Neverending MBRO memory thread

#11,704
#11,704
joevol33 said:
Notvthe first trip for sure. I wanna drive!
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Joe, this is a super-crappy time of year to drive Up There. Not that it's great any other time of the year, but winter...

You'll think that there is a way to avoid built-up areas, but it's pretty impossible to do so between northern Virginia and Massachusetts. It's just pavement and a ton of vehicles.

Oh, and unless it has changed, you're not allowed to pump your own gas in New Jersey. So if that's an issue for your manliness, you'd better top up your tanks first.

(I don't think that you'd need to, but do NOT try to drive in Boston. Jawja license plates will put you waaaaaay down the food chain when it comes to trying to merge etc. Especially on the roundabouts (traffic circles.) Good times going up there with Tennessee plates.)

Despite which, I enjoy it up there, at least to visit. But driving; ugh.
 
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#11,706
#11,706
VolNExile said:
Joe, this is a super-crappy time of year to drive Up There. Not that it's great any other time of the year, but winter...

You'll think that there is a way to avoid built-up areas, but it's pretty impossible to do so between northern Virginia and Massachusetts. It's just pavement and a ton of vehicles.

Oh, and unless it has changed, you're not allowed to pump your own gas in New Jersey. So if that's an issue for your manliness, you'd better top up your tanks first.

(I don't think that you'd need to, but do NOT try to drive in Boston. Jawja license plates will put you waaaaaay down the food chain when it comes to trying to merge etc. Especially on the roundabouts (traffic circles.) Good times going up there with Tennessee plates.)

Despite which, I enjoy it up there, at least to visit. But driving; ugh.
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yep no way would I drive there in the WInter - flights are cheap right now I would think -- the Dr could probably recommend something with the travel
 
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#11,707
#11,707
508mikey said:
yep no way would I drive there in the WInter - flights are cheap right now I would think -- the Dr could probably recommend something with the travel
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My daughter in Denver (this might be her new title, DaughterInDenver) has flown here twice during Covid. She wears a mask, wipes everything the hell down with Clorox etc wet wipes, doesn't eat (on the plane), only drinks from a bottle she brings on board, ditches the mask when she exits the destination airport and puts on a new one. So far, so good.

Just plan on renting a car when you get there so you'll have some mobility. Trust me, I love to drive long distances, but this particular route is just soul-sucking, dismal, endless, bumper-to-bumper, head-banging misery. And it's a reeeeeeally long drive.

Oh!!! and just to add: Floridians drive this corridor. Imagine 14 or whatever hours with Florida plates in the left lane going 62.
 
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#11,710
#11,710
VolNExile said:
Joe, this is a super-crappy time of year to drive Up There. Not that it's great any other time of the year, but winter...

You'll think that there is a way to avoid built-up areas, but it's pretty impossible to do so between northern Virginia and Massachusetts. It's just pavement and a ton of vehicles.

Oh, and unless it has changed, you're not allowed to pump your own gas in New Jersey. So if that's an issue for your manliness, you'd better top up your tanks first.

(I don't think that you'd need to, but do NOT try to drive in Boston. Jawja license plates will put you waaaaaay down the food chain when it comes to trying to merge etc. Especially on the roundabouts (traffic circles.) Good times going up there with Tennessee plates.)

Despite which, I enjoy it up there, at least to visit. But driving; ugh.
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I was hoping to miss any bad weather! As far as traffic, if we do drive, I'd likely leave here on a sunday evening, and drive through the night going. Maybe miss the worst part. Idk, may just fly. I'm scared of the thought of flying in snow more than driving😂
 
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#11,711
#11,711
joevol33 said:
I was hoping to miss any bad weather! As far as traffic, if we do drive, I'd likely leave here on a sunday evening, and drive through the night going. Maybe miss the worst part. Idk, may just fly. I'm scared of the thought of flying in snow more than driving😂
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Airliners nowadays have fly-by-wire. They don't need to see the ground until they're pulling off the taxiway. It's really extraordinary how well it works, although the control freaks (like me) get anxious.

