My first week of 2013 vacation is under way.\u00a0 I’m happy it’s here because I was starting to feel a little run down from the sameness of the routine.<\/p>\n
Plans for this ten-day stretch of fun have changed a few times.\u00a0 I toyed with a super-ambitious voyage to Japan and South Korea and got cold feet when I started visualizing solo adventures in Tokyo and Seoul.\u00a0 With the help of Google Maps, I would take virtual practice walks down the street from my virtual hotel to the virtual subway station to the virtual bar and restaurant and it was all pretty confusing to navigate.\u00a0 Yeah, yeah, I know I could do it and it would be fun, but I like to talk to people when I travel.\u00a0 I’ll save it for a time when I can go with somebody.<\/p>\n
I considered doing March Madness in Vegas or at a live site but I’m not in a spot to lose big dough and the on-site tourney experience is dampened by the ban on beer sales.<\/p>\n
I ended up deciding to head out to Southern California for Burgerama II which is a two-day rock and roll music festival this weekend in Santa Ana.\u00a0 The band lineup on both days is crazy good.\u00a0 Saturday’s card includes White Fence and King Tuff.<\/p>\n
On the way out, I’m gonna make a stop in Nashville to see my pal Jeff D.\u00a0 We plan on seeing Alex Bleeker and his band The Freaks play the Mercy Lounge on Wednesday night.<\/p>\n
As I write this, I’m in a crowded airport gate area waiting for an empty seat to Music City.\u00a0 One full flight has left without me.\u00a0 I have two more cracks at it.<\/p>\n
I arrived Newark Airport’s Terminal A about 11 AM.\u00a0 With some time to kill before my attempt to ride the 12:52 PM non-stop to Nashville, I sought a stiff cup of coffee and something to nibble on.\u00a0 I had left the apartment on an empty stomach so I was ready for some caffeine.<\/p>\n
Rarely do I find myself in Terminal A at Newark but I had read a newspaper story several months ago saying the Golden Krust chain had opened a shop there.\u00a0 I have a thing for the jerk chicken variation of Krust’s beef patty.\u00a0 Whenever anybody faces jury duty at the Civil Courthouse in Jamaica, Queens, I always recommend a stop at the Golden Krust location in that neighborhood.\u00a0 It’s a warm, friendly place that feels not like a fast food outlet.<\/p>\n
So, here I was in Newark thinking the Golden Krust experience I’m so fond of based on my Jamaica, Queens experiences would translate to same at the airport.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.<\/p>\n
When I walked in, I was drawn to the big glass display case containing the patties.\u00a0 It appeared to be a self-service set-up.\u00a0 Paper patty sleeves were positioned on the customer side of the counter and the display case appeared to have handles to slide the doors open.<\/p>\n
Not seeing a Krust worker behind the counter, I attempted to slide open the patty case.\u00a0 A young man near the register shouted “Sir!\u00a0 Sir!\u00a0 What are you doing?”<\/p>\n
“I’m grabbing a jerk chicken patty,” I said.<\/p>\n
“No, sir.\u00a0 That’s my job.” said the worker (and again at a volume more befitting of a scold).<\/p>\n
“Sorry,” I said.\u00a0 “It appeared to me to be self-service.”<\/p>\n
I bought the patty ($3.10) and ordered a coffee.\u00a0 No coffee.\u00a0 So, I walked over to the Dunkin’ Donuts across the hall and bought a large coffee.<\/p>\n
Still with time to spare before I had to go through security, I went back to Krust with my patty and coffee.\u00a0 I sat down in the empty dining area and ate the patty.\u00a0 As I was sipping my coffee (in the distinctive foam Dunkin’ Donuts cup), a second Krust worker approached me and told me I couldn’t sit in the dining area without making a purchase.<\/p>\n
But I had!<\/p>\n
I had bought the delicious and savory jerk chicken-filled patty encased in baked dough.\u00a0 Problem was, I had already finished it.\u00a0 The worker looked at me and didn’t appear fully convinced by my patty purchase claim.\u00a0 She stared at the Dunkin’ Donuts cup.\u00a0 I told her I would have bought a Krust coffee had it been available.<\/p>\n
I walked away with a smile from the double dose of anti-customer vibrations.\u00a0 It was comedy show in its absurdity.\u00a0 I chalked it up to the fact so much of what happens inside a New York airport is best handled with a laugh.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
My first week of 2013 vacation is under way.\u00a0 I’m happy it’s here because I was starting to feel a little run down from the sameness of the routine. Plans for this ten-day stretch of fun have changed a few … Continue reading