Jeffrey made me do it, but it’s almost free for our three!! **Updated 5/19** - Page 2 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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Okay, I’ve neglected this TR for an entire month. I was hit with a lot of what I like to call ‘stupidness’ the day after my last installment and while I have been doing my best to avoid all of the drama (I like to keep things light – I get enough drama from my students, so I don’t need it otherwise ), I really haven’t been able to concentrate on writing. Being that I have this week off, I’ve been regrouping & organizing all of my TR stuff over the past couple of days and I’m ready to give this another go!
again, for all of the kind replies everyone! Amy, I don’t know if I’d call having a 15 year old fun all of the time, but I would definitely say it’s interesting! Now, without further adieu…
Now playing: “But we’re not going to Detroit!” and “Not again!!”
Friday, February 15, 2008 – Day 1
My original plan was to leave work a little bit early so we could make it to the airport with plenty of time to spare, but that wouldn’t come to be as one of my teaching assistants decided to start her vacation early and flew out to Florida on Wednesday night. School lets out at 2:20pm, so I got my stuff ready while our kids were checking out with me & my other assistant. I’m supposed to stay until 2:30pm, but when the bell rang, I went out to my car and waited for the buses to leave. As soon as they left, I was right behind them.
I made my 2½ minute commute home to find my dad waiting outside with his car running. I ran in to use the bathroom, grabbed my carry-on (Jeffrey & I brought our luggage to my parents’ house earlier and loaded it into Dad’s car) and we were on our way. I don’t know what time we left exactly or what time we arrived at the airport, but I do know we were inside the terminal in Continental’s check-in line at 2:45pm. I think we made excellent time! Not quite the 2 full hours, we normally allow, but close enough.
There was only one couple in front of us and it was taking a bit of time. I wasn’t quite sure what the hold-up was until we got up to the counter ourselves. Apparently, our flight was delayed and wouldn’t be leaving ‘Providence’ until well after 7:30pm, which was well after the time we were due to be leaving on our connecting flight in Newark. I remained calm and asked what was going to happen because we’d be missing our connecting flight. The attendants (there were 2 – one was trying to figure out what my shirt said, so she wasn’t too concerned ) were wonderful and told me not to worry – they were going to put us on a Northwest flight to Detroit! Ummm…that’s great, but we don’t want to go to Detroit. (Nothing against Detroit, that just wasn’t our destination! ) One then clarified that we would leave ‘Providence’ at 4:21pm (14 minutes earlier), arrive in Detroit at 6:28pm, take a connecting flight at 7:38pm and arrive in Los Angeles at 9:40pm (59 minutes earlier!) That works for me!!
(The shirt in question by the attendant) Any guesses on what it says?
They shuffled us over to the NWA check-in, where we had to wait for what seemed like forever. I’m sure it wasn’t that long; it just felt that way at the time. There was quite a bit of confusion, but eventually someone came out from behind the counter and started to help customers in line as it had built up quite a bit behind us. Fortunately, we were first in line and the attendant was wonderful. She even hooked us up to sit near each other, once I explained Kyle’s dislike for flying and how he would like to be near at least one of us. The first flight she put us all in the same row – Jeffrey on an aisle, with Kyle on the other aisle & me in the middle. The second flight, she had me & Kyle at the window and middle seat, with Jeffrey in a seat behind us.
So, off we went to security. This area had been changed since the last time we flew in September and seemed to move well until we were directed into another line at the far end, which kind of curved away and was blocked from everything else. Jeffrey had gone first and I was trying to see where he went, when I saw that Kyle was pulled off to the side after our ‘stuff’ went through the scanner. Then I was pulled over to stand next to him and ALL of our ‘stuff’ was taken away. They had everything…our money, our credit cards, our identification, our tickets…you get the idea. I immediately start questioning him as to what he did. He kept saying, “Nothing, Mom…really!”
We were then told that we had been chosen to undergo a thorough screening. (I’m pretty sure this was because we must have been profiled as just having purchased our tickets, even though it was a transfer between airlines). I voiced my concern about how everything we had with us was whisked away. I was told to watch it from where I was. I could see security rifling through everything, but that was more than 25 feet away past the security booths. At that point, I could see Jeffrey sitting there in oblivion. I could tell he was enjoying the moment and taking it all in, without a care in the world. I’m sure he must have seen security going through our bags, but I don’t think he made the connection that they had everything we had until I made mention of it when we got to the other side. I would have taken a picture, but…they had the cameras too!! (Although I probably would have been in trouble for taking photographs in that area anyway. )
One of the security guys tells me to walk through this supped up security thing, so I did. What he failed to mention was that doors were going to close me in from either side! Then all this air was burst at me several times. I didn’t know that was coming either! Talk about freaked out!
I’m finally allowed to the other side and go to the table where they are examining all of our ‘stuff.’ The security woman there was very kind once she realized nothing had been explained to me beforehand. Apparently, I was screened for explosives once again! The process was a little different from when I had to go through that in 2006; I guess I must look like some kind of national security risk or something to have to go through this twice! She tested the rest of our ‘stuff’ for explosives and we were on our way…again.
