Back from Atlanta

Don't ask me what I did with the font today... I have no clue.

Let me start by saying that there is so much to be said for having a driver pick you up and take you to the airport at 5:30 AM and in the rain. I have my brother (and boss) to thank for that. I normally drive myself but can't stress how convenient a driver can be during "less desirable" conditions.

Here are today's travel observations:

We apparently dawdled too long at the President's Club since the flight was mostly boarded by the time we arrived at our gate. When we boarded, the flight attendant informed us that there wasn't any space left for carry-ons and that we might have to check our bags. I opened the bin above my seat and found that, with a little creative maneuvering, my bag would easily fit. Apparently very few people know the concept of "wheels in". Honestly, I don't blame passengers for this as they may simply not know. Flight attendants who are worth their salt should perform a check to make sure bags are set wheels in so that more can fit in the overhead compartments. I've seen some do this but the sad reality is that most don't.

We landed a good 15 minutes ahead of schedule so, rather than talking the train from Terminal D at Hartsfield, we opted to walk to the main terminal. We didn't really plan to walk the whole way - we just started and decided to keep on. If you ever have the time, it is a valuable way to get a bit of exercise during a hectic travel day. Since we had the time to spare, MARTA was worth using to get to our first appointment. We saved ourselves the hassle of picking up/dropping off a car and found a taxi driver by the station who later hauled us from appointment to appointment and back to the airport. Our meetings ended earlier than planned so we could catch an earlier flight - getting home earlier than expected from a business trip is always a great feeling.

Lessons learned today:

• They may say there isn't space in the overhead bin but there probably is. If you don't mind having people watch you, look at that bin as a puzzle and move around the puzzle pieces until you can fit your bag. Often, a turned bag or two is all it takes.
• If you find a good local taxi driver, get his card and use him during your trip. Ours made our trip more convenient and he made the extra effort to get us back to the airport early so we could catch an earlier flight.

On a personal note, today's meetings went well. They allowed to get a bead on some of my forecasts for 2007 while building goodwill with some of my most valuable clients.