Airport!
I traveled this week, and while that's nothing unusual, I still never get tired of aiports, flying somewhere new, seeing old friends. I loooove to travel, and now I'm starting to actually have the $$ to do it.
But this was no crazy adventure--I saw my parents (wait...that could at times be a crazy adventure). It was wonderful having some down time with them. Plus, they live in Springfield, IL, and while that sound unexciting, the whole town has been invigorated by the new, gorgeous Lincoln library, and the place truly had small town charm. And it was 79 degrees the whole blessed time.
But back to airports. First of all, there are a few things that the engineers haven't figured out about airports, and airplanes.
1. Airport bathrooms. The womens' stalls have doors that open IN, and the galley of the stall is never long enough to accomodate a typical carry on bag. Plus, most of the toilets are auto-flush, and ocassionally flush early, so they send a huge mist of e-coli filled bacteria whilst you struggle to race out, without hitting your luggage on any of the bacteria-laden containers/toilet in the stall.
In fact, I waited for a handicap stall that allowed for the (small) bulk of my baggage; and when I walked in--I mean the millisecond I set food in the stall--the autoflush toilet went for it. I didn't even get within three feet.
2. Security line. It's a known fact we're more likely as Americans to die from the common flu than from terrorism. Yet when you take your shoes off in the security line, you have to walk barefoot on the disgusting airport floor. Also, when you lay your laptop in a bin to go through security--and we know how we get our hands all over laptops--we are probably putting it in a bin that held someone's germ-encrusted shoes. Several peoples' shoes, actually.
Frankly, I'm more scared of dying from the bird flu passed around in security than a bomb. So, with much aplomb, I throw on a pair of socks to wear with my mules, put my mules in security bin, walk through security, grab my shoes, and take off the socks while turning them inside out. My feet never touch the floor and the now soiled socks are slipped in a pocket in my luggage reserved solely for them.
(This is a) a sign of bird flu hysteria and b) a sign I'm turning into my mother.)
3. Southwest. Listen, I love it--it used to be incredibly cheap and rarely does it run late. But cheap now? Don't count on it. Cheap quality? Oh yeah. Yes, the personnel are very friendly, but you still, despite the extra money, can't reserve seats, so it takes forever for folks to find a seat and by then you nearly run late; it's kid friendly, and they're Eff'ng annoying (you CANNOT find a seat not near kids anymore, I've realized); and unless you're lucky and get an emergency aisle row, there's a horrific lack of leg room.
On top of it, the endless transfers. And now that it's cheaper to fly jet blue? Forget it!
That is my rant. Otherwise...I really had a lovely time this weekend.
But this was no crazy adventure--I saw my parents (wait...that could at times be a crazy adventure). It was wonderful having some down time with them. Plus, they live in Springfield, IL, and while that sound unexciting, the whole town has been invigorated by the new, gorgeous Lincoln library, and the place truly had small town charm. And it was 79 degrees the whole blessed time.
But back to airports. First of all, there are a few things that the engineers haven't figured out about airports, and airplanes.
1. Airport bathrooms. The womens' stalls have doors that open IN, and the galley of the stall is never long enough to accomodate a typical carry on bag. Plus, most of the toilets are auto-flush, and ocassionally flush early, so they send a huge mist of e-coli filled bacteria whilst you struggle to race out, without hitting your luggage on any of the bacteria-laden containers/toilet in the stall.
In fact, I waited for a handicap stall that allowed for the (small) bulk of my baggage; and when I walked in--I mean the millisecond I set food in the stall--the autoflush toilet went for it. I didn't even get within three feet.
2. Security line. It's a known fact we're more likely as Americans to die from the common flu than from terrorism. Yet when you take your shoes off in the security line, you have to walk barefoot on the disgusting airport floor. Also, when you lay your laptop in a bin to go through security--and we know how we get our hands all over laptops--we are probably putting it in a bin that held someone's germ-encrusted shoes. Several peoples' shoes, actually.
Frankly, I'm more scared of dying from the bird flu passed around in security than a bomb. So, with much aplomb, I throw on a pair of socks to wear with my mules, put my mules in security bin, walk through security, grab my shoes, and take off the socks while turning them inside out. My feet never touch the floor and the now soiled socks are slipped in a pocket in my luggage reserved solely for them.
(This is a) a sign of bird flu hysteria and b) a sign I'm turning into my mother.)
3. Southwest. Listen, I love it--it used to be incredibly cheap and rarely does it run late. But cheap now? Don't count on it. Cheap quality? Oh yeah. Yes, the personnel are very friendly, but you still, despite the extra money, can't reserve seats, so it takes forever for folks to find a seat and by then you nearly run late; it's kid friendly, and they're Eff'ng annoying (you CANNOT find a seat not near kids anymore, I've realized); and unless you're lucky and get an emergency aisle row, there's a horrific lack of leg room.
On top of it, the endless transfers. And now that it's cheaper to fly jet blue? Forget it!
That is my rant. Otherwise...I really had a lovely time this weekend.
posted by Bunny @ 3:17 PM
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