It's about the experience

Even during the holiday season when people start losing their patience and humor, I still love airports. Luggage restrictions, weight requirements, long lines, people attached to their electronic devices, people screaming at their kids are all minor inconveniences.

Of course, I call this a minor inconvenience now because I haven’t technically been the one to travel lately. I picked up my brother and his wife a few weeks ago at SFO, my home away from home, and last week I met my parents at SFO to grab a coffee with them before saying bye to my mom as she left for a trip. But I never do pick-ups, drop-offs or hellos and goodbyes at the curb; I always park and go inside because my love of airports stems from the people-watching-and-wondering aspect.

I love watching and wondering where someone is going or coming from, who they’re meeting on the other end, are they coming back or were they just visiting, business or pleasure, is that their wife or daughter they’re hugging goodbye (hey, sometimes you can’t tell!), why does that pair look so distant, and there’s a family with matching tropical shirts and serious tans that must be returning from Hawaii… the possibilities are endless.

And then there’s flying itself. When I fly, it is a relief just to make it onto the plane and sit down but sometimes you’re lucky enough to meet interesting people. I have had the opportunity to sit next to a college professor, a mother of four traveling to visit a sick relative, a man who never looked up from his book, a woman who softly snored, a man heading to Kuwait to continue work in the oil industry (that flight left from Houston, go figure), a man heading back to college after visiting family in Italy, a Mr. T look-alike (minus the gold chains and mohawk) who spoke fluent Swedish, and my favorite was the woman whose husband was stuck in a different row – but when I offered to switch – turned out she was fine taking a break from him and we ended up chatting away. And at the end of these flights there is usually no exchange of phone numbers or e-mails; just a simple farewell and thanks for making the flight enjoyable.

And that’s what I love about airports and flying. It’s the experience. It’s a moment where lives briefly intersect, on the ground or in flight, each leaving some kind of impression unique to us.