Adventures in JFK Airport

Right now I am composing this post from the JetBlue terminal in the JFK airport; fitting, since this is where I spent a lot of time a few days ago.

I had quite an adventure, as always, on Wednesday en route to Colorado. You see, my mom and I always have adventures when we travel; inevitably, we end up where we shouldn't be. This trip was no exception.

The day started normally enough; we woke up at 3:30 to be on the airport shuttle to Burlington International Airport at 4:30, and boarded our plane at 6 am. We were flying JetBlue as always, so I fell asleep briefly with the XM radio playing in the backround. There were some crazy weather patterns over JFK, so we were informed that no one was permitted to land until the fog cleared out. So we circled JFK for about an hour; luckily the pilot said that those with connecting flights would not miss their flights, all they had to do was speak with a Jet Blue representative to find their new gate assignments. As soon as we landed we did just that, and hustled to the customer service counter to find out where the flight to Denver was located.

Well, it didn't exactly turn out the way we imagined; after standing in line at Customer Service for 30 minutes, we found out that we had missed our Denver flight at 8:30 am; and there were no other flights until 8:30 pm!! So we were literally stranded at JFK for 10 plus hours, waiting for the flight!

Luckily, my mom and I are adventurers, and decided that instead of waiting around the airport forever for the flight, we should go have lunch in NYC and come back. As some of my friends know, I am very fond of Angelica's Kitchen, a vegetarian restaurant on the Lower East side, as well as Babycakes, a gluten free bakery in Soho. Off we went!

The trip to the city was moderately complicated; first, we got on an Airtrain, which went to the A train connection at Broadway Junction. Then it was the J train, which took us to the Lower East side. From there it was pretty easy to find Babycakes, our first stop.

My close friends know about my addiction to Babycakes, but for those who don't know, let me elaborate. Babycakes is a vegan, gluten free bakery on Broome Street, in a tiny storefront that is barely noticeable. Their baked goods, however, are difficult to ignore. The first thing one notices when stepping into the store is the vast case of goodies, containing everything from muffins to cupcakes, even "Skinny Buns", Babycakes' take on Cinnamon rolls. Most things are not only gluten free and vegan, but also sweetened with agave nectar, a nice break from sugar (which I avoid anyway). I am not the only one that loves this bakery; celebrities such as Oprah and Martha Stewart (the owner was actually on the show making her famous cupcakes) praise the treats, and actors Betty White, Chevy Chase, and others have signed pictures on the walls from their visits to Babycakes. I am in great company! After a chocolate cupcake and some goodies for the plane, we were off to Angelica's.

Angelica's Kitchen is probably my favorite vegetarian restaurant. The food is simple and delicious, and almost everything is made on site. Best of all, much of of the food is organic or local. We had quick lunch there, then started to head back to the airport.

The weather in NYC is usually predictable (especially compared to Lake Placid), but that day it was cloudy and threatening rain all day. Finally it started to rain; not just rain, but thunder and lightning too! So we walked to the bus stop in the rain, and got totally soaked. Luckily my carry-on luggage (including my computer and camera in my backpack) didn't get wet!

I never quite realized how important and helpful hand dryers in the restrooms can be, until I came back to JFK really wet with a few hours before my flight. I spent some of my time buying a new pair of socks, a new shirt, and drying my sneakers with the air dryers. The rest of the time was spent on my computer and eating sushi before the flight.

The day wasn't over yet; we got on our flight to find that the weather was too bad for take-off! It was lightning again, and the crew didn't want to risk using the equipment to load the baggage, so we waited for another hour and a half. At least we were on the flight this time!

We arrived in Colorado at around 12 midnight, went to a nearby hotel, and crashed. The end.

I am actually grateful for these travel adventures; what else would I blog about? As a great writer once said, "Nothing in life is bad; it is all material". Besides, I had fun in NYC, and it was certainly a memorable trip!

Watch for photos from NYC and Colorado, coming soon!

LP SKATER