The intrepid traveler
Yesterday I had to go to San Francisco to cover a hearing. I looked at a map and got a schedule for the bart system (subway) and figured out that I could walk from the bart station to the courthouse. My flight into San Francisco International would get in at about 8 a.m. and bart had trains every 8 minutes, no problem.
Norm said why didn't I save money and take a cheaper flight into Oakland, because bart goes to that airport too, but I was not going to chance it--that flight didn't arrive until 8:20 and Oakland is a lot farther from court. (the hearing was at 9:30).
So my flight on United was cancelled and I went on the much cheaper flight on Southwest into Oakland. I found bart ok, but all the guy in the information booth would tell me about which train to take was San Francisco for $3.15. I put a $10 into the machine and my only choices were to subtract or add money. When I got down to $6, it wouldn't let me subtract anymore (it had a minimum of $5.05 and didn't let me change except in increments of $1's. So I put my $6.00 ticket in the booth and when I got off at the civic center the ticket I got back had $2.85 left on it.
After wondering around and asking several people where the street for the courthouse was, I finally found it. I was magically only 10 minutes late, but they didn't call my case for over two hours. Now my flight back was at 1:25 and I left court at noon, so I was racing.
I asked the guard where the bart station was and he pointed up the street and said you can't miss it. Ha. I'm walking and walking and I stop at a bus stop which has a map and I'm trying to get my bearings when someone stops me to ask directions and I said don't follow me, I'm lost. Well by some miracle, I turned a corner and there was the entrance to bart that I had come out earlier.
This time there was no one at the information booth. I read the list of destinations and none of them said Oakland airport. My choices were Daly and East Bay. Give me a break. So I asked the guy in a flower booth--which side train do I take and he said the one on the right. So I did and it was right. I had put an additional $1.50 on the ticket just in case and found the bus back to the airport with no problem and got into the airport with 30 minutes until my plane left.
I couldn't believe that I was going to make it and then I saw the line at the counter and at security. So after 15 minutes without the line at the counter moving hardly at all, I called Southwest's 800 number and they re-booked me to the 3:05 flight. Southwest I must say, was just a pleasure to deal with. They were so terrific about everything.
When you fly on Southwest, the seating is first come, first serve--so people line up. They used to give out numbers, but now you get an A, B or C when you check in and there's an A line, a B line and a C line. So about 1/2 hour ahead of time while I was drafting my "You guys are so Great" letter to Southwest in my head, I stood in the B line--well actually there were a lot of C's in the B line, because the line was a little too long to be that organized, but I was feeling pretty magnamous at this point. At 3:05, the line hadn't moved and my feet hurt. At 3:30 I decided to leave the line and go to the restroom. When I got back I just barely made the end of the B line as it was filing onto the plane (they were putting all the C's in a more defined line to the side now) and I got the last window seat on the plane. Needless to say, they are not getting a "you guys are so great" letter after all.
I got to the Burbank airport too early in the morning to valet park and I couldn't find a shuttle bus to the short term parking, so I walked the six blocks in the heat back to my car. I went home, ate dinner and went to bed at 7 p.m., but for some reason I still have dark circles under my eyes today.
Then this morning I got a call to go to Manhattan Beach at noon. I figured it would take about 2 hours to drive there, but there was so much stuff to get ready for the hearing that I couldn't leave until 11. So of course I was running late and I called opposing counsel to tell him I'd be late and he gave me directions that had me drive by the ocean. That was so nice. When I got there the hearing was canceled, but at least I got to drive by the ocean again on the way back.
Jim has a trial in Ventura later this month--I see more travel in my future.
Norm said why didn't I save money and take a cheaper flight into Oakland, because bart goes to that airport too, but I was not going to chance it--that flight didn't arrive until 8:20 and Oakland is a lot farther from court. (the hearing was at 9:30).
So my flight on United was cancelled and I went on the much cheaper flight on Southwest into Oakland. I found bart ok, but all the guy in the information booth would tell me about which train to take was San Francisco for $3.15. I put a $10 into the machine and my only choices were to subtract or add money. When I got down to $6, it wouldn't let me subtract anymore (it had a minimum of $5.05 and didn't let me change except in increments of $1's. So I put my $6.00 ticket in the booth and when I got off at the civic center the ticket I got back had $2.85 left on it.
After wondering around and asking several people where the street for the courthouse was, I finally found it. I was magically only 10 minutes late, but they didn't call my case for over two hours. Now my flight back was at 1:25 and I left court at noon, so I was racing.
I asked the guard where the bart station was and he pointed up the street and said you can't miss it. Ha. I'm walking and walking and I stop at a bus stop which has a map and I'm trying to get my bearings when someone stops me to ask directions and I said don't follow me, I'm lost. Well by some miracle, I turned a corner and there was the entrance to bart that I had come out earlier.
This time there was no one at the information booth. I read the list of destinations and none of them said Oakland airport. My choices were Daly and East Bay. Give me a break. So I asked the guy in a flower booth--which side train do I take and he said the one on the right. So I did and it was right. I had put an additional $1.50 on the ticket just in case and found the bus back to the airport with no problem and got into the airport with 30 minutes until my plane left.
I couldn't believe that I was going to make it and then I saw the line at the counter and at security. So after 15 minutes without the line at the counter moving hardly at all, I called Southwest's 800 number and they re-booked me to the 3:05 flight. Southwest I must say, was just a pleasure to deal with. They were so terrific about everything.
When you fly on Southwest, the seating is first come, first serve--so people line up. They used to give out numbers, but now you get an A, B or C when you check in and there's an A line, a B line and a C line. So about 1/2 hour ahead of time while I was drafting my "You guys are so Great" letter to Southwest in my head, I stood in the B line--well actually there were a lot of C's in the B line, because the line was a little too long to be that organized, but I was feeling pretty magnamous at this point. At 3:05, the line hadn't moved and my feet hurt. At 3:30 I decided to leave the line and go to the restroom. When I got back I just barely made the end of the B line as it was filing onto the plane (they were putting all the C's in a more defined line to the side now) and I got the last window seat on the plane. Needless to say, they are not getting a "you guys are so great" letter after all.
I got to the Burbank airport too early in the morning to valet park and I couldn't find a shuttle bus to the short term parking, so I walked the six blocks in the heat back to my car. I went home, ate dinner and went to bed at 7 p.m., but for some reason I still have dark circles under my eyes today.
Then this morning I got a call to go to Manhattan Beach at noon. I figured it would take about 2 hours to drive there, but there was so much stuff to get ready for the hearing that I couldn't leave until 11. So of course I was running late and I called opposing counsel to tell him I'd be late and he gave me directions that had me drive by the ocean. That was so nice. When I got there the hearing was canceled, but at least I got to drive by the ocean again on the way back.
Jim has a trial in Ventura later this month--I see more travel in my future.
posted by KathrynVH @ 4:00 PM
2 Comments:
At July 29, 2005 at 5:25 PM,
Melody Beth said…
I was wondering how you got back so fast. I was like how did she get there, go to her hearing, and get back all in that time! Now I know!
At August 1, 2005 at 7:55 AM,
EZ Travel said…
Damn!! I have never taken a flight to and from anywhere all in one day. That is just crazy talk! I would have used the money I saved on the cheap flight to spend the night.
I watched the show "Airline" on A&E once and it seems that people are always claiming disabilities so that they can get early boarding on Southwest. Let me know if you want to borrow Jackson for that purpose.
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