Collections

We all have things we tend to collect. My mother collects magnets from all the places we have been. I have a friend who collects wine corks and writes the date the bottle was opened and finshed...often the same date. I like to collect match books. I always felt like every book of matches tells a story. I also have another random collecting interest: blankets from airplanes.

It all happened so innocently. I was flying home from Charlotte to White Plains with a two hour layover in Pittsburgh for Easter weekend. I am usually cold because my body temperature is slightly lower than the average person due a malfunction in my blood (nothing serious, promise). A change to a cooler climate can be bothersome. Since I was flying USAir on both legs of the trip, I thought I would take a blanket into the Pittsburgh Airport and leave it on the plane when I arrived in NY. After a travel experience that deserves it's own blog and will probably top any of your flying stories, I landed in Newark Airport the next day on a Delta flight. Throughout this all I had very few possessions: the 1st season of the Sopranos on DVD in which we watched on a German guy's laptop, my dead cell phone, a toothbrush, my wallet, a psychobiology textbook, and my blanket. I slept on the floor of the airport with that blanket; it was warm, fuzzy, and dark blue. And yes, I still have it. This experience sparked an interest to have more airplane blankets, because like the matchbooks, there are memories attached to them.

My most recent blanket came from an American Airlines flight. I was walking on the plane in Miami and I knew I would be cold. No one was sitting in first class, so I just snatched a blanket. To my surprise the blanket was a lot plusher, bigger, and more colorful than the coach blankets. I decided to just put it in my bag fearing the flight attendant would take it from me. Jealously was written all over my friends' faces when they saw this find.

My favorite blanket I acquired on a Singapore Airlines flight to JFK from Frankfurt. Who flies Singapore Air to and from Germany you might ask? Me...you should try it. Aside from the great food, the slippers, playing Nintendo on the plane, the eye shades, hot towels, and the Singapore slings...there were blankets. This blanket it huge and soft. The only downside to this blanket is the color....purple and turquoise plaid, but it does match the entire interior of the plane. Next I have to see how to score one of the kimonos that the flight attendants wear.

The best winter blanket comes from an Alitalia flight from Sicily to Rome. I was so cracked out of my mind the morning we boarded this flight in Catania. My parents felt the need to have a sunrise breakfast on the lava rock beach. This was a great idea, except the closer you get the equator earlier the sun comes up. For those who don't know, Sicily is practically in Africa. It is not an accident we are dark skinned. So there I am at 4:45am eating my pastry with Nutella, drinking expresso, and wishing I were dead. We proceed to the airport to find out the plane just didn't show up. No one, except my parents, were the least bit alarmed by this. Then I heard my father raising his voice in Italian. I just kind of pretended I didn't know who that crazy man was with the hiked up tube socks and fell asleep on a bench. My mother woke me up and before I knew it, we were boarding a plane for Rome. I immediately passed out for the entire 2 hour trip to Rome. I commented to my dad when we landed that the seats were comfortable and he said, "well, I told those (insert derogatory Italian word) in Catania that I demand to be on the next plane to Rome going first class." Look at that, the crazy man in Catania was fighting for his family to get first class and no one told me! I never flew first class before this and I really couldn't tell you what first class treatment feels like. I have no recollection of the experience, but I did keep the blanket! It is thick, gray and flannel! Perfect.

I can only imagine the blanket stories will get better with time. Above is the blanket from Singapore Airlines.