Summer somnolence has prevented me from doing a more timely blog. I think my keyboard slows measurably when the outdoor temperature hits 85 degrees or more. My desk has views of Central Park, so the call of the wild does tempt me to take afternoon breaks as well. Thank you for your understanding, and I hope you have had similar seasonal distractions.
The long absence of an update compels me to write now about a very interesting subject, even though I know no one is reading this today. All are planning for the weekend getaway for Labor Day. That leaves us stay-at-home New Yorkers in an enviable position. No rush to the airport, with anticipated delays cutting into the precious holiday by at least an hour or more. Two thousand flights a day from LaGuardia Airport. Amazing. Two runways, total, at LaGuardia for all incoming and outgoing traffic. Even more amazing.
There is hope, however, for all of us seasoned travellers who do this for a living. If you haven't heard of "Clear" the card that allows you to whisk through a private security line at a growing number of airports...listen up.
Some enterprising company has created a system that scans your iris and takes multiple finger impressions on a scanner and then puts this information into a computer chip. Kind of James Bond meets Homeland Security, with panache. You are issued a sexy, clear plastic credit card with your unique information, that is not transferred to the CIA or the FBI. I am confident that Dick Cheney does not know a thing about my iris. At least, I don't think so.
There are currently 59,000 members of Clear. I am, happily, one of them. I do admit to having to resist my fear of government intervention into my private life before sharing information with Clear in return for this privilege. But, the government knows all there is to know anyway, except the questions asked for in pre-screening and phone security on Clear. What is my favorite movie? "Portrait of Jenny." What is my favorite activity? Yoga. I don't think the government would be assisted in finding Osama bin Laden, even if I told them my intimate answers over lunch. So, the process is swift, futuristic and, I admit, fun. Try it. We need to have as many sophisticated travelers sign up so it will be accepted at all U.S. airports, whose number is steadily growing. Check out http://www.flyclear.com/
Have a great holiday weekend, and I'll be in touch next week with updates on Sanctuary Cap Cana in the Dominican Republic and the latest following my recent trip to Bermuda...
