If my balance was better, i would be a great stewardess.
I've always wanted to be the type of person that could pack up and fly somewhere far away on a whim. I'm not talking about the fancy-dancy socialite jet-setters that you see falling down in front of clubs in US Weekly or anything. I'm not looking to fly to a party in LA on Friday night and then to a gallery opening in Chicago for Saturday. I just want to be able to get on a plane on Friday night and be in Florida in 2 1/2 hours or something. Spend the night and all of Saturday on the beach and then fly back home on Saturday night in time to get a good nights sleep and clean my house on Sunday. Whatever. This isn't asking for too much, is it?
Granted, right now, it's hard to even dream about going out to dinner at an Applebees on a Friday night, but soon the financial nightmare will be over and we'll have a normal income again. Sadly, a normal income doesn't seem to have room in the budget for weekends in San Francisco or a day-trip to Washington DC to visit the Smithsonian. Or at least i don't think.
I love to travel; there's nothing i would rather do with my hard-earned, minimum-wage* paycheck than book a trip to Europe for a week. But lets be realistic. Unless you work in the airline industry (like someone i know), it just doesn't work like that.
Or, of course, if you're a fancy-dancy socialite jet-setter.
I am neither. So i watch tv and make pot roast on the weekend.
God, what a raw deal.
On the Teevee, I've been seeing a commercial for Southwest airlines flying out of Long Island to a bunch of cities for $99 or less, one-way. Chicago is $39 and Washington/Baltimore is $29. It's not exactly Paris, but you know. I've never been to Chicago and the last (and only time) i was in Washington was a blur of a class trip that resulted in the hotel we stayed in students from my school being banned from ever staying there, ever, ever again. I guess it was kind of fun, but you know. Blurry. And i don't think i ever told mom about what happened to that 5th floor window they talked about in the letter sent home to the parents. Ah, well.
This morning i looked up the deal and apparently they want you to book before February 22nd, and travel before May 10th. How awesome would it be to fly to Chicago on Saturday morning for a slice of authentic Chicago-style pizza and fly home the same night in time for Law & Order?
It would be fun, dammit. Lots of fun.
*Ok. It's not that bad - but close enough.
Granted, right now, it's hard to even dream about going out to dinner at an Applebees on a Friday night, but soon the financial nightmare will be over and we'll have a normal income again. Sadly, a normal income doesn't seem to have room in the budget for weekends in San Francisco or a day-trip to Washington DC to visit the Smithsonian. Or at least i don't think.
I love to travel; there's nothing i would rather do with my hard-earned, minimum-wage* paycheck than book a trip to Europe for a week. But lets be realistic. Unless you work in the airline industry (like someone i know), it just doesn't work like that.
Or, of course, if you're a fancy-dancy socialite jet-setter.
I am neither. So i watch tv and make pot roast on the weekend.
God, what a raw deal.
On the Teevee, I've been seeing a commercial for Southwest airlines flying out of Long Island to a bunch of cities for $99 or less, one-way. Chicago is $39 and Washington/Baltimore is $29. It's not exactly Paris, but you know. I've never been to Chicago and the last (and only time) i was in Washington was a blur of a class trip that resulted in the hotel we stayed in students from my school being banned from ever staying there, ever, ever again. I guess it was kind of fun, but you know. Blurry. And i don't think i ever told mom about what happened to that 5th floor window they talked about in the letter sent home to the parents. Ah, well.
This morning i looked up the deal and apparently they want you to book before February 22nd, and travel before May 10th. How awesome would it be to fly to Chicago on Saturday morning for a slice of authentic Chicago-style pizza and fly home the same night in time for Law & Order?
It would be fun, dammit. Lots of fun.
*Ok. It's not that bad - but close enough.
Labels: crap, dreams of affluence, money
posted by claire at
11:51 AM
12 Comments:
Chicago is a blast. I spent a bunch of money of there last weekend, but it was fun.