I used to fly with DXH (dearish-ex-husband) on his cargo routes before he got on at UT. He had a long DHL (Pony Express?) route that wound up in Atlanta around 4:30 or so in the morning. I sat lookout in the right seat of a beat-up Aztec, staring in horror at all the lights of all the Eastern Air Lines jets (this was a looong time ago, lol) lighting up the sky, while he never looked up from the instruments and just rode the glidepath on in. And that was in the early 80's. Flying (as a pilot) commercial is downright boring these days.

It's a whole lot safer to fly than drive, sad to say. And once it's over and you've landed and kissed the ground, it's a whole lot less stressful.
 
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#11,712
#11,712
VolNExile said:
Airliners nowadays have fly-by-wire. They don't need to see the ground until they're pulling off the taxiway. It's really extraordinary how well it works, although the control freaks (like me) get anxious.

I used to fly with DXH (dearish-ex-husband) on his cargo routes before he got on at UT. He had a long DHL (Pony Express?) route that wound up in Atlanta around 4:30 or so in the morning. I sat lookout in the right seat of a beat-up Aztec, staring in horror at all the lights of all the Eastern Air Lines jets (this was a looong time ago, lol) lighting up the sky, while he never looked up from the instruments and just rode the glidepath on in. And that was in the early 80's. Flying (as a pilot) commercial is downright boring these days.

It's a whole lot safer to fly than drive, sad to say. And once it's over and you've landed and kissed the ground, it's a whole lot less stressful.
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I know you're right, but I ain't never done it😂
 
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#11,713
#11,713
So here's a question, especially for you @VolNExile , what's the best way to get tickets? When I search, orbitz and other discount places pop up. Are they safe, cause I don't trust tgem much, or go straight through the airline?
 
#11,714
#11,714
joevol33 said:
I know you're right, but I ain't never done it😂
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I hear ya. It's like me and eating tofu. Obviously, it works just fine for the rest of the world, but I haven't yet got my arms around it. But hey, I learned how to eat mushrooms (at age 26) and gut fish (even later), so some things are just obstacles to get over, amirite??

You guys don't drink, so sadly, that removes one helpful aid. But take along a deck of cards and have a vicious game of gin rummy. You'll be amazed how quickly boredom takes over.

--We still hold hands on takeoff, which I guess looks really cute when we're across the aisle from one another. I'm not scared, but I keep trying to push non-existent rudder pedals, which annoys the fire out of the person sitting in front of me.
 
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#11,715
#11,715
joevol33 said:
So here's a question, especially for you @VolNExile , what's the best way to get tickets? When I search, orbitz and other discount places pop up. Are they safe, cause I don't trust tgem much, or go straight through the airline?
Click to expand...

I often look at Orbitz to see the different airlines and flights, then book through the airline site. I have booked through orbitz plenty though, and it is completely safe.
 
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#11,716
#11,716
VolNExile said:
I hear ya. It's like me and eating tofu. Obviously, it works just fine for the rest of the world, but I haven't yet got my arms around it. But hey, I learned how to eat mushrooms (at age 26) and gut fish (even later), so some things are just obstacles to get over, amirite??

You guys don't drink, so sadly, that removes one helpful aid. But take along a deck of cards and have a vicious game of gin rummy. You'll be amazed how quickly boredom takes over.

--We still hold hands on takeoff, which I guess looks really cute when we're across the aisle from one another. I'm not scared, but I keep trying to push non-existent rudder pedals, which annoys the fire out of the person sitting in front of me.
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I don't drink, but I'd probably ask my dr for something to relax me. I'll be nervous enough, and God forbid I get on a flight where someone does something stupid. I'd probably be in attack mode😂
 
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#11,717
#11,717
NorCalVol67 said:
I often look at Orbitz to see the different airlines and flights, then book through the airline site. I have booked through orbitz plenty though, and it is completely safe.
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Thanks. I just wondered because I have zero experience, and it pops up. Plus, I'd hate to pay, show up, and something not be right.
 
#11,719
#11,719
joevol33 said:
So here's a question, especially for you @VolNExile , what's the best way to get tickets? When I search, orbitz and other discount places pop up. Are they safe, cause I don't trust tgem much, or go straight through the airline?
Click to expand...
All of the above. If you're not trying to do a discount airline, like Southwest (I love them), Frontier, etc., just check out Expedia, Orbitz, and friends. You can sort by price, departure time, arrival time, number of connections, etc. You mostly don't get good deals on airline sites, except when you do (last minute deals etc.) <-- That's fine if you don't have to hold to a schedule, but maybe not so much for you. So Expedia, Orbitz, etc.

