Blog Tracker
11-03-2022, 08:30
Visit the Shut up about Barclay Perkins site (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2022/03/back-in-atlanta.html)
My flight isn't until 13:14. No rush to get up. I start pottering around at about 8:00.
After going through my emails and writing up yesterday's events I pack up my stuff. I check out in the shop a little before 10:00 and ask them to call me a taxi. Ten of fifteen minutes it’ supposed to be.
I stand outside in the sun and read Private Eye to pass the time. Sweating in the sun in a very English, low-key way. When no taxi has appeared after 30 minutes, I go back inside to see what's happening.
"They've probably been delayed. It's Monday and a lot of people are going home."
OK then. Not totally reassuring. Just as well I’ve left a shitload of time. That’s the way I roll now I’m an oldie person. Paranoid and assuming everything will take me longer than expected.
When almost an hour has passed, I ask:
“Can you get me an Uber? I'll give you $60.”
He rings the taxi company again. Evidently, they picked up someone else. Fucking brilliant. He orders me an Uber and he asks for 40 dollars. A small price to pay for not missing my flight. It comes in less than 5 minutes.
I'm at the airport 1.45 hours before my flight is due. Plenty of time. Though checkin takes a bit longer than I expected.
Not having eaten, I pick up a sandwich and a bottle of coke for the flight. Then go and sit at a bar.
"A double Jack Daniels, no ice, please."
I've around 20 minutes to kill before boarding. May as well kill off some brain cells at the same time.
I restrict myself to just the two. $44, before tip. Fuck me, airport bars are expensive. I could have bought two bottles of cheap bourbon for that.
The gate isn't far. Once again, I time it perfectly, rolling up just as priority boarding is ending. I stroll right on board.
This time, I watch a weird Danish film called Another Round (at least in English). It's about a group of teachers who use alcohol as a performance-enhancing drug. Inevitably, it all goes horribly wrong. Though I don't get to see the ending. It's almost 2 hours long and I'm only three-quarters of the way through when the flight lands.
For some reason, I don't recognise my bag and let it whirl past a couple of dozen times before I pluck it from the carousel. How often have I travelled with this bag? What is wrong with me?
A taxi quickly drops me at my hotel. I recognise this place. I've stayed here before. It has all the scary internal balconies.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjqJR0xPRpB_PusX4zbPNBh1xKk46X_SdWWzaBNy3ZcZR 7Rtj6ttr5RncKoHo33usUUGSuCH8tIDxR3gTR2HpebGyl_0A4s YAqvTf1M-UIbTPM-Uba4uRb0Zj5yDCveRxGaHngo6DGq1Hp8hhvxIhf98wK1DSxi0e Sw4zduOs9EGi-p6lA5B35sM5kG=w360-h640 (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjqJR0xPRpB_PusX4zbPNBh1xKk46X_SdWWzaBNy3ZcZR 7Rtj6ttr5RncKoHo33usUUGSuCH8tIDxR3gTR2HpebGyl_0A4s YAqvTf1M-UIbTPM-Uba4uRb0Zj5yDCveRxGaHngo6DGq1Hp8hhvxIhf98wK1DSxi0e Sw4zduOs9EGi-p6lA5B35sM5kG=s2000)
I’m on the fourteenth floor. But I’m staring up at most of the surrounding buildings. It’s a typical high-rise American downtown.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg72_hrMMg65DNzdb8ve2YSQVQMGuQcHa8SBHikYiXyRv VikoCdoUfBXCPKst6LOkPPOtb5At0qQkulyH6XFbZcgjaleulN VQ6sWhxURcrvfi36dnOGoYB03L1SC0EwJ1IDisbWpISsfZH2-eVjm7_wZgayAUVAChUrULM2udVdXDrClwlJUWwd_zJE=w640-h360 (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg72_hrMMg65DNzdb8ve2YSQVQMGuQcHa8SBHikYiXyRv VikoCdoUfBXCPKst6LOkPPOtb5At0qQkulyH6XFbZcgjaleulN VQ6sWhxURcrvfi36dnOGoYB03L1SC0EwJ1IDisbWpISsfZH2-eVjm7_wZgayAUVAChUrULM2udVdXDrClwlJUWwd_zJE=s2000)
Luggage dumped, I head the couple of blocks to Sol's Liquor (http://solsliquor.com/) to pick up some whiskey for the kids. The challenge is to find something not stocked by Ton Overmars. I buy two bottles of some weird-looking cheap stuff. Pretty certain they won't have that.
