THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, August 14, 1995 TAG: 9508120147
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: Anne Saita
LENGTH: Medium: 68 lines
I'm not much of a procrastinator, but I'm married to one. So you can imagine my delight when my husband called me at work a whole two hours before we were scheduled to leave on our summer vacation to see what needed to be done.
He remembered to pack the toothbrushes. He checked the appliances in the house. He even had the snacks and water bottles ready to be loaded into the car when I got home.
I, in turn, had waited until the last minute to get money for the trip.
Normally that wouldn't be a problem, because there are money machines everywhere these days. But thanks to Hurricane Erin and other hang-ups, our quest for cash proved much more difficult.
There was no way we could make it without good ol' greenbacks, not when the two youngest family members deem any long-distance trip unsuitable for sitting still without a fast-food payoff and slushy drinks found in cash-only convenience stores.
I first drove to our credit union on the Elizabeth City Coast Guard base, where, unbeknownst to me, there had been a basewide power outage. The bank was closed.
My car's gas gauge hadn't nudged for days above the ``E'' mark, so I pulled into the nearby convenience store, figuring I could at least write a check for a fill-up. ``No Gas,'' read signs on all three pumps.
Back home, I called a nice woman at another branch of my credit union, which didn't offer services at any of our chosen destinations. She suggested I first try a credit union service center in Chesapeake.
We arrived there at 4:40 p.m., and I lit up when I saw they sold traveler's checks. Even better than carrying all that cash, I thought as I whipped out my membership card.
``Guardian Federal?'' the teller asked, her face starting to deflate. ``We haven't been able to access their computers all day because their main office in Florida was hit by the hurricane. I'm sorry.''
We had no other bank accounts. We had no automatic teller machine cards. We had no idea how much credit was left on our major charge card.
In other words, we had no way to get to our money.
We wouldn't last long on my $12.27, even with the kids secretly hoarding lollipops from bank lobbies.
So we hurried to another branch office, where a kind teller named Tammy was able to give us $50 from our savings account, with more money to come from a cash advance on our VISA card.
Then came yet another glitch - that card company, too, had computer difficulties and couldn't immediately give the authorization. It was already after closing hours.
We'd just about given up ever making it out of Hampton Roads. The kids suddenly seemed satisfied to write about a trip to The Olive Garden for their summer vacation report at school.
Then the credit-card transaction went through and we were off, though hours later than expected, with a modest but manageable wad in my wallet.
Except for one huge highway jam, the rest of the trip was wonderful. We paid cash for a motel just off the Blue Ridge Parkway. We doled out dollars to dine in offbeat bakeries and eccentric eateries. We bought gifts for family and friends.
My favorite part was visiting Biltmore Estate, near Asheville. The tour of George Vanderbilt's 19th-century castle was incredible, the gift shops divine.
Best of all, everyone there took personal checks. by CNB