I think it might be wise to find refundable airfares, wherever you buy them (from a ticket aggregator like Orbitz or from an airline). They will cost more, but since you're vulnerable to medical surprises, it's worth the extra $30-40 (or whatever) per ticket.

I don't remember where you're trying to get to - somewhere in New Hampshire, did I dream that? I sorta hate to keep beating the Southwest drum, but their customer service is beyond compare. They fly from Atlanta to Manchester NH with a stop/ change at BWI (Baltimore Washington International, which is between DC and Baltimore.) Anyway, as I mentioned, they won't show up on Expedia and Orbitz, so check there for best fares, while making sure that they don't route you through Mexico City and Seattle or something.

If you know how flight attendants are always making threatening announcements to keep passengers seated while taxiing into the arrival gate, this might resonate: on some Southwest flight or another, we were taxiing in and trying to behave ourselves. The flight attendant (male) came on the intercom when we finally pulled up to the gate and said, "Thank you for flying Southwest. And now, as my father said the day I turned 18, get out!!!" When I flew from Nashville to Oakland with my cat (the good one), I had her crammed under the seat in front of me in a soft carrier. I slowly eased her carrier out to my lap, then unzipped the carrier, then let her stick her head out... By the time we were over Denver, she was sitting in my lap with her front paws in the window frame, trying to figure out what the clouds below were all about, and the attendants didn't bat an eye. Good folks.

But anyway, if you just view airline travel as an expensive cross-country bus, which it pretty much is, you'll do fine. It's certainly not glamorous, but it gets the job done, and if you pick your flights wisely, in a lot less time than spent in schlepping up and down I-95.
 
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#11,720
#11,720
joevol33 said:
I don't drink, but I'd probably ask my dr for something to relax me. I'll be nervous enough, and God forbid I get on a flight where someone does something stupid. I'd probably be in attack mode😂
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This is not a bad idea at all, but if you're considering this, I'd ask him to write you an extra dose, that you can take 3-4 days before you travel. Since you don't drink and drug, you might get quite a buzz from a prescription, and the last thing that you guys need is for you to be drooling and giggling in the departure lounge. :po_O Try it out several days before and make sure that you can still function and speak in complete sentences, lol.

--You should be fine, but sometimes people do have surprising reactions. And you're representing VolNation and the Zone, so I don't want to see you on the evening news! :D
 
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#11,721
#11,721
joevol33 said:
So here's a question, especially for you @VolNExile , what's the best way to get tickets? When I search, orbitz and other discount places pop up. Are they safe, cause I don't trust tgem much, or go straight through the airline?
Click to expand...
I'll add my 2 cents worth since I used to live up in that area and have flown in and out of there a lot. As @VolNExile said, Manchester is going to be the easiest airport to use. It's in the southern part of the state and is likely not far from the doctor. The other options are Boston (much bigger with more flights but right in the city and a pain to get out of at the wrong time of day) and Providence, RI (another smaller regional airport on the coast but will be a bit of a drive to get to NH).
For tickets, I look at Southwest and then typically use Kayak.com which checks all the airlines and has the ability to look at multiple departure and arrival days giving you a table with the cheapest fare for each combination of days. Fly on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturdays as fares tend to be less expensive due to less business travel those days.
Another option you might consider to is the train. I've ridden from DC to Boston on the Acela and it's quite nice. Something to think about.
 
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#11,722
#11,722
It's Merrimack New Hampshire, and the Dr told her today they had hotels on campus, of the st joseph hospital. I want to drive bad, but may look into flying because if things get better abd we get to do the Idaho trip, it's definitely a road trip!
 
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#11,725
#11,725
Girls are about to get a break, and maybe get their minds off everything. It's been planned, one of my daughter's friends parents were taking the 4 bff's to Gatlinburg after the swim meet this weekend. It's wgat all of us parents were doing for tgeir birthday, cause all 4 are within about 3 weeks of each other. They're going skiing, and celebrating. The mom asked if little bit could go, and even came by and picked the girls up today to go buy her snow pants. Middle daughter already had her stuff, and I took them to get gloves and stuff. Hopefully they have a safe, fun trip, and mom is home when they get back.
 
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