I write you now from the floor of Newark airport in beautiful, snow-clad NJ. I've been on these floors for over 24 hours now and my butt is tired. My gut is tired of airport food. My phone has been my salvation; providing me with entertainment (camera, Facebook, and Netflix!) and a platform for communicating with the outside world: my insurance agent, my hostel, my family. Given my lackluster love of thumb-typing I shall give a brief, bulleted outline of events that brought us here.
-Christmas! Love, joy, food and gifts
-check facebook befire bed xmas day, learn of impending blizzard
-futile attempts to contact Delta and Alitalia to learn of cancellations
-constant checking of flight status to Rome, where I am headed for New Years
-wait over an hour on hold with my travel agent, no news but suggests I leave for the airport Right Now
-wrangle parents(who were gracious, funny and supportive) onto the road
-witness remains of several accidents enroute to Newark Int'l
- flight status still On Time
-several inches of snow on ground, lim'd visibility
-get checked in, they are trying to get us out early, WOO!
-wait. Wait some more.
-boarding! Early!
-technical issues, confusion, lights and engines shut off. Still at gate.
-sit on plane for over THREE HOURS and learn flight will be canceled. Tech issue delayed departure. Screwed.
-no answers on when airport will reopen. Vague promises of morning departure. And a meal voucher.
-find cold, hard piece of floor to call my own. Sleep fitfully. Shiver. Relocate.
-new sleep location packed. Bodies sprawled everwhere. Like India, or socks exploded from hamper. Chaos.
-manage sleep. And drool. And sleep wrinkles. On drooly face.
-wake at 630 unable to sleep further. Hear traveler say he's gonna need a hip replacement after this trip.
-confusion and rumors abound as people try to locate Alitalia staffers who have also, presumably slept on floors.
-no sight or word from Alitalia. It is 1130am
-rumors of 2pm departure. Then 4pm. Then 6pm.
-learn new plan. Get new boarding pass. It has no departure time on it.
-pace. Wait. Get new food voucher. I have been her 24 hours
- wander to baggage claim in search of outlet for phone
-witness people sleeping On Top of carousels. Under signs saying not to get on carousels.
-charge phone. Fall asleep laying inside carousel track while listening to netflix. Drool. Shiver. Wake up.
-venture back upstairs and wait like a vulture for gate hall to reopen so i can go through security. Again.
-find new outlet. Wait.
They say we'll be leaving from Newark. I won't believe it until we're an hour in the air. Not much longer now. They say. Pictures to come.
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