Airports are their own genre of location--not quite a place as a building or house is a place, as even though it's a stationary place, the people and planes and luggage are on the move. No one is there to stay, which creates this sense of dislocation. There is a sort of transience about it, the energy vibrates at a different frequency.
We spent Saturday afternoon at Denver International, and here are my notes . . .
The airport has far more hicks than one might expect. Where are they all going to and from? When your iphone case is camo and clips into your belt, does that make you a hipster hick?
Put some clothes on people! I'm not saying we need to doll ourselves up in our best like we're taking the express in 1887, but seriously, pants and shoes would be nice when you're traveling in company. Is wearing flip flops and sports shorts really that much easier at security? You can't re-tie or re-slide on real shoes? And, don't tell me you're on your way to Mexico. You're going from air conditioned car to air conditioned airport to air conditioned plane back to air conditioned car to air conditioned hotel. I think you'll survive in dockers. And, airports often require us to run to make connections. Who wants to run in flip flops? (The gal I saw running on the people mover in flip flops did not look happy.) I always dress so that if need be, I could walk 8 miles in my shoes and clothes. You never know when it might be necessary.
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="A hat so big you can't get through the door."]
[/caption]In Denver there are hundreds of connections to midwestern cities. Over the intercom "Schultz" and "Schmidt" are being paged for locations like "Bismark."
I love seeing our service men and women in uniform, knowing some of them are going home to family and some of them are off to serve our country at home and abroad. I was pleased to find out that United gives complimentary bag check and priority boarding to those in service.
I was super excited to see they had a Jet Pens outlet in the terminal, only to arrive at it and find Jet Pets instead!
[caption id="attachment_567" align="aligncenter" width="630" caption="(Insert sad, visually-impaired face here.)"]
[/caption]Traveling is stressful. There is running and sweating and shivering and lugging. Even when it goes well.
Turbulence never gets easier.
My belief in a God is most ambitious at take off and when we hit turbulence.
I am never happier then when we land.
My husband freaks out at security. He's also paranoid about staying attached to his carry-ons before boarding. He takes all of the airport announcements seriously. I guess this is the result of never having the opportunity to fly until he was in his mid-twenties. His 2nd flight was mid-thirties. Poor guy.
ReplyDeleteNoel, I am okay going through security, but I'm with your husband about the luggage. Dealing with the carry-ons totally stresses me out.
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