Guess where I am?
Hint: It's not London.
Second hint: There's a tall pointy thing in the middle of town called the "Washington Monument."
Yes, that's right, I'm in the capital of the USA, where I was supposed to change planes yesterday on my way to London. We experienced such a ridiculous series of delays getting my plane off the ground in Jacksonville that it didn't arrive in D.C. until an hour after my London flight had left.
I could have caught a later flight, at 10 p.m., but I wasn't crazy about flying out so late and arriving in London so late (11 a.m.). So I decided to bump the whole trip forward by 24 hours, which gave me an extra day in Washington that I could use to see people. As my friend Kevin said, I'm "making lemonade."
Today I'm meeting Kevin, who I've known since elementary school, and my friend Liz, from the Peace Corps, for brunch. Then I'll join my cousin Kristine for a quick snack before making my way to Dulles Airport. Kristine had expressed an interest in coming to Florida for my mom's funeral, but of course we didn't have one -- so I'm glad we can connect this way.
I'm staying in Crystal City, Virginia. My hotel has seen better days, but it's convenient and I knew I could walk to it from the metro (Washington's equivalent of the tube or subway) rather than faffing around with taxis. The airport delays yesterday were partly associated with weather, and apparently there are continued delays possible today -- something about severe storms in the northeast. Fingers crossed I get out smoothly!
(Photo: Near the Crystal City metro station, last night.)
You certainly know how to turn a delay into a fun extra day! Let's hope today's storms don't cause another inventive interlude.
ReplyDeleteMmm... Are you in Weston-super-Mare down in Somerset? Your delayed arrival in London will have messed up Dave's arrangements with the brass band and Sadiq Khan for the "Welcome Home" celebration.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely a Cosmic Chuckle, so you could meet up with more people!
ReplyDeleteI guess it is lemonade, though I suspect most people would be annoyed by, the delay.
ReplyDeleteGood on you for making the best of it.
Oh dear. But- hey! You really do have the right attitude and I very much admire that. I would have melted down into a puddle of frustration and self-pity.
ReplyDeleteGreat photo.
I hope you're on your way home by now and that you had a good time in Washington DC.
You really are making the best of it, getting to spend time with old friends. Hope all goes well with the journey home. Yes, fingers crossed.
ReplyDeleteI love that photo.
You do know how to turn a frustrating event into a bonus, Steve! So glad you got to see more friends before you head back to London. Hope you get home safely and soon!
ReplyDeleteMighty fine lemonade!~
ReplyDeleteSave Travels
ReplyDeleteCheers
the last thing I want to have to do these days id fly somewhere. so many delays, cancellations, sitting on the tarmac in the plane for hours. I'll wait til they get their shit together, if they ever do.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you were able to turn it into a positive experience! They say dogs don't have a sense of time like we do, so it's not like Olga will be disappointed about the delay. On the other hand, Dave probably is.
ReplyDeleteGlad you got to visit friends and enjoy the delay.
ReplyDeleteGood for you for turning a negative into a positive. Enjoy your day there.
ReplyDeleteIt's always a better idea to enjoy the unexpected, even if it's not what you wanted. Enjoy your lemonade!
ReplyDeleteHow you roll...Excellent adventure in the middle of an adventure.
ReplyDeleteI used to go to Crystal City frequently when I interned at the EPA, which was a long time ago. It was amazing to me how much stuff and people there was there. Dulles is an interesting airport, with the mobile lounges.
ReplyDeleteI hope all goes well so you can be home soon.
ReplyDeleteDear Dave,
ReplyDeleteI have been in upstate NY for a week visiting my mother so now I am catching up on blogs. I just read all of your posts and I must say that the post about your mother and her life was beautifully written. It brought tears to my eyes. I am so sorry for your loss. The whole aging thing is a scary process for sure. My mom will turn 89 in October and I am thankful for everyday I spend with her.
We were almost at Newark at the same time! I was there on the 20th, changing planes. Safe travels back to London.
Sometimes when there are problems it's better to miss something.
ReplyDeleteAha! More Britishisms! Faffing about. I figured I knew what you meant but Googled it and learned that it is sort of U.K. slang for "messing around". But thanks for the lesson once again.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you're getting to spend some time with friends! And fun fact - we're having a thunderstorm at this exact moment.
ReplyDeleteSafe travels, Steve! I understand from my sister who lives in D.C. that it's unbearably hot, so I hope you stayed cool as well!
ReplyDeleteIt's nice that you can see old friends. I'm sure you'll be home safe and sound quite soon.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
Great idea and not a bad place for some lingering. How wonderful to be with old friends. Hope all goes smoothly.
ReplyDeleteBoud: I kept getting alerts on my phone about the severe storms and how they'd cause delays. Argh!
ReplyDeleteYP: And Sadiq isn't easily available these days, he's so busy defending his expanded ULEZ plans.
GZ: It really did work out well, all things considered!
Bob: I really didn't mind. I'm in no hurry.
Ms Moon: It would only have been a problem if I needed to be back by a certain time.
Robin: Yes, I'm trying to seize the day!
Ellen D: I'm glad too! Who knows when I'll get to DC again?
Debby: Indeed!
Padre: Thanks!
Ellen: I'm not sure it's going to get better than this. I think this is just the reality of air travel these days.
Kelly: I think he was a bit bummed, which frankly surprised me a little!
Pixie: It was a nice bonus.
Sharon: Thanks!
Margaret: A good way to "Accentuate the Positive," as the song says.
Linda Sue: It's a luxury to have the spare time to do something like this!
Allison: Yes! It's much busier than one would expect.
Colette: Fingers crossed!
Michael: Glad you got to visit with your mom. I need to catch up on everyone's blogs, now!
Red: The universe is unpredictable. Better to just roll with it!
Catalyst: Yes! "Faffing" is a great word. Our friend Gordon says it all the time -- I picked it up from him.
Bug: It's been pretty crazy in the USA with all these summer storms.
Elizabeth: Yeah, it was pretty awful when I was there. I stayed indoors, mostly.
Janie: Fortunately I like to travel!
Mitchell: Yeah, much better than Charlotte or Atlanta.
What a smart idea. If you have to get stuck, may as well make that lemonade!
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