RSS
I was away for a few days, up in North Carolina to visit family. My mother flew in from Chicago to meet us all at my sister’s place in Raleigh. We had a great time, laughing and playing cards and visiting my nephew and my nieces and everyone else. Even the flights up and back were relatively pleasant. On my way north, the Southwest flight was maybe two-thirds empty. I had a row of three seats to myself. On the way south direct to Fort Lauderdale, though, the plane was full. Not a vacant seat. But I managed to snag an exit row with extra legroom. This often happens to me when I return to Fort Lauderdale from a trip – I’m on a packed plane. And this time, my flight didn’t even include everyone who wanted to go. While waiting to board, I overheard a businessman making a casual remark to somebody in my line: “I WISH I was going to Fort Lauderdale!” I think he was flying to Philadelphia out of a nearby gate. And I could tell from his tone he really meant what he said.
I couldn’t blame him. Some of us on my flight were heading home. Some were going to South Florida on business. Others appeared to be vacationers looking for fun on the beach. It was an upbeat crowd for the most part. I had the sense that many folks on this Monday departure felt fortunate to be flying to FLL.
So on my flight I made a special point to really observe our arrival carefully. I love looking out airplane windows anyway. Flying fascinates me. But now I wanted a fresh perspective of this destination that had filled a Monday morning jet to the max. As we came in over the Atlantic, the scene outside my window changed abruptly from a vast expanse of vivid blue sea to a thin strip of light brown where the beach runs up and down the coast. But the water didn’t go away. It just showed up in different forms for the rest of the flight. Over the dark Intracoastal, we next passed above swimming pools and canals and lakes, then to the Everglades with its pale green patches that seemed to float on the glistening water beneath. As the plane banked I noticed ponds with bubbling fountains, more lakes, more canals, more pools. If I’d never been here before, I might have felt that water was the feature that stood out most from that high vantage point. There’s water everywhere. And much of the time there’s sunshine too. The sun was brilliant and hot when we landed, as the flight attendant noted. “Welcome to sunny, sunny, sunny Fort Lauderdale!,” he enthused. I only wish the Philly-bound businessman could have been on board to enjoy our arrival as much as I did.
I couldn’t blame him. Some of us on my flight were heading home. Some were going to South Florida on business. Others appeared to be vacationers looking for fun on the beach. It was an upbeat crowd for the most part. I had the sense that many folks on this Monday departure felt fortunate to be flying to FLL.
So on my flight I made a special point to really observe our arrival carefully. I love looking out airplane windows anyway. Flying fascinates me. But now I wanted a fresh perspective of this destination that had filled a Monday morning jet to the max. As we came in over the Atlantic, the scene outside my window changed abruptly from a vast expanse of vivid blue sea to a thin strip of light brown where the beach runs up and down the coast. But the water didn’t go away. It just showed up in different forms for the rest of the flight. Over the dark Intracoastal, we next passed above swimming pools and canals and lakes, then to the Everglades with its pale green patches that seemed to float on the glistening water beneath. As the plane banked I noticed ponds with bubbling fountains, more lakes, more canals, more pools. If I’d never been here before, I might have felt that water was the feature that stood out most from that high vantage point. There’s water everywhere. And much of the time there’s sunshine too. The sun was brilliant and hot when we landed, as the flight attendant noted. “Welcome to sunny, sunny, sunny Fort Lauderdale!,” he enthused. I only wish the Philly-bound businessman could have been on board to enjoy our arrival as much as I did.
posted by LauderBLOGGER at 2:47 PM
I need to know what the weather was like in ft lauderdale florida from July 22 - July 26, when I google it I only get current and future forcast. Can anyone help me? My email address is smithd_32725@yahoo.com
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home