It’s Saturday December 18th, 2010, what is meant to be the busiest traveling day of of the year… or so the pilots that stay at the hotel I work for told me… I am already stressed out enough when it comes to catching flights, that this information gave new heights to my anxiety levels.
I am going to Philadelphia to visit my lovely Leah (my old co worker from Japan) for 5 days of hugs and catching up. Leah currently lives in Berlin…. Philly was a much cheaper/shorter flight.
I decided to fly with Porter, mostly because I knew it was much closer than Pearson to downtown Toronto and there was a flight arriving to Newark at the same time as Leah’s flight would arrive from Berlin.
Chris came with me this morning, only to make snide remarks the entire time regarding the “ludicrousness” of the airport. First of all, the airport is on Toronto Island, requiring passengers to take a ferry to and from the mainland. The ferry is about a two minute ride, because the island is about 100 feet from the mainland. Chris, oh so casually, asked the porter attendant if their was a bridge in the future for Porter.
“No, but they’re building an under water passenger tunnel.”
Oh good, they’re taking the easy route….
So after our two minute ferry ride, you follow a long path leading to the check in and baggage check. By the way, for any of you flying to the US, be sure to spell your FULL middle name when buying the ticket. The initial is not enough and it takes about 20 minutes to fix that. Sorry about that lady that had to press the control + enter key about 78 times. Apparently looking identical to the picture, having first and last name correct and the middle initial being the same as the first letter of the middle name, isn’t enough.
So anyways, Chris and I were planning on having breakfast in the airport… except, there was no food. Nothing; just check in and security gates. Unfortunately, after the long wait and ferry ride, Chris just had to turn back around and go find some food on the mainland.
Certainly there would be something to eat in the lounge!
I get down to the lounge, and it’s like heaven. Light grey walls with darker grey furniture, nice lighting, comfy couches and seats, a business center with Mac computers (which I am on right now), free newspapers, free coffee, tea, espresso, juices, pops, water, cookies, nuts, biscotti, free, free FREE!!! And don’t you think for a second they went cheap, I am munching on some Blue Diamond Roasted Almonds people. After this blog, I’m going to go help myself to some Tazo tea and probably eat more cookies. I might suggest they get some hard boiled eggs.
It’s super small, insanely ridiculous to get to, but oh so cute! I bet cartoon characters serve you on the plane.
great review of an airport lindzy! i enjoy your epic journey writing style, “first this and it was bad, then this and it was good! then couches! success.”
hopefully the porter flight went well and leah is doing great.