Airbus A310 from Reagan National (DCA) to Chicago O’Hare (ORD). Decent bulkhead window seat, 6F. Nice view on a lovely sunny day without turbluence. Slight unease, since I don’t trust Airbus designers or their philosophy of flight control. Nice touch: the bulkhead does not go to the floor, and I could slide my pack- I was traveling light, without the attempt to carry my office around with me. Not a bad landing but a little hesitant, I thought, once we broke through ground effect. I do not trust Airbus, and would book all tickets around them if I could.

Chicago O’Hare to Traverse City was an Embraer E175, and I was impressed. The jet is designed for the regional trade, not a wide-body. Two seats on each side of the aisle, with plenty of legroom- the equivalent of the alleged “economy plus” the parent carrier gouges us for as a modest upgrade for comfort. Seat 8A. I always wonder about the quality of the flight crew on the regional carriers. What the hell. It was a nice day, and a thrill to look down as we cut across the lower quadrant of large and lovely Lake Michigan and up the west coast of Michigan, looking down at US-131, which I must have driven a couple hundred times. Nice landing with no hesitation.

The terminal at Traverse City (TVC) is a cute arts-and-crafts design that evokes being in a lodge on one of the sparkling lakes that dot the whole of the Mitten. But this is a nice one with comfy armchairs in front of a real fire, lit for the several months that the region is uninhabitable except for people in snowmobile suits. Also, and an important caveat even in an article about jets, THERE IS NO BAR, a deficiency that I fully intend to take up with the FAA.

Coming back there was another E175, and I had a first class ticket for the half hour flight. The Cabin attendant did not blink at the portrait I had encased cardboard for protection. She may have been Creole, since her English was sparkling and soft-toned, and she seemed to appreciate my school-boy French request for a nice complementary First Class cocktail.

But of course, that was only the start of the horror show at O’Hare coming back. That leg featured another- and possibly the same Embraer jet from Traverse and a Boeing 757-200 for the jaunt home to Dulles, which was the wrong airport, but I will have to get to that presently. Early morning here, and that does not include all the appointments that had to be made when I got back. We have a lot of ground to cover on the subject of The Last Party at Mary’s House, and I am looking forward to sharing it with you.

Copyright 2016 Vic Socotra
www.vicsocotra.com