By the time we arrived at the terminal, we were all ready to get back home. I had a freshen up plan when I arrived at the airport, which meant some extra repacking. Unfortunately the airport security people weren’t very happy about it. We packed up pretty quickly – I got the sense that if we didn’t there was a good chance we may not have made our flight because we would’ve been spending some time in a small room. Eventually when we did get to the check in counter, it took ages, we discovered Australia is one of the few countries where scanning your passport isn’t allowed. After what seemed like an interminable wait we got to wait again to go through the security screening point. Eventually we got through to discover that despite the US being a beacon of mass consumerism, there was limited airport shopping opportunities. We had arrived early to a) ensure we were through security in time for the flight, b) get some dinner before we flew and c) get some shopping in. And of course as soon as we arrived, we discovered our flight had been delayed. We went to do some limited shopping but there wasn’t much, except of course for some last minute souvenir shopping. The airport gift shop is even better than the hotel gift shop for random souvenirs – from MoMA gifts to NYPD paraphanalia. And of course lots of stuff plastered with the empire state building. [The KKK Took my Baby Away- Ramones – a three chord love ballad with a surreal dimension that reminds me of wandering through graveyards with the sticky sweet taste of Southern Comfort on my lips.]
Stocked with souvenirs, we thought it was a good chance to get dinner. Our internal flights with Delta were a bring your own snacks kind of affair. Eating in the bar come restaurant in the airport seemed like a sensible solution. It was a decent place to chill out while we waited… and waited. Dinner was pretty good for an airport eatery. Eventually we moved towards the gate to ensure we had a seat to sit in. One of the things that I noticed at the airport which I hadn’t noticed wandering around NYC was that there were quite a lot of Hassidic Jews. In the airport the men removed their hats and coats but still had a skull cap underneath. After an eternity, we finally boarded for the first leg of the long journey home. Delta assured us the time would be made up in the air but as we checked the flight path against the time (and constantly revisited the estimated arrival time, it was becoming more and more likely we would miss the connecting flight. We asked the stewardesses what we should do and just as we were about to land there was an announcement over the PA for everyone to remain seated so we and the 12 or so other people bound for Australia, could make a run for it. We did, but alas when we arrived at the gate, the plane had long since departed – it wasn’t even one of those situations you see in the movies where the plane is just pulling away from the gate. It had pulled away, taken off and was probably half way to Sydney by now.
We followed the other seasoned travelers to the enquiries desk. Obviously there was no flight out until the next evening so they booked us a local hotel until the departure time the following day and gave us a number of food vouchers that were redeemable in the hotel or at the airport. There were some strange stories amongst our fellow travelers – the guy who was supposed to have a meeting and hour after he arrived – or the girl arriving in Sydney for her friend’s wedding later that day. It’s a 14 hour vtrans-pacific flight people. Surely you should build in some fat. Hell I fly to Sydney the night before so I don’t get fogged in! We left our luggage checked, picked up a survival pack (t-shirt, toothbrush etc) and found the shuttle bus to the airport hotel – the Westin. It was across the road from a series of typical LA landmarks – a Taco Bill and two billboards for weight loss remedies. We checked into what was a pretty comfortable room with all the trimmings including in-room movies. We were so exhausted we showered and turned in for the night, with the idea of chilling at the hotel the next day. [Josie –Blink 182 – probably my favourite Blink song – just a super sweet little love song.]