Wow. It seems as if a week has passed since I woke up this morning. I can’t believe that I’m in New York right now, sitting in a grandiose hotel room that is ridiculously spacious.
When I first woke up this morning, I was a little apprehensive about leaving. I’ve never been away from home for more than a week, so naturally I was a little nervous about being so far away from Pinole.
When we reached El Cerrito High School, I wanted to call the whole thing off and just go home. But I persevered, and was soon on the shuttle to the airport. When we got there, we smoothly glided past the check-in and security checkpoint, and settled down with more than an hour left. While waiting, many of us checked our SAT and SAT II scores, read newspapers, or just plain rested. Lots of us tried out our cameras, or started stocking up photos for the blogs.
That's our airplane. What you don't see is the broken fuel gauge or pump or thingymajigger that delayed us for 45 minutes. Apparently, the broken fuel gizmo meant that the plane would need to be manually refilled, which led to a delay on the ground. The good news was that we could get off after 45 minutes on the tarmac to stretch our legs. The bad news was that JFK airport delayed our flight another 45 minutes.
After we finally got to JFK, we realized how different the weather on the East Coast is from the weather back home. Thank goodness for air conditioning. After an uneventful trip to the hotel, we went to Keens Steakhouse for dinner. The atmosphere and style of the restaurant was something that was totally new for me. I've never seen any place with as much memorabilia and style as Keens. The food was also magnificent. My prime rib made a loud "THUMP" as it hit the table. After entrees, we also had a delicious dessert. The key lime pie was a perfect end to the savory dinner.
Now I'm back in the hotel, and even though it feels like we've done so much today, I know that it's only the beginning of much more. I can't wait for tomorrow!
Winston,
ReplyDeleteYou worry me you write that you contemplated heading back home even before you left. Thank goodness you came to your senses.
They didn't try to blame that busted airplane on any of our ILC cohorts, did they? It always worries me when they say there's something wrong with the plane and when the mechanic shows up all he has is a big roll of duct tape.
Not to make you feel bad, Winston, but when the others had a nice meal they often posted photos of the fine food to make us all feel jealous. I don't know if I should thank you for saving me from the hunger pains if I were to see those photos or cuss you out for not bothering to share in this fine meal with your friends and family here at home. We'll talk about this more when you return home.