11/3/07 Kansas City, USA
Woke up to a beautiful morning. Made the train to the airport with a few minutes to spare, after I stopped by the store to get a few donuts for breakfast.
At the boarding gate for my flight, I think I discovered one reason I hate this type of travel (as opposed to the human-powered variety). It’s that herd mentality you see. The airlines try to make boarding go smoothly and orderly but most people still crowd the gate as if they didn’t already have a seat number. I waited till my seat was called, and still had to pass through a crowd of people to get through to board.
Sat next to a doctor from southern Italy who was headed for a medical conference in Orlando. With all the movies available, the eight hour flight went pretty quickly.
In all my travels, I’ve crossed paths with many immigration/customs officers and for the most part they are the most unpleasant people I’ve ever met. It’s as if they won’t take you unless you are surly and frown a lot. So, you can imagine my surprise with I went through immigration in Philadelphia and the officer was so friendly. He even welcomed me back to the USA with a big smile. Wonders never cease.
Made it to Kansas City about 9pm and took the airport shuttle to the Plaza in midtown. Had a little mix-up with the family about getting a ride the final stretch home, so ended up walking the whole way, finally getting home about midnight. I didn’t mind because of all the sitting I had done today and the fact that the weather was perfect for a walk.
Home, sweet home.
