Home Air

Air travel isn't what it used to be. Obviously. It's gotten even more confusing and unpleasant since September 11, 2001. The decade since then has brought one indignity after another, so, in a sense, terrorism has worked. Most people are happy to comply with airline security measures. If we can just figure out what's expected. Being in so many airports in different countries made for some special experiences. Very special.

When we left SFO I went through the all body scanner. After it was finished, I smiled at my scan worker and told her it was my first time. She laughed and agreed that I was no longer a virgin. So far, so good. I must not be very metallic, because I have NEVER set off the metal detector, even when wearing jewelry and a watch. This trip was no different, but I did get held up by an eyelash curler. On the way from Barcelona to JFK, there was a stopover in Dublin. My carryon bag got flagged, then searched. The technician kept putting it back into the x-Ray machine so he could identify the threatening object. Since I had five hours to wait, I wasn't concerned, but it was funny when he finally pulled the eyelash curler from my cosmetics case. It's not something I actually used on my trip, but who knew?

The most stressful part is adjusting to the local customs. Some airports want shoes off. Some want shoes off and in a bin. Some want shoes off and on the conveyer belt, not in the bin. Some security workers like to yell at passengers when they aren't doing it right. Passengers who are frazzled and rushed and have just had to pay a surcharge for their luggage and need to bring their own food along. Don't yell at us. We are not the bad guys. I loved it (not) when I got to JFK and had to go through customs. There were no declaration forms in English - just Spanish.

After switching from Pounds to Euros and back again, New York City was a piece of cake. I understand the language and the currency. And I also know when I'm being bullshitted which is most helpful anywhere. Efficient Allie had sent me explicit directions for the shuttle from the airport. She had to work that night so she left the key with her doorman. It was so good to be in a home rather than a hotel. After traveling, it's a luxury to just open a refrigerator. One doesn't think of Manhattan as the place to go for rest and relaxation, but it worked for me.

On the 4th of July we decided to have a little picnic in Sheep's Meadow in Central Park. We went to the Whole Foods near Allie which is in the basement of the Time-Warner building. My god. Talk about huge. There were thirty six check stands and employeees who kept the lines moving. The lines really did move and we were out of there in no time. A quick tour through the rooftop bar where Allie was hostessing part time and it was back to her apartment to watch the fireworks over the Hudson. Just spectacular. I love the 4th, especially the fireworks. I hadn't been in New York on the 4th of July since 1976, the Bicentennial, when the Tall Ships sailed up the river.

One day we took the train out to Long Beach, Long Island. It was fabulous to swim in the Atlantic and get burned to a crisp. No, that part wasn't so fabulous. It WAS entertaining to watch a group of guys next to us get busted for drinking on the beach. I couldn't believe it was illegal to have a beer, but they got a ticket. Ouch. When we walked by the boardwalk I remembered being there in third grade with a friend. We visited her grandmother for the weekend and I was SO homesick. My mother still talks about how they dropped me off on Sunday afternoon and I inhaled deeply and said, "Home air."

Even though I have many friends in the New York area, I kept a low profile on this trip so I could have some mother-daughter time with Allie, which was wonderful. One exception was a lunch date with an old friend I hadn't seen or spoken to since I left Hollywood thirty-three years ago. I had been nanny to her little two boys. Little boys who, at thirty-nine and forty-one, are fathers themselves. That makes me feel very old, but it was really fantastic to see Bibbe and catch up on all the years. It's strange that so much time can go by and you feel just the same on the inside.

I wasn't a bit homesick on this trip, but it was finally time to head back to California. The last night I took Allie and Sasha out to Tao New York. They'd both forgotten their ID's and couldn't be served, but we had fun anyway. I especially love the image of Allie walking on Central Park South in her high heels and pink dress, looking like a modern day Audrey Hepburn. This is the girl who was afraid to go on sleepovers for years. She grew up and kicked New York's ass. For me, it was time to go back to home air.