CMK10
Mar 29, 05, 6:06 pm
Background
When one conjures up images of an Arizona State Student on Spring Break, what places come to mind? Perhaps Cabo, Mazlatan or Rocky Point or some other hot spot with beer and a beach? Well call me a non-conformist because that just isn’t my thing as it requires drunkenness, no flying and spending your vacation in a place with a travel advisory by the US Department of State. Therefore, I decided to wing my way back to New York where I would spend two days in Durham, North Carolina at my family’s new house and two days in Cleveland with my best friend. I would be on 11 flights in 7 days, something that would easily kill a lesser man, but I’m not just a man, I’m Charles Kunz the Fourth.
Preflight
SATURDAY MARCH 12, 2005
America West Flight 711
PHX-LAS
Scheduled Departure: 8:30 AM
Scheduled Board: 8:00 AM
Never have an ordinary routing is my slogan and today was going to be no exception to the rule. My parents in an effort to save money and my sanity made a new ruling saying I could not spend anymore on a bizarre routing I wouldn’t spend on a normal one. Therefore I used PHX-DFW-LGA-DFW-PHX at $469 for my primer. Thankfully, a combination HP/AA routing via LAS was going for only $350, and I was sold. By 7:30 AM that morning I had eaten breakfast, said goodbye to my friend Dion who was sharing my apartment that week and parked my car in the Gecko Lot of Sky Harbor. The best part about today’s routing was that it started relatively late in the morning for me. Being able to be awake AFTER the sunrise was a luxury I was rarely afforded and I took advantage of it by basking in the sunglow while waiting for the bus to the terminal.
It had been a while since I was in T4, in fact I hadn’t shown my face since 2003 when I had been comped Flightfund Gold. However, armed with my Trial Elite Silver Status, I was back with a vengeance. Spring Breakers were out in force today and lines all over the terminal were long, be it for check-in or Burger King. Thankfully, I’m an experienced traveler and after one minute in the First Class/Elite Line I had my boarding pass and five minutes later I was through security. I had planned my expedition to the airport so well, that I only had ten minutes to wait at the gate before boarding. During this time, America West was begging for volunteers, offering them $300 in vouchers and a flight at 4:30. I wonder what one would do at PHX for eight hours while waiting on that flight. Finally, we boarded after I was told First Class was full and I’d be riding exit row to Sin City on:
Flying
Gate A21
Seat 11F Main Cabin – Exit Row
A-320, N640AW
Actual Board: 8:02 AM
Actual Depart: 8:32 AM – 2 Minutes Delayed
Take off 17 minutes after departure
I’d never taken a “crew hauler” before so this flight was quite the new experience for me. There were seven uniformed crew members seated in the exit rows and several more scattered throughout the cabin. As America West has a poor crew base at Las Vegas at best, these people were on their way to work and America West allowed them to board before anyone else. After I took my seat and carefully read the safety card (I take my responsibilities in the exit row very seriously) I watched our aircraft fill up. About five minutes before the door was shut, a gate agent walked down towards the exit row, could it be that my upgrade had cleared? Instead, the uniformed pilot in 10F was offered seat 1C if he wanted it while I sat stewing in my own anger juices. America West has hundreds of ads about the Valley asking me to vote for them for a Freddie and they won’t give me the free upgrade they tout so heavily? I was miffed, but soon we taxied out and took off and ASU’s campus was spread out below me glittering in the sun. My anger was put aside to be used later.
One of my favorite things about America West is their profound ability to provide a beverage to everyone on a short and full flight. Airlines like Delta could learn a thing or two from the HP flight attendants quick service. While large cups of liquid were being dolled out, the drop down screens played trivia and your humble narrator impressed himself with his majority of correct answers. After a clear day’s flying over beautiful sun-kissed desert, we began our decent at Las Vegas’s McCarran Airport (or Las Vegas/NV/McCarr as America West denotes it). The F side is the side to be on when you approach from the south as I was treated to a picturesque view of casinos that I couldn’t gamble at. Not yet at least, I’ll be back when I’m 21 and I’ll win! While visions of slot jackpots danced in my head, we touched down and taxied to a bustling America West pier and it was time to change airlines.
