Three days have come and gone in this trip and things are in full swing now. I'd hoped for some sort of honeymoon where flying was enchanting and I didn't have bags under my eyes, but skipped directly to an ugly marriage of airport food, fitful sleep and TSA pat-downs by guys with sweaty hands. Don't worry. We'll stay together for you, kids.
I've crossed the country since my last dispatch. Seattle was, all things considered, great. SeaTac is nothing like it once was. I remember flying in years ago as an awkward middle schooler, deplaning among the dreary browns and greys of the satellite terminal and thinking the designers wanted to lull visitors to sleep with the decor.
SeaTac's had a face-lift since then, complete with a PR campaign encouraging travelers to relax, rejuvenate and recharge, or something like that. The relentless cheerleading is a little over the top, but there is a lot to like. For an airport, SeaTac's not bad -- decent restaurants, tons of art (some of it's actually good!), water fountains that gurgle through loudspeakers and the best places to sleep I've seen so far. Who knew a black-and-chrome bench in a quiet corner could be so comfortable? I was surprised to wake up feeling refreshed.
I'm sure that won't happen much in the coming weeks. I savored it.
I left for JFK in New York at mid-morning Thursday. It was one of only two single-flight days on my itinerary, and the first of what will be about 1.3 million trips through JetBlue's main hub. It was also one of the few flights where I wasn't able to secure either a window or an aisle seat; instead, I found myself wedged between two women from Jamaica who spent the flight talking to each other across me. (And this after flying from Long Beach to Seattle next to a crying baby). My subtle self-serving offer to let them sit together was declined.
"I like the window, she likes the aisle", explained the daughter. Still, they were amicable. "Careful," the daughter warned me as her mother tuned to the U.S. Open. "She's friendly to Americans, but if they win in tennis, she'll bite your head right off."
Good to know.
I spent much of the flight talking with the attendants in the galley, then watched *Starship Troopers. *It's on Wired.com's Favorite Sci-Fi Flicks list. I'm still not sure what to make of it, but it's got Doogie Howser so it gets bonus points for that. The credits started rolling as we began our descent. The plane banked and I looked out the window toward New York, a city I'm not familiar with, and was thrown by how uniform and drab the housing looked. Only when a cargo ship came into view did I realize I was actually looking at the sea. I'd mistaken waves and whitecaps for rooftops. I must be getting tired.
JFK was fun. After running into a few other All You Can Jet Pass travelers, I happened to bump into Morgan Johnston, one of the guys who mans JetBlue's popular Twitter account. He offered to buy me dinner - "I know you're from Texas, but there's a place here with really great guacamole" - so I took him up on it. About five minutes into it the first of what I'm sure will be many waves of fatigue caught up with me, reducing my part of the conversation to a series of monosyllablic words and grunts. Morgan was kind enough to overlook it. What a guy. He sent me off with a few JetBlue shirts to give away to any Wired readers who bump into me, so get 'em before they're gone.
While there's plenty more to say about JetBlue's vaunted Terminal 5, I'll postpone that for the moment. I've got an early flight to Ft. Myers. I'll be there for a few hours before heading back up the coast to Boston. I'll be there tonight. Look me up if you're around.
Oh, I finally managed to get together a Google Map of where I'll be. I only had time to get in the first ten days before I had to catch a flight, but I'll add the rest soon. Looking forward to seeing some of you out there.
*Editor's note: Brendan just landed at Logan airport in Boston after getting a shower -- heaven! -- in Fort Meyers. He's there until 9:50 a.m. EST and could use a burger and a beer. *
