Saturday dawned bright and sunny and it was a great day to do some sight-seeing. We got into the car and headed for the airport in Newark. Finding a place to park was easy and it was just a short walk to the terminal. We went up to the counter, purchased some tickets and in a few minutes we were taxiing down the runway and off to Boston for the day.
Back in those days,
Eastern Airlines ran a number of shuttle planes between Newark to
Boston and it was easy to get a flight to Logan and the schedule made
it possible to leave in the morning and be home by 7:00pm. The
flight, if my memory serves me, was about an hour. The pilot
would fire up the engines, the speed of the propellers shaking the
plane wildly, but within minutes, the Newark and New York skyline was
replaces with a view of Cape Cod on the right and Boston Harbor on
the left.
It was a quick bus ride
from the airport to the down town. The city had a different look, a
different feel and the history of early America seemed to come alive
just by walking the streets. After about an hour or so, it was a stop
for lunch at what is still one of my favorite restaurant in Boston,
Durgin Park, located in the middle of what was once the slaughter
house district of the city.
After lunch, the
walking and history lesson would continue, including a stop at the
North Church, Feneuil Hall and anything in between. Then it was an
ice cream cone and a return to the airport to catch the 5pm
shuttle back to Jersey.
Within an hour you
could see, on the right side of the plane the New York skyscrapers,
their silhouettes cutting into the early evening dusk and by 7 we
were back home and almost ready for bed. It had been a great day.
Today I was returning
home from New York and knew it would be crowded at the airport so I
decided to get to there at least three hours before the scheduled
departure. I was glad I did.
I stood in line for
over an hour, just waiting to get my ticket and 'clear security'.
Hidden behind walls of luggage carts, piled high with every type of
suitcase imaginable, the line to the ticket counter moved slowly.
Children became restless and adults even more annoyed.
At the ticket counter I
was asked for some form of identification, either a passport or
driver's license. Why, I thought. I knew who I was, but I checked my
luggage, received my ticket and proceeded to the security screening
area.
The lines at the
security screening were almost as long as they were at the ticket
counter. It's... your computer out of its case and into a separate
plastic bin, off with the sport coat and shoes, everything out of
your pockets and something I always forget. “Please remove your
belt, sir.” What I wanted to ask was....”What would happen if my
pants fell down?” But most TSA agents have a very limited sense of
humor and the line behind me was getting longer and longer, so I
decided to pass on the remark.
Into the glass tube,
feet on the yellow footprints on the floor, hands above your head
and...”step over here , sir!” This happens to me almost every
time. It must be the handkerchief I forget to take out of my pocket.
It takes about 4
minutes or so to get dressed, pack up the computer and get to the
waiting area and find the nearest snack bar to get a cup of coffee.
From getting in line to
purchase the ticket and check my baggage to taking the first sip of
coffee... one hour and twenty minutes. I was glad I got the airport
a bit early, for now I only had to wait less than an hour to board
the plane.
A brief and very quiet
announcement caught my attention, though. I walked up to the counter
at the gate and, yes, for a mere ten dollars I could upgrade my seat
to one in the first row, by the window and board as a priority
customer. What was really special was the extra leg room along with a
slightly larger seat, and only for ten dollar? You bet I'll take that
one.
Before long, we were
taxiing down the runway and touchdown in Maine was less than 50
minutes later. As we lifted off, to the left was the skyline of the
New York- metropolitan area and to the right, New York Harbor.
Plane travel has
changed a great deal in the last 45 years. What was a simple and
carefree way to spend a Saturday in July, learning about our nation's
history...'that was then.' The often tedious and frustrating
challenges of air travel this July....'this is now.'
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