I had been planning on staying another night in New York, but homesick after all this travel, and realising I could make it back in time for La Serpiente’s concert tomorrow, I got my flight changed to fly out tonight.
That meant I had to get a taxi back to my hotel during a break and then run back to the office with my bag (after I realised that with New York traffic, running was faster than being driven). Likewise, we left the office at 4 in Manhattan, and then took 90 minutes to get to JFK; the traffic is incredible to me, used as I am to the hyper efficiency of Singapore. I suppose it’s slightly better than driving to the airport in Manila.
At JFK, I realised that my TSA Pre Check membership is slowly becoming devalued. Like an inverse network effect, the more people that have Pre Check the less useful it becomes. There’s also Clear, which offers another level of efficiency when getting through security. Another level you pay extra for, of course.
Unlike Seattle, where the Pre Check line means you don’t have to take your laptop out of your bag, JFK requires more unpacking of bags. At least they ignore the various liquids I have in my bag; the next thing will be when they demand I put my 100 ml of toothpaste into a plastic bag. But there’s probably a different airport doing that right now.
I had been bracing myself for a long walk through the never ending halls of Terminal 4, but happily the plane back to Seattle was close to the entrance, and so all I needed was to negotiate the long and complex boarding process, before conking out in my seat. I slept fitfully for most of the flight, which I didn’t really want (as that won’t do me any favours adjusting to Seattle time again) but I imagine otherwise my head migjt fall apart. So that’s for the best.