Scheduled Arrival: 8:46 AM
Actual Arrival: 8:40 AM
Gate B22
Preflight/Transit
American Flight 1008
LAS-DFW
Scheduled Departure: 10:53 AM
Scheduled Board: 10:23 AM
It had already been a long day and it was barely 9 AM. I walked out into the concourse to the tune of hundreds of slot machines ringing as desperate men and women fed in dollars in the hopes of a large return. Still, a part of me wished I was with them as I walked out of security to check in with American. After getting both my boarding passes, the AAgent on duty thanked me for my business. I was quite taken aback but I thanked him for working for his airline. Passes in hand I headed through security and went to the Admirals Club, just kidding my airline doesn’t provide LAS flyers with a lounge even though they serve six destinations. Still, I’m not the bored type as I read articles while consuming horribly overpriced Burger King before I was allowed to board:
Flying
Gate D10
Seat 25A Main Cabin – Exit Row
Ex-TWA 757-200, N720TW
Actual Board: 10:26 AM
Actual Depart: 10:55 AM – 2 Minutes Delayed
Take off 12 minutes after departure
I had never sat in the door 3 exit row and I must say, where has it been all my life? The mini-cabin at the back is quieter than up front and the legroom isn’t as obstructed by the slide pack as it is in row 8. I was quite happy with my seating assignment and I went so far as to call JAXPax so that he could share in my glee. After mutual story swapping about his impending trip the next week, they called for cross-checking and I had to hang up. After a short taxi across the vast expanse of the airport, we lifted off and began our short eastward trek back to Texas, where all dreams become reality.
As I’d mentioned earlier, it was a long day and for the first hour of the flight, I drifted off to sleepytown. I woke up when the flight attendants were handing out second packs of pretzels to anyone who could stomach them. I have to give them kudos for this; I’ve been on longer flights where after the first beverage run, nothing is offered. To compliment my pretzels I went to the back of the plane and garnered a beverage before returning to my seat to read while listening to music, perhaps the best pastime on a plane. My hour nap left only an hour and fifteen minutes more flying time which flew by (literally) and we touched down at the Metroplex sooner than I ever could have imagined.
Scheduled Arrival: 3:34 PM
Actual Arrival: 3:31 PM
Gate C16
Preflight/Transit
American Flight 806
DFW-JFK
Scheduled Departure: 5:39 PM
Scheduled Board: 5:09 PM
At this point I had a fever, and the only prescription was a Diet Coke at the Admirals Club. Unfortunately, the fever had reached epidemic proportions as the club was teaming with people starting international segments. Thankfully, my usual TV area towards the back of the A club was empty and I tucked myself into a corner with my beverage and a cup of tasty snack mix (pretzels, cheddar goldfish, crackers and peanuts, you can’t lose with that combo in your corner). After a bit of sitting, a young man sat next to me and pulled out a book and a highlighter. I instantly pegged him for a student and we had an enjoyable conversation about our respective schools, his being the University of Richmond. After forty-five minutes of conversation, he went off for coffee and I headed down to the gate with a quick check of the departure monitor to make sure my flight was on time.
Even though the monitor at the club promised me we were on time, the monitor at the gate showed a fifteen minute delay, forever irking me. Apparently our aircraft had come in from Mexico and it needed a security check before we could board so I was stuck milling about the gate in the shadow of the new airport train. Finally after our aircraft had passed inspection, we were clear to board:
Flying
Gate A33
Seat 3F First Class
757-200, N679AN
Actual Board: 5:25 PM
Actual Depart: 6:28 PM – 49 Minutes Delayed
Take off 10 minutes after departure
There are many drawbacks to flying on a 757. They take longer to board, the seats are old, the aircraft are often old, and usually if you’re in First, you do not receive pre-departure beverages. All of the above were true on today’s flight except for the fact that our aircraft was very new and in fact was the old “Astrojet” scheme aircraft. While waiting for the plane to fill up, I noticed a man with the seat assignment 3E seem rather lost when he got on board. Finally I told him he was seated right next to me and he thanked me for my help. Once he was seated I noticed the 1MM tag on his bag, I guess those were mainly credit card miles. Although we buttoned the plane up quite quickly we had a further delay for a rather odd reason. Apparently there was a dog in the forward cargo hold and it took the pilots 25 minutes to do the paperwork to make sure it wouldn’t die in flight. My jokes about “there’s a dog in 3F too!” went unnoticed or cared for and finally we were airborne again and I was winging my way towards the bosom of my family.