Back in the hotel, I wander to the rear to take a look at the cafeteria. A voice behind me says:
"Excuse me sir. Are you a guest?"
It's security. Do I look that dodgy? It must be my crazy old man wild hair. I show him my key card. He seems satisfied, though somewhat begrudgingly.
I buy a bag of salt and vinegar crisps in the cafeteria. $2.99. The thieving bastards. It's not even a big bag.
This is annoying. Every time I touch a metal object like a door handle, I get a static electric shock. Just enough to be irritating.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgi9cGCsHKlegz__1GJNQud1iVf3gYmeo6KNTYeixR1Y-R8PnhslGo8ncmZPRydy9rsN4cGrL3LQyky8udOdSZkGdVJd34k Lo0CzVJ_GuTkNtOVlvGV_oRXPeUBm_ilZhzlc_wwJFjh9YCzsG CQ_wXCFLZ1ULRU21_EJp6Cy_UBztJP8AOmKe-t4sOR=w640-h406 (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgi9cGCsHKlegz__1GJNQud1iVf3gYmeo6KNTYeixR1Y-R8PnhslGo8ncmZPRydy9rsN4cGrL3LQyky8udOdSZkGdVJd34k Lo0CzVJ_GuTkNtOVlvGV_oRXPeUBm_ilZhzlc_wwJFjh9YCzsG CQ_wXCFLZ1ULRU21_EJp6Cy_UBztJP8AOmKe-t4sOR=s2169)
My original plan was to go to Max's Lagers for beer and food. But I'm feeling lazy. Knacked, really. Despite doing fuck all today other than wait around. Instead, I stroll down to Hsu's (https://www.hsus.com/), just three blocks away. For dumplings, fried rice and a Sweetwater 420. The food is OK, especially when I beef it up with soy sauce and hot sauce.
Back in my room, I watch Match of the Day 2 while I'm waiting for the Covid test result to roll in. Which it does, well before 23:00. I try to check in online. It doesn't work. I upload my vaccine certificate and give it another try. Still no joy. I'll just have to make sure I get to the airport really early.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhP2BzV_FZSqoY-Ve7HXGQFMWXPqNdLPKtmNWXk1RKwrJzbadLz3f4ygqA2f1qYtC 91Fj6gmbydlhf0_o8kIqr4-tCvgKyqQZ9GW7DS1xAPUVzlbMJ6MzQNQhxIHJRTPWt3aZeKoHr ZJkJP3OZBIMvLmM5J_E0od38rZHtPrYffQHsfzrh0ju_2OWxA= w640-h466 (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhP2BzV_FZSqoY-Ve7HXGQFMWXPqNdLPKtmNWXk1RKwrJzbadLz3f4ygqA2f1qYtC 91Fj6gmbydlhf0_o8kIqr4-tCvgKyqQZ9GW7DS1xAPUVzlbMJ6MzQNQhxIHJRTPWt3aZeKoHr ZJkJP3OZBIMvLmM5J_E0od38rZHtPrYffQHsfzrh0ju_2OWxA= s2589)
Around 23:30, I feel peckish. I wander downstairs hoping to get some crisps from a vending machine. Without much hope of getting anything substantial. But the cafeteria is still open. I get a pastrami sub. Almost $10 it costs me.
The sandwich isn't bad. It's just the cost that sticks in my throat. I follow it down with some sleeping whisky. My last full day is done.
Sol's Liquor (http://solsliquor.com/)
186 Courtland St NE,
Atlanta, GA 30303.
http://solsliquor.com/
Hsu's Gourmet (https://www.hsus.com/)
192 Peachtree Center Ave NE,
Atlanta, GA 30303.
https://www.hsus.com/
More... (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2022/03/back-in-atlanta.html)
My flight isn't until 13:14. No rush to get up. I start pottering around at about 8:00.
