Thinking Travel

photo by I'll Never Grow Up

I’m back in the U.S. for exactly one night. I just flew in from Costa Rica and will soon meet Aaron and fly to Madrid.

Funny, I was freaked out about flying to Costa Rica during the rainiest month of the rainy season. But the weather was perfect flying in and out of the San Jose airport. It was in ATL that we had rainy, windy conditions. Nevertheless, we landed on time.

Then my ATL airport adventure began.

Even though ATL was my final destination, I still had to go through airport security.

Then I got on the airport shuttle and made my way to another terminal so I could find some dinner to take to my hotel. After walking all over terminal A, I found something. (This was a good thing since my hotel is who knows where and there’s absolutely nothing near us and they only serve breakfast here.)

Then I walked all over terminal A and T and the baggage claim looking for the hotel shuttles. Once I was hot and sweaty and the plastic bag carrying my dinner had cut off all circulation to my right hand, I finally figured out that at ATL, “Shared Rides” means “Hotel Shuttle.” And that you have to exit the terminal through a hard-to-see side exit.

So then I follow the other confused passengers, many who are only carrying small carry-on bags and one of those free bags of toiletries they give you when they cancel your flight and you have to spend the night without your luggage. We walk across the street, down the sidewalk, turn right, walk down another sidewalk and finally find the hotel shuttle pick-up area.

It was chaos. There are more shuttles than parking spaces, so each shuttle parks when there’s an open spot. The driver jumps out of the van, yells “Hiiiiiiiilton Hoooooootel!” and then drives away.

I look for the Courtyard by Marriot shuttle. After about 10 minutes I find a Marriot Shuttle. Yeah! Oh. No yeah. As I board the shuttle I’m told that they don’t go to my Marriot. Oookay…

Then, about 5 minutes later, I find a Courtyard shuttle. Great! Oh. Not great. This one only goes to the Courtyard by Marriot South. I’m in North. Then the driver tells me that I have to take the Renaissance Hotel Shuttle. Oookay…yeah, that makes sense.

The funny thing is that the Renaissance shuttle was the first one I saw. But it didn’t occur to me to get on that once since I was going to the Courtyard.

Anyway, finally, after something like 25 minutes I get on a shuttle and am driven 7 minutes to my hotel by a really friendly driver. This guy said hello to everyone, helped an older woman on and off the shuttle, and even went a little out of the way to take a guy to the Fed-Ex airport. He was awesome.

I’m now at the hotel, finishing some work and getting ready to GO ON VACATION! Woo hoo!