1/23/2011

Well, folks, I told you I would have stories! And like I promised last post, this post is not coming from the hot pink and lime green walls of my bedroom.  Right now, I’m chillin’ (actually, more like smoldering in this hotel room) in Miami – I can hardly believe I made it!  Let me share with you why…

The morning went as planned.  My three bffs, boyfriend, and parents accompanied me to the airport (and after I left I heard that a certain BFF took a bit of tumble on a certain Harrisburg airport escalator? HAHA. I have my sources…)  Anyway…

The flight took off as scheduled, and I was on my way to Cincinnati for what I thought was just a lay-over flight.  However, much to my dismay, the flight was actually one of those connection flights (where you actually have to vacate the plane and go to another gate). I thank God that I did not have to get my checked bags, because, had I needed to go to baggage claim, I would have definitely missed my flight. 

So, basically, this is what went down… I walked out of the terminal and into the airport at Cincinnati, only to hear the loud speaker announce the “last call for flight 2367” – which just so happened to be MY flight!  LAST CALL?!  This would not have been such a problem if the freakin’ airport wasn’t like 3 miles long!  And even more unfortunate was the fact that the gate I was walking out of was gate 80-something and the gate I had to be at (oh, about 15 minutes prior to that) was gate number FOUR!  So, long story short, I sprinted.  And I made it. Whewww!

The difference between the two flights was amazing, however.  The first flight from Harrisburg was comparable to a mom-and-pop store, a bit rickety but you tell it had definitely earned its place on the runway. But if that plane was a mom-and-pop than the next plane was a corporation! It had Wifi, TV’s (I watched Glee and slept), and really comfortable seats. 
But,enough about the planes…

Eventually, as you already know, I did arrive in MIA. 

Once I was there, I picked up my baggage, struggled a lot with my thousand-and-one-pound duffle bag, had a nice limo driver help me with my bags on the escalator and then he almost wiped out on top of them, and then sweated profusely while waiting an hour for the Regency Airport Shuttle (because I missed it the first time around). Finally, I made it outside, and I’ll admit, all the cigarette smoke and exhaust fumes, along with watching all the shuttles and cars whiz by me did have me a little… dare I say it? sick.  I nearly puked… but then, miraculously, I didn’t!  And the Shuttle finally arrived.

Once I arrived at the hotel, I quickly connected with one of my roommates (just by cheer chance) and then we headed out with two other chicas to explore Miami…and explore, we did! (I forgot to bring my camera along, sorry).  

Now, I’m relaxing with my Miami-roomie, Sam, and we’re waiting for our two other roomies to arrive.  We’re watching Batman Begins with our hotel balcony door wide open, blowing in nice cool 70-degree air…
Tomorrow, it’s Destination: Caracas, Venezuela at 2:30 AM!

I’ll update again next time I have internet access! Te quiero mucho!

Location: Miami, FL