3.51 - The One with the airports

I've been through my fair share of airports over the last year, and to be honest...my favorite one is Pearson International in Toronto. LaGuardia in NYC is old and extremely cramped. JFK is amazing...but seems too big and disconnected. Detroit's NWA Terminal is pretty sweet with the monorail that goes above the gates. SeaTac (Seattle/Tacoma) is also disjointed but effective. Atlanta's Delta Terminal is super busy all the time, and Bermuda's International Airport is nice...but the girl at the Delta desk was on some power trip and I just wasn't in the mood for her ignorance. I coulda smacked her...she just added to my frustrations with Delta and I will never fly with them again.

But back to Pearson International...it just doesn't seem as cramped at the check-in desks, the people that work there want to help you, and going through security is painless...unless you're an idiot. The one complaint is the Canadian Customs officers who basically have too much power...but I suppose that's the price you pay to live in a safe country like Canada.

3.48 - The One with the long day in NYC

who knew that travelling could be such a pain in the ass? Here's what went down...

• left home at 5.30am to get to Pearson International for our flight to NYC at 8.15am
• got there no problem...went through security, customs...very smooth
• landed at La Guardia on time at 9.45am
• our American Airlines plane couldn't dock at the gate because another plane was there. it was a medical emergency so they had to take someone off the plane.
• when we did finally get to the gate...there wasn't anyone there to open the door so we had to wait even longer.
• 40 minutes after landing...we finally get off the plane and make our way to our connecting flight with Delta Airlines to Bermuda
• got to the Delta terminal and it was a zoo.
• tried to get our boarding passes but the computer wouldn't let us...we asked a Delta agent to help and he had to go up and talk to his manager.
• By this time our bags and our flight were leaving and we were stuck in NYC...hoping to get to Bermuda
• Delta booked us for the same flight for the following day and sent us back to AA and told us that that should be responsible for us missing our flight and provide us with a hotel room for the night.
• We went back to the AA terminal and found an AA agent and explained it to her...she thought that Delta was crazy and that AA has a flight leaving at 4.30pm from JFK to Bermuda
• we then took her word and lined up at the ticketing booth and waited in line (11.00am)
• by 1.00pm we had our tickets and boarding pass for the 4.30pm flight to Bermuda out of JFK and sent there in a limo (first time sitting since getting off our first flight at 9.45am)
• got to JFK's American Airlines terminal and it was something else. ever see the movie The Terminal with Tom Hanks? It looked like that...except not as much stuff.
• Naomi said it looked like a space station...
• Exhausted and hungry...we went through security and found out that our flight was delayed for 2 hours. I think it was because it raining like crazy there. All the flights to Toronto and Montreal were cancelled.
• So we found a place to eat...and then went shopping in the terminal.
• There was an Oakley store there and for those who know me...they know I like my Oakley sunglasses (ya..say it...UH OH)
• ...and if you haven't guessed by now...I came out with a new pair of CUSTOM white Monster Dog glasses with ice iridium lenses. They were cheaper than any of my other Oakleys by a lot...PLUS they are custom one of a kind.
• We didn't get on our flight to Bermuda until 6.45pm and didn't take off until 7.15pm.
• 10.20pm local time (Bermuda) we landed and went through customs...and thankfully our bags were there waiting for us since 2.15pm

what a day...I need to try to change our tickets coming back I think. word of advice...pay the extra for non-stop flight...or if you have to have a connecting flight...make sure it's with the same airline. We woke up to rain this morning...but we're here...