Friday, July 05, 2019

Glad I Grew Up Around Airplanes

I had lunch with as college student the other day.  He lives in the mid-west and is spending the semester interning in DC.  He took the train from Chicago to DC, almost 20 hours - you can drive it in 10.  He got to talking and said last summer he took the train to Phoenix, 25 nonstop hours in coach.  I asked if he had traveled much, and the answer was not really.  He has family in Florida and had driven back and forth to Florida several times.  I asked about flying and he turned pale.  He is terrified of heights, and flying.  At 21 years of age, he has never flown.  He may never.

I know a couple of my regular readers don't fly, and I understand, but being comfortable flying opens so many opportunities.  Being able to quickly go from place to place, has made it possible to see so much of the country and a little bit of the rest of the world.  In large part I am comfortable flying, because I grew up around it.  In little planes.  

I missed my chance to fly supersonic.  In a last ditch effort to find something in common with my first spouse, we went to Europe, twice, in one year.  We talked about going a third time, British Airways was offering short Concord flights, out of London, over the Atlantic, over the speed of sound, have a glass of champagne and back on the ground at Heathrow- the flight was only like 30 minutes for something silly like 200 GPB. Another man came into the picture (spouse had an affair) and we broke up before that trip could happen.  And now it likely never will.  

I will take a hot-air-balloon trip one day.  I tried in Florida in March but the weather was crappy and the flight cancelled - twice.  

What are glad you started to do early in life? 



   

4 comments:

  1. "He took the train from Chicago to DC, almost 20 hours" - the capitol limited; todd and I took that train many times (we had a sleeper unit). sure, college boy could have driven, but you see more of the country and talk to its people better on the train. and someone else does the driving.

    when I broke up with my ex-husband, I took the train from portland OR to DC; 3 glorious days in coach. also did DC to reno NV for a convention back in the 90s. and so many many trips on NEC amtrak. DC to NOLA. DC to MSP. DC to ATL. hell, my honeymoon in 1992 was DC to CHI to NOLA to ATL to DC, all by train.

    todd has never been in an airplane and he never will. I last flew in 1991. I don't miss it. so much of a PITA. amtrak doesn't try to rape you before boarding. and the quiet car is just that.

    "What are glad you started to do early in life?" - listening to music and reading books. intelligent people do both.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I’m glad I got interested in art at an early age. Also glad I’m not afraId to fly. It’s not the pleasant experience it used to be but it’s at times a lot more convenient... or, at least quicker.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I don't fly anymore because the discomfort level is to high for me to deal with now. The flights got more expensive with fewer amenities. The seating space contracted as I expanded. I'm in too much pain to deal.
    I agree with Anne Marie about listening to music and reading. I will add swimming to the glad I started early in life list. I remember almost drowning in the Pacific when I was about three but it never kept me from water.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Going to concerts. My parents took us kids to the symphony early on - and I still go.
    The younger brothers did not go/they never go to concerts.

    ReplyDelete