I began the morning in Toronto at my dormitory on the Ryerson University campus, and this school now owns at least part of Maple Leaf Gardens, the former Maple Leafs hockey arena. I didn't do much this morning other than get breakfast in the dining hall, check out, and get down to Union Station for a train to Pearson Airport. One desk clerk said be really early for flights, which didn't make sense at all to me, and it would have been hard to be up as early as he suggested, something like three or four hours. The other one told me I didn't have to be all that early, the typical one hour prior, and I went with that advice. It doesn't take all that long to get through security, even before an international flight which requires going through customs. It is hard to say what I liked most about being in Toronto, but seeing the history of Maple Leaf Gardens on display was nice as I attended some basketball games there as part of the Pan-Am Games.
I had hoped it would be a ho-hum thing on getting home, but it was not to be. My adventure wasn't over. The flight out of Toronto was delayed one hour, and I missed my flight home from Newark. My layover in Newark was expected to be just over an hour. The flight was about to take off and they shut the door 10 minutes prior. I didn't want to wait six hours for the next available direct flight into MSP, and I was directed by the gate agent to customer service to be re-booked. The agent must have heard me, as I was sent through Chicago. It meant two flights became three. I still made it home earlier than if I had waited in Newark. I was thrilled to get on the first available flight to Chicago after being put on stand-by. I said I am thrilled to be getting on this flight, can't you tell? as I popped up from my seat right away. What helped was being flexible, as I told the agent I had what was on my back and what was in front of me (a backpack and a duffel bag) so I had no checked bags at all. It is why I prefer traveling light, easier to pick up and go when I need to. It was just a one hour layover in Newark, and most of the time was spent getting re-booked and finding the next flight so I was busy which is what I preferred. I had a longer layover in Chicago, about two and a half hours. I hadn't eaten much since breakfast and it was early evening by then so I had some pizza, a tall glass of 312 beer (appropriate for being in Chicago) and apple pie. I also let my friends know on Facebook how I wasn't going to make it to the clubs tonight. It was the first time I had noticed I-pads at airports for internet access, and I took full advantage of it in Toronto and Chicago. I did postings at both, after saying (and fully expecting) the previous day that it was likely my final posting about this pilgrimage.
I had hoped it would be a ho-hum thing on getting home, but it was not to be. My adventure wasn't over. The flight out of Toronto was delayed one hour, and I missed my flight home from Newark. My layover in Newark was expected to be just over an hour. The flight was about to take off and they shut the door 10 minutes prior. I didn't want to wait six hours for the next available direct flight into MSP, and I was directed by the gate agent to customer service to be re-booked. The agent must have heard me, as I was sent through Chicago. It meant two flights became three. I still made it home earlier than if I had waited in Newark. I was thrilled to get on the first available flight to Chicago after being put on stand-by. I said I am thrilled to be getting on this flight, can't you tell? as I popped up from my seat right away. What helped was being flexible, as I told the agent I had what was on my back and what was in front of me (a backpack and a duffel bag) so I had no checked bags at all. It is why I prefer traveling light, easier to pick up and go when I need to. It was just a one hour layover in Newark, and most of the time was spent getting re-booked and finding the next flight so I was busy which is what I preferred. I had a longer layover in Chicago, about two and a half hours. I hadn't eaten much since breakfast and it was early evening by then so I had some pizza, a tall glass of 312 beer (appropriate for being in Chicago) and apple pie. I also let my friends know on Facebook how I wasn't going to make it to the clubs tonight. It was the first time I had noticed I-pads at airports for internet access, and I took full advantage of it in Toronto and Chicago. I did postings at both, after saying (and fully expecting) the previous day that it was likely my final posting about this pilgrimage.
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