The Delight of An Early Morning Flight

November 17, 2010

I don’t know if you’ve ever noticed it when you’ve gone to an airport early in the morning  — I mean really early, like 5:30 or 6:00am — but it’s a totally different world than it is later in the day.

I’m at the airport in Philadelphia right now. I wound up overnighting in Philly because my flight from London was delayed and my connection was missed, so US Airways had to give a number of us hotel and meal vouchers. And to tell you the truth, although I was expecting chaos as the ground staff rerouted everyone after we deplaned, it was a flawless and well-choreographed operation and only took a few seconds to get my vouchers.

That’s why when I need to make a connecting flight I always try to book it through the same carrier. If they screw up I don’t want to have to be the one scurrying around trying to find a room at 11:15pm.

Anyway, when we got back to the airport for the first flight out this morning I couldn’t help notice how dazed most of the people in the terminal were. People just stood staring at the departure displays seemingly forever trying to comprehend where they’re supposed to go. While that’s normally not terribly difficult, when you’re short on sleep, have new flight data to follow and are in an unfamiliar airport it takes a bit longer for your mind to kick into gear.

And I think that management at Philly’s airport seems to understand one’s need for a good shot of caffein at this point since they had the very good sense to put a Dunkin’ Donuts stand right beyond the security area. Grab your bags, slip on your shoes and go for the java.

The only problem is that on this side of security you’re now interacting even more closely with the near-comatose you saw on the other side.

After I grabbed my coffee I couldn’t help but step back for a few minutes and watch the guy on line behind  me. I swear I thought he had gone into a coma as he stared at the overhead menu listing the array of different bagels, croissants, four sizes of coffees and 32 varieties of donuts. I’ll bet you my unused meal voucher he’s still there trying to decide between the jelly and Bavarian Cream.

I should talk. I’m the one who had to pay for the $2.50 coffee with an American Express card.

Jim Ferri

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The Passing of A Great Friend

November 2, 2010

I know this isn’t a travel story, and I hope you’ll excuse that. But then again, Dusty, our Labrador Retriever, was my travel companion on several long trips.

We had to put Dusty to sleep this morning. And it was a gut-wrenching experience. If you have a pet you know it will come someday but you’re never prepared for it.

Years ago as a kid I remember my father bringing home the World-Telegram and Sun newspaper at night and I got to reading a “human interest” column in it. I probably only read it because it was in the back by the comics but, anyway, the columnist once wrote about his pet dying and his great grief at the time, and why he cried more on the death of his dog than he did when his parents passed away.

I remember him writing that he thought it was because his parents had long lives and he was the recipient of their care, but with his pet he was the caregiver. He was the one who provided food and safety and happiness, and protected this small being that couldn’t care for itself.

I felt the same about Dusty, the one so many called “the gentle giant.” Anytime he saw a kid crying he’d bolt for him or her, lick their face and sit leaning up against them until someone came. Somehow he liked children even more than other dogs.

He and I bonded a lot over the past 12½ years, as he did with my wife Marjorie after she stole our hearts. He meant so much to me that I couldn’t ever bring myself to see the movie “Marley and Me” because I knew Marley died at the end.

Today though, it’s as if that long-forgotten columnist has reached out of the past to make me feel the awful pain of the present. It’s really a lousy, empty feeling that keeps you on the edge of tears. And I worry about Marjorie also, since I have to leave on an extended trip tomorrow and she’s still in such pain, as well

So thanks for always being there for me Dusty, especially during the really hard times.

Maybe someday I can go see “Marley and Me,” but not now. But whenever it is I know I’ll still need a lot of Kleenex.

Jim Ferri

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It’s Not Safe in the Air, on Sea or on the Ground

November 1, 2010

I have been doing in-depth consumer research and I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s no longer safe to travel — not in the air, on the sea or even in Las Vegas.

Do you know what happened aboard Qatar Airways Flight 645 after it took off from the Philippines a few weeks ago? The pilot died — which, as any frequent flyer will tell you, can certainly make for a rough landing. Luckily the co-pilot was able to bring the plane down smoothly in Kuala Lumpur where it was diverted.

And it’s not safe on the sea either. At least if you’re in a kayak or small boat down in Florida.

Recently, in the Florida Keys, a barracuda jumped out of the water and bit a 45-year-old woman kayaker in the chest, causing a serious-enough injury that she had to be taken by helicopter to Miami. According to the media there have been a number of barracuda bitings in Florida lately, which I think is a reaction to too many Red Lobster restaurants opening in the Sunshine State.

But if you think Florida has problems, you’ll really pity the owners of the MGM Resorts International Vdara Hotel in Las Vegas which opened on the “strip” in December. They have to contend with the “Death Ray.”

It’s no joke — there’s a concentrated reflection of solar rays that are bouncing off the glass facade of the concave-shaped, high-rise Vdara hotel/condominium, and some hotel guests say it poses a risk of severe burns to bathers lounging poolside.

According to the company the refraction moves across the pool deck over a period 90 minutes, never in the same place from day to day because of the sun’s continual changing elevation in the sky. MGM Resorts is seeking to correct the problem by installing high-tech solar film over each of the 3,000 glass panes covering the south facade of the Vdara to scatter the rays.

But the concentrated sunlight remains hot enough at certain times, in certain spots, to melt plastic and singe hair, says a Chicago lawyer, who’s also Vdara condo owner, and who first encountered the effect earlier after a dip in the pool.

“Astonished and angry,” says Reuters, “he alerted hotel staff, then called the local newspaper to draw attention to the problem.” Well there, that’ll show them not to mess with my sunbathing.

Hey, Vdara management — while today your biggest problem may be the much heralded “Death Ray,” tomorrow it will certainly be the sharks in your pool.

Jim Ferri

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