Tuesday, July 3rd 2018
Los Angeles, CA and Paris, France
It’s around 4pm PST and I am packing up from work to leave for my summer vacation in France. I am very excited and have plenty of time to spare so I opt for an Uber Pool from downtown to the airport. When my driver picks me up I am the only one in the car. We may need to pick someone else up, but I have so much time that I almost don’t care. Just as we are about to get onto the highway I am notified that we will be adding a passenger. As we progress to the next pick up point, traffic increases tenfold. To make matters worse, my driver seems to constantly be in the wrong lane. A full hour later we are finally leaving downtown and on our way to the airport. This is the last time I ever take a rideshare to the airport.
When we arrive at LAX I still have 2 hours before my flight leaves. I booked my ticket almost 6 months ago and opted for the economy premium ticket. Since then I received a notification that our aircraft has been changed and my new seat number will be 1A. I am cautiously optimistic about this development.
I use the premium check in lane and don’t have to wait at all. The guy that checks my bag looks at me with great excitement and says “yeah, you’re going to France!”. I smile; after all, he’s right.
I still have about an hour and a half to kill so I go check out the One World Lounge. I have not been in an airport lounge since I was a little kid, so I’m not completely sure what to expect.
Holy crap, this place is beautiful. I start out with a full lap. The lighting is low, the seats are spread out appropriately, there are 2 full bars, a buffet, a dessert bar, self serve coffee, soda and wine. Whoa. Self serve, complimentary wine. There is not even a tip jar. This place is so classy.
Holy crap, this place is beautiful. I start out with a full lap. The lighting is low, the seats are spread out appropriately, there are 2 full bars, a buffet, a dessert bar, self serve coffee, soda and wine. Whoa. Self serve, complimentary wine. There is not even a tip jar. This place is so classy.
I’m not very enthused by the food so I grab a small plate of nuts and pour myself a glass of Chardonnay. I settle into a large chair and can’t stop smiling. I spend my time listening to music and catching the odd Pokemon on Pokemon Go. I have a book and a few movies, but I am more interested in taking in the moment.
Eventually I have to leave the lounge to board the plane. I grab 2 liters of water from a small newsstand. Boarding is delayed for about an hour, but I’m not stressed. In fact, I’m a little drunk and a lot happy.
When we finally board, I am shown to seat 1A. I am so happy with this seat that I want to jump out of my skin. Instead, I say thank you and agree to glass of champagne.
This is seat is actual first class. There is enough space on the floor in front of my seat for me to lay down on the floor completely. I restrain myself and focus on people watching instead. Most of first class is filled with a group that is clearly traveling together. When the women in seat 1B arrives she looks across the aisle at her husband and sighs in an overly exasperated way. He responds, “we don’t have to sit next to each other”. I stare ahead, holding in laughter.
My neighbor in 1B is vegan and keep telling the flight attendant about her requirements. Meanwhile, I am basically drunk and tearing apart strips of beef jerky using my teeth and bare hands. This meat is very tough and I am thinking it’s a good thing there is a lot of space up here.
The plane ride goes smoothly. I finished up the Netflix series, Love and play a few rounds of Plants versus Zombies on my iPad. Eventually I drift off to sleep.
