Going Nowhere Fast

Yesterday, day one of my mileage run, came off without incident.  As I type I'm relaxing in the SkyClub in Seattle, awaiting departure of my flight to Paris.

The biggest hassle of my first day, as is often the case when flying out of BWI, is just the chore of getting to BWI.  In the past, I've taken the train from Union Station to the BWI station.  That would have meant taking the Blue/Orange Lines to Metro Center, then the Red Line to Union Station, then the MARC train to the BWI Rail Station, then the shuttle to the terminal, still a few miles distant from the train.

I thought I'd try something new this time and get the Green Line out to Greenbelt, and then the 30B bus, which goes directly to the airport.  First the bus was late by about fifteen minutes; then, the traffic was horrific.  It took us almost an hour to go the 23 miles from the metro station to the airport; we arrived about 40 minutes late.  I was so glad that I allowed what I thought would have been a ridiculous abundance of time to make it up there.  Had I not, I may have missed my flight and thrown the whole trip off.  I don't know which is less difficult, the bus or the train.  Either way, getting to BWI remains a chore to be avoided.

At any rate our flight loaded up and the boarding door was closed about ten minutes early.  We then sat at the gate for another twenty minutes waiting to push back.  Eventually we took off for a smooth and uneventful flight out to Salt Lake.  The only thing missing was an upgrade:  as I boarded I was #17 of about 60.  I wasn't surprised, though, since it was a Thursday night and the flight was packed to the gills.

Changing in Salt Lake was problem-free, as it usually is.  I made a quick pass through the SkyClub and then on to the gate.  The flight was boarding as I walked up.  I'd been upgraded about a week before departure day, so I boarded with First, had a seat, and relaxed for the flight to Seattle.

I made it to the Doubletree on the shuttle, checked-in, and was soon off to sleep.  It had been a long, tiring day.

Now for the next part of the adventure...