Saturday, July 12, 2008
At last, The Rock has come back to the U-S-A!
The title of this one says it all. Four months of speculation, tedious (though hardly hard) work and waiting have paid off. I sit in my parents' living room, typing this on a wi-fi connection and with a slight headache.
I left our house in Osaka on Thursday morning at 7 a.m. to pay for our personal shipping items. Thus began our trip. We went to sleep at our destination, here, at 2 pm (Japan time) Saturday afternoon. It is now just 3 a.m Sunday in Japan.
It seems like more than three days.
We flew United, me for the second time, Yasumi's first time. Osaka to San Francisco, San Francisco to Chicago (by way of Indianapolis) and Chicago to Birmingham. The flights were about as good as they could be. The flight attendants were very nice and helpful and I really appreciate that in a flight as much or more than anything. The actual trips (meaning the flying) was pretty good, too.
The problems came at the airports. In Osaka, we boarded late and had a lengthy wait inside the terminal. In San Francisco, we finished with immigration and customs in good time to make it to the gate at exactly the time the plane was to begin boarding -- but then we had to wait another 20 minutes and the gate agent had other ideas than an on-time departure. For by the time the plane was in the air, it was an hour after ten minutes after ten minutes after departure time. Which put us in Chicago late. Which made the storms in Chicago arrive before we did. Which meant that we had to go to Indianapolis to refuel after circling Peoria waiting for the weather to clear. Which meant they canceled the Birmingham flight and we had to stay in Chicago overnight - without our bags, which took the Friday 8:45 a.m. flight to Birmingham.
Normally, I would relish a chance to stay in Chicago for any amount of time but after a 10-hour flight followed by a three-hour, thirty-minute flight that stretched into like seven hours, we were both deadly tired.
So we arrived at Chicago at 10:45 p.m. Thursday night. We rebooked for the 3:45 p.m. Birmingham flight the next day and left the airport at midnight. We arrived at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare at 12:30 and waited in line for half an hour until they told us they were overbooked, something they knew for half an hour but didn't tell every one, just the people at the registration counter. Then they told everyone and said they had made reservations at the nearby Marriott Renaissance Suites. At no cost to us. Let me repeat, for FREE. So all was not lost.
We took a very swift taxi to the Marriott where we were immediately checked in and in our room at 1:20 a.m. We returned to the lobby where I got the last pastrami sandwich and Yasumi got an enormous basil chicken salad. We were asleep at 3:15 a.m.
The next day, we were back at the airport at 1:30 p.m. and on the plane early and away from the gate on time. Our larger carry-on items were left at the plane's entrance because the cabin didn't have enough room for them as it was a commuter plane. When we pulled away from the gate, it was 3:45. No problem. But... and isn't there always a but... we were 17th in line for departure from America's second busiest airport.
An hour later, we were 20 minutes late for arrival in Birmingham.
Upon arrival in Birmingham, there was a single plane at the airport gate which meant that every other gate was available for our plane to use. Yet we had to exit the plane on the tarmac and claim our bags and carry them up two flights of stairs into the terminal.
At which point then we had to wait nearly an hour for the United luggage claim agent to toddle her way down from the upstairs and open the room so we could get our luggage.
My scorecard: United in the air -- excellent.
United on the ground -- indictable.
When we met my parents and finally left, we saw the new Social Security office in Birmingham (previously under construction) and we got Little Caesar's pizza on the way home. The rest of the night was spent checking email, connecting wi-fis and slightly unpacking.
And now, it's just Saturday!
Best of all, I found my missing Iron Chef (tetsu-jin) book and the 20 ties I couldn't locate! A good night.
I left our house in Osaka on Thursday morning at 7 a.m. to pay for our personal shipping items. Thus began our trip. We went to sleep at our destination, here, at 2 pm (Japan time) Saturday afternoon. It is now just 3 a.m Sunday in Japan.
It seems like more than three days.
