Travel Diaries

I had a two-hour layover at DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport) today, so it gave me time to reflect on some of my airport observations from time spent on business and leisure travel over the years. I don't claim to be the Iowa City equivalent to Rick Steves or Rudy Maxa. I haven't been able to attain Platinum status on American. But, for what it's worth, here's my unofficial airport guide. 

Best Bathrooms: Hands down to ORD (O'Hare International Airport)--not necessarily because they are the most modern or cleanest bathrooms. But, I am quite fond of the "toilet condoms" that give a clean sheath of plastic to rest your bum on. Why haven't other airports caught on to this trend??

Shortest/Fastest Security Line: I'm going to have to give the nod to the hometown favorite CID (The Eastern Iowa Airport). They always seem to have twice as many TSA agents as they probably need, and I don't think I've ever stood in a line with more than 10 people. Also, no full body scans here! CID also gets bonus points for what I call the "Touchdown to 380" factor, which is the time it takes from landing until I am out of the parking lot and headed home on 380. On most days, it is less than 15 minutes, which includes waiting for checked bags to arrive at the luggage carousel. Oh, one more little tidbit I love about CID -- the snack shop frequently has no-bake cookies for sale. CID - WINNING! 

Airport Most Resembling a Bus Terminal: I'm going to have to go with LGA here (New York LaGuardia). I think New York is one of the most fantastic cities in the world, but sadly, their three airports are kind of crappy and rundown. 

Best Food Selection: Terminal D at DFW. If I have the time to kill, it has the best selection for noshing by far. Here you'll find choices other than Chili's and Friday's. They've got everything from Popeye's and Fuddrucker's to swanky cantinas and bistros. Bonus points for having a Ben & Jerry's. 

Most Annoying Airport: I'm going to have to go with MCO (Orlando International Airport). Way too many kids and Disney overkill. Enough said.

Best View: DIA (Denver International Airport). You can't beat the Rockies as a backdrop...either the real thing or the signature "peaks" on the airport roof.

Most Relaxing Gate Area: PSP (Palm Springs [CA] International Airport). Sit outside on patio furniture. California living at its best.

Most Celebrity Sightings: Surprisingly, this is not LAX (Los Angeles International)--at least for me. I must not hang out where the "paps" do. I've seen the most celebrities at JFK (NY Kennedy Airport).

Best Airport for a Walking Workout: DFW. I tried to find out how many miles it was if you walked the perimeter of all five terminals. I couldn't find the answer, but it has to be somewhere between 3 and 5 miles. If you have the time, skip the SkyLink and make the rounds. Everything is big in Texas. DFW's unique design allows for future expansion and shortens the distance from car to terminal and reduces congestion at baggage claim and security checkpoints; however, this design makes the distance between terminals quite a hike. 

Strangest Airport Memory: This could be a toss-up between BFS (Belfast City Airport) and LAS (Las Vegas McCarren International Airport). This is only fitting, right? In Belfast, Pearl and I were randomly selected for a special screening while Uncle Harry was allowed to pass right on through. We weren't even flying that day, we were just exchanging the rental car. In Vegas, after a loonnngggg night of partying post-conference and about one hour of sleep, I was on a 6:30 a.m. flight home. I fell asleep before we even left the gate. I woke up what seemed like hours later and asked the guy next to me where we were. He said we hadn't left the gate yet because we were waiting to be de-iced. Ummmm, this is the desert, right? I went back to sleep.

My favorite part of traveling, no matter where I go or how much fun I have had, is coming home and crawling into my own comfy bed. Pure heaven.