This is a tale of how one traveler went against all odds and pursued his final destination through some very unusual circumstances. This is a very long story so the first paragraph will be a summary of the events for those who don't want to read every little detail, twist, and turn that happened during my last 24 hours. So sit back, relax and enjoy this whirlwind ride.
Obstacles started to be hurled at me even before I left. A phone call delayed my departure and a storm shut down an airport, resulting in my connecting flight being canceled. As I waited to figure out what I could do, a family in my same situation suggested that we could fly to Philadelphia and then drive the rest of the way since there were no flights to Atlantic City until 3 pm, which would have made this entire trip pointless. Landing at 9 am gave me a chance to get to my destination because it was only an hour drive. I offered to rent the vehicle since I receive discounts and preferred programs and the father of the family I tagged along with was a truck driver and knew the best routes. We got to Philadelphia in no time but I had bad information and went to the wrong location. Finally finding the correct location, I made two loops because of how confusing the New Jersey Turnpike is, and actually made it to Atlantic City at 11:30 am, wasting my advantage. Fortunately, Job Corps gave me a slot in the afternoon where I had exclusive time to present KP Compass in front of all the teachers for 15 minutes. I knocked it out of the park blowing them away with what KP can do and made it home at midnight.
The Job Corps trip was planned to be (what we call in the business) a quick turn and burn. We fly in, do a presentation, and then leave for home within 24 hours. This is very different compared to most trips where we stay for 2-5 days exhibiting at a conference. My plan was to get there the night before, exhibit for three hours the next morning and then leave for home that afternoon/evening. Given that it was in Atlantic City, the small airport didn't offer many options, so I took the flight from Phoenix at 1:30 pm through Atlanta to land at 11:30 pm in Atlantic City with a return flight the next day at 6:30pm to land in Phoenix at 12:05 am.
That was the plan...
Leaving Phoenix was fairly routine, but I had already started with a delay. I got a phone call moments before I was to leave from someone important who I had been waiting to hear from. Over 15 minutes later I was off to the airport. I parked my car, waited for the shuttle, went through the secure gate in minutes. Smooth sailing. The flight was very good since I somehow got to sit in the exit row without paying the usual $20 upgrade fee and I was super productive because of the wifi on the plane. I even got a beer for free!
With half an hour until we were supposed to land, the woman next to me said she received an email from her husband that the storm will delay some flights. Sure enough on approach we were put into a holding pattern. The captain had hoped to get us in before they called in the storm so we had to sit on hold for 40 minutes...
Landing was rough but we deplaned with plenty of time to connect, except the flight which was scheduled was already delayed to depart at 11pm, then 11:30pm, then 12am, 1am, 2:30am. It turns out that the plane coming in was en route and eventually turned away. The storm that rolled through that night was a pretty bad one with heavy hail and shut down the airport shortly after we landed. We had that small window to land or else we would have been diverted.
The terminal was buzzing with stranded travelers. It was 9pm so I decided to call in, claim this delay, and have dinner. At 10:30pm, while sipping on a Bloody Mary in the Delta Sky Lounge, I got the notice on my flight tracker that my flight was canceled. Immediately, I hurried out to the Air Tran customer service counter to find out what options I had. By the time I reached the area there was a line 45 minutes long and it got even longer.
While on the way to the counter I met a few people who were on the Atlantic City flight. They were desperate to get home too so we joked about renting a car and driving overnight to New Jersey. I was serious; I wanted to get to my destination but was resigned with the very high possibility of having to return home. Once I got to the counter I found out that the next available flight to Atlantic City was at 3pm. That would have totally ruined my trip to the point where I should have just taken the first flight back home and call it quits, but fortune smiles on me. After talking it over with a family in my same predicament, I soon found out that there were flights available to Philadelphia at 7am to land at 9am. That opened up the possibility for me to make it there, late but better than never. After teaming up with the family, I offered to rent the car and split the cost because I was a Hertz Gold Member and didn't have to pay for insurance since I was covered by American Express. They said yes and I set my flight for Philadelphia.
By now it was 11:30pm. The family of five opted to stay at the terminal overnight but I decided to brave the outside world and try to get a hotel. It is times like this that I appreciate American Express platinum concierge and travel services. I called American Express and an agent spent an hour calling hotels in the area to no avail. He called every hotel trying to find me a space but all were booked solid due to the storm. On a whim I decided to use the distressed travelers’ site offered by Air Tran and they had one place open at a Comfort Inn. I left for the where hotel shuttles where located but not before I was approached by a driver from Super 8.
This was very creepy and my creep senses were tingling. He told me that they had five rooms available, to which I told him that was impossible since all rooms were booked. During the hour I spent at the shuttle staging grounds, I noticed the Super 8 shuttle always there. I said no thank you and he went to ask another traveler. I feared what I would have found if I took that offer. My last experience, errr Jonathan's last experience, with them was a very unpleasant one. So with that I ran away to get a cab.
