Urban Thought Collective

I always tell people that I was born about 50 years too late. Except for the 2nd class citizenry and getting my food from the side door, I think I would’ve been completely at home strolling around renaissance Harlem, rubbing elbows with Langston, Countee, and Claude McKay. That’s not to say that you’d be learning about me during Black History Month or that I would’ve been on their level. I probably still would’ve been a little wannabe writer that tags along with those guys as well as the Duke Ellington’s and Charlie Parkers and Miles Davis’, not because I’m hoping that they could get me a break, but just because they seem like my kinda cats. Of course, this would be when I wasn’t on my day job as a Pullman Porter.

Yes, that’s right. I probably would’ve been a Pullman Porter. With a wanderlust like mine, what else would I have been? Maybe I was one in a past life. I actually live about 8 blocks from the Central Station not far from where C.L. Dellums, former Vice President of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, had an office. As I sit here, listening to Gone (and its subsequent reprise Gone, Gone, Gone) by Miles from the Porgy and Bess soundtrack, and ever trying to channel Hughes, I can almost feel the tug of a far off land and can almost feel the rumble of the trains coming in and out of the station.

Central Station is long since gone, but like other landmarks they’ve got plans to restore and build it into a swanky condominium and shopping complex. My itch to get up and go is ever present however. I think I just like airports. Of course, I enjoy a lot of the destinations that lie beyond the doors of those airports as well. This is why even a trip to Idaho or some other rural part of middle America is even mildly amusing for me. Well, that and the frequent flyer miles. As you read on, you will discover how much of a slave to them (the miles) I truly am.

I’ve had Platinum status on American Airlines for about the last 5 years. If you spend any significant amount of time in airports, you know how nice a perk such a thing can be. You might have to wait in a really long line to check in for a flight, but I don’t. The Platinum folks get to check-in at the always very “lonely” Business/First ticket counter. You might have to pay an extra $25 or $30 to check a bag, but folks with status don’t. We get to board first, we get the first crack at the upgrades, and we sometimes get double the bonus miles when we fly. More importantly, we usually get to go to the much shorter and swifter Business/First security line where you can get searched without all the pressure of 40 people behind you breathing down your neck and wishing that you could put your shoes back on and collect your belongings just a little bit faster.

Fast forward to mid-November when I got a notice from American saying that I needed to fly 7,226 miles by December 31, 2008 to hit 50,000 on American for this year and restore my coveted Platinum status. I wasn’t worried because at the time, I was slated to go to Panama which would’ve given me just enough. But then my boss pulled the plug and informed me that I’d be supporting that customer remotely.

So I posed the question to some of my Facebook friends and got all sorts of wonderful suggestions as to where I should go. Unfortunately, this last 7,226 would have to be done on my dime and that could be a bit pricey this time of year. Complicating matters further, I’d have to carve out a few days in a December that was quickly filling up with other plans. I thought about dipping over to the East Coast, or Hawaii, but both those roundtrips would still leave me a couple thousand miles short. Japan would take me through too many time zones, and I’d get to spend almost no time there. Paris and Portugal were the same story, and all were much to steep to even seriously consider. To make a long story short, after a rather exhaustive search, I found a location that wouldn’t hurt me too bad in the pocketbook, had a Marriott where I could use my points for a free stay, and was actually warm right now. Trinidad and Tobago, here I come. There was one catch though. My return itinerary involves an overnight stay in Miami and then a Miami to SFO flight on the morning of January 1. That Miami to SFO flight would put me over 7,226, but I was informed by the reservations agent that they wouldn’t count toward my 2008 total.

So that brings us to today (since you are probably reading this on Wednesday December 17, 2008) when I will very unceremoniously travel the last 1,484 miles by flying from Oakland to Long Beach, from Long Beach to Seattle, and Seattle back to Oakland (the $49 flights were a life saver). The alleged wi-fi coverage in these airports should allow me to simulate the “work-from-home” routine for the day, and if all goes well, I should be home by 5pm. Well, that’s what I thought when I booked this trip a couple weeks ago without accounting for any inclement weather. Weather.com tells me to expect snow in Seattle and that indeed it does rain in Southern California as some wet stuff is on tap for the LBC as well. Wish me luck and I’ll be sure to give you the real time scoop from each location.

Destah Owens is a single father of two from Northern California and proud UCLA Bruin who travels the world for his job as a computer engineer. His blog, “Soufflés in Saigon,” is exclusive to Urban Thought Collective.