Tag: JFK

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All You Can Jet

Day 24: Leaving Jamaica

Thursday I woke up to a tiny bit of sunshine, but by the time I got downstairs for breakfast the storm clouds were rolling in.

It was pouring all day again, but the winds had died down immensely. I managed to get out on the same flight I was booked for the day before, just 24 hours late.

I landed back in rainy, windy New York around 8pm. I made it home just in time to watch The Office, eat some dinner, repack my bags, and get some sleep before leaving again at 930am for Fort Myers. I’ll tell ya though, it has never felt so good to leave a Caribbean island.

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All You Can Jet

Day 20: On The Way to Montego Bay!

I had the perfect redeye from SFO to JFK. We departed at 1030p, and said good morning to New York (over the Atlantic Ocean) at 7a.

I don’t have anything exciting to say about the flight since I slept almost the entire time. I think I only woke up two times the whole flight. It felt like we were at JFK in no time! I’m at the airport right now waiting for my 1040a flight to Montego Bay! This will be my first ever stamp in my passport! I got my passport back in 2006 for a school trip to London and Paris that never happened, and I’ve never used it since.

I might not have internet service down there, and I definitely won’t have cell service so you might have to sit tight for a few days for some updates. But rest assured, I’m staying at an all-inclusive resort with a water park, so I will be having fun. There is one possible downside. I checked out the weather for the next few days, and there looks like a lot of rain. Here’s hoping these are quick showers, not steady overcast days. I want to lay on a beach and swim in the ocean! At least the temperature will be in the high 80’s, with a real feel of 104!

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All You Can Jet

Day 10: Tornadoes in NYC

Yet another eventful day of 15 hours in transit. I jumped on the LIRR in Montauk around 11a today, and made it to JFK by 230p. By the time I got to the airport, dark grey clouds were moving in rather quickly, as I waited for my 6p flight. I got on the plane at 530 and started watching the news on the back of the headrest in front of me. Sure enough, with my bad luck, there was a tornado warning in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Staten Island, heading right into Queens. I was hoping we’d take off just before the weather reached us. No such luck. Ten minutes before takeoff, the winds picked up and it was raining horizontal. The plane started rocking from the wind, and I may have even heard some hail. I seriously thought the plane was going to blow over and right into the airport. The footage I was seeing on the news was actually pretty scary for Manhattan. It looked like a tornado was seriously going to drop down at any minute and wipe out the city. I snapped this picture of the clouds over midtown on the news after the rain let up.

Long story short, we sat on the runway for 2 hours before taking off for our 6 hour flight. Let’s just say I’m glad I had a window seat with no one next to me again. Thankfully it was a fast moving storm though, and we were able to get out of JFK to make it to San Diego by 11. The guy sitting next to me told me that since the San Diego airport is so close to the city, there is an 11p curfew for planes.

It was a bit hazy landing in San Diego, but I was able to see the city out of the airplane window, and it was definitely a lot closer to the city than most airports I’ve seen. Not the best picture, but you get the drift.

But I’m here, safe and sound, and I’m digging the comfy leather couch at JJ & Sam’s that I’ll be crashing on until I leave for LA Sunday afternoon. Since I’ve been flying coast to coast so much and sleeping whenever I get a chance, my body has absolutely no concept of time or what day it is. Time to watch Zack and Miri and get some sleep before exploring San Diego tomorrow!

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All You Can Jet Press

Check Out Just Visiting at the AYCJ Launch Party

The people from jetBlue interviewed me during the AYCJ launch party at JFK on Tuesday, and included part of it in this video clip. Check it out above at 54 seconds!

 

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All You Can Jet

Day 3: 4 Airports

It’s day 3 of my 30 day journey, and I’ve already been to JFK all three days, which is an hour and a half commute (each way) from my apartment in Manhattan. After going to bed at 230a last night, I left my apartment this morning at 7a EST, and I won’t get to Portland until 9p EST. I just landed for a quick stop in Washington DC, then it’s on to Long Beach, and finally a transfer to Portland. Oh, and did I mention I have a middle seat? It’s going to be a long day, with a very sore neck. But I’ve never been to Portland or Seattle before, so I’m very excited! Plus, three different flights means three rounds of free snacks and drinks. That’s great news for someone whose food budget is basically a bag of quarters.

The Long Beach airport was a joke. Seriously I think there were about 3 gates, all seated in the same area. We had to walk outdoors to get to the ramp up to the plane. There were two brown sparrows hopping around that apparently “lived” in the airport. Bizarre. I think my parent’s 3 bedroom, 1 story ranch was bigger than this portion of the airport.

The Long Beach area from the airplane.
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All You Can Jet

Day 2: 10 Hours in NYC

The rain held off for my second day in Houston. As much of a random stop it turned out to be, I’m glad I was in Houston and not some of the other parts of Texas. According to The Weather Channel, Houston got about 3.6″ of rain on Tuesday (which only delayed our flight about 20 minutes as we circled in the air waiting for the storm to move through). Other cities in Texas saw up to 12 inches of rain with severe flooding, wiping out and damaging houses and cars. Dallas even saw a few tornadoes pass through the area.

I checked out of the Days Inn on Fountain View Drive and had a 30 minute conversation with the manager Nuhron Raniga. If you’re ever looking for a basic, affordable place to stay in the Houston area, I’d stay here just to have another chat with this guy. He was born in South Africa, and has spent time living in cities and countries all over the world. Yet another great aspect of travel: meeting people from all over the world and realizing how truly diverse we all are in our daily lives.

Sam picked me up and we had lunch at Wings and Things, which I’m pretty sure was a chain restaurant. It wasn’t anything spectacular inside, just what you’d imagine from a small chain named Wings and Things. Good wings though. We ordered 10 wings, a water, and a coke for $12 and some odd cents, so I didn’t break the bank treating Sam to lunch for all of his generosity. And for the record, I could really get used to these prices outside of New York.

Since jetBlue doesn’t fly from Houston to Portland, I took a flight back to JFK before heading to the Pacific Northwest. I met some more awesome people in Houston, unfortunately a little too late since I was minutes away from leaving the city, probably never to return. Two jetBlue guys, Timothy and Ozzie, were jealous of my All You Can Jet jacket at the gate. They hooked it up with some contacts and tips on how to look for hotel deals in some of the cities I’ll be visiting. They also told me about Terminal Man from last year who slept in airports along his journey, and in each city the jetBlue employees would try to outdo the last one with accommodations.

Bottom line, I haven’t met a rude jetBlue employee yet- unlike so many other airlines whose employees  have an attitude every time you ask a question. Another jetBlue guy, Bill, snapped that photo above of me, Timothy, and Ozzie before boarding the plane.

Bill ended up getting on the plane in the seat behind me— which I didn’t realize until he tapped me on the shoulder as we were pulling away from the gate and said “smile for the camera! That guy, Timothy that you took a picture with is taking a picture of the plane. Wave!” I couldn’t see him because the wing was in the way, but sure enough, by the time I landed in New York, I had these pictures in my inbox, along with a new Facebook friend.

I landed around 730p, and made it home by 9p. I had a lot more stuff to do than I thought- finish packing, pay bills, print more business cards, and of course watch the latest episode of Mad Men, so I didn’t make it to bed until close to 230a. Now it’s on to Portland! Stay tuned for much more interesting updates and pictures from the Pacific Northwest.