Blazing Arizona

Our trip to AZ has thus far been a challenge from the get-go, and yet another reason why I scratch my head and wonder how people live out here. This is a pic of the official state tree.

Before I get too far, bear in mind, I'm a first class whiner.

First off, we flew out of Manchester airport, which is smaller and more manageable than Logan, but I think for as big as it is, Logan is a very smooth operation. And you can't beat taking the Dartmouth Shuttle which drops you off right at the terminal. We had to do long term parking, which is expensive, and then you have to take the shuttle to the terminal, which adds another leg to your trip.

The second observation I want to make is that I will not be going out of my way to fly Southwest Airlines in the future. It's a bargain airline, no doubt, and the people are friendly and courteous, but you really get what you pay for. I flew Southwest in California when I was young, resilient and single, and it was perfect for a quick jaunt to SF from LA. Quick, affordable, and convenient. They dispense with small comforts and just get the job done.

Now that I'm older and more fragile, not to mention a father, the absence of those small comforts really had a negative impact. It was a brutal flight, 5 hours with no break for meals or even a movie. Plus, they do this lame seating assignment where people stand in line by number and once you're on the plane, it's a free for all. Does it really save them that much money to do this? I doubt it.

Plus, they don't have meal service, which I understand saves them $$, but when you have kids and are flying across the country, you need that break in the monotony, not to mention some food. We were starving. Five hours sure dragged on, coupled by the fact that we were totally un-prepared for this trip. Usually one thing that is at the forefront of my mind is how to entertain the kids on a long flight. This time we were too busy and somewhat complacent, and I forgot everything. Plus, we ran out of food. What a bummer.

The drama continued once we landed with the rental car. AZ has some of the highest taxes and fees in the country, and our bill literally doubled. R went nuts, and we were on the verge of just taking the bus. It really put a serious dark cloud on our trip. Add in the fact that it was 110 degrees outside, and we were not starting out so well. The crazy thing is, the guy at the rental counter was saying that it pretty much stays between 110-115 degrees from May until September. The coolest it gets is the mid-70s in February, and he seemed proud of this fact. I was shocked, and wanted to ask him how he lived here. What good are high temps if you just spend the entire time in the air conditioning. I asked how the baseball team survives, and he informed me that they play in a dome. Talk about wasteful, cooling a baseball stadium so they can play. Maybe they just shouldn't play professional sports in such a hot place. They had a hockey team here, a fact that completely baffles me, not just because of the heat, but nobody here likes hockey anyway. In an act of common sense, the team is re-locating to Winnipeg. Go Canada!

Oh well, I don't want to put too much of a damper on our trip, the desert is a cool place, and our hotel is really nice. The kids are loving it, though every time the mention how much they love it here, it baffles me a little.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to teresaday for the pic.