02 January 2014

I love airports

I love airports.  I had this thought tonight as I sat at Reagan National Airport volunteering at the USO there.

There's fantastic people watching, ample food options, the thrill of a new adventure and/or the excitement of a loved one's return.

I consider myself a skilled people watcher.  I enjoy creating vivid backstories for the characters I witness including their interesting accents, illegitimate children, and creepy resemblance to a SVU/Bones/Walker Texas Ranger episode I once saw.  I think my love of people watching was encouraged at a young age when my father and I plopped on a bench while my sisters and mother shopped for what seemed like at least 'three episodes of Reading Rainbow' long.

I love a 'no guilt' reason to buy a new book, multiple magazines, and junk food.  I'm Catholic I feel a lot of guilt about a lot of inconsequential things, so a chance to negate that thrills me.  (I've had a small can of soda in the office fridge for about 3 weeks now, and every time I open that damn fridge I feel pangs of guilt like I'm taking up unnecessary space that someone could use for their random full size expired cottage cheese container). Anyway, travel is the perfect excuse is to go crazy and get the KING size Kit Kat bar, with a side of People's Sexiest Man Alive…and maybe the latest memoir on some religious cult's former member for good measure.

I of course get excited about where I'm going, if it's new and different, or relaxing or exciting, or any reason really!  I also get intrigued to think about who sitting at my gate will be seated next to me.  I play a little mini version of 'would I rather sit next to that guy or that chick?" with all my neighboring chair mates.  And of course if any of them do happen to strike up conversation with me, I have a delightful array of 'well this one time on mil air' stories to completely one-up them.

Then of course the obvious, having lived in Afghanistan for almost 2 years, and then being in a long distance relationship for more than 1 year, I love airports for their arrivals!  After taking an 8, or 12, or even 15 hour flight to see the people you love, to know that someone is waiting for you half way across the state/country/world is a pretty awesome feeling.

And, I'm not the only one with a love affair for these transportation hubs!  There are entire climactic scenes of romantic movies dedicated to airports: Casablanca, The Wedding Singer,  Like Crazy, and of course the following transcendent, unparalleled whopper of a scene -


Next week a thrilling follow-up blog on the appeal of airplanes!
(Just kidding, I wouldn't do that to you…at least it hasn't come to that…yet).


1 comment:

  1. I love that opening scene, it is perfect...

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