1) My first time on a plane since August, 2019, off literally in the middle of the night for the first leg of my first trip to Palm Springs, to stay with friends who retired there last year. Friendly Lyft driver — a basketball coach from the North Shore — and of course no traffic.
2) Not having traveled by air for so long, I was disoriented by tech and procedure changes. Security went smoothly. The rub, though — having gotten through security by 3:30 AM and with a flight boarding at 4:25, nothing was open where I could get coffee or sustenance of any kind! Thank goodness I was able to tuck into a large omelette at O’Hare.
3) I am happy to report that, contrary to all the news stories, I didn’t witness any bad behavior around masking.
4) At Palm Springs, we disembarked not through a jetway, but in the old-fashioned way in the blazing sunshine down a ramp. The glorious views of the mountains! Turns out most of the airport is also al fresco, delightful.
5) My friends found me in baggage claim, cutely carrying signs with my name on them. A drive of only ten minutes brought us to their little jewel of a house! I have been installed in a small, perfect guesthouse with every comfort and immediate access to the hot tub. This is going to be a wonderful week.
6) Following a tour of the house filled with many stories, we whisked off to Bongo Johnny’s for an al fresco lunch, and then a spot of antiquing in the midst of errands. Under the circumstances I think I showed admirable restraint.
7) By this time jet lag was telling — I really hadn’t been able to sleep on either flight — and I fell like concrete into bed for two hours. I needed that.
8) After more storytelling — we haven’t seen each other in quite awhile — it was time to accompany one friend to Ralph’s, the — or a — big supermarket here. Driving there at night down these wide streets of low houses made me think of the Old Hometown, Lago di Carlo, and so did the supermarket. “Well, you know Ralph’s is really Kroger’s, right?” That explained it!
9) Cocktails on return, rye manhattans served with homemade cheese puffs. And then dinner, a rich and luscious Yankee pot roast. And a tumbling conversation of many threads and much excitement.
10) But then the time, for me, of serious sleep came, and I had to retire to my little casita. Waking periodically in the night I noticed how dry my throat would feel, and I remembered stories of “Las Vegas Throat,” when unacclimatized singers would be unable to sing after a week of performances in Vegas. Hydrating is going to be very important this week!
11) When I finally started the day around 7 AM, twin experiences offset each other. The view of the pool outside, calm and shadowy with a beautiful tree, and the mountains beyond, coupled with my snore score of 124 (very high) and recorded proof that I was trying to compete with the Palm Springs airport for a noise ordinance.
12) This is the start of a week with new experiences and old friends, my first real travel since the pandemic, and I am ready for it!