Another Plus for the iPad?
No need to tie up the security line by taking it out for x-rays. I wonder if all laptops will go this route as solid state storage becomes more common?
Heading Home
Travel day tomorrow - walk to the train station, 40 minutes to CDG, hop to London, take a plane from there to NY, then wait a few hours, fly to Baltimore. Then get a cab. So it truly will be a day of Planes, Trains, and Automobiles :)
A Day in Paris
Ahead of tomorrow's event here in Paris, we had some time for "speed sightseeing" today: Here are a few photos:
Had it not been so bone crushingly cold (winds), I'd likely stlll be out there :)
Heathrow Express, From NYC
That's pretty cool - you can buy a ticket for the Heathrow Express (a train that runs from Heathrow straight into Paddington station) right at the departure gate at JFK. Way, way cheaper than the cab ride would have been (I looked at the map, and it would have cost a bundle). It's about 3 miles from there to my hotel though, so I either need another subway ride from there, or a short cab ride. I'd walk, but my shoulder bag would kill me over that distance - never mind the exhausted state I'm likely to be in at that time of day :)
On the Road
I'm on my way to London - today's entertainment is a long wait at JFK for the outbound flight. I did manage to find a bookstore with a modest selection; had I been thinking, I would have hit Amazon earlier last week. Anyway, I do have wifi, and I think I'm tired enough to sleep.
Of course, this does mean a week without Dragon Age
Post Laundering Win
I was a little worried that the earlier snow storms might have delayed passport processing (I need mine in a week) - but lo and behold, the new passport arrived sometime this week by mail (I've been a bit lax in checking the mailbox). Crisis averted; I'll see you in London and Paris early next month!
One of those Years
So it wasn't enough that I laundered my passport - my daughter is taking a trip later this year, and her passport is set to expire right in the middle of it. We had all the docs ready, but then the big snows hit - we're finally set to hit the post office today. Fortunately, there are months between now and her trip, so things should be ok.
The Sorry State of Security Theater
Security theather is in full swing in Toronto, at least for the US bound flights. The stupidity began early today, at the entry area for US flights. A little tyrant named Carla was defining what was and was not a laptop bag. My backpack didn't fit her definition, which meant I had to go back to the desk to check my clothes bag. I mentioned her name to the people there at the Air Canada desk - they rolled their eyes, apparently familiar with her gatekeeping ways.
Once past the queen of laptop bags, the rest of it was just insane lines, followed by a complete inspection of every bag for every person coming through. I barely made my flight because of that - and there's simlpy no way that such a regime can be sustained in the long term, unless they want to severely cut down on the number of flights - it just takes too long. I suppose it's "fair" though - search everyone and gosh knows, you sure don't have to actually examine people passing through to assess actual risks. It's like "zero tolerance" at schools - remove all the judgment to make it completely fair (and utterly ineffective and annoying).
My actual flight seems ok (I'm typing this from the cabin of my flight). Uncrowded, comfortable enough, and the flight crew on the plane seem nice. I even got about an hour's worth of sleep while we waited in the de-icing line. At least I don't need to travel to tomorrow's event - it's at BWI, within minutes of home.
In Toronto
I arrived without any real trouble, and only 15 minutes behind schedule. Everyone else had varying tales of travel woes; it's not been a great day for travel here in the eastern part of North America :) Everything should be fine for the event tomorrow; check here for details.
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