Original Member, Ambassador: External Miles and Points Resources
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Digital Nomad Wandering the Earth - Currently in LIMA, PERU
Posts: 58,600
Hmmm. Back in the late 1980's (I was in college) I had a girlfriend who lived in Paris. She had come to visit me on a charter into and out of JFK. I took the train up to meet her from DC. We stayed with my grandma who lived in the Village at the time (God bless rent control).
Well, at the end of her time, on our way to the subway station to the JFK "express," we stopped to watch a 3 card monty game. Laughing at and making fun of the toruists who were being scammed, we felt oh-so superior.
But as we turned to go, my girlfriend noticed that her purse was unzipped. And her ticket, passport and wallet (with all ID) were gone. Pickpocketed. My did we ever feel stupid.
Anyway, one visit with the sharp as a bowling ball NYCPD later, it was clear that she was pretty much screwed. With the help of my parents, we ended up flying back to DC (using the police report as ID) so she could go to the passport office (she is US Citizen) and get a new passport (quite a trick with no ID, rest assured that it took all day and the police report helped).
Needless to say, I am now in the wallet-in-my-front-pocket-when-I-travel-club. No bodily injury or anything, but it was hell on earth at the time...
And on the plus side, it was a once-a-week charter so I got to spend another six days with my girlfriend...
[This message has been edited by Matt Wald (edited 08-13-1999).]