Big City Travels

Here is the non-whiney summary of my day:
The flight from MPLS to PHL was delayed by an hour for reasons having something to do with airplane maintenance. And even though the good pilots made up some of that time, when I arrived I decided that there was no point in trying to rush into the city from the airport to catch my bus. So I took the public train - which cost only $7 and didn't take long at all, and then took a taxi to the room where I am staying for the night, found courtesy of craigslist. My bus to State College leaves tomorrow morning. I am not expecting it to be delayed for maintenance, but anything could happen and for that I am prepared.

Here is my whine: waaaah wa waaaaah wa waaaaah.

I had alot of time to think about modern travel, how it took all my energy all day long to physically fly the 1200 miles in 2 hours. How long I stood in the security line and how ordinary it is for everybody to remove their toiletries stored in plastic bags, along with their computers, their shoes and jackets, the mechanical and visual inspection for evil one by one by one, not just how long but how degrading it all is, trying to jam the least belongings into the smallest suit case so I can avoid paying $35 to check my bag, which everybody does and flight attendants hate, the ones who rather glare at you as you board and later do little to hide their resentment at bringing you a drink, never MIND the lady across the aisle who had the nerve to actually speak up and ask for ice (all the rest of us had been silently drinking our warm sodas), only to be told NO ICE, SORRY. And I sigh because none of this is pleasant - gets only less and less so, and what would Sarah Gillespie say? or George Schaefer or for that matter any of the numerous elders on that flight sitting there looking helpless because you know all they want is to see their grandchildren who are somewhere far away. I think there should be one airline for business travelers, one airline for vacationers, and a whole separate airline for people over 50 (that works for me) who want only to visit the people and places they love or that somebody they loved loved - something like that. I don't expect there is any business plan that would ever turn a profit for such a venture - that would have to be the point.

I should be out visiting the Liberty Bell at least. Maybe some time other. Today this place is a giant and humid city, and I am far, far away from my element. Whenever I question what IS my element, I can say what it is not. This.