The Traveling Steve's

Continuing from the last post  . . . I finally got to my hotel in Paducah, Kentucky a little after midnight local time (1am EST), some 17 hours after my trip started from Orlando, due to mechanical delays and a missed connection. 

The connecting flight from O’hare to Paducah was scheduled to leave at 9:20pm, but it too was delayed due to mechanical issues.  The worst part was the continuous changing of flight departure times I received via text messages from United.  At one point, the 9:20pm flight was delayed until 11:30pm!  The scheduled gate was B19, and this gate is one of the most distant gates at O’hare; all the way at the end of the B concourse.  I’m still on the mend from my ankle issues, and am wearing a Ritchie brace, so it doesn’t help to be walking far distances.

The real kicker however, was the last flight update saying the flight would now depart at 10pm, but it was a gate change from B19 to F28.  I didn’t get a text from this message, but just happened to check the United app which announced the change at 9:22pm.  

To say the gates were a mile apart from each other would be an understatement, the two gates could not be any further apart – literally from one end of the concourse, to the other end of the concourse.  As I was walking down the F concourse, it was now 9:45pm and I hear over the loud speaker, ‘Last call for Paducah!’  United had just changed the flight time and gate, and expected everyone to be on the plane in such short notice after changing the flight multiple times.  Fortunately I made the flight, and many of the other passengers boarded after I did, so the flight didn’t leave until 10:30pm.

Anyway, I got to Paducah after the hour flight and picked up my rental car while I waited on the luggage.  As there are only 2 flights a day to Paucah, the luggage delivery was quick on the tiny luggage ‘aisle’; not sure what to call it as it wasn’t a carousel.

My week in Paducah was uneventful, and I stayed at the Holiday Inn Riverfront near downtown.  Although there was a Homewood Suites, I stayed at this Holiday Inn as it was less than a mile from where I was working, it was brand new, and quite upscale for a Holiday Inn; more like a Hilton, as it was right next to the convention center.

I had planned on eating out each night at the nearby riverfront attraction area with multiple restaurants, shops etc, but after my march around the O’hare terminal on Monday, my right ankle was too sore to walk very far, (shown here in the Admiral’s Club in O’hare), so I ate at the hotel both nights I was there. 

The restaurant was actually quite good, and I had started off there with breakfast each day.

I worked late on Tuesday and Wednesday, so I had a late dinner at the bar area; not fancy food, but good burger at least.

The hotel staff at the Holiday Inn Paducah were very friendly and made for a nice stay.  I had a balcony room facing the river, which was nice to relax on in the evening.

I actually finished up my work a day early, so I flew back on the Thursday afternoon flight, rather than the 6:40am Friday flight.  Although the travel agent changed my flight, I still ended up on the phone with United for over an hour as the ticket hadn’t gotten reissued properly, and I couldn’t do my online checkin.

So here I am boarding the plane on Thursday from Paducah to Chicago.  And unlike Monday, my flights home were on time and much more enjoyable.

 I only took a couple photos going home; here’s one of the Chicago skyline as we were approaching O’hare,

and a fuzzy one of dinner in First Class heading home to Orlando.

 So a quick ‘welcome home’, as DOS and I are going away to Tampa for the weekend. . .