We made it to the gate and after all of that, it wasn’t very long before they began boarding our flight. We were in an exit row, which was REALLY nice! All that extra leg room really made a difference. I was a little nervous not knowing whether or not Kyle was old enough to sit in an exit row as I thought one had to be 16, but my nerves were put to rest once the flight attendant told us 15 was just fine! We will definitely be seeking out the exit row on future flights, that’s for sure!
The flight to Detroit was uneventful. We were at the gate for our connecting flight in no time. It was well past dinner time and we were right by a food court, so we went in search of something to eat. Kyle & I went first, while Jeffrey stayed with our belongings. We both decided on a place that specialized in peanut butter sandwiches on homemade-type breads. I had peanut butter & banana. Kyle decided to have peanut butter & jelly and peanut butter & banana. Jeffrey had a slice or two of pizza from Sbarro. By the time we finished, it was time to board our flight to Los Angeles.
The plane was huge, but we were closer to the front than the back. We had been spoiled by the roominess of the exit row seats, but we made it through the flight just fine. Kyle had the window seat, with me in the middle seat and Jeffrey in the seat behind me. We broke out the portable DVD player and watched “Pursuit of Happyness” (Jeffrey had a perfect view from between our seats and, surprisingly, the cord to his earphones was plenty long enough.)
The movie was wonderful and was kind of a sign of things to come throughout our vacation. Since about January or so, Kyle has become quite the Rubik’s cube aficionado! He can solve the thing in less than a minute, with his fastest time being something like 34 seconds! No joke! I couldn’t solve that thing in 34 years!
In any event, our trip was sprinkled with the Rubik’s cube; I only wish I had taken photos to document all of the interaction!
AND…..the number 61!!!
Now, before you go thinking I’m all psycho, this was not something I went looking for. References to Bronson just kept popping up all over the place! Jeffrey pointed them out about as much as I was. It was quite bizarre!
Anyway, we had another uneventful flight and arrived in Los Angeles at 9:09pm (1 ½ hours earlier than our original flight schedule!). We collected our bags and took the shuttle to Alamo. Kyle amazed a woman with his Rubik’s cube skillz on the drive over. It was probably the first time I noticed that everyone was watching him, some more obvious than others. It was kind of neat to see him get so much positive attention.
We picked out our car for the week – a blue Toyota Prius – hooked up the GPS and we were on our way through Los Angeles in search of the Renaissance Hotel.
Jeffrey’s exhaustion got the better of him. The GPS would tell us to go in one direction and he would go the other. He was so tired, that he was convinced he had gone the correct way. Looking back on it now, it’s kind of comical. Not so much then, especially when we were in some scary desolate area of Los Angeles! Eventually, Jeffrey remembered how to drive and we arrived safely at the Renaissance Hotel!
There was only 1 person ahead of us, so we chatted with the people in line behind us. They were from Boston! Small world! Our check-in went smoothly. We were in a club level/concierge room on the 19th floor, with complimentary breakfast for the next day! I thought of Eileen (Caldercup), when we had to insert the key into the elevator in order to get to our floor – only our card wasn’t gold
We loved our room! The view was amazing! And, the beds were very much welcomed by our tired bodies!
The hotel pool
The skyline
The Kodak Theatre!
This is where my exhaustion got the best of me. I kept taking photos out the window and I noticed this cool video screen out there, but then I would look out the window and couldn’t see it. I thought I was losing my mind, until I realized it was the reflection of the television in the window!! Not exactly the brightest bulb! At that point I knew it was time to go to sleep!
I being the first to post after TR update!
Great job! And I also the Pursuit of Happyness. One of my all time favs!
You had great views and your day seems to have went great too!
whee! finally! right before i'm about to board the plane for LA myself. hopefully there will be more by the time I land. very nice though. hope I get a room like that at the Rennaisance
that security device is something i like to refer to affectionately as a puffer. the theory is if you have handled explosives, you'll have residue on your skin or clothing and that sucker blasts you with air and knocks all those particles loose and then analyzes them.
Yay! Glad to see an update, Dyan. And how cool that you managed to get a flight that would get you to LA even earlier. Love the "video screen." Can't wait for the detour!
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Mickey's so happy to see me back, he can barely contain himself!
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), I really haven’t been able to concentrate on writing. Being that I have this week off, I’ve been regrouping & organizing all of my TR stuff over the past couple of days and I’m ready to give this another go! 
again, for all of the kind replies everyone! Amy, I don’t know if I’d call having a 15 year old fun all of the time, but I would definitely say it’s interesting! 
School lets out at 2:20pm, so I got my stuff ready while our kids were checking out with me & my other assistant. I’m supposed to stay until 2:30pm, but when the bell rang, I went out to my car and waited for the buses to leave. As soon as they left, I was right behind them.
Kyle decided to have peanut butter & jelly and peanut butter & banana. Jeffrey had a slice or two of pizza from Sbarro. By the time we finished, it was time to board our flight to Los Angeles.
being the first to post after TR update!
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