ATLANTA — It’s the most wonderful time of the year?
Winter weather in the south generally means problems. Whether it’s black ice that grinds Atlanta to a halt or flight delays, people stranded in airports and wayward luggage piling up at the baggage carousel are the hallmarks of holiday travel these days.
That often means many people pass their time waiting for rebooked flights at the bar. That often translates into overly chatty travelers who have nothing to say, but they say it anyway — and the whole bar hears the conversation whether they want to or not.
Throw in a broken water main, and everyone who walks up has the same question and receives the same answer.
“Can I have a cup of coffee?”
“No, we don’t have any water.”
The whole scenario turns into a sitcom that isn’t very funny; the punchline isn’t funny, but everyone keeps repeating it. Except, this is the only channel on, and you’ve lost the remote.
As soon as I bellied up to the bar, I rolled my eyes at some bloke shouting at the whole bar. He kept calling some other patron “dad,” who played along with the gag, calling him “son.”
In all fairness, he probably thought he was whispering, but with the number of drinks he had already imbibed, whispering was no longer an option.
Then, there’s the guy at the other end of the bar double-fisting a Yuengling and a Crown Royal Apple. You know it’s going to be a long day when you’re three or four Crown Royal Apples and three of four beers into the bar tab.
I don’t mind a beer. It’s a great way to pass the time and opine on the problems with the world. But when you feel compelled to double fist to make it through the morning, I might start to worry.
I have long said airports aren’t the best welcome to a city. People are often operating at their worst, and the stress of holiday travel only makes the scenario that much worse.
At least, if you’re sitting at the bar, you can always wash down the travel frustration with a Crown Royal Apple.