Onion Slices

When I left my position at 3Sharp, I knew that I would probably settle in another job that didn’t have as much travel, and I knew that I would miss it. While working at 3Sharp, I gained a much more relaxed attitude towards travel and became much happier in the airport as a result. At my current job, there isn’t much travel required, but I did get an opportunity to come to Winnipeg, Manitoba, in Canada.

My trip started off well in Seattle with first a delay while a malfunctioning plane was switched, and then a cancellation and switch to another flight when that plane broke down as well. Switched onto a later flight to Vancouver, the Horizon Air people were able to hop me on to a later connection from Vancouver to Winnipeg. Friendly and helpful, they made it easy to not be frustrated with the changes.

The actual flight from Seattle to Vancouver was bumpy, short and full of American pseudo-science (“You can’t have on ANY electrical devices because that may break the plane!!!”). I didn’t add cramped to the list because even with two normal flights joined into one, the Horizon Air people were able to book me on a row where I was the only occupant. I was able to stretch out a bit and enjoy the 40 minutes in the air.

Once I landed in Vancouver I was struck with how much I liked the airport. It was clean and fresh, and most importantly, empty. Going through customs wasn’t troublesome, but I would have liked to have had clearer instructions. I think having people used to hopping back and forth from the US and Canada as the bulk of travelers breeds a bit of assumption about the understanding of people who aren’t regular. I had my form looked at and then handed back to me. I had no idea what to do with it, but I’m glad I didn’t throw it away! I had to turn it in, once I got my luggage, to move on to the rest of the airport.

My wait in Vancouver wasn’t bad, but I wasn’t thrilled with the fact that the wings of the airport are very segregated from one another. In the US, with the draconian security, most airports have changed to have most of the shops and services INSIDE the secure area, so with a long layover, there is still a lot to entertain yourself with. I had a good book, and found a tasty burger, so it wasn’t too hard a wait.

The flight to Winnipeg was wonderful! First, there was a lot more room in the seats than a plane in the US. Instead of adopting the “2-3” row format, the seats were “2-2” which gave me enough space between the armrests that I could easily fit my hands between my hips and the armrests. This is a big difference than the cattle-cars that I normally have flown in. Additionally, I was by myself in a row witch just sweetened the deal. Even though we had a long delay at the gate as one passenger got off and they had to find his luggage, the flight went by too quickly as I was completely comfortable. On the plane, I was pleasantly surprised by the cleanliness and thoughtfulness of the plane as well as the size. In the back of the seat in front of me was a lovely touch screen with many viewing options, as well as a USB port for charging small electronic devices. Genius! I was also pleasantly surprised when I found out that Horizon Air also credited me with some money for meals on the plane, so I was treated to a lovely chicken wrap, cheese and crackers at no cost. Wow, Canada Air is classy!

Once we landed in Winnipeg, I was brought back to reality. The airport was somewhat older and it reminded me very much of Detroit’s Smith terminal. It wasn’t smelly or that dirty, but it was decidedly older than I had expected. Grabbing my bag and heading out into the cold, I ventured to the next building to pick up my rental car and had the first experience of my beard freezing. Back when I was in the cold weather all the time, I was clean shaven, so this was a very new and odd feeling.

Getting the rental car was a simple process and they man at the counter was quite helpful and nice. I ended up in a Elantra. It’s quite a nice little car with a good heater. Just what I needed for the -30 degree weather. I was stuck with a strong jealous rage as I saw a man in the Hertz parking lot hop into a rented Honda Pilot. I do miss my wife, but I can talk to her on the phone and through e-mail. I don’t get to drive the Pilot, or snuggle with my kittens. As I was driving out into the night, snow deeply covering the road, I thought about how much nicer it is when everyone knows how to drive in the snow!

This has gotten to be a long post, so I’ll write up my hotel experience later tonight!