While on the ground, we’d had our meal orders taken from our rather bored flight attendant. Once airborne, our drinks were delivered to us from a cart which is unclassy in my opinion but when you’re in First off an O fare, you’d even pour your own drink and call it classy. We were also served a bowl of mixed nuts, though in this case it was about 95% cashews with a token almond or two. Thankfully this flight had not been catered with the new fangled soy nuts as only people who eat healthy wish to have soy and I am not one of them. After the nut trays were cleared, the usual refreshing hot towels were offered before the appetizer trays arrived. After linen made of pure silk (more likely rayon) was laid, I was given an old coach meal tray (unclassy strike 2) with a small bowl of salad with pre-plated dressing and a pat of butter. There was no bread plate and no choice of dressing but at least the food was still free. The salad was tasty consisting of lettuce and parmesan cheese and what I think to be vinaigrette but don’t quote me on that.
After I had time to eat my disappointing salad with foaccia bread (the other choice was honey wheat), the entrees were delivered. On this flight the choices were the abominable short ribs or “chicken”. However generic the second choice sounded, it wasn’t short ribs which are short on quality as well as taste. My piece of chicken was delectable and much appreciated, however it came with what I think was cabbage as well as mixed peppers. I was able to get a second dinner roll but I was unable to eat the sides as they were overcooked and extremely watery. Furthermore, the glass of red wine I requested was undrinkable, I rarely leave free alcohol (I learned that one at ASU!) but I couldn’t bring myself to finish this vino. After that was cleared we were offered (once again via tray) a choice of cheese, cracker and fruit plate or ice cream sundaes. As the former choice is for connoisseurs who can differentiate between fine and less fine cheeses and wines, I went for the second offering. The sundaes were the final disappointment to this sub-par meal as the norm is for them now to be pre-plated. While the cheesecake on top was wonderful, the chocolate ice cream was frozen and the drizzle of strawberry sauce at the bottom of the glass was stranded and by the time I found it, it was also coated in ice.
I understand why these cuts have to happen, especially in coach, but last year when American revamped their First Class product, they might have had the best domestic F cabin. Now they’ve fallen back to where they were beforehand as flights are going from Dinner to Snack, and flights like DFW-OMA/STL that recently received meals in First have gone back to “Beverage Service Only”. It seems that neither cabin on American is remaining competitive. I mused on facts like this while I sipped my coffee with baileys, something I can always count on to be good. The rest of the flight went fast, the flight attendants took left over ice cream and went to the back of the plane to gab about who knows what, and we were not offered another drink during the last 90 minutes of the flight. I read the rest of my articles and rocked out to only the highest quality Classic Rock. Eventually we descended through the clouds and the cold borough of Queens became visible to the passengers and then our wheels were back on the ground and I was back in the Empire State, if only for 7 hours.
Scheduled Arrival: 9:56 PM
Actual Arrival: 10:41 PM
Gate 42
I was greeted at the security check-point by my father and brother William who shuttled me home where I was able to garner a few hours sleep before awaking to another a long day.
--March 13, 2005 – Interstate 95 from Rye, NY to Petersburg, VA, Interstate 85 from Petersburg, VA to Durham NC, Durham NC--
I awoke at 5:45 AM which is far too early, especially after the small amount of sleep I’d had the day before. But I was on a mission from God, or at the very least, my father. By 6 Am we had started the engine on the Penske truck and we maneuvered it onto I-95 for the long trek south. The drive was extremely easy as we didn’t hit traffic anywhere. We picked up breakfast and gas south of Baltimore and then lunch and gas in Henderson, NC but other than that and for tolls, we did not stop. The drive took us through some of the cities I don’t usually see such as Richmond and Baltimore and as we’ve always been close, it was a fun trip for both of us. Finally at 2 PM, we rolled into sunny Durham, NC where the temperate was close to twice what it had been in NY.
