“East Coast Boogie….”
Well……….
It has been a difficult number of months. I hate to start a series of fun blog posts with that, but it’s true. In between enjoying the fun local scene in my hometown, I have had to deal with some life events that have not been nearly as enjoyable….one right after the other…..since before the beginning of the year. These things, in combination with the weird and crazy happenings in the political scene here and abroad, have really put a damper on things for me and have curtailed my fun travel escapades for the year so far.
I was in need of a travel adventure! Badly! But, I also wanted and needed to visit some east coast friends and family. So, I thought,
“Why not connect them all together?”
Yes…..why not?! Travel is always a good idea. No matter where you go!
I was sold!
So, I left Los Angeles a few days ago….on my way to a fun journey to see some east coast landmarks while mixing in a few fun visits with family and friends.
For the next few weeks, I will be doing the “East Coast Boogie” with stops in New York, Pennsylvania and Washington, DC metro area. By the time I am done, I will have satisfied my “fun travel quotient” for the summer and done some fun and needed people connecting, as well.
My adventure started on Wednesday at 7:00 a.m. when my taxi didn’t come to pick me up at the appointed time.
UGHHH……
I have used “Yellow Cab” numerous times this year and have never had a problem. However, this morning when I called the dispatch office of the taxi company to find out where my taxi was, I was disappointed to hear that they did not have a record of my request and it would take at least 20 minutes for them to get someone to my location to pick me up. We have a small airport in the little town where I live, but sometimes the security lines are out of control, so one needs to get there in plenty of time. And, of course, I didn’t leave plenty of time, just enough time to get there and through the lines.
After a very serious….and not so nice……discussion with the Yellow Cab dispatcher and the taxi driver they dispatched to pick me up in 20 minutes, I took matters into my own hands!
I called “Uber”!
I should have done this to begin with. In 7 minutes, Thaya was at my house and ready to take me to the airport. She was truly a lifesaver and a “breath of fresh air.” When she asked how my morning was going, I, of course, shared with her my tale of the no-show taxi.
“Oh”, she said. “That’s too bad. The taxis in this area are terrible.”
You think?!
I was getting ready to be testy with her….I was inconvenienced after all…….when she began to tell me about her experiences with “Uber”and “Lyft” and how wonderful it is to work for them….. and…… how it offered her a way to “give back” sometimes.
“Give back”? I was intrigued!
She told me about a recent pick up she did at the local hospital. There was an older man who had been waiting for 2 hours at the Emergency Room for a taxi to come when the hospital staff called her to pick him up. With each call, the dispatcher promised a pick up in the next few minutes. But, despite numerous calls from the hospital staff, the taxi never came to get the visibly critically ill man.
Thaya picked him up in record time and delivered him to his house. When they got there, the man realized that in the excitement of the ambulance coming to the house to take him to the emergency room, he had forgotten to take his keys with him to the hospital. He was locked out.
Thaya, not wanting to leave him alone, called a locksmith and then waited with him until he was in his house. She even went in with him to get him settled before she left to pick up her next customer. The man asked if he could call her for a ride to his follow-up check up later that week and she agreed.
He never called.
After some days, she went by the house and found a neighbor watering the flowers. Thaiya learned that the man had passed away.
“We never know what we are going to get into from day-to-day”, Thaya shared. “I have other stories, too.”
What a poignant tale…. and….a true testament to the kindness of people.
I was inspired to drop my malaise of the last few months and forget about my bad taxi experience…and being ugly about it……. so that I could summon up my usual enthusiasm for travel and people connecting.
I”m happy to say that I found it! Whew!
And, in my usual form, I met several interesting and entertaining people on my travel day….my first day out. The first was the Homeland Security checkpoint person who…..after I told him about my taxi story……tried to convince me that I had missed my flight.
“Your flight was for yesterday!”, he told me.
What?!
“Oh”, he said”, Just kidding!” Ha!
He was trying to be funny. Actually, it was funny. We both got a good laugh out of it.
Then, there was the woman on the ride between my hometown and LAX who thought I looked like the birth mother of her adopted daughter. I am often told that I look like someone or another. It’s kind of funny! My seat mate and I had quite a conversation about this……which, by the way…..did not reveal whether this was a good thing….or a bad thing. HMMM……..I”ll assume it’s a good thing…..
And, on my last leg, sitting next to me was the college philosophy professor who thought I was a therapist. I was reading a book on mindfulness and happened to ask him if he was a nervous flyer after he wondered if I would open the window shade because he was claustrophobic. No, I’m not a therapist, just observant. After a lively conversation, he invited me to join him in Denver to view the eclipse on the 21st. He insisted that I had to see it. I’d like to…..but, I can’t go….with him…..on the 21st…..or ever…….too bad! HA!
My last perk of the day was at the Hertz counter. My fight got in to Rochester around midnight. When I was planning my trip, I decided it made good sense to stay at the Fairfield Inn on the airport property. I would pick up my car the next day when I was awake and alert and then go on my way to visit my nephew in Rochester. As it turns out, the Hertz counter was just in front of the baggage claim. The cars were in the lot across the street…no waiting, no shuttle bus, no hassle. So, I went up to the counter to see if I could pick up my car now instead of tomorrow.
No problem!
The clerk was really nice and very helpful. And, after some fun repartee we realized that we were both from California. He wondered if I had a Costco card.
But, of course. Everyone in California has a Costco card.
My status as a Californian, my Costco card and my sense of humor got me a free upgrade to the next level of car, free Siruis radio and a substantial discount. I ended up paying less money to ride more days in a better car with an upgraded music experience . If I had come in the next day…or had been cranky…… I wouldn’t have gotten any of those things.
It was a good call!
Here’s what I learned on the first day of my whirlwind tour of the east coast. There are still nice people out there who are willing to go out of their way to make your day. But, you do have to open your mind in order to see them and realize the kindnesses. I forget that sometimes!
What a great lesson….
I, for one, have been way too focused on my own limiting thoughts in these last challenging months trying to figure out how to handle certain situations, whether I am doing the right thing, and ruminating about how others will feel about me if I do this or that. I’m done. It’s too much “stuff” to get bogged down with. My fun day of traveling cross-country made me realize that I need to “get out of my own head” for a while and do what I do best….connect with people and the things that bring me joy!
So, I’m stoked and ready to do the “East Coast Boogie”.
Fun stories guaranteed!
Stay tuned!
Travel With Betsy 
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