Alternate Routes
Aug. 15th, 2010 02:04 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
talktoolooseSo, we're going to Japan in 7 days. Yikes.
In the meantime, I took an extra week of vacation, because there's no work at our company now and there will be tons in the fall. I am at Logan Airport in Boston, returning from a week in New York and here. I will post more on the trip tomorrow, but in the meantime, here's the adventure of getting to the airport and a reminder why you need to have some spare cash on you.
After spending some lovely time with![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
quirkstreet in Somerville, I get to the subway at Davis Square and am surprised to see my train sitting there, doors open. "I'm in luck," I think and run onboard. We sit for five minutes, getting regular announcements that "We are experiencing minor delays on the Red Line due to communications problems." We finally move, go one station and stop again, this time for ten minutes, getting the same announcement over and over. We limp to the next station, Harvard Square, and stand there. Luckily, I get a seat, because the train is packed. And not going anywhere.
Finally, after 15 minutes, they announce, "The whole system is stopped due to communications problems. If you're trying to get to South Station (bus and train) or Logan Airport, you better make alternate arrangements." Everyone starts moving, and I realize that they all need the same cab I do. I get out to Harvard Square and immediately spot a young woman with a suitcase. "You going to Logan?" I ask and she says yes. We agree to share a cab. I see one coming and jump into the middle of the street so he pulls up to us first. $47, he tells us. That's going to be $53 with tip. I have exactly $US26 left, and she doesn't mind paying the extra buck, since I'm arranging everything.
So, now I'm sitting here at the airport with free Wifi (free means I had to agree to watch an ad from a sponsor first — and hilariously, "skip video" was an option). I've been in an "OMG-gonna-miss-the-flight" situation enough times that I'm good at not panicking. I mean, this is nothing compared to the time in Shanghai when we took the subway to a stop near the airport only to discover that "blue" on the subway map meant, "proposed line". Mad cab ride, dodging cars, buses and bicycles, arriving just as they close down the counter.
In the meantime, I took an extra week of vacation, because there's no work at our company now and there will be tons in the fall. I am at Logan Airport in Boston, returning from a week in New York and here. I will post more on the trip tomorrow, but in the meantime, here's the adventure of getting to the airport and a reminder why you need to have some spare cash on you.
After spending some lovely time with
quirkstreet in Somerville, I get to the subway at Davis Square and am surprised to see my train sitting there, doors open. "I'm in luck," I think and run onboard. We sit for five minutes, getting regular announcements that "We are experiencing minor delays on the Red Line due to communications problems." We finally move, go one station and stop again, this time for ten minutes, getting the same announcement over and over. We limp to the next station, Harvard Square, and stand there. Luckily, I get a seat, because the train is packed. And not going anywhere.Finally, after 15 minutes, they announce, "The whole system is stopped due to communications problems. If you're trying to get to South Station (bus and train) or Logan Airport, you better make alternate arrangements." Everyone starts moving, and I realize that they all need the same cab I do. I get out to Harvard Square and immediately spot a young woman with a suitcase. "You going to Logan?" I ask and she says yes. We agree to share a cab. I see one coming and jump into the middle of the street so he pulls up to us first. $47, he tells us. That's going to be $53 with tip. I have exactly $US26 left, and she doesn't mind paying the extra buck, since I'm arranging everything.
So, now I'm sitting here at the airport with free Wifi (free means I had to agree to watch an ad from a sponsor first — and hilariously, "skip video" was an option). I've been in an "OMG-gonna-miss-the-flight" situation enough times that I'm good at not panicking. I mean, this is nothing compared to the time in Shanghai when we took the subway to a stop near the airport only to discover that "blue" on the subway map meant, "proposed line". Mad cab ride, dodging cars, buses and bicycles, arriving just as they close down the counter.
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no subject
Date: 2010-08-15 07:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-08-17 09:51 pm (UTC)Thanks! I am in pre-travel crazy mode, and my last two days of work are also going to be crazy. Can I just be in the air now?
no subject
Date: 2010-08-15 09:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-08-17 09:48 pm (UTC)Thanks for your sweet hospitality, my friend.
no subject
Date: 2010-08-16 01:02 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-08-17 09:49 pm (UTC)I had an enjoyable time in NYC, checking out the Highline and Chelsea. Did your consulting gig go well?
no subject
Date: 2010-08-17 11:18 pm (UTC)Consulting gig went very well. Fun project, got a lot done, a chance to catch up a bit with my friend there. I'll see her without working next week, at her house on Fire Island.
And guess what? I got a job! I was offered and accepted today, and I'll start on 8/30. It's by no means my dream job: it's not enough to live on and it's 1.5 hours commute each way. But it's honorable work and it's full time with health insurance, before I ran out. I'm happy and relieved.