Getting to the motel should have been easy. It was 5 miles down the road, a direct route from the airport to the destination. Well, the cab driver had a different route in mind. After traveling an extra 10 minutes and after I showed him on the G.P.S. how he was taking me in the wrong direction, I finally made it there alive. 2 am, I get to my room, set my alarm for 4:15am and pass out.
4:45am I wake up with an “oh shit” start. I grab my stuff and run out only to miss the shuttle by a few minutes. Fortune smiled on me once again as there was a lone cab driver outside. It turned out that he wasn't supposed to be there but was waiting for someone else. He mistakenly took me since I strolled out there with purpose. I made it to the airport at 5:15am, got through security, and ran into the family that stayed overnight.
Dazed and confused, the terminal was full of suffering passengers. With nothing open they laid about benches and floors. My two hours spent at the motel was hardly worth it but at least I got some shut eye. The worst part of being at the airport was not knowing if the flight was still going to happen since all flights were diverted, the plane could have not been there or the crew had to be reassigned. So many factors were weighing against the flight taking off on time.
As 6:30am rolled around, they called for general boarding and we’re off! I sat down, closed my eyes and found myself in Philadelphia. I can't believe I was there, on time and ready to go.
It was times like this that I am glad I have American Express platinum concierge services and Hertz Gold. I boarded the shuttle, got taken to the car rental area, and walked to the board where it told me my car was 234. I walk up to a gold minivan, get in, start the car and drive out to pick up the family of five.
The family was traveling back from Puerto Rico after spending 10 days there attending a funeral for a relative. They were tired and wanted to be home just as badly as I wanted to be in Atlantic City. Fortune smiles on me again as it turns out that the father, Ed, is a truck driver with 20 years of experience. During the entire trip he directed me on the best and fastest route to Atlantic City. The drive was swift and we made it there in less time than the G.P.S. predicted with better routes. I dropped them off at the airport so they can retrieve their car and then I said farewell.
Now, the original plan with the Job Corps meeting was to exhibit at the Clarion Hotel from 9am to 11am. By now it was 10:30am and I was going to catch the tail end of the time. I drove to the hotel only to find out that it wasn't where they were meeting and they were at the community college in the opposite direction! OMFG! All that rushing to get there with some time to spare and I was at the wrong location. I get in my car and set my G.P.S. to go there, 20 minutes with an eta of 11:05am.
Heading out, I drove down the turnpike spotting four patrol cars. I had to make sure I wasn't speeding. That was the last thing I needed. Heading down the turnpike I got to a point where it wanted me to do a u-turn. Unsure of where to do it, I missed it and had to travel an extra two miles to get my next opportunity. Heading back, the G.P.S. said to turn at a different u-turn location. Confused I turned down the u-turn only lane and checked the G.P.S. but it was too late and I was committed. First, you have to understand u-turns o the New Jersey turnpike. It's unlike anything you've ever encountered. See the below illustration, it’s confusing as hell.
So I make the u-turn and back-tracked two miles to the next u-turn spot and headed back again. It turns out that a quarter mile down the road was the community college hidden by trees. I wasn't the only one lost as others reported missing it and hitting the u-turn. Even Michael Ty, president of ACF, missed it on the first pass but he caught it just in time to not have to do the loop like I did.
Here is an illustration of my drive.
It is 11:30am; I locate the culinary arts building and head in. Relief washed over me as I met Dr. Francis Cole, tired, haggard, smelly, and wearing the same clothes I left Phoenix in made all of my struggles worth it. They were in the middle of starting lunch and decided to squeeze me in this afternoon during their instructor sessions after the judging.
At 12:30pm the chefs assembled in the classroom and began tasting the final round of dishes from the final six teams. After the judging concluded, the students and instructors separated. I was the fourth presentation for the teachers.
My presentation couldn't have been better set up. As I waited the window narrowed so I had to say everything in only 15 minutes. The presentation just before me mentioned how they are now required to incorporate technology in all curriculum and by 2012, all books will be replaced by digital versions. When I got up there and presented KP Compass for Culinary Arts, jaws dropped as I showed them the solution we devised to address online, out of classroom, learning.
The presentation was a stellar success as it was made at the perfect time in the perfect manner. The past 24 hours was hell but it was totally worth it. I never gave up despite all the obstacles placed in front of me. I made it home with no incident, even when I traveled through Atlanta again, which felt weird since I was just there 10 hours earlier. My head hit the pillow at 12:30am and I passed out, tired, smelly and excited for what this presentation will bring for USDOJ and Job Corps Centers.
