in this evening.

I finally remembered to eat a late lunch at 4 PM. Didn't go to the convention other than to get my badge holder and the uber handy (and free) tote bag. Lunch was at Mother's, a mom-and-pop dive with real N'awlins home cookin'. You stand in line at the counter (looks sort of like a cafeteria) to order and pay, and then they bring your food out about ten minutes later. I had a 12" oyster po'boy and a side of turnip greens, with iced tea (making a feeble effort to eat healthily here....).

That was the best sandwich I have ever eaten. And frankly, I could eat just the oysters (dredged in bread and cornmeal and deep-fried) and say to heck with the bread, but you really do need it to be a vehicle for conveying the cabbage and mayo and pickle and cocktail sauce and mustard to your mouth all at the same time.

I am resting my tired feet in my room right now, debating whether or not to shower before going out to mosey around the French Quarter tonight. I am running on empty so I may take a nap, the night is still young. I was thinking about having dinner tonight but am still really full. Perhaps just a cup of gumbo somewhere?

So much food, so little time........and there are those goddamned lectures I really should sit in on for at least a couple of hours since I spent all this money to see them. Did I mention how much I like this city??

Oh, and I was on the road a total of 24 hours from when I left home until I got to the hotel. I am now 29 hours without sleep and counting. I am too old for this.