Did you ever wonder if Kalamzoo was a real place? Well, it is. And it's about 2.5 hours from Detroit. Not easy to get to from Boston and home to one of my clients.
Traveling for business can be a treat: time alone on a plane sans children. Time to catch up on reading, filing e-mail, listening to favorite podcasts. But when the travel time to get to and from the meeting is longer than the meeting itself, you have to wonder: Why can't business travel be more civilized?
3:05 pm Monday: depart home. Stop at local bookstore and pick up copy of The Boy Who Fell Out of the Sky, a book written by a former colleague and currently getting tons of press coverage. I've been so eager to read this book and glad to finally have some time to perhaps start it!
4:05pm: Arrive Logan airport. Terminal E parking lot 2. I hate Terminal E.
4:20pm: Approach Northwest ticket counter self-serve kiosk. Can not pull up confirmation. Talk to human being. 5:50pm flight to Detroit is cancelled. Can't get to Kalamazoo tonight. Meeting is Tuesday at 8:30 am. Earliest they say they can get me there is 11:30 am Tuesday. Unacceptable I say. They did re-book me, she explains. But I was on a 4:15 pm flight which I have now missed.
4:25pm: I ask Northwest agent "When you reschedule flights, don't you call a person to let them know to come to the airport earlier?" Seems to make sense to me, but who am I? She replies "Well, you'd think so."
4:30pm: With rebooked ticket for tomorrow I sit down and start searching for my colleagues' cell numbers. Track down Karen by phone. Turns out she's standing in line at Northwest counter. Did not see her there. We sit together and bitch.
4:35pm: Third travel companion arrives. We call client. Client wants us in Kalamazoo. I want to go to Kalamzoo. I've already moved mountains to get to the airport: arranged extra day care coverage, found a guest speaker to cover my class tonight. I'm here and I am traveling. Besides, I have that great book to read!!
5:15pm: Northwest finally gets us on a flight to Detroit departing later that night. But we still can't get to Kalamazzo by plane. I call American Express and book an Avis rental car. We decide to take Northwest's offer to put us up at the airport and drive 2.5 hours to Kalamazoo in the morning.
5:30pm: Eat dinner and drink two glasses of pinot grigio at Logan Airport.
7:45pm: Depart for Detroit. Decide I'm not in the mood to read. Lend my new book to Karen who is also dying to read it. Listen to Me and the Bean podcast.
10:00pm: Arrive Detroit. Northwest agents have no record of needing to put us up in hotel. We tell them we were told we'd be put up at the Westin at the airport. This is not the truth. Karen reminds us there was no promise of the Westin. We're given a $38 voucher for a room at the Clarion outside of Detroit. Haul ass to ground transportation and car rental shuttles.
10:30pm: "Limo" driver approaches us with offer to drive us to Kalamzoo for $259 dollars. I put my foot down, I am tired and cranky and would rather drive in the morning. Even if it means staying at the Clarion. My colleagues surrender. They agree to go along. I love them for it.
10:50pm: Arrive at Avis to pick up rental car. Get in car. Smells like smoke. We agree we cannot ride 2.5 hours in this car. I go back to counter. The agent tells me I am nice and offers me an upgrade. I love her for helping.
11:15pm: Arrive Clarion Hotel. A dozen other Northwest passengers are also waiting to check in. Get room number. Haul it over to the other side of building. Try to ignore ripped rug and damaged walls. Notice creepy man lingering at vending machine nearby. Quickly get in room and lock the door.
11:30pm: Watch CNN. Check email. Get in PJs. Crawl into full size bed. Bed is hard. Sheets are scratchy. Wonder whether we should have taken limo to Kalamazoo. Worry colleagues want to kill me over hotel. Start to read book.
12:30am: Finally fall asleep.
5:50am Tuesday: Alarm goes off. Press snooze. Actually shut it off by mistake.
6:05am: Shower. Don't wash hair because hair dryer at Clarion will not do the job on my nest of curls. Pull hair into pony tail. Meet colleagues at 6:30am in lobby. (Well, 6:35am, I'm 5 minutes late).
6:40am: Get on 94 West and drive all the way to Kalamzaoo. We do stop for breakfast at Big Boy's in Chelsea. Good home fries. Bad coffee.
9:30am: Arrive to meeting. One hour later than originally planned. We feel pretty good about ourselves. We do not feel good about Northwest Airlines, well, until later in the day when we partake of the free cocktails in the Northwest Club. American Express Platinum Card does have some nice perks.
7:30pm Tuesday: Northwest Club in Detroit. Awaiting to board return flight to Boston I can't help but notice that almost everyone in the Northwest Club is a man. Hmm. What does this say about corporate America?
8:45pm: Board return flight to Boston. Get exit row. Excited about extra leg room.
9:02pm: Depart for Boston. Finally open book. Read 10 more pages. It's really good, but I fall asleep from exhaustion.
10:48pm: Arrive Boston.
11:00pm: Get in car and drive home.
12:00am: Arrive home. Check on kids. Crawl into bed. Sheets are divine. Bed is soft. Try to ignore husband's snoring. Finally sleep.
