Travel Firsts

I'm back in the city, after an uneventful flight from Knoxville. I almost expected something to happen, the way there were several firsts on the trip there:

1. The first time I really misjudged how long it would take to get into Manhattan at 2 a.m. (Note to self: it isn't a half hour; it's more like an hour and a half at that time of the morning.

2. The first time SuperShuttle was ridiculously early. My scheduled pickup time was 2:30 to 2:45 a.m.; in the past, they've usually run to the late end of that range. But I got the "Your driver will be there in 15 minutes" reminder call at 1:45! I was still in Astoria at that point (See #1 above).

3. The first time I had to depend on the kindness of a stranger to get where I was going (See "Holiday Heartwarmer" entry). Without that cab driver overlooking my lack of a tip, I would have been dropped off just inside Manhattan and missed my shuttle ride.

4. The first time we had a landing problem not due to weather. I've arrived at Newark in the winter before when storms below forced us to circle the airport with some 20 other planes in a holding pattern, then land somewhere in Pennsylvania to refuel, then go back to circling before coming in for a very rough landing. (Come to think of it, I believe that wild trip might have been last Christmas.) But this time we were approaching the Knoxville airport in clear conditions with little wind-- no problem, right? Well, the landing gear was out and we were about 100 feet or so off the ground when our pilot suddenly pulls up to circle the airport one more time. As he told us, the control tower had just told him we'd be cutting it too close by coming in for a landing at that moment: imminent collision with another plane at the end of the runway! This kind of stuff happens at Newark, or JFK, or LAX, or another major airport with a lot of traffic, not my little regional airport in Knoxville!

With the unexpected problems cropping up on the flight there, I was definitely expecting something to go wrong on this flight, but it couldn't have been smoother. I slept the whole way, even through landing-- another first! We even got in early, which doesn't happen often in New York!

Holiday Heartwarmer

It's no secret: People are a little more generous to strangers as the Christmas holiday approaches. Hence, the toy/food drives and all the bellringers collecting for the Salvation Army outside nearly every grocery and retail store. (And for my fellow NYers, more beggars on the streets, particularly along Shopping Mile of Fifth Avenue.)

I've been on the giving end more than once, but I've never been on the receiving end... until early this morning. I'm flying out from Newark-Liberty this morning at 6:30, which meant I needed to get up extremely early to head into Manhattan and meet my shuttle ride to the airport.

[On a side note, can anyone please explain to me the logic for needing to meet the shuttle at 2:30 in the morning for a 6:30 flight? There's almost no traffic at that hour, so we usually get to Newark in about fifteen minutes, and the TSA security line at that hour of the morning is laughably short. But could I schedule any later pickup time with the shuttle? Of course not.]

Anyway, I'd seriously misjudged how long it would take me to get from Queens to Manhattan at that hour of the morning (Hint: schedule about an hour and a half if going by subway; the trains are really unpredictable in the early morning hours), and I usually meet my shuttle outside the Warwick Hotel on 54th St. Since I was running late, I flagged down a taxi to take me into the city. This isn't as easy as it sounds: why is it so cursedly difficult to find a cab in Astoria after dark?

The problem was, I had only $15 in cash on me, and I knew the fare alone to the hotel would be about $16, not including tip. I told this to the driver before I got in the cab, and amazingly, he was fine with it! As he told me, some people tip more generously around the holidays; he could afford to take a few people who were just short of the full fare. Not only did he not put the trip on the meter, he realized I was late and hurried to get me to the hotel on time.

I didn't even get his name, and I certainly wouldn't recognize him again, not having gotten a look at his face in the first place. But wherever he is, I owe him one. Maybe I'll show my thanks by tipping generously the next time I take a taxi. He'd probably approve.

Coining a new word

Here's a new word for you:

HOL-I-CIDE (noun): The uncontrollable urge to strangle someone in a holiday-related temporary madness.

My first soon-to-be-victim: The street musician who's playing Christmas tunes on his clarinet below my office building. Word around the office is that one of our editors actually paid him last year to move a block away.

Actually, the Christmas tunes aren't so bad, but he plays "Santa Claus is Comin' To Town" every other song!

Mixing business with fun? Um...

Ah, the company holiday party...

1. When the bar is open, but too many drinks is not a good idea. I saw it for myself at the last company party, and trust me, that inebriated person does not live it down-- it comes back up in conversation when the next company party rolls around.

2. When you're trying to mingle with coworkers, but the band is so loud, no one can hear anyone else, even when they're shouting right at each other. Ringing in the ears lasts for at least 30 minutes after you leave the party, you can feel tables vibrating slightly from the volume, etc.

3. When, near the end of the night, you see people you would never expect out dancing. Gotta admit, I was thoroughly impressed by several people on the dance floor. Yes, I was out there too, even if I was partially deaf (see #2 above).

There's a strange split personality about company parties. You're supposed to be able to relax outside the office, but you can never get too comfortable with your supervisors around!

This year I've been with the company for nearly a year and a half, and the difference in the number of people I knew at the last Christmas party and those I know now is amazing. The entire time I was there this year, I was playing the name game in my mind: 'Yeah, that's so-and-so from Production, and that's so-and-so from Marketing, and-- is that so-and-so from Legal out on the dance floor?? Wow. Who knew he was a dancer?

All in all, though one friend was gone this year (you were missed!) it was a pretty good night, I think!

Apartment Living

Man, you really don't realize what a luxury a doorman (or woman!) is until you've lived with one... and then have to live without one!

(Yeah, yeah, I know everyone who hasn't lived in an apartment high-rise in the city is going, "Huh? Doorman? Why would you need one?")

Well, doormen are more than just door-openers for the apartment building: they are greeters/gatekeepers who usually know faces and sometimes names of most of the tenants who live there-- and conversely, those strangers who don't live there (and sometimes shouldn't be there!). Sometimes they're liaisons, if something in the apartment or building needs fixing and you need to get in contact with the super. They often help you with luggage, if you're heading out to or coming in from a day of travel. And--this is what I'm most lamenting since I've moved into a non-doorman apartment!--they sign for packages and leave them where you can get them later. I SO miss that!

Now that I live in a 3-story walk-up in Astoria, there's no doorman, or for that matter, anyone at home to sign for packages, and no safe (or dry) place to leave the packages except inside the front door, which is locked all day. I came home unexpectedly in the middle of the day yesterday, and who should catch me walking out of our building but the local UPS delivery guy! He told me he was really glad he caught sight of me-- my building is one of the most difficult addresses on his route, simply because there's rarely anyone at home to sign for the packages.

I miss my doormen. Doormen and bellhops across NYC are talking about striking on New Year's Day, to try to convince building owners to give them more of a share in the buildings' profits. I think they're worth it-- we take their services for granted when we have them, but let me tell you, we sure miss them when they're gone!