I have always been fascinated by airports...such a different existence than my routine day to day life.
When I first got my driver's license I was anxious to spread my wings with my new found freedom. So my cousin and I hit the road...leaving the small town Midwest behind and headed for St. Louis. Not just an ordinary trip...a road trip in my dad's new 1965 Mustang convertible. The top was down...one of the first warm days in late spring...the Beatles, Bob Dylan, Byrds, Hendrix, Young Rascals and Temptations kept us company as we headed for the Gateway Arch. The Arch wasn't open to the public yet but the first glimpse of it of it cradling the St. Louis skyline was a sight to behold.
No agenda...no idea what we would do once we got there...our first stop was to see the Ultra Modern (1965) St. Louis Airport. I had read about it in the paper with it's sweeping open views of the runways, the constant traffic of 707's landing and taking off...the hustle and bustle of travelers on their way to foreign places I had only dreamed about at 16. We spent our two days in the big city hitting all the sights and headed home with my first taste of what it was like to come of age...I liked that feeling.
I was reminded of those feelings again having the time to wander the Detroit airport during my layover. Most of the time I have spent in airports since that trip to St. Louis has been only to use the airport as a means to arrive or a means to leave a destination...always having meetings or appointments to worry about. This time in Detroit I had the luxury to wander and observe without the distractions of business to cloud my vision.
I had not been able to "enjoy" an airport for a very long time. Tomorrow I will reflect on the transition from excitement to loneliness and obscurity that late night layovers bring.
Dan
Posts
4 comments:
Great airport shots, the plane through the window is fantastic!
The first time I ever flew was out of Logan in Boston, my luggage showed up a week later! The longest layover I have had was 5 hours in Denver, I didn't mind too much, lots of nice shops and restaurants.
Have a great weekend.
Sunny :)
Once again, a great post! I love that airplane through the window shot, too! It looks SO gigantic...you've captured the whole "feel" of the wait with the dark silhouette.
Nice.
;^)
I have several good airport stories, but the best one is my memory of picking Lyndsey up in Dallas after she came home from Australia. I saw her walking down the concourse, all tanned, and thinner (she hadn't eaten much) and she was dragging the biggest suitcases and duffle bags I had ever seen. She was exhausted, but so glad to be home after 2 months away. I got that lump in my throat and couldn't stop the tears... But I can cry at airports just watching other people (complete strangers) greet each other or say good-bye. Yeah. Sappy.
;^)
Sunny...Denver is a great airport! Been through there many times. There are a lot of legends about the Denver airport even though it is relatively new. You can Google Denver Airport conspiracy theories and you will see some very interesting web pages!
Dan
Cynthia...yes they can be very emotional places both happy and sad...I know that will be a day you won't forget!
Dan
Post a Comment