There’s a lot to say about our near-two weeks in the Bay Area for Jules’ revolutionary top surgery (!!!!), besides the unexpected sunburn on my head and toes (huh). The gist: my heart soars!
Rest assured, there were doughnuts & burritos & bún chay & local produce. More on the food stuff next time, okay? Okay.
Air travel was surreal. I mean, shouldn’t it always be?
First, not that it was planned, but at the last minute, we ended up traveling separately on two consecutive evenings on the way down – and by down, I mean over two thousand miles south for arguably the best gender-affirming surgery center in the lower 48.
Long story short, we booked with miles, so throw in flight-canceling “scheduling issues” on Alaska Air, absolutely packed flights, Jules’ actual appointment for surgery (hence bumping their flight up a night!), my own vow to to never book a firm “Basic” fare on Delta again, and you have each of us spending (different!) evenings in (different!) airport hotels. Oh yes, in different states, too.
Did I mention that it takes a long time to leave the interior of Alaska?
Let’s just say I had so much time waiting at the Fairbanks airport I attempted sun tea.
Fortunately, me being me, we each had a supply of tofu banh mis in tow.
And yeah, the newly-optional masks were off on our return flights on the 20th. Let me clarify that we kept ours on – Jules’ healing + recovery as one obvious reason – and became quite the rarity, especially on the final leg from Seattle to Fairbanks up into the wild, wild west of Alaska.
On the plus side, there wasn’t a cheer or attempt at a viral moment (my neighbor was on one such flight where flight attendants came up the aisle with a garbage bag).
It was eerily reminiscent of flying from NYC to PDX and back north again during the very start of the covid-era in March & April 2020. Yet, seemingly way more gross, and divisive.
Living through history, yet again.
I can honestly recall enjoying plane travel as an adult - even domestic! I did it for work and play on the semi-regular since I had my first “real job” in my early 20s.
An airport mimosa, a paperback, a travel pillow, and back when the Jetblue in-seat TVs usually worked, perhaps the bonus of a Top Chef marathon (then less gross, but well, not really) on a red eye. Alas. Things change.
And okay, I am openly content with so much about aging and being alive (despite the societal taboo of being a woman doing these things!), but there’s definitely something about the intense lighting in airport restrooms paired with the exhaustion of flying (& probably something scientific, let’s be real) that literally brings never-before-seen wrinkles and lines to light. It’s fascinating.
And in very recent years, just, oddly expected on a layover.
Stay hydrated in the air, y’all.
Oh, and BYO-straw.
All right, I’ve gotten enough warnings from this draft editor that I’m about to be cut off, and you should probably move on to more pressing emails (and/or real life), so let me close with a few quick photos and an eventual TO BE CONTINUED!
(with produce hauls + city eats + more trees on the next ‘scrap)
Wait, wait, wait, society!?!
It had been far too long since I’ve seen overgrown cruciferous beauties.
Holy moly, I love cooking, and I did so every day for our first week at the recovery center house (we then relocated across the bay), but this is HOT FOOD that I didn’t make!
I dove in.
FACT: Once a day, even when we weren’t going anywhere, someone recommended we “get an uber”.
Sigh, we did, twice. Stories for another day.
Just picture the dystopian/corporate pop art exhibits to come.
How are your experiences traveling – near or far – in this new world?
References + Relevant Links:
The Need by Helen Phillips (mhmm, recommended; I was ¾ through by the time I arrived in SF!)
Pilots close to striking over poor working conditions with Alaska Airlines, My Northwest April 28, 2022
Vegan Mayo with Aquafaba, Serious Eats (blended with chipotle, lime & agave and used on the tacos above)
Heavily invested in your sun tea experience… how did it go? 😂
Also so happy to hear that Jules’ journey is going well, and that you get to do some air travel with no maskless cheering to boot. Sending love from New Zealand/ Aotearoa!!
I am so happy for Jules! That is scary about the flight back being maskless for so many people. Here in Australia, masks are still mandatory on planes and public transport... if people actually follow the rules. My mum just flew to Tasmania and said they were enforcing mask wearing on the flight down, so that's good. I haven't travelled anywhere in so long. Even before COVID, it has been several years because I couldn't bring myself to leave Dim Sim even for a night. She passed during COVID. So since her passing, I have spent two nights away about a year ago up at the Sunshine Coast (where I drove). That's it! I am dreaming of future trips to places, but I can't imaging bringing myself to do it for a long time.