Back in Boston!
A Quick Escape to the East Coast: Harvard, Conversations, and a Smooth Flight Back
The temperature is starting to heat up here in Houston. It has not necessarily been unbearable, but it is definitely a lot hotter than what I am used to. I went to bed really early because I was tired from having a 4AM Airport Standby shift the day before with a 2-day pairing in the Houston heat prior.
I woke up to a call from Crew Scheduling on Monday, May 19th at 4:03AM. They informed me that I had a quick and easy 2-day pairing: Houston to Boston with a layover just under 14 hours in Boston, then Boston back to Houston. My report time would be 8:48AM. After attempting to get about an extra hour of sleep, I got ready then headed to the airport.
After getting to the employee parking lot, I got onto the employee shuttle and sat next to a 777 Captain. We had a great little conversation. He was going to fly a Boeing 777 to Honolulu, and I said I was going to Boston. He also told me he was a retired Navy veteran as well. After, we went our separate ways and I headed towards my gate.
I was a little early for my pairing, so I sat down at some tables nearby. I then met an Airbus First Officer who would be flying my plane to Boston. We talked a little bit about how I learned Spanish in college and a little bit about languages in general. We also conversed about how immersion is the best way to learn a language, where he told me he eventually picked up Spanish because his family lives in Mexico. He also told me he wanted to try and go to a Red Sox game.
During check-in, I met the Captain for my flight. He asked me if I was sitting next to a 777 Captain this morning on the employee shuttle because he has a really good friend from the Navy that told him that he met one of the Flight Attendants that would be on his flight. Small world, right? We then scanned our badges and headed down the jetbridge.
I was working as the extra on the Airbus A319. My position was technically to help out with the economy service, but the Purser wanted me to help her out with the First Class service instead. The flight went smoothly. I also noticed that the Purser was Spanish-qualified, so I asked her during some of our downtime about what it was like being Spanish-qualified as I am interested in maybe earning that language qualification. Once we landed, I made my way to the hotel to begin my layover.
I quickly planned what I was going to do during my layover. It was on the shorter side, so I decided to Uber to Harvard. My Uber driver asked me what I was planning on doing at Harvard, and I told him that I have never been before and just wanted to check it out. He told me that his daughter went to Harvard, so he gave me a few recommendations on what to check out.
After walking around the campus, I decided to check out Harvard Square afterwards. I then saw Harvard Bookstore, which is an independent bookstore not affiliated with the University that sells diverse collections of works. I knew instantly that I had to check it out, so I browsed around and took a look at all the local publications and unique recommendations from the staff.
The weather was pretty chilly, which was a nice escape from the Houston Heat. I felt like the gloomy vibe of Harvard and the city of Cambridge kind of reminded me of an East Coast version of Berkeley. After I was done exploring, I Ubered back to the hotel and got ready for bed. I had an early check in the next day, so I needed to make sure that I was well-rested for my flight.
The next morning came quickly. I made my way to the airport before sunrise. At least the early report time meant I would be home sooner. I met my crew, scanned in, and walked down the jet bridge. For the return flight, I served as Purser. The flight back to Houston was smooth, and before I knew it, I was back home with way warmer climate. I enjoyed my little quick escape to the East Coast, especially having cooler weather.