Category Archives: Travel

American Airlines’ Baggage Police

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Whatever Happened to Common Sense?

By the time they began boarding zone 4 American Gate attendants were calling for people to check their carry-ons, especially roller bags. Of course you were to remove all electrical equipment, camera, fragile items, medications, and laptops before checking your bag which could be claimed at the baggage carousel of your destination.

In my carry-on I had 1 laptop, in the front sleeve, my medications, my camera and in the remaining space, the camera strap, computer mouse and electrical cord and a book. Since it wasn’t chock full I had stuffed my winter jacket in too so I didn’t have to carry it. I did not have to expand the bag to make it fit.

I was in Zone 6. As I watched the baggage mafia began going through all the bags they felt did not or would not fit into their little display. Sort of a reverse if it fits it ships. In this case if it didn’t drop in cleanly it went into the belly of the beast. No if, ands or buts.

The Baggage Mafia

It was now my turn. Right away the attendant said “Tag It” and just as quick I said OH NO! I have a camera, medications and a laptop in that bag. They are not going into baggage. They told me to take them out but pointed out that I would now exceed my 2 item limit. I pointed out they would be checking an empty bag. Things were starting to heat up now.

As the baggage police began pulling things out of my carry- on I continued to argue.  I was holding up the line and they could see I was using a cane but it made no difference ! I finally turned to the woman pawing through my suitcase and ordered her to put it all back. She stood there looking from me to the gate attendant and back…stalemate.

I took a deep breath trying to be reasonable. I pointed out that there was a puffy coat in the bag . They could just push it down and the bag would fit. But oh no, you can’t push it down. You can’t “force it”. I tried again. If you take the coat out the bag will fit and you can leave my camera, meds and laptop alone.

Nope, They didn’t believe me.

I turned around, grabbed the jacket out of the bag, zipped it back up and dropped it into their little measuring thing.

Perfect! The gate attendant just told me to take it. So now I have my carry-on, my purse, my cane and my jacket to hang onto as I headed down the jet way.

I got madder and madder with each step.

I’m sure my face was red by the time I reached the plane. There it was an entirely different experience.

I’ll sum it up tomorrow but for now here’s another horror story from a different airline.

http://elliott.org/case-dismissed-2/if-youre-in-zone-5-heres-why-you-should-pack-light/

 

Oh American, You Let Me Down!

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“The World’s Greatest Flyers Fly American” Just ask American!

Yes I’m talking about American Airlines. In recent posts I’ve said how impressed I’ve been with their customer service and friendly manner. My friends who have had ( in their opinion) the misfortune to fly American , have disagreed with me, promising that American will show its true colors and that it won’t be Red, White and Blue.

Well I’m sorry to say that day arrived when I attempted to have a pleasant flight back from Washington DC to Logan Airport in Boston.

Let’s start with the day before check in. All the airlines seem to do that and unless you pay extra when you check in will affect when you get to board, you’re “Zone”, if you will. I usually bite the bullet and pay an upgrade fee to get priority boarding.

Are you Handicapped?

I am not truly handicapped. I don’t have a sticker but I do use a cane if I need to walk a lot because my hip will definitely act up causing painful muscle spasms down to my knee. Experience has shown that as awkward as a cane can be, it does keep me mobile and helps prevent the muscle spasms. Because I’m juggling luggage, a purse (my personal item) and the cane I like to board early.

I checked in right on time on my phone since I was in the middle of the tour. After I returned to my hotel I logged into the American Web site  to purchase a priority upgrade. I was declined. The message was that it would have to be done at the airport. OK, no problem ( I thought).

In Terminal American Assistance

Next morning after a nice breakfast I made my way to the Metro. My stop even turned out to be close to my terminal. I zipped through security and found my gate.  I waited until the gate area had emptied before I approached the attendant with my request for pre-boarding or priority upgrade. To my surprise she first told me she couldn’t help me because it wasn’t her flight!

She must have had 2nd thoughts because she asked for my ticket and tried to enter an upgrade. The computer wouldn’t let her. She told me I would have to go to customer service and pointed out the direction. At least she tried.

I headed over to stand in line there. After several other passengers cut the line I finally reached the customer service attendant who cut me off in mid-sentence. She told me  “they” didn’t handle upgrades anymore and pointed me to a kiosk. I limped over to where she pointed. Out of order. So I went in search of a kiosk that worked.

Once I found one there was no pre-board or priority boarding option. So much for getting help.

I decided to accept my fate, limped back to the gate and with a sigh found a seat.

Once we began boarding I noticed there was no call for soldiers in uniform, no families with children, no one in wheel chairs. In fact zone 3 was boarding before an attendant took a wheelchair person down the sky way!

To Be Continued…

What was going on???? But wait, it’s going to get even worse.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial

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After a lunch break at the Pentagon City Mall it was back on the tour bus for one final stop. We headed back to the Tidal Basin. Half way between the Lincoln and Thomas Jefferson Memorials we pulled over for a walk to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial.

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There are actually 2 memorials to FDR in Washington DC. The first, located in front of the National Archives was built to FDR’s specifications,  about the size of his desk.

When Memorial #2 (the one we were about to visit) was dedicated his granddaughter, Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, made the shrewd comment, “Memorials are for us. They aren’t necessarily for the people they memorialize.”

The new Memorial consist of 4 open air rooms, one for each term of his presidency.

The Prologue Room

Enter the memorial at the visitor center on north side  off West Basin Dr. I don’t think I did that and it left me confused as to which room I was in from that point on.

You will know you are in the Prologue room because you’ll see a life size statue of FDR in his wheelchair. This room and the statue was added 3 years after the memorial was opened and following a great deal of debate. FDR never wanted to appear weak in public so did his best to avoid using the wheelchair except in private.

