There is one thing that comes in handy when you travel for a living – I have great travel Karma. Usually……
If you need to get from point A to point B stick with me. I know the system and the Travel Gods generally tend to spin the dradle in my favor. There was one glaring exception to this involving a return trip from Bergen, Norway that took me through 5 major international airports and left me crying in Frankfurt as I watched them ignore my desperate pleas to open the airplane door so that I could get home to see my wife on her birthday. I’ve never forgiven them for that, nor will I.
So it was with my usual egotism that I booked flights for my kids and myself from Minneapolis to Detroit and on to Erie, all so that we could visit my parents at the Chautauqua Institution, last refuge of civilized man in America. Occasionally the Tao reminds me that I am an idiot.
Friday – getting to Detroit to find our flight to Erie cancelled, I quickly rebooked us to Pittsburgh, rented the car and drove to Chautauqua. Long day, safe arrival, except my bag was now in NWA limbo. Monday – get to Erie for the return flight and all hell breaks loose. When you’re at a one-horse airport if that one flight let’s you down you have NO OPTIONS!!! Quick, on the phone again, beg cajole plead offer first-born as collateral, squeeze 1 extra seat out of a direct from Buffalo to Minneapolis. How to get to Buffalo in 3 hours?
This is where the Music Gods and the Travel Gods sometimes intersect. When I had returned the rental car to the Budget office near the Erie airport I looked up and saw a sign that said “Budget is proud to sponsor music with Local 17 of the AFM.” I looked at the guy behind the counter and said “what up wid dat?” Turns out he’s a trumpet player (go figure), he plays some with the Erie Phil, we’ve got a dozen acquaintances in common, and generally hit it off immediately. As he was dropping us off at the airport he said “if you need the car again for some reason just give me a call.”
One quick call later and my man has hooked me up with another car and I’m frantically trying to make it from Erie to Buffalo in the midst of a lake-effect snowstorm. Now, to you snow amateurs out there this may seem impossible. 95 miles between airports when it’s coming down like you’ve never seen it and traffic, if it was going any slower, would be going backwards in time. But I was born and raised in Buffalo, I’ve forgotten more about snow than any of you will ever know (please rf. The Blizzard of ’77), and I knew if I could just get to the New York border that this band of lake-effect snow would probably dissipate.
That’s exactly what happened. Suddenly, not only had the Travel Gods and the Music Gods collaborated, but if I was really lucky I could get the Food Gods to work in my favor. Pushing my luck to the very edge, at exactly 1 hour before our flight was supposed to leave I was standing at the take away area of Frank and Teressa’s Anchor Bar. For the lesser foodies out there – like people from Rochester – the Anchor Bar is where Buffalo Wings were invented. Did I mention that I was born and raised in Buffalo? My Death Row meal is as follows: a 20-wing Suicide order from the Anchor Bar and a Labatt’s. Kill me now.
One hour later my kids and I found ourselves in First Class on a flight home. It seems they couldn’t put kids in the exit rows and the only place left was up front. I’m sure they’ll be trying to get the smell of Suicide wings out of that plane for days.
So my best Holiday wishes go to the following people who made it all happen:
- Unknown Guy @ NWA – the only person @ the airline who had actually helped me all weekend (the 4 day saga about my lost bag is not for the faint of heart and is way too long for this post)
- Brian – my trumpet playing bud in Erie. Keep practicing, and perhaps we’ll do the Arutunian together sometime, eh?
- The folks @ the Anchor Bar – for setting us up with the Righteous Wings
- The Lady @ the Gate in Buffalo – for sending me and my kids home 1st class
And for all of you out there – in this holiday season may your God go with you.
Peace……..