It rained. Again. Why? Because we were traveling today. And we had to walk -- originally -- four blocks to the subway & go down a set of scary-slippery stairs to the Red Line. We got there.....wet......and found yellow police tape at the entrance. All it siad ws to "Catch The Shuttle". But where was the shuttle? There were no signs anywhere!
We met a man who was almost as disgruntled as we were who told us to walk six block further and pick up the Purple Line. We had no other choice. Well, we did. But it would have been a $40 cab ride. $2 a person sounded better. And we left with time for errors to occur. Still raining and cold, we hauled it the six lengthy blocks. Where we had to climb three flights of stairs......slippery and suitcases........and the phrase "out of breath" doesn't begin to explain the feeling. The Purple line came, finally, and we got on with way too many other people. Flashbacks to Crak & me holding the doors to the metro open while pitching our way-too-bulky/heavy suitcases into a crowded car where nobody would help came to mind......and we now had to figure out where this would link to the Orange Line to head back to Midway.
Becasue it was Saturday, fewer trains were running and there really wasn't a time schedule to follow. We got out at a station, hurriedly took the elevator (first one I saw at a station this whole time) and went down one level to hop in another and ride it back up to the platfrom on the other side. 15 minutes later, the Orange Train arrived and we began the run back to the airport.
We made it with a half hour before boarding. Not much time but enough to get on line and have our bags checked. We hustled it to the gate & hopped on the plane.
Take-off was a bit rough with the.........don't make me say it...........wind and rain, but the pilot did just fine. We were back to ISP in no time at all.
I was so tired & all I wanted to do was go home and crash. Fat chance. Dad, who met us at the airport, was hungry, as it was 6:00, and wanted to go get dinner. He went to Chilis on Rte. 110. We had a 45-minute wait. While sitting there, I noticed a student waiting tables in the bar section. So I scurried out of sight because I was tired, cold, and had just gotten off a plane. I was in no mood to see a student. We were seated and our waitress came over to take our orders.
I sat there in our section and watched another waitress who looked awfully familiar. But, I couldn't place her. All of a sudden, it hit me: she was the evil woman from the fall who was furious over her grade and literally went screaming up and down the halls until someone would listen. Drat! I can't stand her. Thankfully, it didn't seem as if she saw me, so I ate & told my parents to hustle it up a bit.
I went home tired but happy that my stealth moves kept me off the radar. I'd go back to Chicago in a New York minute, but only if it is after Memorial Day.