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Today the advocacy groups for people with disabilities consider FDR a role model and lobbied hard for the inclusion of the wheelchair statue.

Room 1

In room one we find a bronze bas-relief of the first inauguration. The single drop waterfall symbolizes the economic crash that started the Great Depression.

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Room 2

This room contains two very powerful statues…The Breadline which illustrates despair

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and The Fireside Chat which symbolizes Hope.

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The water fall in this room is  multi-tiered and controlled, a nod to the  Tennessee Valley Authority dam-building project.

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Room 3

Water crashes over boulders in all directions suggestion the chaos and destruction of the War years.

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Amidst this violence Roosevelt with his beloved dog, Fala, calmly presides over the world around them.

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Room 4 

Roosevelt’s death is symbolized by the silent pool of water. It’s still surface reflects  the Bas Relief called The Funeral Cortege. The carving represents a nation mourning following the death of the only  president many can remember.

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Eleanor Roosevelt also has a statue here. It the only statue to honor a First Lady. She is honored for her contributions not only as First Lady but as  one of the early delegates representing the United States at the newly formed United Nations.

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Throughout the Memorial the walls are etched with quotes from speeches and writings built on FDR’s 4 fundamental beliefs also called the 4 Freedoms:

  1. Freedom of Speech
  2. Freedom of Worship
  3. Freedom from Want
  4. Freedom from Fear

We would do well to remember those four Freedoms today.

 

 

Vietnam Memorial

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Vietnam !

We are now approaching a memorial that hits very close to home. This is my generation. This is the first War of which I have any remembrance. I remember the horrible news casts, the political unrest, the demonstrations to end the war, and the flag draped caskets being unloaded from the returning planes. This memorial was painful and I took the coward’s way out.

The Wall

At the entrance you’ll find  Three Serviceman’s Memorial. I can see the Wall from there. The Wall is actually 2 walls meeting . They are tallest where they meet and taper down, one toward the Washington Monument , the other toward the Lincoln Memorial. The configuration is meant to symbolize a “wound that is closed and healing. To my mind I wonder if it will ever heal.

While all of the memorials are moving in their own way,  I found this one, like Pearl Harbor, almost too much to bear. I spent my time with the Three Soldiers and avoided the Wall. Like I said I was a coward. I just could not bear to look at all those names, all those young lives, gone.

On the walls are the names of servicemen classified as KIA (Killed in Action), or MIA (Missing in Action) when the walls were constructed.

Those who died in action are denoted by a diamond, those who were missing (MIA’s, POW’s  and others) are denoted with a cross. When the death of one who was previously missing is confirmed, a diamond is superimposed over the cross. If the missing were to return alive, which has never occurred to date, the cross is to be circumscribed  by a circle.

The Three Serviceman’s Memorial

Back to the 3 Soldiers, the lead figure represents a Marine, identified as such by the body armor vest  he’s wearing.

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The man on the right is also wearing an armor vest but a different type that was used primarily by the army. Around his neck the  Soldier carries a GI towel, which served to absorb sweat and cushion heavy loads, and was a common practice of many Soldiers in Vietnam.

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The third soldier wears no armor but  he appears to be a U.S. Army Soldier, as he wears a Tropical (“Boonie”) Hat which was widely worn by Army combat personnel in Vietnam.

In order to identify the major ethic groups that served in Vietnam, the leader is depicted as a European America, the man on the right is African American and the one on the left Latin American.

This was enough for me. I had paid my respects, if from afar, and I returned to the bus to wait for our next stop.

 

Lincoln Memorial

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“In this temple, as in the hearts of the people for whom he saved the Union, the memory of Abraham Lincoln is enshrined forever.” These words are engraved above the statute of the president who save the Union, Abraham Lincoln. The Lincoln Memorial is an enduring symbol of unity, strength and wisdom.

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Exterior Features of the Lincoln Memorial

Does the memorial look familiar? It should and not just because we’ve all grown up with it. It was model after the Parthenon in Athens which graced the cover of most of our history books.

Since the memorial was to a man who defended democracy then the design should echo the birthplace of democracy. The Memorial is 190 foot long, 120 foot wide, 99 foot tall constructed of marble.

There are 58 steps on the memorial and 87 steps from the memorial to the reflecting pool. There is an elevator for those who are not up to navigating that many steps. It was working when I was there.

The steps of the Lincoln Memorial have been witness to many great events and demonstrations over the past 100 years including he “I have a Dream” speech by Dr. King. The steps start at the edge of the reflecting pool on the National Mall. They rise to a plaza that was once a road and then continue on through a series of platforms to the entrance.

Columns

The 36 Doric columns that surround the Memorial represent each of the states that existed at the time of  Lincoln’s death.

Frieze

Above the colonnade inscribed on the frieze are the names of 36 states and the dates in which they entered the Union. Their names are separated by double wreath medallions in bas-relief.

Inside the Lincoln Memorial

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There are 3 chambers inside the memorial, north, south and central. The north and south side chambers contain the words of  of Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address and his Gettysburg Address carved into the marble.  Between the north and south chambers is the central hall containing the solitary Statue of Lincoln  sitting in contemplation.  Look closely at Lincoln’s hands. Proponents of ASL say he is signing and that the position of his fingers form A and L.

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The Views and Location on the National Mall

Standing in front of the entrance you will be looking out over the reflecting pool at the Washington Monument.

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Step to the side and look again,  there is the dome of the Capitol building peeking from behind the Washington Monument

One of the most well known of the monuments, the Lincoln Memorial does not fade with familiarity. It is still a beautiful memorial to our 16th President who gave all to see the new nation stayed intact.

https://www.nps.gov/linc/index.htm