Text 8203, 102 rader
Skriven 2013-12-25 11:09:00 av MICHAEL LOO (1:123/140)
Ärende: trip 640
================
US4144 DCA PHL 0950 1056 DH8 2D
was 3906 DCA PHL 1158 1300 CRJ 3C

The house holding no attraction for me, I got out of there
early, figuring that if the plane was substantially early,
I might have a chance to catch an earlier connection and
avoid the freezing rain that was predicted.

The first leg went fine, and we landed around 10:50 only, but
we sat there on the tarmac for a while, so it was a bit after
11 when we actually got off the plane at the way far end of
the terminal; unfortunately, the Williamsport plane was
loading at the near end to security (F1 or 2), and there was
just no way. I scooted to the newly renovated center area
and checked the clock; it was just about closing time, and my
heart was pounding, so I gave up. There were two more flights
that day, so what could be bad?

US4118 PHL IPT 1120 1212 DH8 2A
was xUS4139 PHL IPT 2135 2228 DH8, previous day
was xUS4311 PHL IPT 1445 1538 DH8 4C, previous day

What could be bad: my scheduled flight was on time, on time,
on time, cancelled ... and then the late flight also cancelled
at the last moment. But at noon, with the sun peeking out on
the Philly airport, I was looking forward to a couple tots of
free bourbon and then an easy flight inland. Little did I know.

As there was plenty of time, I went to the United Club in the
D terminal, one of my old stomping grounds, to see my buddies,
rather than the US Airways Club (iterations in A, B, C, and F).

The United Club now charges $7 for Jim Beam (formerly free) but
in its continuing effort to provide customer service offers
Ron Castillo (good name for a hair-slicked-back Elvis
emulator) and McCormick Scotch and whiskey, about which I was
morbidly curious. Pete poured me samples of the brown stuff,
which turned out to be nasty, which is the general opinion of
it, as you can read from this rather amusing review:
www.genmay.com/showthread.php?t=794366

I decided on beer instead; the free ones now are MGD and Lite,
joy of joys. Used to be Yuengling and Heinie.

It was close to the changing of the guard, so I said happy
holidays to Pete and the morning desk crew (small boxes of
Sloops, one to the front desk, one for the bar) and cast
about for something else to do. Mike poured me a sample of
the rum, which was not bad, good enough to slug down with
some tonic. Almost as good as the Ron Castillo that Rosemary
buys for $10 a handle in the summertime.

Checking for hotels just in case, I found availability at
the Hilton for $71, so I figured I was golden - but stupidly
did not reserve that room, because of the possibility of a
cancellation penalty and the mistaken notion that if they were
selling for that rate, there would be plenty of space later.

Around 2 I went to my gate back in the F terminal, and
guess what, the board showed cancelled, and so I got to visit
the US Airways Club after all. There I received the unwelcome
news that I'd been confirmed on the first flight out next day
and the slightly more welcome news that the 9:35 in the
evening looked pretty good, so I should not have to get a
hotel room after all.

I decided to go back to the main terminal and forage for some
sustenance - the Asian Chao had tofu with vegetables, which
looked better than anything else in the food court. It was
such as I might make and toss in the freezer and thaw out
half a year later: i.e., not intrinsically horrid but kind
of tired out. The sauce was sweeter and saltier than I would
have done. And then to the club, where I was treated like a
long-lost sibling (not really - they were perfectly welcoming,
but to a person the staff from the front desk to the bar to
the cleaning lady said, you, back again?). I checked the
Hilton, which was up over a hundred, which irritated me, and
the Hampton, which was even higher. I said, full belly, free
bad booze, I'm all set, just so the flight goes. The club
closed up at 8. Back to terminal F, where they promised they'd
do their best, and there were 3 seats open, with me first on
the list.

Come 9:00, and they were readying the plane, and, guess what,
cancelled. I e-mailed Annie with the news; she had had dinner
with the Dans (there's this family divided into three parts:
the Charlies - no longer, as  Charlie is divorcing his wife;
the Dans; and the Mikes from across the river) - originally
it was to have been a nice afternoon of cocktails and then
dinner with me, then it was going to be dinner without me,
then finally everyone went away empty-handed. I ended up
having to use my best hotel fu to get a room, and there was
the choice of the Quality Inn without airport shuttle and
who knows where at $60 or the Hampton at about twice that
but with a 24-hour shuttle, so I went for that.

It was an okay room, and I washed up and collapsed in a heap
on the nearest bed.

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