The Philadelphia Story - Completed 2/18 About This Page:

[rescuesk]

I didn't know you guys didn't like your food! My sandwich was good but alot more food then I usually eat for lunch! But you're right, the company was awesome! It was great to meet everyone and chat in real time!! The cookies were great (thanks, Lynn) and I love my key chain (it's on my car keys so I remember the meet every day when I go to work!) Next time, we are going to bring more phone numbers so we can call more Passporters. Our waitress was also very patient about taking pictures with a plethora of different cameras!

It was a wonderful afternoon...time to plan the next one!

[luvnwdwgal]

It's so fun to read about the great time you all had!!

[chezp]

Next time, don't forget our phone number - if you're having lunch, it'll be the evening over here and it'd be really to hear from you guys!

[BritDisFan]

Great TR ladies. I'm sorry Tara spent part of the night calling ralph on the big white phone, it MUST have been the flu . I love Mr Whiskie .

Karen

[BostonTeaParty]

The drive back to Philly seemed to go by in no time at all. Before we knew it we were once again gazing at the massive columns at the entrance to the train station. Joan and Rachel gathered their belongings and said their goodbyes. Rachel had fallen asleep on the ride back, and still looked like she could be feeling better. Who could have guessed this was our first premonition of the outbreak of "Passporteritis" that was soon to affect almost every member of the group!

Now it was on to the airport where Marie, Janine and I said our goodbyes to Tara and Lynn. Had it really only been a little over 24 hours ago that we were getting our first glimpse of the "Muffin mobile"? Time flies.... It was only around 4:30 in the afternoon, so we had plenty of time to kill before our flight. The decision was made to check our bags for this flight, since we didn't want to be dragging them with us everywhere for the next few hours. We were the only ones checking our bags, so it was a breeze! Right about now was our first inkling that something was up with Janine. As soon as we had our bags checked she told us she needed a bathroom immediately. Uh-oh. We found one as fast as we could. While we were waiting I called home (to make sure the house was indeed still standing), and let everyone know we were at the airport and would see them in a few short hours. I know Marie checked in with a call home too. When Janine emerged from the ladies room it was clear she wasn't feeling well at all. Fortunately, the airport was far from crowded. They also provide these really rocking chairs for guests. We found one for Janine so she could rest for awhile. What's worse than not feeling well and not being able to rest in the comfort of your own bed? The most remarkable thing about the Philly airport is they have a mall inside the airport. Marie and I left Janine to rest, while we went from shop to shop checking everything out. Still wearing our Patriots tee shirts, we were subjected to good-natured ribbing from many of the Philly airport employees. We even ran into a couple of people who called out "GO PATS!!" Turns out they were fellow New Englanders returning to New Hampshire. After inspecting just about every shop, Marie and I got a bite to eat at the food court. We went back to check on Janine who appeared to be sleeping. I told Marie to take a picture of her, and I hope she will post it, as it came out so cute! We noticed that directly across from where Janine was seated, was a TGI Fridays. We kicked ourselves for eating at the food court, when we could have had a couple of appetizers here and watched the Superbowl - which was about to start! We boldly walked into TGI Fridays, took good-natured ribbing from the employees there, sat ourselves down at one of the round tables in front of the TV and ordered beverages. It was the perfect location as we could watch the game and keep an eye on Janine. Unfortunately, the sound quality of the TV was poor. The video was only slightly better. But it was good enough that we could watch, and just as important, we could watch the superbowl commercials! I think it was the end of the first quarter when we talked to Janine, and she felt strong enough to make the walk over to Southwest. If she hadn't, they had these golfcart type vehicles driving around for passengers that needed assistance. We figured we'd flag one down and hitch a ride for Janine on one of those. Janine's fear was that if the flight crew knew she wasn't feeling well, they might not let her board until she was better. She had seen that happen to someone before and figured it was a possibility. Marie and I felt confident that the Pepto Bismol Janine had slugged down earlier would keep that from happening. With the second quarter about to start, in an almost deserted Southwest terminal, we found seats for Janine to sprawl out on and rest until it was time to board. Marie and I plunked ourselves down in front of a TV and caught the second quarter. One other thing I would like to mention here --- as we noted earlier, Philly is a very arts oriented city. This extends to the airport as well. You can look just about anywhere and find examples of artwork from schoolchildren to talented local artists. The airport also has a wall with posters of all the movies filmed on location in Philly. Aside from Rocky, Philadelphia and Witness, I was surprised to see the sheer number of movies made here that I was completely unaware of. Off the top of my head I remember seeing posters for Trading Places, The Sixth Sense....oh, and THE PHILADELPHIA STORY.

Coming up: A QUICK FLIGHT HOME

[loobyoxlip]

Oh, poor Janine Nothing worse than having to fly when you're feeling poorly.

Thanks for more, Nancy

[JoanW]

Oh Janine, I didn't know you didn't feel well in the afternoon!

The ride back to Philly was pretty quiet, Rachel perked up every now and then. She was coughing still and said she was tired. We had a big discussion about food, Thanksgiving dinner specifically and all our traditions. We had a few laughs at my DH Pat and some of his mishaps when he "helps" me.

