9:16 AM - August 19, 2010 - Newark, New Jersey
If you fly into New Jersey on a Continental Express flight and plan to leave New Jersey on a standard Continental Airlines flight, you will be met with the conundrum of traversing the Newark, New Jersey Airport. Express flights land at Concourse A, while standard flights leave from Concourse C. Its as simple as a long, brisk walk across Newark, right? No. You're lead down a hallway, ushered on by ill-conceived signs, and then herded onto a bus. The bus will take you through what can only be described as Mad Max-style post-Apocalyptic waste lands, under exposed steel beams, through dark tunnels. What waits on the other side? Concourse C, of course: A mirror image of Concourse A, down to the opposing terminal numbers and seat layouts. That bus took me down the rabbit hole. I'm in Unnewark now (Oldwark? Nah.). This is surely the first of many gateways to Asia. I should have known I would need to go outside of my world in order to make it to China; I mean, my plane is headed North, not East...
Also, I've been awake approaching 24 hours.
My first flight had free muffins. So, yeah, that was kind of awesome.
The adventures of an American college student in China.
Showing posts with label traveling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label traveling. Show all posts
19 August 2010
Transit (1)
5:08 AM - August 19, 2010 - Jacksonville, FL
The check-in process was a bit confusing. The very helpful Continental Airlines Lady saw I was struggling and suggested I try swiping my passport to pull up my reservation. That didn't work, however. I panicked for a moment. "What if my flight isn't today?" "What if my tickets were canceled?" I mean, after the day I had yesterday, I was fully prepared for the possibility that everything would find a way of coming apart at the last minute.
The aforementioned Continental Airlines Lady located my confirmation number and checked me in for my flight. I put my bag on the scale to check it. 60 pounds. She told me to shove some of the stuff in my carry on and save the $25 fee. I did and left to juggle my carry-ons through the security process.
Now, waiting. This is what travel is about. Waiting in this odd limbo between lives. A series of planes, a series of seats near a terminal, a series of wi-fi connections give way to a completely different world. For now, I'm in this in-between place. In one hour's time, I'll be on a flight to Newark, New Jersey.
The check-in process was a bit confusing. The very helpful Continental Airlines Lady saw I was struggling and suggested I try swiping my passport to pull up my reservation. That didn't work, however. I panicked for a moment. "What if my flight isn't today?" "What if my tickets were canceled?" I mean, after the day I had yesterday, I was fully prepared for the possibility that everything would find a way of coming apart at the last minute.
The aforementioned Continental Airlines Lady located my confirmation number and checked me in for my flight. I put my bag on the scale to check it. 60 pounds. She told me to shove some of the stuff in my carry on and save the $25 fee. I did and left to juggle my carry-ons through the security process.
Now, waiting. This is what travel is about. Waiting in this odd limbo between lives. A series of planes, a series of seats near a terminal, a series of wi-fi connections give way to a completely different world. For now, I'm in this in-between place. In one hour's time, I'll be on a flight to Newark, New Jersey.
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