Pond Hopping: From Providence to Cork with Norwegian - Part 5: Returning Home

Monday, 0700h local time. Warwick, Rhode Island. It’s time to leave for home. Well, not quite. My flight doesn’t actually leave until 2050h local time, so I have an entire day to kill here in the US. And what better way to kill time than by shopping? So that’s exactly what my plan will look like for the day. First, however, there’s the little matter of checking out that needs to be settled, after breakfast that is. Getting my suitcase put into storage isn’t really the issue, that is done quickly. However, during the checkout process, the reception agent tells me that my credit card payment hasn’t gone through. Gulp! Not what you want to hear when you’re a transatlantic flight away from your bank! Apparently, it’s just an issue with the card, and another payment with the local card terminal goes off without a hitch. Still, that’s another couple of months taken off my life expectancy.

Hey, where'd the sun go???

Kennedy Plaza, the main bus interchange in Providence. Not really the best neighbourhood, but I've seen much worse.

Yep, no doubt. The weather is changing.

Those hills in Providence sure are steep.

A mere thirty years ago, I would have stood amongst railroad tracks, old abandoned platforms, and sidings. That building is the old Union Station Building.

The Turk's Head Building. I love the architecture, but how did that thing get its name?

Just a bit of a street scene in Providence.

With that roadblock out of the way, it’s back into the city. Once again on the No. 20 bus, and this time around, Warwick looks far less like a post-apocalyptic wasteland, with businesses, schools, and other institutions all open for business. The city itself is noticeably more busy as well, although it is nowhere near the bustle of other large cities. The weather appears to be changing from the worse, so after a quick stroll through the bookshops, I decide to check out the famed Rhode Island School of Design. Well, I should have done my homework (never my strongpoint!), the museum is closed on Mondays. Well, it’s back into the city to grab a few pictures that were all but impossible on the previous days due to the sun. By the time I’m done with that, it’s almost lunchtime, and after yet another quick lunch, it’s time to spend some serious money. Where? Why at an Apple Store of course. Hey, the new Apple Watch Series 4 has just been released, and as an enthusiastic user of a Series 0 (First Generation) Apple Watch, it’s more than time for an update. Well, once again the joke’s on me. The Apple Store at Providence Place Mall has no Series 4 Watches in Store, and has no idea when they’ll be getting them. So, that plan has gone out the window. A troll through Macy’s and Nordstrom for some new clothes is equally useless, as they both have a distinct lack of clothes in my size, at least in Providence. Afterwards, it’s just about killing time until I head back out to the airport at around 1600h. By that time, it’s pouring rain outside, which makes me more than glad for both my umbrella and the covered walkway to the hotel.

Well, I guess it's fitting that the weather turns Irish when you're about to return to Ireland.

Sorry for the rainy shot of the terminal at T.F. Green Airport. It's the best I could get in the weather.

For the first time, I’ve actually got some time to check out the terminal at T.F. Green Airport. It’s nice and compact, with a two-story layout. Arrivals are downstairs, and Departures are upstairs, with the check-in counters for international flights on the left side of the check-in hall, and domestic flights on the right side. The Norwegian counters are already open by the time I arrive, and I’m checked in in no time. Security is also a breeze, and once again, the TSA actually turns out to be a positive surprise, because they are not only efficient, but almost excruciatingly polite. Seriously, the security guys at Frankfurt Airport could learn more than a few lessons from these guys. I am through within a couple of minutes, and despite a quick heart-attack moment when my phone seems to have gone missing the whole thing passes off without a hitch.

The interior of the terminal is small, but pretty airy. At least pre-security check, where this picture was taken.
Image: Antony-22 [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], from Wikimedia Commons

That being said, the airside area at T.F. Green Airport is a bit of a let-down. The TSA checkpoint spits you out into a small food court dominated by a few fast food outlets, as well as a Starbucks. Hey, this is a US airport, after all. Beyond that food court, the airport basically consists of one large concourse with a handful of small restaurants and shops sprinkled along this concourse. International flights are served at Gates 8 and 9, which is immediately obvious, as they are simply regular gates that have a “sterile” area around the jetway created with a few slabs of drywall. There’s no view of my ride home, a one-year-old Boeing 737-MAX 8, registry EI-FYD, and fittingly named Benjamin Franklin, which is being prepared for the flight back at Gate 8. Even the neighbouring flight to Belfast is obscured. Shopping is another bit of a disappointment, mostly due to the fact that T.F. Green Airport mostly serves US flights. The duty free shop consists more or less of a pop-up-shop that is carted away when not in use. Electronics are available from two Best Buy vending machines. Yep, you read that right. Still, I manage to stock up on sweets for my colleagues in the office, grab a bite to eat and drink thanks to Starbucks, pretty much the only non-greasy option, and charge my phone and iPad for the flight back, albeit to the detriment of my MacBook. I’ve pretty much given up on taking photos at this time, as it is pouring down outside, and the sun has long since set.

