Photo 171 - Airport Waiting

My Cousin Cathy needed a ride to and from the airport over the last several days and when I went to pick her up, I found this extraordinary place to sit and wait for her. Nevermind that it is called the "Cell Phone Waiting Area", the vantage point was SWEET!

When I was younger, pre-September 11th, going to the airport and watching the planes take off and land was one of my favorite past times. I used to take my nieces up there, or go up to the airport to go shopping and hang out. But then, after September 11th access to the terminals was strictly limited to passengers. No more plane watching.

I tried for several years to find a cool vantage point by the river or from a hotel or restaurant, but there's no where great to park by the river and in a hotel people look at you weird if you are loitering. So you can imaging how excited I was to discover a whole village of shops and restaurants tucked away to the side of the airport just waiting for spectators. (Not really, I know. Accidental consequence, I'm sure.)

You can watch the planes come in, drop down low, and land. You can watch the taxi of the runway, the roar of the engines, and see the planes lift as they take off.

Pure bliss. And I'm so glad I found the area and can resume a favorite past-time for myself and introduce it to my daughter.