May 09, 2004
California Trip Part I: I Am My Own Worst Travel Agent
I was in Southern California last week. I had some interesting experiences. For example, I am my own worst travel agent nightmare. Heading for a week in Pasadena, I booked a flight from Tri-Cities to Santa Ana. I mistakenly thought that the John Wayne Airport (Santa Ana) was the Burbank airport.
Santa Ana is actually south of Anaheim, which is considerably south of Los Angeles, which is south of Pasadena. I was almost as close to San Diego as I was to Pasadena! Now add to that the fact that I booked a car from Advantage Rent-a-Car, which was several miles from the airport, despite Expedia.com saying it was located "at the airport terminal". What they really meant it turns out is that customers have to call for a shuttle that picks customers up at the airport terminal and takes them to the middle of nowhere.
When I called for a shuttle, the oh-so-helpful and friendly representative from DisAdvantage informed me that they had no cars. None. I had a reservation... but they had no cars. They suggested they could take me to my hotel and then bring me my car later, if I was willing to do that. But they weren't willing to drive my car to Pasadena! (Rightfully so, since it is - according to yahoo maps - an hour north!)
They said I was welcome to wait in their office for a car and that they would give me the first one back. Luckily, someone showed up with a car shortly after I arrived at the office. And it was a better car than I had ordered. It was a pretty nice little silver 2003? Chrysler Sebring. So off I went!
Then I realized there was another reason I am my own worst travel agent nightmare. The flight I had booked, in connection with the wait for my car, had me heading for Pasadena at exactly 4:05 on Tuesday afternoon on the most jam-packed highway in the known world. I-5 in Los Angeles. Now, this highway has cars that have been stuck in traffic jams so long that some parts have formed strata similar to the Grand Canyon. There are miles and miles of dead people sitting in cars that haven't moved since 1970. (See picture at left.)
Eventually, I got to Pasadena. And that's all I have to say about that.
