Marcie, part 2

So, I went to Schiphol Amsterdam Airport. I would leave my car at collegues Frank's house in Huizen and he would drop me off at Schiphol. And so it happened. By the way, this all happened in November 1999.

First the flight from Amsterdam to Detroit. In the US you go through Immigration and Customs at the first airport you arrive, after that it's just domestic terminals. But in Detroit happened what can only happen to me, my luggage didn't come off the belt....
I saw someone with a NorthWest logo on his shirt, I have no problem stating my problem, even abroad, and I speak the language, so no problem there. The NorthWest official asked the address where I would be staying and the telephone number. Now that was a minor problem, I didn't know yet in what motel I would stay. I wouldn't stay at Marcie's, she lived with her parents and there wast just no room for a guest. So I gave Marcie's address and telephone number.
At Immigration I got the strangest question. The Immigration Officer asked me what the purpose of my visit was and as I believe that honesty will get you the furthest I answered that I was going to visit a female friend I had met on the internet. Then, that Immigration Officer asked me if I had plans marrying this woman!
For a brief moment, I was surprise, but recovered fast enough with a counter question: "Would you marry someone you've never met?" Response from the Immigration Officer: "Welcome to the United States"

After that I continued to the gate where my flight to Pittsburgh would depart and I had seen something about  a "peanut free flight", but I wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed anymore due to the flight and the time difference and on top of that I was hungry.
It was a tiny little plane, a Saab. And I know those Swedish guys make good cars, but I had no experience with theur airplanes.

I got into that little plane with only 32 seats, nice seats, it looked like one big business class. I had purchased a little bag of M&M's with peanut on Detroit Airport and I had a serious craving so I attempt to open the bag. At that moment a flight attendant comes running towards me begging me not to open that bag of M&M's. It turned out there was someone on that plane with a serious peanut allergy. Suddenly the concept of a peanut fly flight becomes clear to me. Where I thoughts that the peanuts were for free on the flight. But I kept my bag of M&M's peanut closed, mentioning to the flight attendant that I was hungry. On the flight from amsteram to Detroit a meal had been served, but that was already a while ago. The flight attendant bought me two little bags of pretzels. So I was happy.

Now, I have to tell you: what you don't feel in a Boeing 747, you will feel that in a Saab.But since the very first time I ever flew and that first I didn't want to sit at the window, I have gone through a whole process and now I want to sit at the window and watch the take off and landing. But in such a small plane that is a lot more intensive.
There was snow on the ground on many places, not so strange, this was the North of the US, near the Canadian border and it was the end of November.
I arrived without problems in Pittsburgh. I don't why I waited at the luggage belt. Not much of a change that your luggage comes off the belt in Pittsburgh if it didn't come off in Detroit. But the NorthWest guy had said that I should check anyway and my luggage didn't show up I should report that in Pittsburgh as well.

Havind done that I went to Hertz for my rental car.That is always a surprise, you don't always know what you get and as I was a while later because of the luggage problem, it could be that I got a bigger car than what I had paid for.
Hertz gave me a Ford Escort US version and I drove from Pittsburgh Airport to Washington, PA. I love driving in the US (and Canada), traffic is a lot less hectic and a lot less agressive than in the Netherlands/Europe.
In the center of Washington, PA I saw a McDonald's, the pretzels were alreday a while ago and I didn't want to arrive at Marcie's with a funny noises making stomach...

After I had eaten I saw across from the McDonald's a telephone booth, in  Detroit I had already bought a telephone card, and I called Marcie. She was very pleased that I was already in town and gave directions how get to her. Within 3 minutes I parked in front of her parents house and rang the bell with my heart almost in my throat.......