Travel After Divorce

Sitting in an airport bar there is a culture shock to just how empty this terminal is. It’s one of two terminals in upstate New York, and I can count on one hand the amount of humans in here. This fact only amplifies the thought process I had all week….. How is upstate New York the equivalent of being in Kentucky?… AND I’ve lived in both.

GETTING UPSTATE FROM JFK AIRPORT IN QUEENS

It’s not rocket science to use the railroad, either subway or Long Island to get to JFK International Airport. For this trip, I found myself awake at 0400 and having a cocktail by the 0500 train to the city. The only positive I can say about upstate New York is the ease in which you can travel from your house to the destination. Amazingly I was on time and arrived with zero issues headed for my hour long flight.

Another advantage of leaving on a trip early is the fact that by the time the plane decides to leave the gate, I was already asleep. Being that my job has me up early daily, I usually spend this time constantly looking at my watch and waiting for my angel of a girlfriend to call me. Today is no different.

ARRIVAL TO KENTUCKY-SYRACUSE (SAME THING).

The minute you get off the plane in Syracuse it becomes apparent that there must be less than 20 flights arriving and departing from this desolate location. There appears to be a closed restaurant which makes me happy knowing I usually end up stuck in places like this and might need a cocktail in the hours I am trapped.

Walking out of the airport there is but one option to make it to my hotel which is to attempt to get an Uber. Well, as you might imagine, a desolate location makes for a VERY long wait time and cancelled rides from the drivers. Finally, after 15 minutes, I am in the back of a very old ford edge headed to the Holiday Inn Express.

A QUICK TRAVEL TRICK WHICH WAS LEARNED…..

After traveling the earth I finally realized the best way to pack and do baggage. I’m sure a lot of you reading must already know this, but I found the perfect bag for a 3 (ish) night getaway. It is within the confines of “carry on” only it’s usually just a bit too large to get into the bin. This suitcase DOES make it through security, and then what you do is check it at the jetway as you are getting on the plane.

The advantage of this method is, as we all know the worst thing is waiting at the carousel for luggage, especially when on a vacation. The other thing everyone knows and hates is the long time it takes to deplane once you arrive at a location. By checking the baggage at a jetway, it’s the last luggage to be loaded and the first to be unloaded. By the time you get to thank the pilot for a nice flight, your bag is right in front of you!!!

OKAY BACK TO THE MISERY OF SYRACUSE

Thank freaking god my job pays for my hotels and the Holiday Inn Express is the answer. This property is spacious, has a bar, pool, and a very nice staff that makes this journey all that much easier. A few drinks, a semi-decent burger, and it was off to bed to make the next portion of my journey all that much easier.

The next few days I spent even further away in Lake Placid and was climbing an actual mountain, but that is another topic alltogether. I spend a lot of my time traveling, thinking about my girlfriend, listening to podcasts and honestly…. planning our next trip!

THE END OF THE JOURNEY

Being that my destination was in Lake Placid 3 freaking hours away from Syracuse, for the first time in my life I missed my flight home. Heading back to the small little airport, I was awakened to the fact that Jet Blue had no other flights out that day. This was brought to my attention to the fact that there was zero people from the airline still working and they just leave the counter and airport for the day! Sucks!

I then realize that there has to be some airline flying back to NYC so I ask some lady from a random counter who clearly doesn’t have beyond a 9th grade education. She couldn’t answer the question of when flights are leaving and then I thought to look for a departure screen to get the answer she clearly did not have.

Finally when locating a screen I sadly learn that there is ONE plane leaving for JFK Airport and this airline was my only option to getting home to my cat. Going to the counter, I realized I was at their mercy, and thank god my credit card limit wasn’t reached to get me out of this miserable town.

IN THE TERMINAL

After security I was delighted to meet some really nice workers at the 3 airport lounges that were open. It was the good conversation, the numerous Michelob Ultras, and the fact that the Mets finally won a game that made the 4+ hour wait worthwhile. I wont bore you with the usual arrival back to NYC and AirTran details, but as mentioned, this mode of transportation is worth its weight in gold.

Coming soon will be my account of Lake Placid New York! Live, Laugh, and love the shit out of the beautiful person you replaced your ex-spouse with! You earned this!!!