After going through my emails and writing up yesterday's events I pack up my stuff. I check out in the shop a little before 10:00 and ask them to call me a taxi. Ten of fifteen minutes it’ supposed to be.
I stand outside in the sun and read Private Eye to pass the time. Sweating in the sun in a very English, low-key way. When no taxi has appeared after 30 minutes, I go back inside to see what's happening.
"They've probably been delayed. It's Monday and a lot of people are going home."
OK then. Not totally reassuring. Just as well I’ve left a shitload of time. That’s the way I roll now I’m an oldie person. Paranoid and assuming everything will take me longer than expected.
When almost an hour has passed, I ask:
“Can you get me an Uber? I'll give you $60.”
He rings the taxi company again. Evidently, they picked up someone else. Fucking brilliant. He orders me an Uber and he asks for 40 dollars. A small price to pay for not missing my flight. It comes in less than 5 minutes.
I'm at the airport 1.45 hours before my flight is due. Plenty of time. Though checkin takes a bit longer than I expected.
Not having eaten, I pick up a sandwich and a bottle of coke for the flight. Then go and sit at a bar.
"A double Jack Daniels, no ice, please."
I've around 20 minutes to kill before boarding. May as well kill off some brain cells at the same time.
I restrict myself to just the two. $44, before tip. Fuck me, airport bars are expensive. I could have bought two bottles of cheap bourbon for that.
The gate isn't far. Once again, I time it perfectly, rolling up just as priority boarding is ending. I stroll right on board.
This time, I watch a weird Danish film called Another Round (at least in English). It's about a group of teachers who use alcohol as a performance-enhancing drug. Inevitably, it all goes horribly wrong. Though I don't get to see the ending. It's almost 2 hours long and I'm only three-quarters of the way through when the flight lands.
For some reason, I don't recognise my bag and let it whirl past a couple of dozen times before I pluck it from the carousel. How often have I travelled with this bag? What is wrong with me?
A taxi quickly drops me at my hotel. I recognise this place. I've stayed here before. It has all the scary internal balconies.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjqJR0xPRpB_PusX4zbPNBh1xKk46X_SdWWzaBNy3ZcZR 7Rtj6ttr5RncKoHo33usUUGSuCH8tIDxR3gTR2HpebGyl_0A4s YAqvTf1M-UIbTPM-Uba4uRb0Zj5yDCveRxGaHngo6DGq1Hp8hhvxIhf98wK1DSxi0e Sw4zduOs9EGi-p6lA5B35sM5kG=w360-h640 (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjqJR0xPRpB_PusX4zbPNBh1xKk46X_SdWWzaBNy3ZcZR 7Rtj6ttr5RncKoHo33usUUGSuCH8tIDxR3gTR2HpebGyl_0A4s YAqvTf1M-UIbTPM-Uba4uRb0Zj5yDCveRxGaHngo6DGq1Hp8hhvxIhf98wK1DSxi0e Sw4zduOs9EGi-p6lA5B35sM5kG=s2000)
I’m on the fourteenth floor. But I’m staring up at most of the surrounding buildings. It’s a typical high-rise American downtown.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg72_hrMMg65DNzdb8ve2YSQVQMGuQcHa8SBHikYiXyRv VikoCdoUfBXCPKst6LOkPPOtb5At0qQkulyH6XFbZcgjaleulN VQ6sWhxURcrvfi36dnOGoYB03L1SC0EwJ1IDisbWpISsfZH2-eVjm7_wZgayAUVAChUrULM2udVdXDrClwlJUWwd_zJE=w640-h360 (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg72_hrMMg65DNzdb8ve2YSQVQMGuQcHa8SBHikYiXyRv VikoCdoUfBXCPKst6LOkPPOtb5At0qQkulyH6XFbZcgjaleulN VQ6sWhxURcrvfi36dnOGoYB03L1SC0EwJ1IDisbWpISsfZH2-eVjm7_wZgayAUVAChUrULM2udVdXDrClwlJUWwd_zJE=s2000)
Luggage dumped, I head the couple of blocks to Sol's Liquor (http://solsliquor.com/) to pick up some whiskey for the kids. The challenge is to find something not stocked by Ton Overmars. I buy two bottles of some weird-looking cheap stuff. Pretty certain they won't have that.
