As usual, we are up before the alarm. So we’re ready to go and just cooling our heels for an hour. Our driver is scheduled for 8am, so finally, around 7:30, we just give up and go. We take a last look around the cabin and head out. Luggage is right there, we’re outside waiting, when we realize….we FORGOT THE FREAKING SAUSAGE! Cannot believe it! After all the joking we were doing, and calling the security guy who caught me Sausage Man, and hope Sausage Man doesn’t catch us taking this off, and if we get delayed overnight, maybe the sausage won’t make it, and oh well, we can have the sausage for dinner if we get stuck somewhere….and WE FORGOT THE SAUSAGE!
CRAP!
We can only hope that Raymond, our cabin steward, takes it and eats it instead of throwing it away. OMG, I thought I was stressed on Monday in Palermo. Now I’m just angry – at myself of course – but still……I may never get over it!
So, in our angst, we wait for the driver, who shows up around 7:45, and the other 2 couples show up too, so we are out of the port way before 8:00. We find out from one of the other couples that Lufthansa pilots are on strike – which is why our flight has been cancelled (we really need to watch the news when we are aboard). Today is a short haul strike, tomorrow long haul. Hmmmm…1 day or 2 in Rome? We’ll just have to see.
We get to the airport before 9:00 and are directed to the ticket purchasing line. There we wait while every transaction takes forever, but we do end up being put on an Alitalia flight to Boston – at 10:30. Run for it! Although we end up with plenty of time, especially since passport control was hysterical – he glanced at my passport, then shoved it back and didn’t even look at Ed’s.
The downside is that we do not have seats together. So we ask the gate agent if we can get seats, and he says no. Then we ask to upgrade, and we actually could get the comfort plus seats across the aisle from each other. Not too bad for the cost.
We end up bulkhead/exit row so there is tons and tons of room. Now we just have to Boston and hop on a flight to Charlotte which will get us in almost 4 hours earlier than the original itinerary – with one less stopover. Might turn out all right after all – sausage not withstanding!
We’ll see how it all shakes out….
And it all shakes out well. The seats are great – we can stretch out, nothing in front of us (except the bathrooms). And while the food isn’t the best (They tell us its chicken but it says turkey on the tinfoil covering the meal – truth in advertising….not here!), we don’t mind – it’s good we’re not carbing up – and we have tons of movies to watch - we each watch 3 – which totally passes the time and we end up in Boston before we know it.
Global Entry works like a dream – we’re through passport control so fast, we’re the first one’s waiting for the baggage….which takes more than 1/2 hour to come! Our 2 hour layover becomes much less than that, and then we have to re-check our bags, which is bizarre – there is a small little area with a few desks, a woman standing there asking if we were on Alitalia from Rome, then she takes our names and checks us off a printed list! No conveyor belt for the luggage in sight, so maybe we’ll see them in Charlotte, maybe not.
Logan is ridiculous! We need to go to terminal B and it’s like a 5 mile hike from where we are – so 2 hours is now down to about 30 minutes! We finally arrive at the US Air terminal (which we have to go outside across lanes of traffic, to get to) and go to the service counter to get our seats changed and add our Known Traveler # for TSA Pre-check. The counter guy is a hoot, and we make friends because we are all goofing around. He gives us the last 2 seats together – last row – but who cares? It’s only 2 hours.
Pre-check is great – love not having to take off your shoes or take out the lap top and liquids. Nice! The gate is really close, and we actually have time for a beer, wine and wings at the Hometown Sports place right across from the gate. I can hear the gate announcements and I make us rush, because I swear the gate agent said we’d be boarding soon. But – no we aren’t boarding – I have no idea what she was saying over there.
But, not 5 minutes later she calls our name. Oh no….she says she needs to change one of our seats because someone needs bulk head. I told her we had just changed our seats so we could be together. (But bulkhead, huh?). Long story, the other guy took an exit row seat – and somehow we ended up in the bulkhead seats right behind first class! Very nice! Guess our little guy at the ticket counter liked us.
We finally boarded, but there are so many “special pre-boards” that by the time zone 1 is called, 3/4 of the plane is already seated. And, of course, they’ve used the overhead by our seats. I hate that. People are so rude with that. So – that means 2 of our carry ons are in row 10, and we’re in row 4. Oh, and my carry on is in 1st class – but that’s easy to retrieve.
Flight is uneventful – but late – they were only using 1 runway in Boston due to the high winds, and we were 17th in line to take off. When we rolled, there were 22 waiting behind us. We get into Charlotte 20 minutes late, which isn’t a big deal to us – this is our final destination. But more than half the plane has connections and there is a melee to get off that plane. But not so fast people! You guys forced us to put our carry on luggage behind our seats – and I’m comin’ to get it! Outta my way! 
Fortunately, I’m small, and I’m fast – so I make it back to row 10 without too many elbow gut punches. Of course I’m sardined in between Mr. businessman and his huge computer bag, and Mr. Forest Ranger guy – who is very nice but who’s head I’m going to take off when I get the suitcase down from the overhead. He’s got a connection, and I feel bad for pushing back to him, but truly, I’m not going to make the difference in his catching his flight.
We eventually get out of the plane, keeping close to the walls of the jetway so everyone can run past us. Checked bags arrive pretty quickly and we are in the shuttle to the hotel before 9. Very nicely done.
At the hotel, we’re a little noshy, so we go to the bar/restaurant – which is obviously running at 1/4 capacity – as it looks like they are relocating and renovating the space. It’s dark and dreary in there – and the bartender doesn’t seem to have much experience. Ok, no experience. She doesn’t know how to open a bottle of wine, so I teach her while I do it for her. She’s sweet – just clueless. And the food choices? Eh. We opt for the wings, which turns out to be a very good choice – at least judging from another customer who sends back his chicken Caesar salad because the chicken was obviously freezer burned and microwaved. Ick. He re orders a pulled pork sandwich that doesn’t look appetizing either. Our wings take a while, but come out hot and crisp and good. Lucked out there.
We fade after dinner, hit the room and hit the bed. We’re happy we made it back and didn't get stuck with all the strikes. Only a 4 hour drive home in the morning and our adventure will come to a satisfying end, once again!
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