My previous experience with the Research Triangle of North Carolina had been a connection at RDU two years ago. But my dad no longer wants to work in the New York rat races and you cannot live in Westchester unless you work there so it’s off to NC for my family come May. Unfortunately, I cannot say that I am impressed with our new digs. While the house and land are impressive, the town of Durham left a lot to be desired. The area we lived in was your typical suburban street, but if you drove a quarter mile, the construction ridden overpass of Interstate 85 was a rather large eyesore. The main drag by us was dotted with seedy fast-food joints and auto-repair stores. Downtown Durham seemed still in the grips of recovering from the tobacco recession, while it was on the rebound and will most likely be a wonderful place to live in 15 years; I’m here at the beginning. Also, being from the New York Suburbs, Durham is a let down no matter how quaint it may be.
After we removed every box (over 50) from the truck, we took a much deserved rest before my dad gave me a tour of the surrounding area. We dined that night at a cowboy themed restaurant before buying groceries for the next few days. We had an enjoyable quiet night at home reading books while listening to Delilah, a loved story obsessed soft rock syndicated DJ my dad loves. I never knew about that side of him. Around 9 PM the stress of the day as well as lack of sleep caught up with me and I retired at the earliest time in years.
--March 14, 2005 – Durham, NC--
Today was not forecasted to be an enjoyable day. While yesterday we had merely removed the boxes from the drunk, today we had to remove the contents from the boxes. Therefore we spent the morning and most of the afternoon filing away books, “do-dads” as my dad calls them and movies as well as hanging pictures and putting away clothes. Finally at 4 we called it quits and went to a local mall to report back to the rest of the family on the nearby shopping. After that we headed downtown to the trendier district for dinner at an upscale Italian restaurant. The best part about the trip was cruising around in a 15 foot truck and parking across multiple spaces before going to nice eateries. My dad told me we weren’t allowed to try and valet park the truck, much to my disappointment. Once again we passed the night away reading while listening to new CDs we’d bought, it’s an interesting feeling to have the same taste in music as your father, but a good feeling nonetheless. Finally we retried after a tedious day.
--March 15, 2005 – Durham, NC--
Our last day in the Tarheel State dawned sunny as the previous ones had. We finished up the last of the unpacking before lunch at our new country club (I bet this was the first time anyone showed up in a truck). After lunch we locked up carefully and returned the truck after accomplishing every one of our goals. That’s another one in the win column for team Kunz. Our cab showed up right on time and we were off to the airport for ERJ goodness up to The Big Apple.
When one conjures up images of an Arizona State Student on Spring Break, what places come to mind? Perhaps Cabo, Mazlatan or Rocky Point or some other hot spot with beer and a beach? Well call me a non-conformist because that just isn’t my thing as it requires drunkenness, no flying and spending your vacation in a place with a travel advisory by the US Department of State. Therefore, I decided to wing my way back to New York where I would spend two days in Durham, North Carolina at my family’s new house and two days in Cleveland with my best friend. I would be on 11 flights in 7 days, something that would easily kill a lesser man, but I’m not just a man, I’m Charles Kunz the Fourth.
Preflight
SATURDAY MARCH 12, 2005
America West Flight 711
PHX-LAS
Scheduled Departure: 8:30 AM
Scheduled Board: 8:00 AM
Never have an ordinary routing is my slogan and today was going to be no exception to the rule. My parents in an effort to save money and my sanity made a new ruling saying I could not spend anymore on a bizarre routing I wouldn’t spend on a normal one. Therefore I used PHX-DFW-LGA-DFW-PHX at $469 for my primer. Thankfully, a combination HP/AA routing via LAS was going for only $350, and I was sold. By 7:30 AM that morning I had eaten breakfast, said goodbye to my friend Dion who was sharing my apartment that week and parked my car in the Gecko Lot of Sky Harbor. The best part about today’s routing was that it started relatively late in the morning for me. Being able to be awake AFTER the sunrise was a luxury I was rarely afforded and I took advantage of it by basking in the sunglow while waiting for the bus to the terminal.
