I woke up a little later than I expected. I needed to ride the metro line to a transfer station where I would have to catch the train to the airport. I was under the impression that I had one more ride left for my pass but the attendant informed me that I did not. I then started to purchase a ticket but couldn't understand the process for some reason that I forget. I think it's because the ATM card was supposed to be inserted before options were selected whereas I'm used to the opposite. Whatever the reason, the attendant was extremely impatient, unhelpful, and rude. The machine was not very clear either, which was weird since other stations presented me with no complications. Through all of this I lost valuable time.
When I got to the transfer station I hesitated because I wasn't sure it was correct due to loudspeaker issues. The time I lost from this error was critical since I was behind schedule already. Furthermore, I had already broken down my bike so I wouldn't have to worry about it at the airport. I finally got back to my station after about ten-fifteen minutes, whereupon I found a long walk including some stairs to an elevator whereupon there was an equally long walk down another hall, having to carry or drag my bulky 30 pound bike the whole way. Then I discovered that indeed there are no free transfer in this God forsaken transit system. I had to pay another heft fare to get on my way, which was followed by more agonizing waiting.
When I finally got to the airport I had to walk tunnel after tunnel while dragging my bike every damn inch because my arms were pretty much done by then. I was too late to check in at the terminal, and ultimately I was just too late. My first ever missed flight was upon me. So I had to enter the line defeated by bad judgment and tortuous logistics.
To my relief, a Jet Blue customer service/manager elicited my situation and assured me I should be fine. I actually got a flight that departed an hour after mine, so the wait was non-existent including security. Thank God the bike was out of my hands for the final rush to the boarding gate. I should mention that I got a new employee who had to be instructed while processing my new flight, of course on standby.
Everything worked out well. Well, actually the overhead bins were full bad I still needed a place to stash my wheel. First, the flight attendant got a bag for it then she had it placed between the window seat and the fuselage wall. To my right was a handsome blonde about my age who wore a driving cap/ivy and a nice semi-formal outfit. To my left was a middle-aged man who looked like a local, perhaps excited to be going to Los Angeles for the first time as he was smiling a lot (especially with another man on the flight).
Unlike Alaska Airlines the WI-FI was free but spotty and with limitations. The blonde was apparently working on a screenplay the whole time, often switching between his script and other web pages. The imagined New Yorker with angels in his eyes watched in-flight movies for much of the trip, one in particular took place in the desert circa 1970s/early 80s. I enjoyed some in-flight video about authentic Mexican cuisine from a town I forget, but it made me hungry.
Anyhow, the flight arrived into LAX and I was eager to get back home. However, the baggage took a long time to arrive and when it did I got worried when I didn't see my bike. Eventually someone came with it on the way to the oversize luggage room. Fortunately, I wasn't charged the oversize fee! I promptly went to work putting my bike together but got worried when I couldn't find the wrench in the bag. Fortunately, I had put it in my backpack for accessibility and had forgotten about it, so I was back in business.
Fortunately, the wait for the G-Bus was short, as expected. Getting to the LAX/Aviation Green Line station then the Norwalk station and finally to the Disneyland Express bus was without incident. I arrived in Anaheim with some time left in the day and I started to ride while enjoying the fresh air. Unfortunately, I decided that there were more issues with by bike since the last time I rode it. Now the front brake cable was loose and the rear brake cable rubbing! This trip really took its toll on my bike. Fortunately, the bike was still workable, I just had to be more careful.
Of course, I took the next day off of work to recuperate, process, and take back some of my home time.
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