As a little girl, my family would visit the local airfield with a picnic, sit beside the wire fence and watch planes land; the airport was a local attraction. As an adult, flying was the beginning of an adventure, an adrenaline rush. Families could unite or separate at the gates. Kids were given little plastic wings and coloring books. Later, flight was business mixed with adventure; I took pride in touring each city I visited on business–at least for a few years. Only recently has flying become a chore loaded with tension: long lines, rushed employees and passengers, baggage problems, and truly uncomfortable seating.

For this trip, we must meet our ship in San Francisco, an entire continent away. Our preferred train travel will only be available to us homeward bound, from disembarkation in NYC to our home near Philadelphia. We are dreading the long flight in this new world of air travel.

First there is the dizzying array of ticketing”options.” Inexpensive “economy seats” quickly increase in price with the addition of 2″ of leg room (seriously! the “normal” 24″ of leg room is perfect only for a child!), checked luggage ranging upward from $30 dollars per bag, and carry-on baggage (only allowable for economy plus and above). By the time we finished, we had added nearly $200 apiece to the economy price.

With numerous stories of stranded travelers and lost luggage, no sane traveler would plan to arrive at the embarkation point with only hours between flight arrival and ship departure. So we added a couple of nights of hotel in San Francisco, remembering with fondness how much we had enjoyed previous visits. Then we watched YouTube and read the articles about San Francisco today. Stores and restaurants are vacant; shoplifters operate openly; Fisherman’s Wharf and Union Square are hotbeds of crime. Even the nicest hotels are showing signs of neglect. Maybe we’d be lucky to spend those days in the airport? I’ll let you know.

Thankfully, our return home from NYC will be via train by which time the flight and pathetic San Francisco will be only dim memories, replaced by visits to everyone’s bucket list Panama Canal and Costa Rica….Stay tuned.