It had been a while since I was in T4, in fact I hadn’t shown my face since 2003 when I had been comped Flightfund Gold. However, armed with my Trial Elite Silver Status, I was back with a vengeance. Spring Breakers were out in force today and lines all over the terminal were long, be it for check-in or Burger King. Thankfully, I’m an experienced traveler and after one minute in the First Class/Elite Line I had my boarding pass and five minutes later I was through security. I had planned my expedition to the airport so well, that I only had ten minutes to wait at the gate before boarding. During this time, America West was begging for volunteers, offering them $300 in vouchers and a flight at 4:30. I wonder what one would do at PHX for eight hours while waiting on that flight. Finally, we boarded after I was told First Class was full and I’d be riding exit row to Sin City on:
Flying
Gate A21
Seat 11F Main Cabin – Exit Row
A-320, N640AW
Actual Board: 8:02 AM
Actual Depart: 8:32 AM – 2 Minutes Delayed
Take off 17 minutes after departure
I’d never taken a “crew hauler” before so this flight was quite the new experience for me. There were seven uniformed crew members seated in the exit rows and several more scattered throughout the cabin. As America West has a poor crew base at Las Vegas at best, these people were on their way to work and America West allowed them to board before anyone else. After I took my seat and carefully read the safety card (I take my responsibilities in the exit row very seriously) I watched our aircraft fill up. About five minutes before the door was shut, a gate agent walked down towards the exit row, could it be that my upgrade had cleared? Instead, the uniformed pilot in 10F was offered seat 1C if he wanted it while I sat stewing in my own anger juices. America West has hundreds of ads about the Valley asking me to vote for them for a Freddie and they won’t give me the free upgrade they tout so heavily? I was miffed, but soon we taxied out and took off and ASU’s campus was spread out below me glittering in the sun. My anger was put aside to be used later.
One of my favorite things about America West is their profound ability to provide a beverage to everyone on a short and full flight. Airlines like Delta could learn a thing or two from the HP flight attendants quick service. While large cups of liquid were being dolled out, the drop down screens played trivia and your humble narrator impressed himself with his majority of correct answers. After a clear day’s flying over beautiful sun-kissed desert, we began our decent at Las Vegas’s McCarran Airport (or Las Vegas/NV/McCarr as America West denotes it). The F side is the side to be on when you approach from the south as I was treated to a picturesque view of casinos that I couldn’t gamble at. Not yet at least, I’ll be back when I’m 21 and I’ll win! While visions of slot jackpots danced in my head, we touched down and taxied to a bustling America West pier and it was time to change airlines.
Scheduled Arrival: 8:46 AM
Actual Arrival: 8:40 AM
Gate B22
Preflight/Transit
American Flight 1008
LAS-DFW
Scheduled Departure: 10:53 AM
Scheduled Board: 10:23 AM
It had already been a long day and it was barely 9 AM. I walked out into the concourse to the tune of hundreds of slot machines ringing as desperate men and women fed in dollars in the hopes of a large return. Still, a part of me wished I was with them as I walked out of security to check in with American. After getting both my boarding passes, the AAgent on duty thanked me for my business. I was quite taken aback but I thanked him for working for his airline. Passes in hand I headed through security and went to the Admirals Club, just kidding my airline doesn’t provide LAS flyers with a lounge even though they serve six destinations. Still, I’m not the bored type as I read articles while consuming horribly overpriced Burger King before I was allowed to board:
Flying
Gate D10
Seat 25A Main Cabin – Exit Row
Ex-TWA 757-200, N720TW
Actual Board: 10:26 AM
Actual Depart: 10:55 AM – 2 Minutes Delayed
Take off 12 minutes after departure
I had never sat in the door 3 exit row and I must say, where has it been all my life? The mini-cabin at the back is quieter than up front and the legroom isn’t as obstructed by the slide pack as it is in row 8. I was quite happy with my seating assignment and I went so far as to call JAXPax so that he could share in my glee. After mutual story swapping about his impending trip the next week, they called for cross-checking and I had to hang up. After a short taxi across the vast expanse of the airport, we lifted off and began our short eastward trek back to Texas, where all dreams become reality.
As I’d mentioned earlier, it was a long day and for the first hour of the flight, I drifted off to sleepytown. I woke up when the flight attendants were handing out second packs of pretzels to anyone who could stomach them. I have to give them kudos for this; I’ve been on longer flights where after the first beverage run, nothing is offered. To compliment my pretzels I went to the back of the plane and garnered a beverage before returning to my seat to read while listening to music, perhaps the best pastime on a plane. My hour nap left only an hour and fifteen minutes more flying time which flew by (literally) and we touched down at the Metroplex sooner than I ever could have imagined.
