OK so we get up at 4am to catch the shuttle to the airport. The shuttle arrives early and we have to rush. The driver speaks very little English and there are two sombre fellows in there already. The cost is $28 and we tip $6 after I almost crushed the drivers finger in the stroller (teehee). The mood is not that friendly we just sit there saying nothing during the drive.
WE LAID OFF ALL OUR STAFF .... PLEASE SERVE YOURSELVES!
We get to the airport and check the bags. I avoid paying $50 for excess baggage by taking toiletries out of my bag and taking two carry ons. We need to find another small case as my big suitcase is too heavy for an individual case (the weights are not cumulative). You can have extra bags but not one really big one. You line up for self service kiosks and there are two qualified check-in attendants running back and forth to answer any questions and provide help. After you self serve check-in they hand over the stickers and take your bags. I find it a bit tricky to follow the instructions but we eventually get there. It's organised chaos and people have to wait wait wait.
Next up the security check. Such a hassle when we have so much stuff on us. You have to take everything out of your bags too. We are early (flight leaves at 7.30am) so we grab a coffee and croissant and head to the seating area to wait for our boarding call.
THE CHARMING CHARLIE FLOORSHOW
Charlie meets some little Hispanic kids - two girls, aged 3 and 1 - they speak just a little English. They are all so cute together that pretty soon everyone is involved in their antics. She then tries to beg-smile some lollies out of a young girl heading to Istanbul to meet her Grandmother. Man ...can't go anywhere without Charlie meeting people! She has totally worked out how to get people's attention and has her performance down to a fine art. If we put a cup out we'd make a mint :) And San Francisco is certainly the place for it. Seems like they have a major homeless problem. Looking back now the whole tone of the city makes us remember America is weathering some of the toughest times.
And of course we've found in this country there will always be someone who brazenly jumps a line right in front of you and doesn't give a toss. It happens again when we line up to check the stroller at the airport. I'm always taken aback. But at the end of the day what's a couple of minutes. We board and take off... Chrlie falls asleep 2 mins before the wheels leave the ground and we get around an hour out of peace :)
THE CHATTY SAN FRANCISCAN
There's a guy in the seat across the isle who is really interested in chatting (I am always so wary of people like that but he turns out to be really nice). Ahhh it turns out he thinks Ant is some guy called George Lopez (a really famous Mexican comedian)... NOT! Come to think of it... Antony looks like a Mexican here! We get heaps of info from him about San Francisco and a little about New York and also tips for good foreign films to see. He's seen a lot of the same films as me so we connect a little on that topic. He's a food critic / food writer part time and a cabbie the rest of the time. Sadly, he's heading to NYC to hang with his brother who has very advanced brain cancer.
SAN FRANCISCO TO NYC = 10 HOURS??
The flight time is meant to be 6 hours but we are advised today it's 4 hours yay! So the journey passes nicely. Until we are advised we've been put into a holding pattern over JFK for an hour. It turns out there's some bad weather keeping us and others from landing so now we are in a queue also! Charlie throws a massive tantrum that luckily only lasts 10 mins. What can you do!? She wants to get down but I have to hold her because we're in some MAJOR turbulance and I am her seatbelt. After an hour the captain decides to divert to another port rather than run out of fuel. So we add Philadephia to the itinerary and sit on the tarmac for 4 hours waiting for refuelling and clearance to take off again. I sleep while Ant tries to entertain Charlie and vice versa. She's really starting to go nuts sitting in our laps for so long.
The refueler arrives, we are cleared for take off, cleared for JFK and we finally land in New York at around 8.30pm (NYC time which is 3 hours ahead of SF). Tired... hungry... stinky (lol). New York airport is great though. BIG and cruisy. Lots of space. People aren't hurrying so much here. Lots have missed connecting flights but most handle it well. They get free acomm, food and cab fares courtesy of American Airlines. We have to wait another 20 mins to get our stroller. It's really warm here and steamy. Like Brisbane summertime. Another guy waiting totally loses it at the air hostess and she has to try to calm him. He's actually a total wanker. Going on about his pregnant wife and little daughter waiting ... like it's going to make a difference. Earlier Charlie had refused to play with his daughter heheh.
The gear arrives and then the luggage takes forever. Another chatty American shoots the breeze with me and Chaz while we wait. I'm a little wary again. It's weird being a foreigner in a town where you expect to be scammed or mugged. You just feel like you have to beware. We get some 'what to do' recommendations and restaurent tips. Nice lady. Shes' just come back from a weekend in Las Vegas (everyone says we should go there).
(Delays are not uncommon at that airport... NEW YORK-- A runway at John F. Kennedy International Airport was shut down briefly Wednesday morning after at least 78 turtles emerged from a nearby bay and crawled onto the tarmac.) !!
YOU NEED A CAR SERVICE MA'M?
There are recorded messages warning about accepting rides from private cars. They have a special counter setup where approved cars and shuttles can be booked for you. We decline two offers for private cars and book a shuttle. A big African American arrives to take us into Manhatten. Driving to Manhatten we already love this place.
GREAT HOTEL! AWESOME LOCATION! NYC ROCKS!
The Wingate by Windham, 235 w35th Street. It turns out to be a great choice! The room is awesome (at a low special deal price) and the location couldn't be better! We are three blocks from Times Square and the Empire State Building is one block across and two up. We drop the bags then head downstairs to find food. The concierge recommends a diner on 34th and 8th. Perfect choice. It's now 12.30am and we are eating dinner with our 1 year old in an American diner lol!!
And the funny thing is the city seems like the middle of the day. It's light. It's busy and not with nightclub type of nightlife. This place is really cool and we're so excited even after a few hours. We finish eating and head back to the hotel room where we just crash out from such a long day. Zzzzzzzzz.....
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