Still Life with Robin: One, Two, Tie My Shoe, Three, Four, Tie No More!

 by Peggy Robin

I used to fly a lot -- trips to Europe, the Caribbean, Central America, all parts of the US. That was when I was a lot younger and a lot less of a stick-in-the-mud than I am today. That was back when I used to have Global Entry.

Then one year, when it was up for renewal, I stopped to think about it and realized I hadn't flown at all that year. And did not have any plane trips planned for the next year, either. So it made sense to save the hefty 5-year fee (now at $120) and let it lapse. 

This year, however, I'm flying instead of driving on my usual summer trip to the Adirondack mountains of upstate New York. I'm off, first thing on Monday morning.*

The main downside to flying without membership in any form of "trusted traveler" program is that you have to go through this rigamarole in the security line: You take your shoes off, put them in a bin, go sock-footed through the checkpoint/body scanner, and retrieve them when you come out the other side. Then you have to find a bench (there are never enough of them!), put all your stuff down, drop your shoes on the floor in front of you, and bend down to put them back on again. Then you get up and try to remember to take everything with you as you head off to find your gate. 

By now, you've figured where I'm going with this. The take-off-your-shoes-rule is no more. Yes, that's right. But it was still in effect when I booked my trip back in the spring. So as the time of the flight to Albany grew nearer -- and the shoes-off rule was still in force -- I very cleverly came up with a strategy to ease my way through the airport. Hands-free shoes!

The photo below shows what I bought. They're really a breeze to take off and put back on. I bought them at DSW on Sunday, July 6, just two weeks ahead of my trip. And wouldn't you know it -- just two days later, on Tuesday, July 8th, TSA dropped the "shoes off" rule, effective immediately.

Good thing I like these shoes for everyday wear. I will never go back to bending and tying again!

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* Sometime tomorrow I'll be sending out an administrative note about how the Listserv will function while I'm away for the next week. I'll still be moderating, but on a VERY relaxed schedule (meaning, don't post anything time-sensitive and expect it to go through quickly. Same-day ticket sales are unlikely to appear in time for the show.) I may be sending out messages just twice a day: once in the morning and once more at night. More details plus some posting tips to come in the official Admin Note that will go out on Sunday, July 20.

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Still Life with Robin is posted on the Cleveland Park Listserv and on All Life Is Local on Saturdays.