Scheduled Arrival: 3:34 PM
Actual Arrival: 3:31 PM
Gate C16
Preflight/Transit
American Flight 806
DFW-JFK
Scheduled Departure: 5:39 PM
Scheduled Board: 5:09 PM
At this point I had a fever, and the only prescription was a Diet Coke at the Admirals Club. Unfortunately, the fever had reached epidemic proportions as the club was teaming with people starting international segments. Thankfully, my usual TV area towards the back of the A club was empty and I tucked myself into a corner with my beverage and a cup of tasty snack mix (pretzels, cheddar goldfish, crackers and peanuts, you can’t lose with that combo in your corner). After a bit of sitting, a young man sat next to me and pulled out a book and a highlighter. I instantly pegged him for a student and we had an enjoyable conversation about our respective schools, his being the University of Richmond. After forty-five minutes of conversation, he went off for coffee and I headed down to the gate with a quick check of the departure monitor to make sure my flight was on time.
Even though the monitor at the club promised me we were on time, the monitor at the gate showed a fifteen minute delay, forever irking me. Apparently our aircraft had come in from Mexico and it needed a security check before we could board so I was stuck milling about the gate in the shadow of the new airport train. Finally after our aircraft had passed inspection, we were clear to board:
Flying
Gate A33
Seat 3F First Class
757-200, N679AN
Actual Board: 5:25 PM
Actual Depart: 6:28 PM – 49 Minutes Delayed
Take off 10 minutes after departure
There are many drawbacks to flying on a 757. They take longer to board, the seats are old, the aircraft are often old, and usually if you’re in First, you do not receive pre-departure beverages. All of the above were true on today’s flight except for the fact that our aircraft was very new and in fact was the old “Astrojet” scheme aircraft. While waiting for the plane to fill up, I noticed a man with the seat assignment 3E seem rather lost when he got on board. Finally I told him he was seated right next to me and he thanked me for my help. Once he was seated I noticed the 1MM tag on his bag, I guess those were mainly credit card miles. Although we buttoned the plane up quite quickly we had a further delay for a rather odd reason. Apparently there was a dog in the forward cargo hold and it took the pilots 25 minutes to do the paperwork to make sure it wouldn’t die in flight. My jokes about “there’s a dog in 3F too!” went unnoticed or cared for and finally we were airborne again and I was winging my way towards the bosom of my family.
While on the ground, we’d had our meal orders taken from our rather bored flight attendant. Once airborne, our drinks were delivered to us from a cart which is unclassy in my opinion but when you’re in First off an O fare, you’d even pour your own drink and call it classy. We were also served a bowl of mixed nuts, though in this case it was about 95% cashews with a token almond or two. Thankfully this flight had not been catered with the new fangled soy nuts as only people who eat healthy wish to have soy and I am not one of them. After the nut trays were cleared, the usual refreshing hot towels were offered before the appetizer trays arrived. After linen made of pure silk (more likely rayon) was laid, I was given an old coach meal tray (unclassy strike 2) with a small bowl of salad with pre-plated dressing and a pat of butter. There was no bread plate and no choice of dressing but at least the food was still free. The salad was tasty consisting of lettuce and parmesan cheese and what I think to be vinaigrette but don’t quote me on that.
After I had time to eat my disappointing salad with foaccia bread (the other choice was honey wheat), the entrees were delivered. On this flight the choices were the abominable short ribs or “chicken”. However generic the second choice sounded, it wasn’t short ribs which are short on quality as well as taste. My piece of chicken was delectable and much appreciated, however it came with what I think was cabbage as well as mixed peppers. I was able to get a second dinner roll but I was unable to eat the sides as they were overcooked and extremely watery. Furthermore, the glass of red wine I requested was undrinkable, I rarely leave free alcohol (I learned that one at ASU!) but I couldn’t bring myself to finish this vino. After that was cleared we were offered (once again via tray) a choice of cheese, cracker and fruit plate or ice cream sundaes. As the former choice is for connoisseurs who can differentiate between fine and less fine cheeses and wines, I went for the second offering. The sundaes were the final disappointment to this sub-par meal as the norm is for them now to be pre-plated. While the cheesecake on top was wonderful, the chocolate ice cream was frozen and the drizzle of strawberry sauce at the bottom of the glass was stranded and by the time I found it, it was also coated in ice.
