Get Cozy

I have traveled for work for most of my career. As I tell those who ask about the “glamour” of business travel, I’ve seen the nicest boardrooms, hotel lobbies, and airports in the world. London, Frankfurt, Milan, Singapore, Dubai, Bangkok, Istanbul, every major city in Canada and the USA – I’ve been there. As to what makes each destination truly special, you’re going to have to consult Rick Steeves, but I have seen some interesting things from the back of an Uber. Glamorous indeed.

One thing that has amazed me in my world travels is the number of people you see pounding booze at an airport bar or airline lounge – at 7AM. Or earlier. I suppose I have always determined that kind of person to be a “problem drinker”. As I wheel my way to my gates, passing these people slumped over their pints, staring at their screens, I silently derided them, wondering what hell they were trying to forget.

So here I sit in the United Club in the San Francisco Airport F Concourse – approaching 8AM – sipping on a second pint of Modelo Especial. Let me explain.

First of all, this is amazing. The beer is ice cold because I was the first to tap in this morning. At the end of trying week that had its fair share of travel-related screw-ups, and a less than successful business outcome, this glass of golden forgiveness has changed the trajectory of my entire being. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I sprinted to the bar this morning. The Club was overcrowded, so the only seat left was a bench across from the bar, and took I took refuge there to lick my wounds and respond to some emails.

The barkeep – an older Asian gentleman, leaned against the back shelf, casually assessing the emptiness of his section, likely lamenting the crowds that would no doubt descend on his solitude as the lunch hour approaches. Our eyes locked a couple of times as I looked over my laptop – but once my flight had announced yet another delay, the connection between us intensified.

Do I pull the trigger on a sunriser? Do I cross the threshold into that fraternity of indulgence that makes the devout reach for their prayer beads? Hell yes. And that first one, as it turned out, deserved another. I parked the emails and took on some creative writing – so how can this be a bad thing?

After a week of chaos, that saw flight uncertainty with the US Government shut down, the realization the hotel I had booked was 35 miles away from where my meetings were taking place, to arriving at that hotel having not eaten all day, only to discover they had an explosion in the kitchen and there would be no food all week, to having to pay over $100 for Ubers each way to my meeting spot, to me opening the toilet seat in anger and breaking it… yes, the week needed a jolt. Booze is indeed the answer.