Just before we left Fiji we received an email informing us of the cancellation of our flight from Chicago to Hartford…given our location in Fiji, there wasn’t much we could do until we arrived at LAX. About 12 hours later, after landing at LAX, we joined the end of a long line with an estimated 4-5 hour wait until we could speak to a United Airlines representative and make alternative plans. Yikes!!…things in Chicago were really bad with -45 degree wind chill temps and hundreds of flight cancellations!
While assessing the slow progress of the line, I met up with a TV news reporter working on a story of flight cancellations…we had a fairly long discussion, and a few seconds of my interview ended up on the 4pm news…in the last few seconds of the video, you can see David in his dark green t-shirt standing next to me!
Our flight that evening to Chicago was still available, but given the mess in Chicago with few flights departing, hotels booked, and people sleeping on the floor, we opted to rebook a flight 2 days later from LAX to JFK…with temps in the 70s in LA and readily available hotel rooms, it seemed like a good decision!
After checking into a hotel for 2 nights, we decided we’d love to try and get into the “Ellen Show”!! I set my alarm for 3:30am and took trains and buses to Burbank to wait on line for last-minute tickets. It didn’t work…without having officially mailed paperwork for standby tickets, I was told it was impossible. My backup plan became “The Tonight Show” with Jay Leno…so I walked a few blocks, waited a little bit and scored tickets!
Billy and David met up with me that afternoon, and after making friends with some folks in charge, we were escorted to center stage “floor seating”. This seating allows you to approach the stage and shake Jay’s hand when he first comes out…it’s quick, but you can see David in a striped shirt, me in black, and Billy in a white shirt just behind me…
We had a great time, and David loved seeing Mark Wahlberg (from “The Departed”) as the main guest. Afterwards we wandered around Hollywood and had a terrific dinner at the historic “Pig n Whistle” restaurant.
Another 3:30am wakeup call had us heading to LAX for an early morning flight to JFK Airport. I slept really well on that flight!! We rented a car at JFK and drove the 2.5 hours back to Hartford’s Bradley Airport to pick up our car that had been parked there since November 8th. Unfortunately, we arrived to learn that the parking lot had lost/misplaced our car key that day!!! The only option was for them to drive us home, get the spare key, have them drive me the 30 minutes back to the airport, and finally drive home. Hopefully they’ll find our car key in a few days or they’ll replace it!!!
So, we’re all safely home, after 2+ months of extraordinary travels, experiences, and adventures. This journey was truly beyond our expectations…everyday was great!!…everyday was fun!!…everyday, for 2 months, was incredibly special!! For us, it was epic! We’re all so grateful to have had this amazing opportunity…now, it’s time to do laundry and think about where to go next!!!