Laura at the Airport

I was excited at the opportunity to blog about the experiences I would have at the airport. But when I actually got here, that excitement faded. It’s just confusing and stressful, and somehow I always feel as though I’m going to be arrested for something or that they won’t let me on the plane. Not that I’m a criminal…just paranoid I guess.

Maybe I wouldn’t mind the airport so much if I had someone carrying my bags for me. Or if I had one of those VIP pass things that let people walk right up to the gate rather than waiting in the 20 minute line. I’m not sure who these people are, but apparently they know something that I don’t.

Some airports are actually kind of fun. They basically have a whole shopping mall right inside the airport to occupy you while you wait for your flight. Everyone likes Duty-Free! But…some airports are not fun. You’ll be lucky if you find an Au Bon Pain or a water fountain that sprays water more than a quarter inch out of the spout. (I’m not sure what the deal with this is, but I feel like this happens 1 out of 2 times I go to use a water fountain.)

Since there was nothing to do, I just sat, ate some crackers and sipped my overpriced Poland Spring water. At Target you can get like a case of Poland Spring for a dollar. At the airport, it’s your first-born for a bottle. (Sigh.) OKAY, really, its only $2.50 for a bottle, but I don’t like the idea of certain places being able to charge more money for things that you could get cheaper elsewhere. But you CAN’T bring your own water. And then you can’t drink from the fountain without sucking on the nozzle. So basically they’re saying to you, “Buy our $2.50 water or suffer the effects of dehydration. Ya know, last time I was at the airport, I was buying a couple magazines and I wanted some water so I decided to treat myself and get a “Smart Water”. I had seen the Jennifer Aniston ads, and it looked really pure; Like if I were to stick my face in an Alaskan river. So I put my magazines and Smart Water on the counter, and I’m not sure what it was about me made this woman say this next thing, but she picks up the water and says, “This water is eight dollars.” I’m sure I said something like, “Are you serious?!” Cuz I say that a lot. But I thanked her for telling me and didn’t buy the water made of diamonds. Maybe one day when I have the status of Jennifer Aniston I’ll opt for Smart Water.

I won’t even get into the fact that they also charge for Wi-Fi here. I’m currently typing in Microsoft Word and will later have to paste this on my blog.

At least I know I’ll sleep on the plane. I don’t have a problem with this. I’m convinced that they pump gas into the air vents to knock people out. It gets me every time, no matter how hard I try. To the point where I’m actually amazed that other people are staying awake and going about their business.

Well, catch you on the other side.

Bon Voyage!

View of Manhattan from my window.