Seattle-bound!

It’s hard to believe that I’ll be jetting off to see Lorraine in Seattle on Thursday. (And The Child, The Spouse, The Neighbor, and The Dog).

I've never been to Seattle before. As a matter of fact, I've never even been to the West Coast at all. It'll be an adventure.

And, of course, snow is predicted for Wednesday night and Thursday. Naturally. The last thing I want or need is to have a flight delayed or cancelled at O’Hare on Thanksgiving Day.

I’ve been snowed in at O’Hare before. Once for eleven hours. I was flying from Dallas to Buffalo and, after circling O’Hare in a snowstorm, we finally landed. Unfortunately, the airplane that was supposed to take me to Buffalo had no problem taking off on time without me.

After watching subsequent flights to Buffalo get cancelled or delayed for six hours, I asked the attendant for a status report. She chirped, “Oh, the aircraft that is scheduled to take you to Buffalo is waiting to take off for Chicago.”

“From where is it waiting to take off?” I queried, sweetly.

She checked her computer. “Ummm. Let’s see. . . . Seattle!”

In situations like this, it’s important to plan ahead in order to make things as stress-free as possible. And by “planning ahead” I mean “remembering to bring Valium.”

Seriously, though, it’s a long flight (four and a half hours) and there might be delays. Little kids aren’t the only ones who need to be entertained for that length of time.

I’ll need to ensure that my cell phone, iPod, and laptop are all fully charged. If I’m delayed, I’m sure you all will anxiously be awaiting for updates from O’Hare and I need to be able to do that. New music on the iPod will help as well as having a Really Good Book to read. (In this case, I just got a copy of Nigella Lawson’s “How to Eat.”)

I’m certainly not going to be checking any baggage. The last thing I need is to worry about is the whereabouts of my underpants. (On the Buffalo trip, I was separated from my underpants for an entire weekend).

I’m also going to splurge and take a taxi to O’Hare rather than public transport. My flight is scheduled to leave at 7:40 a.m. and I need to get there extra early. I had selected an aisle seat near the front when I made my reservations online. I purposely selected a seat near the front (it’s quieter up there) and chose an aisle seat. (Long legs; will need to tinkle during the long flight).

Now, Orbitz doesn’t have me indicated on ANY seat and it won’t let me select one. And that means one thing: The flight is overbooked. So I need to get there extra early if I want a halfway decent seat. I’m not going to wait for public transport.

Maybe I should just splurge and pay extra for a seat near the emergency exit. You know, the one with all the extra leg room. You used to be able to select those seats until the airlines realized they could charge extra for them.

I also like to be near the emergency exit in case the plane hurtles to the ground at 475 mph and crashes. Then, I can be the first one to leap to safety.
Women-and-children-first? What is this? The Titanic?
They’re on their own.

If all goes according to plan, I’ll be in Seattle shortly after 10:00 am and gleefully in the bosom of Lorraine’s family and friends for Thanksgiving dinner.

Trust me. That’s a lot to be thankful for.