The Luck of the Irish

The inspiration for the headline is from today's pilot who announced somewhat shocked, "It must be the luck of the Irish because there are no delays getting into LaGuardia today."

Here's my story:

I struggled to get up this morning as I knew that as soon as my feet hit the floor, there was not rest for the weary until I got home.

First, I got my hotel bill under my door and the morning didn't start well when I saw I was charged for parking -- that was $20 a day plus tax. Too much to ignore so I employed this button on the phone that has a smiley face (gag, gag) on it and it says, "Consider it done." Meaning just ask and we'll do it.

Not exactly.

He did fix the bill, believed me that I didn't have a car parked. I decided to take advantage of Mr. Consider it Done to ask the best route from my room back out to the front door. I couldn't remember the various floor/elevator combination. Well, even he couldn't tell me.

So I got ready, launched out, and did make it, but I was incredibly lucky to stumble upon this one lonely elevator that only did 1/2 floor, but it was the level I needed. Got a cab, got to the airport two hours early which I actually prefer so I don't have to rush.

Nice Nigerian driver in a Crown Victoria cab so I felt as if I were home already. No problem checking it curbside. Got extra frisking by TSA for some reason. Had to go through that little booth where you put your feet on the big footprints and put your hands over your head. Oh yes, the terrorists did win. I must have set something off because then this woman was handfrisking me, not even a wand. The most annoying this is she kept calling me "baby" which I really didn't like.

I didn't have breakfast and I did want to eat something before the flight but was not looking forward to the various airport offerings. Came across this place called Nashville's New York Deli and I decided to try that. Plus I always enjoy seeing how people think they are recreating New York. Figured I could always get a turkey sandwich.

But it was better than that. They had scrambled eggs! It never occurred to me that I could have that -- but got scrambled eggs, bacon -- it came with these silver dollar size latkes which weren't bad, but I wanted some applesauce with them -- and they had bagels -- a choice of a plain bagel or an everything bagel. I picked the 'everything' and it wasn't quite as fat and robust and everything-y as its New York cousin, but it was great. Of course, I asked for scrambled eggs "soft" and I've yet to have anyone out of New York get what that means. I noticed on my bill it said "light" for the eggs.

Next agenda item was the ladies room. Literally took 10 steps out of the restaurant and there it was. Ten more steps and I was at my gate. My gate was B2 which could either be good (as it was today) or bad (when the numbers start at the far end.)

The flight was delayed, but then the tailwind was such that we actually arrived early. Nice flight. Nice crew.

On the way down on Tuesday, I left from D3 at Delta which had no jetbridge. You walked down two flights of steps, into a shuttle bus, transported some distance away and boarded the airplane using the airplane's steps. I had noticed that on the return flight, I was due in on D3 as well, and I wasn't looking forward to that process.

Then the pilot announces because of our 'we're late; we're early' back and forth, they changed the gate and we were going to Delta's other terminal. This time it was C15 which I took to be located somewhere in the middle so I was OK with that -- glad that there was no shuttle bus and flights of stairs involved.

When I get off the jet bridge, I am literally 10 steps away from the concession area. I almost couldn't believe it. I don't think I've ever had the closest gate leaving and arriving, but what a difference that makes. But it gets better. I walk across the concession area to an escalator and there I was in baggage claim. From the end of the jet bridge to baggage claim was literally two minutes.

As I'm approaching baggage claim, the conveyor belt toots and begins to move and I see my bag and I would have to really speed up to get it, decided to let it go around, then decided to speed up to get the bag and I was about three seconds off, until all of a sudden the conveyor belt stops and there is my bag, right in front of me. Thank you, Universe.

But there's more.

I get in the cab line -- and I'm looking for my Crown Victorias, and I wasn't going to get one so I had decided to tell the cab dispatcher that I would wait for one. I wasn't really paying attention to the people in front of me -- five of them -- but they told the dispatcher they wanted a cab together so they had to stand to one side waiting for a mini-van cab, making me next and there, next up, was my Crown Victoria.

We get on Grand Central and its bumper to bumper. At that point, I didn't care. I was sitting in the back of the cab headed home. The driver commented on the traffic, and just as he did, it totally opened up and we were going full speed ahead. No more traffic.

Got home, asked the driver to carry my bag up the steps and he did and so I sat outside for a few minutes. Remember at the Opryland, I hadn't been outside since Tuesday so the cool air was refreshing... and the frosting on the cake as I sat there -- who should come along but my crackhead  boyfriend/mouse remover -- oh boy, I can't remember my boyfriend's name. He stopped to chat, said he hadn't seen me in a while, etc. Nice little chat. He looked good -- not drugged out, alert, etc. Maybe there's hope.

So that was my trip back. I had to chuckle how the universe/the angels/whoever and whatever made my trip home so easy and cleared my path of any obstacles -- up to and including providing me with an Everything bagel on a Sunday morning. Life is good.