Moving to New York - Adventure 2
My second entry about my adventures in New York picks up shortly after arriving at John F. Kennedy International Airport in the wee hours of the morning. We landed after 1 a.m. and walked for what seemed like hours, taking elevators because my mother preferred them to escalators, and finally arrived at baggage claim. At baggage claim we realized we would need a cart for our 4 suitcases and 2 carry-on luggages. So, of course, the cart-dispensing machine does not work. There were workers bringing in carts from outside and we had to follow them to obtain a cart. I followed them all around the carousels and finally got one after 5 minutes of flashing money, handing over money, and trying to get my hands on one to actually roll away with me.
We got all our baggage onto the cart and went to take the AirTrain (a train that connects all terminals and other stops such as rental car places, hotel shuttles, and public transportation). Rolling a cart full of baggage when platforms are uneven can be a difficult thing. I had the bags topple a couple of times. Ugh. So anyway, we get to the rental car counter and have to wait about half an hour because there's one lady at the counter and she's using only one computer. Later on she decides to use 3. Good thinking.
Finally it is our turn. We get the paperwork, go to the car, load the luggage in, adjust the seats (cuz in a Lincoln Town Car, I'm SHORT), and am thankful that they are all out of full size cars and upgraded us for free (little did they know that the upgrade would better accommodate our luggage). So we drive to the gate to exit the parking lot and......the security guy does not let us leave. We have the wrong car, he says. I just about flipped - thank goodness my seatbelt was on. Apparently the lady at the counter gave us the wrong space # where the car was, and frankly, at 2 a.m. I didn't think I was going to be checking the license plate # or anything to make sure it was the right one! In fact, I never do that at any rental car places! Oh, but wait! It gets better! The security guy tells us WE have to go and find the right car! Oh no.... you have got to be kidding. The thing is, he wasn't.
Fortunately for me, I found the car shortly after returning to the space where we picked up the Lincoln. It was across the aisle from the Lincoln. And fortunately for me, again, a guy circling around the lot (he works there) came up to us after I put the car in reverse and parked it back in the space where we found it. He asked us if we were returning the car. Noooooo, I told him, and proceeded to fill him in on our situation. He got on his walkie talkie and contacted the lady at the counter. And fortunately for me, a third time, we didn't have to go back into the office to sort out the mismatched paperwork and space #. Now all I had to do was unload the Town Car and put all our luggage into the Ford Crown Victoria. Mary Poppins, or Harry Potter...where are you when I need you? I'm sick of schlepping luggage and boxes around.
So, we were finally on the road at around 3 a.m. and what do you know? It was foggy pretty much all the way to Mount Sinai. It was an eerie drive, and a scary one at times when I couldn't see too far ahead of me. When we got to my apartment out in the middle of Long Island, it was after 4 a.m. I wanted to tumble into bed, but we couldn't..... all my stuff was in boxes. We had to wipe the floor and unpack my bedding before we could even think about sleeping. Not only that but we were hungry. I think my mother and I split a ramen before we got ready for bed at some crazy hour in the morning. . . .
We got all our baggage onto the cart and went to take the AirTrain (a train that connects all terminals and other stops such as rental car places, hotel shuttles, and public transportation). Rolling a cart full of baggage when platforms are uneven can be a difficult thing. I had the bags topple a couple of times. Ugh. So anyway, we get to the rental car counter and have to wait about half an hour because there's one lady at the counter and she's using only one computer. Later on she decides to use 3. Good thinking.
Finally it is our turn. We get the paperwork, go to the car, load the luggage in, adjust the seats (cuz in a Lincoln Town Car, I'm SHORT), and am thankful that they are all out of full size cars and upgraded us for free (little did they know that the upgrade would better accommodate our luggage). So we drive to the gate to exit the parking lot and......the security guy does not let us leave. We have the wrong car, he says. I just about flipped - thank goodness my seatbelt was on. Apparently the lady at the counter gave us the wrong space # where the car was, and frankly, at 2 a.m. I didn't think I was going to be checking the license plate # or anything to make sure it was the right one! In fact, I never do that at any rental car places! Oh, but wait! It gets better! The security guy tells us WE have to go and find the right car! Oh no.... you have got to be kidding. The thing is, he wasn't.
Fortunately for me, I found the car shortly after returning to the space where we picked up the Lincoln. It was across the aisle from the Lincoln. And fortunately for me, again, a guy circling around the lot (he works there) came up to us after I put the car in reverse and parked it back in the space where we found it. He asked us if we were returning the car. Noooooo, I told him, and proceeded to fill him in on our situation. He got on his walkie talkie and contacted the lady at the counter. And fortunately for me, a third time, we didn't have to go back into the office to sort out the mismatched paperwork and space #. Now all I had to do was unload the Town Car and put all our luggage into the Ford Crown Victoria. Mary Poppins, or Harry Potter...where are you when I need you? I'm sick of schlepping luggage and boxes around.
So, we were finally on the road at around 3 a.m. and what do you know? It was foggy pretty much all the way to Mount Sinai. It was an eerie drive, and a scary one at times when I couldn't see too far ahead of me. When we got to my apartment out in the middle of Long Island, it was after 4 a.m. I wanted to tumble into bed, but we couldn't..... all my stuff was in boxes. We had to wipe the floor and unpack my bedding before we could even think about sleeping. Not only that but we were hungry. I think my mother and I split a ramen before we got ready for bed at some crazy hour in the morning. . . .
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