"Everything I Do Seems To Cost Me Twenty Dollars."
...
"Everywhere I Go I Seem To Spend Twenty Dollars."
(20 bonus points if you got that last reference)
By
minijonb, at 2/08/2007 12:39 PM
God, if you win that lottery and start jet setting all over the globe take me with you. I'd do the same for you. ;)
By
Christine, at 2/08/2007 6:57 PM
I am the same way. I just love to wake up in another place. I don't even care where it is - just somewhere different.
The budget, does not, however, permit. I make a kind of regular wage but I live in a screamingly expensive housing market (Coastal Southern Calif), so one paycheck a month (out of 2) goes to rent. Our managers, who make more and are from a cheaper place, visited us for the first time and asked "So, anybody been on any good vacations this year?" We all looked at them like stunned mullets - personally, I am saving up for brakes.
By
SUEB0B, at 2/08/2007 9:27 PM
you can always come with me : )
i vote warm weather and a slice of deep dish heaven in May or fruity drink on a beach- you're pick.
By
Anonymous, at 2/09/2007 9:04 AM
And this of course is the problem with modern society, Everyone would rather be "Somewhere else"
By
Anonymous, at 2/09/2007 2:44 PM
minijonb - i have absolutely no guesses for that one. sadly. no points for me. are you willing to share the answer?
christine - of course. your one of my best imaginary friends.
suebob - yeah, one of my two checks goes to mortgage and the rest goes to credit cards and utilities. life is not really conducive to having fun right now. i'm saving up for heating oil...
shana - i would LOVE to come with you. hopefully TheBoy will understand when i leave him home with the dogs.
anonymous - are you any different? and really, so what? i don't think that has anything to do with "modern" society at all. if Magellan and Vespucci had been content to stay home, who knows what language we'd be speaking.
By
claire, at 2/09/2007 7:03 PM
I'm with you on the travelling, although I have dreams of major journeys, too: Africa, New Zealand, etc., etc. If I got the raise I asked for, we were hoping to have a nice vacation this year. Instead, I'm getting "restructured", so who knows if we'll even get away at all?
I've even thought about getting into the travel business just to be able to travel more. Of course, most of the airlines are firing people lately, so there you go.
I actually think I'd be a good travel writer. But I'd want to take Mrs. Nator with me.
Sigh...
By
Da Nator, at 2/09/2007 8:05 PM
I'm SO with you; try site59.com; they're usually good for (CHEAP) last minute trips.
By
metalia, at 2/12/2007 4:08 PM
i have to agree. go for it! we live near Vancouver BC and day trip there all the time. it's great! it's like going to another country.
well, it is another country, but you know what i mean.
oh, oh oh oh! i used your grumpy turtle photo! i did! ill post up a picture of what i made if i remember it. but i love grumpy turtle and now he is IMMORTAL.
By
FirstNations, at 2/12/2007 6:13 PM
da nator - oh, of course i'd love to go to far-away places, too, but you know. i'm just trying to get away for the weekend at this point. and it's funny you should mention travel writing; i wrote post about wanting to do that last August.
metalia - hey, thanks for the link. i'll check them out... and maybe book something.. all last minute like.
first nations - you made my turtle famous? Ooh! I'm all curious now. What did that little bastard do now?
By
claire, at 2/13/2007 8:49 AM
The answer, clearly, is the Fung Wah NYC-Boston bus. $15 takes you from Chinatown to Chinatown in comfort and style. (Don't let the fact that the bus will probably burst into flames somewhere in Connecticut dissuade you. That's just a minor inconvenience.)
By
Anonymous, at 2/13/2007 9:09 AM
I once did that -- flew to Miami for one night from JFK just to have some Cuban food. But as fun as it sounds on paper, it is way more tiring than anything else, probably even worse now since I did this all before the added hassles of flying after 9/11.
By
Anonymous, at 2/16/2007 11:25 PM
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