My much anticipated weekend in the Atlanta area has come to pass. I managed to learn some things in this short time:
1. I have "personal space" issues
When I fly I normally chose a window seat. Mostly because I like to day dream in the clouds but also because I am not on the aisle where my elbow is in constant danger, or in the middle seat where I can't help but touch my seat mates. On my way to ATL on Friday, I had my window seat but the gentleman sitting next to me did not have a concept of personal space. He was slender and so should not have needed more than the space he was provided. But he decided it was appropo to sit with his legs spread wide apart while reading a magazine. I spent the entire flight pressed against the side of the plane because if I sat comfortably he and I would have been touching much more than we were. It bothered me. Bothered me even more when I started a conversation with him (I thought it might make him more aware, I guess. Or I'm just stupid) and found that he "talked" with his hands so by the end of the flight, with all the random knee touches and inadvertent pokes and jabs, I felt like I had been violated.
2. Travelers are, in general, rude.
I do not understand why an overstuffed boarding gate needs to be made more so by people who need one seat for their carry on, one seat for their food, one seat for their feet and one seat for their behinds....while several other people are left standing.
When getting off the plane, why do people come rushing up the aisle from the back knowing they can only move so far along? Meanwhile, these same people are now in the way of others who need to collect their luggage from the overheads. These are the same people who huff, puff, and knock people over to get off the plane (me first, me first!) just to walk slower than everyone else on the platform, causing a traffic jam..
I used to be really upset over the way airlines have treated people who are very large. I have now seen another side to this. On the way back a very large man had the seat in front of me. He needed a belt extender and could not sit all the way in the seat. Because of this, every time he shifted his seat would lean all the way back, practically touching me. Now, I have been bigger than I am and I know how people looked at me differently then, so I am not sure how I feel about myself right now, but when his seat came drawbridging down on me, I started to wonder about my safety. First, because it looked like the seat was going to collapse at any moment, and second, because if I had to get up for any reason, I would not have been able to because his situation did not leave me with enough room to move. I do sort of see how, if he purchased two seats would have been better for both of us.
3. Hotel.
How can a 4 star hotel have 1 star food and charge outrageously for it? The hotel was great, actually (Marriott Concourse Renaissance, Atlanta Airport). The food in the "gourmet" restaurant was lacking. Seriously lacking. It was simply a case of being, well, too complicated. Innovative flavorings are the benchmarks of hotel restaurants. Especially when there are so many choices just outside the hotel walls. But too many flavors on one piece of meat can really ruin a meal. When that happens, the inflated price is just insulting. It happened to me Friday night. Oh well. The drinks were acceptable and the company was great!
If check out is at noon, why does housekeeping come around any time prior to? Just saying.
4. Other.
I am now convinced that there is not a single hair product in this world that can go up against the humidity in Atlanta. I am now learning to embrace my curly hair.
I seem to walk faster than most people in GA. In some places (sorry, Marietta) that turned out to be a good thing.
I was finally witness to the ATL traffic I have heard so much about. Sunday morning looked a lot like New York City rush hour. Not sure how I am going to be aggressive enough to survive.
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