3/12/05--Escape from New York

Day #5 arrives and its time to go home.  Our good friends from Supershuttle arrive (this time--get this--ONTIME!) and we head for the airport.  Well, sort of .  We have to make 5 or 6 stops first to pick up other people heading for the airport.
I was losing my sense of direction until I looked around and saw that we were on the east side of Manhattan around 1st avenue & 125th.  Uh hello.....
Harlem.
Please God, don't let the van break down.  I don't wanna die.
We get to the airport as the weather is starting to take a turn for the worse.  We had heard that morning that the temperatures, which in the early morning had been around 45 to 50 degrees, were going to be around 20 degrees by lunchtime, with high winds and some snow coming in by the end of the day.  So as we're checking in, Kim tells me that its only $90 for both of us to upgrade to first class for the flight home.  Hello!
Our new seat assignments were seats 1A & 1C.  We get to the gate, where we have a good hour wait (my bride HATES---and I mean HATES--being late for anything.
That means were early for EVERYTHING).  I'm watching outside to see if the weather is taking a turn for the worse, and the poor unfortunate slobs that will be on the flight with us are having to endure a playtime session between these parents and their two toddler kids.  It was nauseating.
I mean...the whole.....
"Take the purple medicine and you get the lolly."
Only it was much more saccharine and baby like.  Ugh.  So the bratty little kids are running around wild, and then one of the parents would go and get them and look around for someone to tell them how cute their kids are.  I'm starting to wonder if kids under the age of 5 shouldn't be kept with the baggage and the pets that fly.
That way they wouldn't disturb anyone.  Its like this comedian we saw said.....if the reason you can't smoke on a plane is because it "disturbs other people".....why in the hell can people bring their bratty kids on the plane? 
Meanwhile, outside....it begins to snow.  Oh, it was light at first....but it was getting worse.  And then, we finally get on the plane....first class....and we're watching the wind blow and the snow get heavier.  I'm telling Kim that if we had booked a flight later in the day, our flight may have been canceled.  You could just visually see the weather get worse by the minute.   Then came an announcement that I'm sure every seasoned flier has heard....but which was a first for me.

"Uh folks....we're going to be a little delayed while they DE-ICE the plane."

De-Ice the plane?  Did that mean they were going around with little icepicks?

Soon enough, the chemical wash had done its stuff and it was time to hit the runway.
And still...I'm watching the wind howl around us.  The weatherman had mentioned something about 40 mile an hour winds.  The snow is sticking to the ground by now, and I'm thinking one thing in my conversation with God.

"Uh......God.....please don't let the word 'windshear' come into your head."

A whiteknuckle takeoff, for sure.  But hey!  We were in first class baby!  We were going to be living it up.  We quickly realized the number one downside to not just sitting in first class, but in particular in sitting in seats 1A & 1C.
We were located right in front of the first class toilet.
And to make it worse, it became quickly apparent to us that most of the passengers had some sort of colo-rectal issue.  I finally had to ask the stewardess to give us a courtesy spray.  But still--no problemo.  Once that first class service kicked in, it was all going to be worth it.
Then...our first class service kicked in.  Our snack for the flight.
One can each....of Pringles chips.  I looked at Kim.....

"Take a look baby.  That's a $90 can of chips your getting ready to eat."

So our vacation had come to an end.  Kim missed the kids--I missed the dogs (well, okay...maybe the kids a little bit too)  I told her that I was glad to have been able to go to the Big Apple with the woman I loved and spend a romantic weekend.
I told her I loved her....and leaned over to give her a kiss.

And naturally.....ahem.....she coughed.
Who says romance is dead?

Later,
Jeff