We flew United, me for the second time, Yasumi's first time. Osaka to San Francisco, San Francisco to Chicago (by way of Indianapolis) and Chicago to Birmingham. The flights were about as good as they could be. The flight attendants were very nice and helpful and I really appreciate that in a flight as much or more than anything. The actual trips (meaning the flying) was pretty good, too.
The problems came at the airports. In Osaka, we boarded late and had a lengthy wait inside the terminal. In San Francisco, we finished with immigration and customs in good time to make it to the gate at exactly the time the plane was to begin boarding -- but then we had to wait another 20 minutes and the gate agent had other ideas than an on-time departure. For by the time the plane was in the air, it was an hour after ten minutes after ten minutes after departure time. Which put us in Chicago late. Which made the storms in Chicago arrive before we did. Which meant that we had to go to Indianapolis to refuel after circling Peoria waiting for the weather to clear. Which meant they canceled the Birmingham flight and we had to stay in Chicago overnight - without our bags, which took the Friday 8:45 a.m. flight to Birmingham.
Normally, I would relish a chance to stay in Chicago for any amount of time but after a 10-hour flight followed by a three-hour, thirty-minute flight that stretched into like seven hours, we were both deadly tired.
So we arrived at Chicago at 10:45 p.m. Thursday night. We rebooked for the 3:45 p.m. Birmingham flight the next day and left the airport at midnight. We arrived at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare at 12:30 and waited in line for half an hour until they told us they were overbooked, something they knew for half an hour but didn't tell every one, just the people at the registration counter. Then they told everyone and said they had made reservations at the nearby Marriott Renaissance Suites. At no cost to us. Let me repeat, for FREE. So all was not lost.
We took a very swift taxi to the Marriott where we were immediately checked in and in our room at 1:20 a.m. We returned to the lobby where I got the last pastrami sandwich and Yasumi got an enormous basil chicken salad. We were asleep at 3:15 a.m.
The next day, we were back at the airport at 1:30 p.m. and on the plane early and away from the gate on time. Our larger carry-on items were left at the plane's entrance because the cabin didn't have enough room for them as it was a commuter plane. When we pulled away from the gate, it was 3:45. No problem. But... and isn't there always a but... we were 17th in line for departure from America's second busiest airport.
An hour later, we were 20 minutes late for arrival in Birmingham.
Upon arrival in Birmingham, there was a single plane at the airport gate which meant that every other gate was available for our plane to use. Yet we had to exit the plane on the tarmac and claim our bags and carry them up two flights of stairs into the terminal.
At which point then we had to wait nearly an hour for the United luggage claim agent to toddle her way down from the upstairs and open the room so we could get our luggage.
My scorecard: United in the air -- excellent.
United on the ground -- indictable.
When we met my parents and finally left, we saw the new Social Security office in Birmingham (previously under construction) and we got Little Caesar's pizza on the way home. The rest of the night was spent checking email, connecting wi-fis and slightly unpacking.
And now, it's just Saturday!
Best of all, I found my missing Iron Chef (tetsu-jin) book and the 20 ties I couldn't locate! A good night.
Labels: Birmingham, Chicago, San Francisco, United Airlines
Comments:
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Hi,Ken!
lomg time no talk.
You had a various experience till you arrived at U.S.A. But it was good that you could finally arrive at there,couldn't you?
Your blog always interests me and I enjoy myself.
I really miss(not only I) you and your lessons.
I found that how your lessons were interesting and fun.
I liked your historical,scientific and romantic lessons.
May be I won't be able to find such a good teacher like you.
Thank you for being so kind and I hope everything is going well.
heve fun!
Toshie
Post a Comment
lomg time no talk.
You had a various experience till you arrived at U.S.A. But it was good that you could finally arrive at there,couldn't you?
Your blog always interests me and I enjoy myself.
I really miss(not only I) you and your lessons.
I found that how your lessons were interesting and fun.
I liked your historical,scientific and romantic lessons.
May be I won't be able to find such a good teacher like you.
Thank you for being so kind and I hope everything is going well.
heve fun!
Toshie
# posted by 
: 6:24 AM
: 6:24 AM << Home
