Posting from 34,000 feet - because technology is amazing and because I can.
Our stay in Atlanta was pretty awesome. Delta put us up in a sweet room at the Sheraton on their dime in exchange for us letting them bump us off of our scheduled flight last night. In the morning, we dropped our carry-on bags off at the lobby for complimentary storage, then took the free shuttle to the airport to redeem part of our fistful of meal vouchers for a late breakfast and a take-away lunch.
Atlanta has a MARTA rail station connecting to the airport, so we were able to head into the city for the price of a day rail pass. I've never been to Atlanta and knew basically nothing about the city, so we headed into the downtown area to do a bit of exploring. We meandered along the Centennial Park area (main location of the 1996 Olympics and also the site of the 1996 Atlanta bombing), took a brief jaunt into the CNN headquarters to ogle the massive atrium (and the massive price for a studio tour), and then wandered into the Atlanta Underground (something of a historic site turned underground dirt mall).
Getting back just meant finding the nearest MARTA station, catching the five-minute shuttle back to the hotel to retrieve our bags, and then shuttling back to the airport. The most money I spent today was on the rail pass and some concealer. (Brandon grumbled about how totally frivolous he regarded the concealer purchase, but I had packed my foundation in our suitcase and was going through serious makeup withdrawal. My skin completely freaks out whenever I travel, and I haaaated going through Atlanta looking like a splotchy, tired mess. Is that vain, or just insecure?)
So my verdict: the flight bump was totally worth it. I'd definitely be up for volunteering for a bump again, although this experience was exceptionally helped by our relatively flexible schedules, the dollar amount of the voucher, and the extreme ease of getting around to explore the city on the cheap. I doubt that any future bumping experiences will be this all-around pleasant.
Atlanta has a MARTA rail station connecting to the airport, so we were able to head into the city for the price of a day rail pass. I've never been to Atlanta and knew basically nothing about the city, so we headed into the downtown area to do a bit of exploring. We meandered along the Centennial Park area (main location of the 1996 Olympics and also the site of the 1996 Atlanta bombing), took a brief jaunt into the CNN headquarters to ogle the massive atrium (and the massive price for a studio tour), and then wandered into the Atlanta Underground (something of a historic site turned underground dirt mall).
Getting back just meant finding the nearest MARTA station, catching the five-minute shuttle back to the hotel to retrieve our bags, and then shuttling back to the airport. The most money I spent today was on the rail pass and some concealer. (Brandon grumbled about how totally frivolous he regarded the concealer purchase, but I had packed my foundation in our suitcase and was going through serious makeup withdrawal. My skin completely freaks out whenever I travel, and I haaaated going through Atlanta looking like a splotchy, tired mess. Is that vain, or just insecure?)
So my verdict: the flight bump was totally worth it. I'd definitely be up for volunteering for a bump again, although this experience was exceptionally helped by our relatively flexible schedules, the dollar amount of the voucher, and the extreme ease of getting around to explore the city on the cheap. I doubt that any future bumping experiences will be this all-around pleasant.