Wednesday, April 13, 2011

The Unfriendly Skies

Before I write anything else, I would like to start off with a rant.  

Domestic travel on an airplane pretty much sucks.  I won't say that it completely sucks because I haven't died yet during sky travel -- so I suppose the airlines have done the most important thing correctly which is get me safely to my destination.     

I know at least one person who agrees with my disgust.  Check out this link here:  


Last week, I returned from a trip to Cape Cod.  I took a flight from Boston to Los Angeles on United/Continental and it was without a doubt the most uncomfortable plane ride that I have ever taken.  And I've flown all over the world.  My last trip to Cambodia was a better experience and per miles flown, it was a helluva lot cheaper too.  

My biggest gripe has to do with the spaces between the seats in the economy class.  I'm not sure of the actual measurements but when the guy in front of me put back his seat, he was pretty much leaning into my lap.  I'm neither fat nor have long legs so for those poor buggers who are either vertically or horizontally gifted, my sympathies go out to you if you don't have the champagne budget for business or first class.  There was no freakin' room and it was literally driving me nuts.  I wondered if I had more psychotic tendencies what I would have done.  Jump up and down?  Lock myself in the bathroom?  Storm the cockpit?  The only thing that kept me sane was my lack of energy.  I was too tired to fight.  And it probably wouldn't have done much good anyway. 

Of course, the airline will tell you that you now have a choice of upgrading to Economy Plus!  I can't remember how much extra leg room you get but it just seems insulting that you have to pay extra to be treated humanely--because I can definitely say that plain ol' economy is cruel and unusual punishment.  For 2 hours, it might be bearable but for 6 and 1/2 hours cross country, I would rather eat airline food for the rest of my life.  

I won't even mention the grouchy flight attendants, the surcharge you pay for checked luggage, the chaotic boarding, the tv screens which haven't been upgraded since the 80s and the pay-if-you-want-it food.  The airline industry is forgetting about the people who pay them and it's about time they started putting the customers first.  

Alriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight!  Now that I've gotten that off my chest, it's time to get back to the real reason for the post:  Pictures of Cape Cod.  Yahoo! 

I've never been to that part of the world before so it was all very exciting.  This was low season so the weather was on the brisk side but there were no crowds to speak of.  


For those people who don't know, Cape Cod is at the easterly tip of Massachusetts which is on the northeast coast of the United States.  The area is well known to tourists for its seafood and its postcard-perfect landscapes.  


I stayed in Provincetown or Ptown which is right at the tip of the peninsula.  During the day, there was some local activity but in the early morning hours or late at night, it was a virtual ghost town.  


Old dogs were laying out by the road.  Soaking up the spring sun.  




Not sure why there were stuffed animals hanging out by someone's fence but they were cute so I had to take a picture.  


During one afternoon, we hiked out on the peninsula to reach one of the lighthouses.  




During the spring season, the landscape was very desolate.  It reminded me of Scotland but without the heather or the haggis.  

I took a day trip over to Nantucket which is one of the islands just off the coast (the other one is Martha's Vineyard).  As legend has it, a giant awoke one morning to find that his moccasins were filled with sand.  He kicked one moccasin off and it became Martha's Vineyard and he kicked the other one off and it became Nantucket.  Nantucket is considerably smaller than the Vineyard so I'm guessing this giant was not blessed with same size feet.  









As I took the ferry back to the mainland, this was the incredible Atlantic sunset.  


I had a great adventure exploring this part of the country.  I hope to go back again soon.  Nantucket has an annual film festival so if that isn't a good excuse, I don't know what is.  

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