Midnight in Beantown

It's been a long day.  We were up late last night, getting the house ready for Ashley and David to move in and our suitcases packed because the plan was to leave by 8 a.m.  We rarely leave at the time we plan to leave, but we actually were on the road before 8:30, which is somewhat of a miracle.

Thank God Walt kept the traffic report on the radio because he had decided we would fly out of San Francisco, where we could get a direct flight to Boston, rather than from Sacramento, where we would have a plane change.  I have never heard traffic reports like this morning.  Every. single. highway.  Every. single. bridge. was backed up forever.  The Bay Bridge, the logical one to go over on your way to SFO was backed up from the toll plaza to Pinole, a distance of about 15 miles.  There didn't seem to be too much about the Golden Gate Bridge, so we decided to go that way and were VERY happy because when we got to the bridge (with only minor delays), we heard that the Bay Bridge was STILL backed up (though not as far now).

When we got to San Francisco, we stopped at the Stonestown shopping mall to look for a bathroom, which we were both "relieved" (in every sense!) to find.  I loved that they have those Dyson air hand dryers, which are SO much more efficient than those blowers...and fun to use too.

 

Outside the bathrooms, in the mall itself, we found these cute little "Mall Racers" for parents to push their kids around.

 

My favorite thing about them was the sign posted on the little bag attached to the back of it.

 

From Stonestown, we drove down to the place where we leave the car when we are flying out of SF.  On the way we saw something extremely unusual on the window of the car.

 

I seem to remember this phenomenon from years past, but I can't remember what you call it, it's been so long.

We had about 2 hours to kill in the airport, so we had lunch, and then they started lining up to get on the plane.  This was, they told us, a very. full. flight. so some people would have to be checking their carry on bags.  We were in the last group to board and I knew we would have to check our carry ons (which would involve unpacking one because there was no way I was going to check my computer and my iPad.

But then they called for people who needed assistance to board and I saw this one woman with a cane come forward and I thought...hey!  I can do that.  They got her in a wheelchair to take her to the gate, but let me follow (with Walt), so that we were the second to board and had no problem with stowing luggage.

In truth, I did feel a little guilty. Watching the woman who boarded with me, she obviously had a lot more trouble than I did, but I didn't worry about it too much.  During the flight she got up a couple of times and limped down the aisle, hanging onto the seats for support.

The flight was uneventful. For the first half of the flight, I read my Kindle and when it started to get dark outside (my seat light wasn't positioned well for reading), I switched to an audio book. I am listening to an audio book by Harlan Coben and the woman sitting next to me was reading a different book by Coben.

At one point, when bringing the meal cart down the aisle (you buy your meal...don't even get free peanuts or pretzels, for pete's sake!), the plane jumped a bit and all the meals feel in the aisle. We all helped pick them up and then when the guy asked me what I wanted, I told him I would take the tossed salad (well, he thought it was funny).  Walt and I shared an Asian noodle salad, which was tasty.

When we arrived at Logan Airport, I sat in a chair while Walt went to the bathroom and as I watched here comes the "disabled" lady and her husband, no cane in sight, and walking briskly, each pulling a suitcase.  She walked better than I do, so I didn't feel guilty about going in the disabled line after that!

I don't know how late we were arriving in Boston, but at least half an hour.  But Jeri, Phil and Lester were here to greet us and now we are at their house.  Everyone has gone to sleep and I will soon join them.  I'm missing the Tums I should have packed because that Asian noodle salad is giving me heartburn.  I'll sleep it off.