We drove past the stadium on the way to the train station and saw a lot of fans. We saw a lot of people waiting to get into bars to watch the game. With really long lines. I hope they got in eventually!

We pulled into the train station around 4:00, and said our goodbyes. Rachel and I headed right to the bathroom before we checked out our line. On the way out, we noticed our train was delayed by five minutes. This grew in length with the passing of every five minutes. We got a big lemonade at a stand while we waited. Finally, at 4:50, we boarded. This train was much more crowded, but we found seats. Rachel immediately went to sleep and her breathing was laborered. I called Pat on his cellphone, but no answer. He should have been picking up Grace from Confirmation class, so I just left a message that we were on the train and were on our way. I decided to take Rachel to Nighttime Pediatrics as soon as we got home. I also called my brother in his cell phone, as he was coming in from a week in the Czech Republic with his youth hockey team. They were in Newark, New Jersey, just landed and were getting some Burger King, then they were boarding a bus to bring them back to Annapolis. A very successful trip for him too!

Pretty soon we were passing Wilmington and then Aberdeen, and then Baltimore and finally we pulled into the Baltimore Airport station. It was almost 6:20, 20 minutes late. We got our stuff and headed to the car. From the car I called Nighttime Pediatrics (surprisingly, their phone number is one digit off of our home number, so I know it by heart - I get at least five calls every weekend with wrong numbers). They can't see us till 9:30 pm, so we head home first. My phone rings and it's Grace, telling us they are almost home from church (5:00 Mass). So we pull in about five minutes after them. Pat has been to BJ's (like Costco), and has purchased MANY snacks for Superbowl. Rachel changed into sweats and got into our bed until 9:00, when I took her to Nighttime. We got home from there around 11:00 pm, with her penicillin for strep and we fell into bed exhausted.

It was so much fun, just hopping in the train and going to lunch! I would love to do it again (hint, hint Tara and Lynn, when everyone is feeling better!)

Girls (and guys), lets plan another outing. If you want you can come to Annapolis, another fun town.

[RobDVC]

I'm glad you all enjoyed Philadelphia so much. It's even nicer in the spring and summer.

[chezp]

Great couple of installments guys - I'm sorry to hear about Janine.

You're right about Philly airport - I just loved those rocking chairs and that mall and we noticed the art all over the place as well. It's a really place.

[LizardCop]

Great Updates Guys!!! Sorry Janine was sick though...

[FanOfMickey]

I never want to fly when I am sick again, it was awful. The story I have seen when someone was not able to fly while being sick was on Airline. Which we all know is Southwest, so I got the awful feeling they may not let me board. Though, the person on the show was feeling week and I believe the person had also fainted. Still, it was making me worried lol. I ended up calling out of work on Monday due to still being sick. I was feeling better then I was on Sunday, but still not up to working or standing for long. The weekend was great otherwise and I had a wonderful time with everyone.

[GoofyMom]

I'm sorry you were feeling sick for the flight home Janine.

[luvnwdwgal]

So sorry you weren't feeling well on your flight home Janine!

[BostonTeaParty]

Time to put this TR to bed. I have to apologize for taking so long to eke this thing out. I don't get on the computer as much as I'd like, and I have to jump on when I can and bang this baby out. Usually just before I head out for work in the morning.

So now, without further ado - the final installment of The Philadelphia story.
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When we last left off, our three Mouseketeers from the North were patiently waiting for their flight home. Janine was resting as best she could, spread out over several empty seats, while Marie and I watched the Superbowl. The second quarter had just ended - Paul McCartney had taken the stage and was sounding just great! We caught his first song, the title of which eludes me for the moment. (I hate when that happens.) I'm pretty sure it was a Beatles song. I wish I could have watched the rest of the halftime show. For the first time in a long time, it was worth watching. Instead, we lined up and waited to be called to board. The plane wasn't even half full so we had our pick of any seat we wanted. Janine took the entire row in front of us, and Marie and I were in the row just behind her. We looked out the window at all the glittering lights below. It was so beautiful! Our pilot kept us updated on the score of the game, and there was much cheering and hooting with each announcement. Within 45 minutes we had a smooth landing back in Manchester, NH. Our bags were out in no time and then it was goodbye to Marie, who had a long ride home ahead of her - back up to those majestic mountains and uhhhh.....crazy moose!

Janine and I took the elevator back to the parking lot and found her car without much difficulty. I drove back as far as my house, to give her more of a chance to take it easy. We said a quick goodnight and I just prayed she didn't get lost finding the highway, or worse, sick!

I am happy to report I met with Janine recently for coffee and she is back in the pink! The really unfortunate (and rather bizarre) thing was how ill almost everyone got. Joan's daughter Rachel had strep, Lynn and Tara got pneumonia, Marie caught some ugly virus, we already know about Janine, and I believe Joan was ill too. I was spared this nasty bug, or as Janine teased me "maybe I'm the carrier."

Again I'd like to thank everyone who took the time to offer their comments and encouragement. I took great pleasure in your enjoyment of this report. I also want to thank the various Passporters who submitted their invaluable photos and memories of the weekend. It added so much more depth to this report than I could ever have achieved on my own.

[loobyoxlip]

Thanks for the wrap-up, Nancy!!