BWI to Sun 'n Fun

I have been waiting for this day for a year now! It's time to begin the trip to Sun 'n Fun.

Today is about shifting my sleeping pattern from Graveyard operations to normal waking hours. So, after finishing my shift at 8am this morning, I set out to the Baltimore Airport in the pouring rain. With Paul (my rollaboard) in tow and a carry-on bag with my laptop inside, I arrived at BWI at 1pm.

Inside the BWI Terminal, I asked the ladies at the Maryland Welcome Center for some touristy ideas of things to do. I almost had to reassure them that I wasn't a juvenile runaway and they kept trying to hook me up with a hotel when I told them my flight was tomorrow. My stubborn resistance paid off and I hopped on the light rail to make my way to Baltimore's Inner Harbour.

My all day light rail ticket was a mere $3.50. First stop was Convention Center. There I exited the train with Paul and my Green tote bag in tow, and stepped onto Pratt Street.

I found a place called Cafe 100 on my walk. In the spirit of adventure, and hunger, I checked it out. Upon stepping inside, I didn't find an intimate ten table eatery, I found stairs- and lots of them! The cafe turned out to be on the third floor. I dragged my baggage wearily up the stairs with me. Then I saw the spacious uninviting buffet style cafe. One look at the buffet brought back memories of my uneaten leftover Chinese food. I wasn't in the mood to pay for the same stuff over again. I returned to Pratt Street, walked a couple more blocks, and found a mall called the Galleria.

Once again, this building was multi-level, but it was equipped with escalators. I went direct to Payless Shoes and bought my white sneakers. I haven't had white sneakers in years. All of my jobs lately have required black shoes of some kind.

Across the street from the Galleria was Harbour Point. A few quick minutes of browsing revealed nothing interesting, and once again, there were stairs. Moving on...

At last, I saw M & S Grill and decided that's where I would have lunch. They searched for a table that had access to an outlet so I could charge my phone. My $3 OJ, dispaced by a half glass of unwanted ice, was drank in seconds. I came to get just some crab soup, but upon seeing Idahoan Rainbow Trout on the menu, my appetite changed. It's been years since I ate the last Rainbow Trout I had caught. This one turned out boneless. I missed fishing through the bones for the fish's flaky flesh.

Stepping out a different door, I came face to face with the Harbour and heavier rain. Against my better judgment, I determined that now was the time to buy an umbrella. The Outfitters store appeared to be a promising place to buy an umbrella, but no. It turned out I was in another mall environment. I saw a small store called Harbour Gifts. They had an umbrella for $6. I was grateful it wasn't $30. I calculated that if the $6 umbrella lasts me the next 6 blocks to the light rail, then I got my money's worth. Bottom line: I expected the umbrella to: 1. Knock me upside the head a few times, and 2. Get blown out of shape by the wind.

I still had time to explore, so I took the light rail to the Timonium Station, hoping to see the sights... I ended up sleeping. As I promised to the volunteers at the Maryland Welcome Center, I returned to the airport at 7pm.

Halfway down the terminal, I found a moderately occupied set of seats. I squeezed my way to the back middle seat and fell asleep until 11pm. I missed the window to get through security. The checkpoint was closed.

I scored a seat on the second level that had an adjacent outlet, and parked my stuff there. Around 1am I noticed my friend Elliott was still tweeting, so I asked him if I could call him- I was having such a fun time and needed to share it. I enjoyed a nice conversation with him, and learned more about Alaska Air's current promotions and more in the works.

After drinking my Red Bull, I was ready to redo my awful packing job.

While waiting for my plane in the morning, I saw several pilots walk passed me. I greeted them with a "Hello" or "Good morning, sir". Out of this, I observed more of a response from saying "Good morning sir".

When Richard, the Gate Agent appeared on scene, I asked him if he could help me get my picture taken with the crew, if they would oblige. He said he'd do better than that- that he'd get me a visit to the cockpit! I felt like a kid at Christmas! I was on fire.

I noticed a uniformed non-revving crew member from another airline waiting for my flight. Carefully, I greeted her, making sure she wouldn't mind being bothered by a troublesome pax. She engaged me in a conversation about her company and her trip. She was familiar with Sun 'n Fun, so we talked about that for a while. I felt like I was tweeting live. The plane wasn't full and I found a seat adjacent to Judy. She had settled down with her book, so I didn't bother her. But later on in the flight once drinks were passed out, I got to talk to her once more. Such a nice lady!

Upon landing in TPA, I mentioned to the flight attendant about my wish, and Richard's promise, for a visit to the cockpit. The Captain had left, so I sat in his seat and exchanged a few words with Noel, the First Officer and had my picture taken with him. Such an awesome experience!

I met Lynda in the terminal an hour later. We went down to Baja Fresh, and both had a tostada salad. Another hour later, Jo came in. We all gathered by the cabs and decided to take the cab all the way into Lakeland, rather than just to the Greyhound station, all for $30 each. I'd say the price was right!

I want to thank all my friends on Twitter who actively paid attention to my trip as I tweeted. It was a pleasure sharing and trying to keep you engaged.

Please Let the CanJet Crew Go Unharmed

My thoughts and prayers are with the CanJet crew who are being held hostage in Jamaica. May those negotiating with the hostage taker be skillful bringing this frightening experience to a peaceful end. May the man with the gun see the error of his behavior and peaceably surrender.

These pilots and flight attendants are my friends- I consider all flight and cabin crew members my friends.

My friends, my thoughts and prayers are with you.

I can't get enough of this! Thank you, Paul Bonhomme!