I understand why these cuts have to happen, especially in coach, but last year when American revamped their First Class product, they might have had the best domestic F cabin. Now they’ve fallen back to where they were beforehand as flights are going from Dinner to Snack, and flights like DFW-OMA/STL that recently received meals in First have gone back to “Beverage Service Only”. It seems that neither cabin on American is remaining competitive. I mused on facts like this while I sipped my coffee with baileys, something I can always count on to be good. The rest of the flight went fast, the flight attendants took left over ice cream and went to the back of the plane to gab about who knows what, and we were not offered another drink during the last 90 minutes of the flight. I read the rest of my articles and rocked out to only the highest quality Classic Rock. Eventually we descended through the clouds and the cold borough of Queens became visible to the passengers and then our wheels were back on the ground and I was back in the Empire State, if only for 7 hours.
Scheduled Arrival: 9:56 PM
Actual Arrival: 10:41 PM
Gate 42
I was greeted at the security check-point by my father and brother William who shuttled me home where I was able to garner a few hours sleep before awaking to another a long day.
--March 13, 2005 – Interstate 95 from Rye, NY to Petersburg, VA, Interstate 85 from Petersburg, VA to Durham NC, Durham NC--
I awoke at 5:45 AM which is far too early, especially after the small amount of sleep I’d had the day before. But I was on a mission from God, or at the very least, my father. By 6 Am we had started the engine on the Penske truck and we maneuvered it onto I-95 for the long trek south. The drive was extremely easy as we didn’t hit traffic anywhere. We picked up breakfast and gas south of Baltimore and then lunch and gas in Henderson, NC but other than that and for tolls, we did not stop. The drive took us through some of the cities I don’t usually see such as Richmond and Baltimore and as we’ve always been close, it was a fun trip for both of us. Finally at 2 PM, we rolled into sunny Durham, NC where the temperate was close to twice what it had been in NY.
My previous experience with the Research Triangle of North Carolina had been a connection at RDU two years ago. But my dad no longer wants to work in the New York rat races and you cannot live in Westchester unless you work there so it’s off to NC for my family come May. Unfortunately, I cannot say that I am impressed with our new digs. While the house and land are impressive, the town of Durham left a lot to be desired. The area we lived in was your typical suburban street, but if you drove a quarter mile, the construction ridden overpass of Interstate 85 was a rather large eyesore. The main drag by us was dotted with seedy fast-food joints and auto-repair stores. Downtown Durham seemed still in the grips of recovering from the tobacco recession, while it was on the rebound and will most likely be a wonderful place to live in 15 years; I’m here at the beginning. Also, being from the New York Suburbs, Durham is a let down no matter how quaint it may be.
After we removed every box (over 50) from the truck, we took a much deserved rest before my dad gave me a tour of the surrounding area. We dined that night at a cowboy themed restaurant before buying groceries for the next few days. We had an enjoyable quiet night at home reading books while listening to Delilah, a loved story obsessed soft rock syndicated DJ my dad loves. I never knew about that side of him. Around 9 PM the stress of the day as well as lack of sleep caught up with me and I retired at the earliest time in years.
--March 14, 2005 – Durham, NC--
Today was not forecasted to be an enjoyable day. While yesterday we had merely removed the boxes from the drunk, today we had to remove the contents from the boxes. Therefore we spent the morning and most of the afternoon filing away books, “do-dads” as my dad calls them and movies as well as hanging pictures and putting away clothes. Finally at 4 we called it quits and went to a local mall to report back to the rest of the family on the nearby shopping. After that we headed downtown to the trendier district for dinner at an upscale Italian restaurant. The best part about the trip was cruising around in a 15 foot truck and parking across multiple spaces before going to nice eateries. My dad told me we weren’t allowed to try and valet park the truck, much to my disappointment. Once again we passed the night away reading while listening to new CDs we’d bought, it’s an interesting feeling to have the same taste in music as your father, but a good feeling nonetheless. Finally we retried after a tedious day.
--March 15, 2005 – Durham, NC--
Our last day in the Tarheel State dawned sunny as the previous ones had. We finished up the last of the unpacking before lunch at our new country club (I bet this was the first time anyone showed up in a truck). After lunch we locked up carefully and returned the truck after accomplishing every one of our goals. That’s another one in the win column for team Kunz. Our cab showed up right on time and we were off to the airport for ERJ goodness up to The Big Apple.