Back in the hotel, I wander to the rear to take a look at the cafeteria. A voice behind me says:
"Excuse me sir. Are you a guest?"
It's security. Do I look that dodgy? It must be my crazy old man wild hair. I show him my key card. He seems satisfied, though somewhat begrudgingly.
I buy a bag of salt and vinegar crisps in the cafeteria. $2.99. The thieving bastards. It's not even a big bag.
This is annoying. Every time I touch a metal object like a door handle, I get a static electric shock. Just enough to be irritating.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgi9cGCsHKlegz__1GJNQud1iVf3gYmeo6KNTYeixR1Y-R8PnhslGo8ncmZPRydy9rsN4cGrL3LQyky8udOdSZkGdVJd34k Lo0CzVJ_GuTkNtOVlvGV_oRXPeUBm_ilZhzlc_wwJFjh9YCzsG CQ_wXCFLZ1ULRU21_EJp6Cy_UBztJP8AOmKe-t4sOR=w640-h406 (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgi9cGCsHKlegz__1GJNQud1iVf3gYmeo6KNTYeixR1Y-R8PnhslGo8ncmZPRydy9rsN4cGrL3LQyky8udOdSZkGdVJd34k Lo0CzVJ_GuTkNtOVlvGV_oRXPeUBm_ilZhzlc_wwJFjh9YCzsG CQ_wXCFLZ1ULRU21_EJp6Cy_UBztJP8AOmKe-t4sOR=s2169)
My original plan was to go to Max's Lagers for beer and food. But I'm feeling lazy. Knacked, really. Despite doing fuck all today other than wait around. Instead, I stroll down to Hsu's (https://www.hsus.com/), just three blocks away. For dumplings, fried rice and a Sweetwater 420. The food is OK, especially when I beef it up with soy sauce and hot sauce.
Back in my room, I watch Match of the Day 2 while I'm waiting for the Covid test result to roll in. Which it does, well before 23:00. I try to check in online. It doesn't work. I upload my vaccine certificate and give it another try. Still no joy. I'll just have to make sure I get to the airport really early.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhP2BzV_FZSqoY-Ve7HXGQFMWXPqNdLPKtmNWXk1RKwrJzbadLz3f4ygqA2f1qYtC 91Fj6gmbydlhf0_o8kIqr4-tCvgKyqQZ9GW7DS1xAPUVzlbMJ6MzQNQhxIHJRTPWt3aZeKoHr ZJkJP3OZBIMvLmM5J_E0od38rZHtPrYffQHsfzrh0ju_2OWxA= w640-h466 (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhP2BzV_FZSqoY-Ve7HXGQFMWXPqNdLPKtmNWXk1RKwrJzbadLz3f4ygqA2f1qYtC 91Fj6gmbydlhf0_o8kIqr4-tCvgKyqQZ9GW7DS1xAPUVzlbMJ6MzQNQhxIHJRTPWt3aZeKoHr ZJkJP3OZBIMvLmM5J_E0od38rZHtPrYffQHsfzrh0ju_2OWxA= s2589)
Around 23:30, I feel peckish. I wander downstairs hoping to get some crisps from a vending machine. Without much hope of getting anything substantial. But the cafeteria is still open. I get a pastrami sub. Almost $10 it costs me.
The sandwich isn't bad. It's just the cost that sticks in my throat. I follow it down with some sleeping whisky. My last full day is done.
Sol's Liquor (http://solsliquor.com/)
186 Courtland St NE,
Atlanta, GA 30303.
http://solsliquor.com/
Hsu's Gourmet (https://www.hsus.com/)
192 Peachtree Center Ave NE,
Atlanta, GA 30303.
https://www.hsus.com/
More... (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2022/03/back-in-atlanta.html)