Text 4924, 63 rader
Skriven 2013-09-21 03:35:00 av MICHAEL LOO (1:123/140)
Ärende: ROC trip 199
====================
UA1419 BOS EWR 0842 1003 73G 1B

I was booked on the 1000 flight but got to the airport
quite a bit early, around 0715. PreCheck got me a direct
route to that special checkpoint, where one is not made to
go through the millimeter wave scan or to remove a jacket
or shoes or to put the computer or liquids bag into a bin.

The scanner found something suspicious in my bag - turned
out to be two big bars of Peter Thomas Roth soap (I take
toiletries scavenged from the hotels when I visit friends,
so as not to use too many of their supplies) and a shaker
of No Salt. The inspector was jovial enough and the procedure
quick enough, so I got to the club at around 0730. I asked the
concierge to put me on the list for the earlier flight; the
computer confirmed me into 20B, reputedly the most uncomfortable
exit row seat, and then later into 1B, reputedly the least
comfortable seat in first (supposedly less legroom and
definitely no dedicated bag storage). Either seat would have
been fine, and in fact the seat in first was quite fine.
It was too early to drink, so I didn't.

We landed early enough that I could probably have made the
earlier flight to Rochester, but neither Nancy nor I is
particularly a cellphone person, and I decided I'd just
spend 4 hours at the club, which I did. Not a problem, have
computer, will be amused.

Around 1330 the stomach started getting shirty, and I gave in
and took it to Smashburger, where it was treated to a Classic
Smash, a 5-oz patty on an egg bun with very cheesy American
cheese, lettuce, onion, and tomato, sauced with ketchup and
the mayo-mustardy "smash sauce" - not bad, but quite salty
as I have mentioned before. I'd walked sadly past Gallagher's,
probably my favorite place to eat in the airport, where I have
had good meals despite the wretched reviews it gets everywhere;
that would have set me back 5-8x as much, depending on whether
I caved and had alcohol with my meal.

Hustled to the gate just in time but found that the flight was
delayed an hour.

UA4770 EWR ROC 1429 1557 DH2 2D

This flight left from one of the dungeon gates - at the ends of
some of the piers you go downstairs to an area at apron level
without any windows and with unbelievably uncomfortable and
poorly positioned furniture - projecting a good prelude for
flying the friendly skies. I considered going back to the club,
but this gate is the single one in this airport farthest from
a club, and there was always that possibility that the flight
might miraculously shed some of its delay. So I (we) sat,
the single TV blaring out nonsense all the time.

Eventually the trip took place, uneventfully, and we made up
a few minutes of our delay.

Nancy's procedure was later than we thought it would be, but
we eventually found each other in seamless but tardy fashion.

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