Just so you all know...

While driving in tire chains, all of your traction is under your chained tires. If they're your front tires, you *can* fishtail.

And if you do that on a sufficiently slippery highway, you can do a fascinating 180 when you hit a snow drift.

But, it is possible to do so without panicking.

And if the highway is mostly abandoned (as it was), no one gets hurt, and you can still make it to your parking reservation and the flight with plenty of time to spare.

So you can sit and wait for close to two hours while they de-ice the plane. Two or more times.

By the way: all airlines charge for checked baggage. As a result, *everyone* uses carry-on bags. *Do not* let yourself be in zone 7 (or whatever zone boards last). They *will* take your carry-on bags. (If you're smart enough to have a re-usable grocery bag, you can throw your laptop and food into the grocery bag so they can't be destroyed by the folks who handle checked baggage.)

Did I mention they don't do beverage service while the plane is on the ground, but even if they did, US Air charges two bucks for water? Or that one of my water bottles was in my now-checked carry-on?

But, I'm safely in Philly (well... Ambler). And they have a Trader Joe's here, so I even have some Cotswald to munch on. The non-travel parts are good.

(Except for the forgetting to pack my underwear. I remembered socks - which, note, are in my underwear drawer! - but not underwear. Thankfully, there are stores in Philly.)

Just so you all know...

While driving in tire chains, all of your traction is under your chained tires. If they're your front tires, you *can* fishtail.

And if you do that on a sufficiently slippery highway, you can do a fascinating 180 when you hit a snow drift.

But, it is possible to do so without panicking.

And if the highway is mostly abandoned (as it was), no one gets hurt, and you can still make it to your parking reservation and the flight with plenty of time to spare.

So you can sit and wait for close to two hours while they de-ice the plane. Two or more times.

By the way: all airlines charge for checked baggage. As a result, *everyone* uses carry-on bags. *Do not* let yourself be in zone 7 (or whatever zone boards last). They *will* take your carry-on bags. (If you're smart enough to have a re-usable grocery bag, you can throw your laptop and food into the grocery bag so they can't be destroyed by the folks who handle checked baggage.)

Did I mention they don't do beverage service while the plane is on the ground, but even if they did, US Air charges two bucks for water? Or that one of my water bottles was in my now-checked carry-on?

But, I'm safely in Philly (well... Ambler). And they have a Trader Joe's here, so I even have some Cotswald to munch on. The non-travel parts are good.

(Except for the forgetting to pack my underwear. I remembered socks - which, note, are in my underwear drawer! - but not underwear. Thankfully, there are stores in Philly.)