Yet another tail you won't se at Cork Airport: An American Eagle ERJ-145 pushing back outside.

Boarding starts a bit delayed, but actually completes rather quickly. From what I can see, the aircraft is about 66-75% full, a pretty good load for this late in the season. What’s more, my row remains empty, allowing me to spread out and spend the flight back in relative comfort. Despite a short delay due to air traffic restrictions, we soon push back, and taxi out for take-off on Runway 05. This takes surprisingly long, as that runway has recently been extended, and we sit for some more time, as the last evening arrivals make their way into Providence. From what little I can see, it’s mostly JetBlue flights, with an American Airlines flight departing ahead of us. I wonder how their service has changed since I last flew them back in 2011?

Blue Mood on the way back. Did I mention I love the Sky Interior?

Now that's something you don't see every day ;)

Sunrise above the clouds - I just love it!

Then, it is our turn. Once again, the engines just keep pouring on the thrust, and soon, we ascend into the murky grey clouds over Providence. H.P. Lovecraft couldn’t have described a more dreary sky, and the lights of Post Road and Elmwood Avenue, which I had gotten somewhat familiar over the last few days, disappear in the low overcast. Remarkably, despite the clouds, there’s remarkably little turbulence, and we follow the Eastern Seaboard into the transatlantic night. Once again, there’s no WiFi onboard, and the shorts being shown are identical to the ones I saw on the outbound leg, so I soon zone out. Dinner is served as we pass over Nova Scotia. The selection this time is either chicken or pasta. I go with the chicken, which is once again good, although the accompanying potatoes (the un-mashed variety) are a bit “weird” The salad, something that looks like quinoa mixed with insect eggs, and tastes about the same, is absolutely revolting, and I skip that and immediately go for the desert, which more than makes up for it.

Yep, we're coming back to Ireland alright.

Thrust reversers engaged, full spoilers! Welcome back to Cork.

After that, it’s just trying to sleep, which once again turns out to be a fruitless endeavour. Granted, my beloved Beoplay H8 once again do an admirable job at reducing the cabin noise, and I’ve got a good selection of music on my iPad. Unfortunately, they do not filter out human voices, and I’m seated right behind to stereotypical Cork grannies, who seem to have been born with a very dominant chatterbox gene. Unfortunately, they are also “blessed” with voices that sound like someone shoved an air horn down the neck of a goose. I kid you not, these two nattering nans are at it non-stop from the time the cabin door closes in Providence to the time it opens in Cork. Turning the volume up on my iPad does help a bit. Apart from those two, the flight is uneventful, and I actually manage to witness the one thing I love seeing more than almost anything else: Sunrise above the clouds. Or, at least partial sunrise. By the time the sun is really coming out, our flight has long since passed over Limerick and begun its descent into Cork, which sees us quickly dip below the clouds. After a roughly six hour flight, we land on a wet and cool Runway 34 at Cork Airport at 0745h in the morning. We are the only flight on the field, arriving after the last of the early morning departures had left, and are parked at Gate 04, the same one I had departed from just a few days earlier. Disembarkation is via jetway, which leads us right to passport control, where two lethargic Gardaí take their sweet time processing the arrivals.

By the time I’m through, our luggage has begun arriving, and I’m soon out of arrivals, and out at the bus stop, waiting for the 226 into town. This turns out to be another packed bus ride, and I’m glad to be out of the bus once we arrive at the bus station. Now, my next ride is of course the bus home to Ballincollig, however there’s one more stop on my list, something I’ve been looking forward to since boarding the plane in Providence. That’s a nice large breakfast at the De Calf Café in Cork city. Talk about comfort food! Yet another hour later, I’m finally home, completely shattered after 30 hours without sleep, but happy.

So what’s the resume after this rather short trip? Well, first of all I really needed that, really needed to break out of my usual routine. The trip to Boston was more than a little poignant, given the family history there. As for Providence itself, it is definitely a city worth visiting. It isn’t perfect, and is a bit rough around the edges, but it definitely has charm, and is really a little jewel. There’s much more to see there than you initially expect, and I’ll definitely be coming back for more. As for Norwegian, their direct service from Cork to Providence is a HUGE asset for the Rebel City, and I urge everyone to make use of it if you can. The airline provides good value for money, the seats are surprisingly comfortable even for my fat ass, and the Boeing Sky Interior with its mood lighting really makes a big difference. And while you may not get some fancy stuff like US Preclearance, that really isn’t much of an issue at T.F. Green Airport. Speaking of T.F. Green, that’s another hidden gem out there, despite some deficiencies in the departures lounge. The weekday train service into Boston South Station is a huge advantage, and there’s a plethora of hotels in close proximity to the airport that’ll enable you to do a quick stop-over before heading further afield. So while it may not be New York or even Boston, I definitely have no regrets. My feet may have a different opinion in that regard, though.