I have a gift. Whenever I go to New York, I book a trip at the worst time for weather. I've strolled through Central Park in record-high July temperatures, and been there when windchill has hit its lowest. So it was only natural that I chose this past weekend to visit Manhattan, sandwiching my stay between two blizzards.
The first storm hit the night before my 6 a.m. flight to JFK. With severe flight backups, mine was pushed forward an hour. This wasn't the issue. I welcomed another 60 minutes of beauty rest before I had to be among Fashion Week attendees.
But the trouble came with Sunday’s storm, which hit right in time for my return trip. As I went to head out for brunch, I saw it: freezing rain turning into snow before it hit the already slush-covered streets. It was starting earlier than expected, and I knew I'd be stranded if I putzed around the city until my evening flight.
The airline still had my flight listed as scheduled, but I was skeptical that would hold up for another six hours. In my gut, I knew I had to act fast if I wanted any chance to get back to Boston within the next couple of days.
Without a laptop, I tried navigating different bus lines’ non-mobile-friendly websites. It became quickly apparent by the red column repeatedly reading “sold out” that many people had the same idea.
I didn’t know what to do so I turned to Google, searching for a “last minute bus.” Within the results, I saw a familiar name: Wanderu. I had spoken with the Boston-based travel company on a couple of occasions so I figured it was worth a shot.
Moments later, I was in a cab weaving through New York traffic, with an inexpensive express ticket booked and Port Authority-bound. I rushed to will call, where the lady working handed me my ticket and said, “You better run. Everyone wants to get on this bus because of the snow, and it leaves in a few minutes.”
Don’t have to tell me twice, sister.
Breathlessly, I arrived at the gate as the man working the door yelled out that it was last call for boarding. Within 20 minutes, I had used Wanderu to instantly book a bus, made it halfway across Manhattan and was en route back to Boston.
The best part is, as soon as I had collapsed in my seat with a sigh of relief, my phone buzzed with a text alert. My flight had been canceled.
