Chicago:
My interview in Chicago was suppose to finish at 1:30, but we didn't finish until 2:30. I had to catch an airport shuttle at my hotel at 3:30, which was about 10 minutes from the hospital. The residency coordinator called me a taxi at 2:30, but one did not arrive. I stood outside the hospital (in November) for an hour and a half waiting for this cab. I kept calling the coordinator and I called the taxi company and even another taxi company. No one could or would help me. Needless to say, I missed my airport shuttle. I saw a taxi coming toward the hospital at about 4:00 and begged him to take me to my hotel to pick up my bag then to the airport. I was told by multiple people that there was no way I'd make the flight given Chicago traffic. However, this taxi driver said it was no problem and I was at the airport by 4:40. I don't even think he was speeding. He had been driving taxi in Chicago for over 30 years and knew the roads. I made my 5:30 flight with time to stop and grab a snack. I wish I knew his name so I could write a letter to their union or licensing board: he was amazing!
Long Island:
The LIRR (Long Island Rail Road) is great, but I had to leave my apartment at 4:00am to my interview by 8:00am and I had no idea where I was going. I decided to take a taxi, which was very expensive, but at least I didn't have a four hour commute (I was going out to Long Island when everyone else was coming into Manhattan so the trains were not coming frequently in the direction that I wanted to go). I did take the train back and it was mid-afternoon so it took 2.5 hour due to the frequency of the trains, but I wasn't on a schedule so it didn't matter at that point.
Philadelphia:
I took the Greyhound Bus to Philly, which I've never done before. Port Authority (the bus terminal in Manhattan) is full of the stereotypical bus rider. Farley talked me into taking the bus rather than Amtrak because the bus is cheaper and initially he was going to go with me just for fun (he finished his rotations a couple weeks before me due to my schedule). He decided not to go, but I was stuck on the bus. The bus was fine and the trip was smooth, but waiting in line had me nervous. Once I got to Philly, I had to walk across the street and take the SEPTA (train) to the airport, where the hotel shuttle picked me up. I had no problem getting around the public transit in Philadelphia, but I realized I'm starting to become a New Yorker: I was annoyed by the slooooow trains. The interview was out a bit early. I was able to do the same commute (shuttle bus to airport to train to bus depot) and make it back to the bus depot in time to take the 3:00 train rather than the 5:00. We missed the Philadelphia traffic, but there is no missing the New York City traffic. The trip would take two hours without any traffic and we could have done it except that the last two or three miles or so took more than an hour and a half. I left Philadelphia at 3:00pm and arrived at my apartment a little before 8:00pm.
Buffalo:
Now this takes the cake! I was flying on a smaller commuter plane out of New York City. We were about 10 minutes on our way to Buffalo, when they announced that we had to return to New York City. I couldn't hear why (which was a good thing), but the flight attendant came around and told everyone it wasn't an emergency so don't worry. Once we landed, which by the way was very smooth, I noticed many emergency vehicles surrounding the plane and they announced that we lost two-thirds of the power on the plane. The emergency personnel surrounding the plane made me nervous. I suspect that they were preparing in case there were problems, but thankfully, everything was okay. All of the passengers and crew boarded a new plane and everything went well except for a bit of turbulence, which I'll admit made me more nervous than usual.
I hope that nothing eventful happens on my upcoming flights in January and I'm thankful that all of my travels have been safe, even if not as smooth as I'd like.
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