Travel Diary

At 4:30am, I found myself back at the train station again. I caught the 5 o'clock train heading north and spent the next 90 minutes on it. I was incredibly sleepy, so I tried to cozy up in the train seat, but that was a mistake as it put my back at a bad angle, and I was sore for probably two weeks afterwards because of that error.

I wandered into Grand Central Station around 6 AM and took some photos. The concourse was practically empty then. I would next have to do the 30-minute walk and then take two trains over to Liberty International Airport (EWR) but I decided just to pay the extra money and take Uber. It was $75; however, I think it was worth it to avoid all the train hassles.

At the airport, I was able to get into the United business class lounge because I had bought business class ticket ($600). Yeah I was really splurging for the ride home. It was a very expensive choice but the seat did turn into a bed so I knew I would be resting well for the journey. I sampled a little bit of each food: eggs, coffee, coffee cake, and then boarded my flight back to California.

Since it was business class, they included a pillow, blanket, water, and headphones. And I was in a very comfortable seat. The screen was also nice and large, though I never used it. Once on board, they served us champagne and soon we were taking off. The flight attendant asked what I would like for a drink and a meal, but I declined by saying I would just be sleeping the entire flight. And when we got to 30,000 feet, that's exactly what I did. I hit the button to turn my seat into a bed, put the covers over me, and in very short time, I was out cold.

In fact, I slept so soundly that the next thing I knew I felt the plane descending, which was a bit unnerving because I thought it was way too soon to be landing. However, that's exactly what was going on. We were landing in San Francisco. I’d never slept that deeply on a flight before. Yeah, having a bed in the sky is pretty sweet.

It was great that I had managed to get some rest since I felt much better. I exited the plane and headed to the parking garage. I got my car and figured I'd have no issue leaving, except that my ticket didn’t work. I guess I had pre-paid for three days and I’d been gone for four, so it was a problem at the gate. An attendant helped me out, but even he had to make a phone call. I thought the whole thing was a little ridiculous because people must go through such a situation all the time. How could this be such an ordeal for them? Anyway, I used my credit card to pay for the extra day, and then finally got out of the garage.

I then made the long drive back home.

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