A few years ago I had to fly to nyc. I flew into laguardia airport for a big conference I was to be apart of and I was waiting to be picked up..
Just some back ground first. I live just north of orlando fl and grew up in between a small to med size city and the country. I've worked in the city all my life and lived out in the open spaces. So when I got the chance to goto nyc I saw it as another adventure. I've been to Detroit, Atlanta, dc, Chicago, Boston, philly, New Orleans, miami ect, thinking no big deal. I've flown to just about each one thinking I had a Handel on the airport experience as well.
My experience here started with our landing. We hit the ground and must of taxied for 30 minutes. Thinking ok, big city big airport, then when we left the plane we walked down steps 70's style across the Tarmac to the terminal.. I did not know they still did this, I've always boarded via the retractable gang way. I didn't know the rules about walking near/under the wing. (Appearently the plan will explode if anyone does this, judging by how the baggage handlers were freaking out, that or maybe airport workers there take their jobs way too seriously.) either way two mins in the ground I am being yelled at.
We finally get into the terminal and its under construction/no signage. So I follow the bulk of the crowd for ten mins down a empty hall way till we hit a construction barrier, where we all get yelled at and told to turn around. So we walk back. We get back to where we start, turn the first corner, go down an escalator and the baggage claim was right there. Got my bag, went to the bathroom.
This was a disgusting adventure in of itself. Never been in a restroom so croweded. Nor have I ever been around Hasidic jews when they pee.. One of them pees while the other two stand gaurd with their back turned to the peeing guy, then They take turns in this formation. Till all have gone. Next there was a guy ocd washing his hands crazy hard, then I saw what looked to be two dudes in a stall, (four feet one stall) and a horrid stench of urine, poop and BO.
I went to a urinal started to do my business and the guy next to me drops his pants and underwear to the floor and steps back a couple of steps, I don't think I was finished completely, but decided it was enough to get out of there. I went to wash my hands and noticed the ocd guy washing his hands went to another sink because appearently he used all the soap in the first one. I saw his hands they were washed to a bright pink color and he was still scrubbing away. I got out of there thinking I was just flown into arkham asylum. This place was a nut house. So I found my pick up spot and decided to wait at a bench.
I did not even sit down and this 12 year oldish Arab girl walks up crying saying she is lost and wants to use my phone to call her dad. I said no. (We have scams like this in orlando for the tourist when they wander too far from the tourist areas) I told her I will call her dad and tell him where she was. She stopped her tearless crying and said he would be very upset if some strange man call him, and she needed to speak with him.
I said look, no matter who calls the phone number on his caller id will be the same, but if you think he needs to hear your voice instead of mine I will put you on speaker. She said no that won't work because her dad does not like to have family business spoken of openly. So I said speak in your native language I won't be able to understand it. At this point she is loosing patiences with me and is becoming indignant, and says she really needs to call her dad. I told her look a here sweet heart I did not just fall of the turnip truck. If you want to call and speak with your father I will put you on speaker, and you can talk with him, but I will be damned if I hand you this phone, so you can run off with it.
So she gave me her dads number. He answered demanded to speak with his daughter privately, I told him the same thing I told her. He accused me a calling his daughter a thief, I told him when you find her I'm The guy wearing a yellow shirt you can deal with me when you get here. He says something to her in her language, and hanges up. She looks at me slowly turns and reached back for the Handel on my roller suit case and starts to run. I quickly grab the side Handel and snatched it back hard, she fell. I stood up very angry and she froze.. Not wanting to hurt her, I told her to run, she did.
So I sat there looking over my shoulder for her 'dad' for an hour while I waited to be picked up.
I was picked up and told my ride that I am way outside of my comfort zone here, I don't like this place and I want to go home.
That was my first trip to NYC, does anyone else have a story like that?
Just some back ground first. I live just north of orlando fl and grew up in between a small to med size city and the country. I've worked in the city all my life and lived out in the open spaces. So when I got the chance to goto nyc I saw it as another adventure. I've been to Detroit, Atlanta, dc, Chicago, Boston, philly, New Orleans, miami ect, thinking no big deal. I've flown to just about each one thinking I had a Handel on the airport experience as well.
My experience here started with our landing. We hit the ground and must of taxied for 30 minutes. Thinking ok, big city big airport, then when we left the plane we walked down steps 70's style across the Tarmac to the terminal.. I did not know they still did this, I've always boarded via the retractable gang way. I didn't know the rules about walking near/under the wing. (Appearently the plan will explode if anyone does this, judging by how the baggage handlers were freaking out, that or maybe airport workers there take their jobs way too seriously.) either way two mins in the ground I am being yelled at.
We finally get into the terminal and its under construction/no signage. So I follow the bulk of the crowd for ten mins down a empty hall way till we hit a construction barrier, where we all get yelled at and told to turn around. So we walk back. We get back to where we start, turn the first corner, go down an escalator and the baggage claim was right there. Got my bag, went to the bathroom.
This was a disgusting adventure in of itself. Never been in a restroom so croweded. Nor have I ever been around Hasidic jews when they pee.. One of them pees while the other two stand gaurd with their back turned to the peeing guy, then They take turns in this formation. Till all have gone. Next there was a guy ocd washing his hands crazy hard, then I saw what looked to be two dudes in a stall, (four feet one stall) and a horrid stench of urine, poop and BO.
I went to a urinal started to do my business and the guy next to me drops his pants and underwear to the floor and steps back a couple of steps, I don't think I was finished completely, but decided it was enough to get out of there. I went to wash my hands and noticed the ocd guy washing his hands went to another sink because appearently he used all the soap in the first one. I saw his hands they were washed to a bright pink color and he was still scrubbing away. I got out of there thinking I was just flown into arkham asylum. This place was a nut house. So I found my pick up spot and decided to wait at a bench.
I did not even sit down and this 12 year oldish Arab girl walks up crying saying she is lost and wants to use my phone to call her dad. I said no. (We have scams like this in orlando for the tourist when they wander too far from the tourist areas) I told her I will call her dad and tell him where she was. She stopped her tearless crying and said he would be very upset if some strange man call him, and she needed to speak with him.
I said look, no matter who calls the phone number on his caller id will be the same, but if you think he needs to hear your voice instead of mine I will put you on speaker. She said no that won't work because her dad does not like to have family business spoken of openly. So I said speak in your native language I won't be able to understand it. At this point she is loosing patiences with me and is becoming indignant, and says she really needs to call her dad. I told her look a here sweet heart I did not just fall of the turnip truck. If you want to call and speak with your father I will put you on speaker, and you can talk with him, but I will be damned if I hand you this phone, so you can run off with it.
So she gave me her dads number. He answered demanded to speak with his daughter privately, I told him the same thing I told her. He accused me a calling his daughter a thief, I told him when you find her I'm The guy wearing a yellow shirt you can deal with me when you get here. He says something to her in her language, and hanges up. She looks at me slowly turns and reached back for the Handel on my roller suit case and starts to run. I quickly grab the side Handel and snatched it back hard, she fell. I stood up very angry and she froze.. Not wanting to hurt her, I told her to run, she did.
So I sat there looking over my shoulder for her 'dad' for an hour while I waited to be picked up.
I was picked up and told my ride that I am way outside of my comfort zone here, I don't like this place and I want to go home.
That was my first trip to NYC, does anyone else have a story like that?
