I do a fair amount of flying. Not a great deal, but enough to qualify me automatically for preflight boarding with TSA. I have been very fortunate with not having too many delays or cancellations, but on a recent return trip from Houston, my connecting flight in Atlanta to PHL was cancelled. I found this out while aboard the flight from Houston to Atlanta. No problem, we were assured. You will be placed on the next flight to Philly, just check in with a gate agent when you get to Atlanta. And it wasn't a problem, except that the next flight was leaving three hours later, and the reservation for Lynne, my traveling companion, was somehow not transferred. She was rerouted to Chicago and then Philly, but that's another story.
So what do you do when you are stuck in an airport, alone, for three hours? I quickly realized that airports cater to this sort of circumstance. First, there are the numerous places you can stop for a meal, a quick bite to eat, a snack, etc. along with a beer or cocktail to pass the time. I took advantage!
Then there are the newsstands - magazines, paper backs, the latest NY Times best sellers - something for everyone including snacks, sodas, and water. Luckily I had plenty of reading material with me. I had just finished All the Answers by Kate Messner (terrific!) on the plane and had Jodi Piccoult's new book, Leaving Time, waiting anxiously on my Kindle.
But perhaps my favorite pastime in an airport is people watching and eavesdropping on interesting conversations. You can learn so much! I quickly discovered that the guy sitting across from me on his cell phone was taking a risk with a new business. I got a lesson in how to use a calm voice to keep customers happy from the woman behind me. I was reminded of the importance of being specific from the woman who asked the sales person at one of the newsstand/convenience kiosks where she could find a beauty shop. It turns out all she wanted was hair spray. A beauty shop was not to be found, but hairspray? Yes! And I must say, I was tempted to sing along with the gentleman listening (and singing) to music on his ipad even with earbuds.
Then there was the little girl who looked up at her mother as they were walking toward the gate and said confidently, “Mommy, I think I want to be a giraffe!” I’m hoping she was referring to a Halloween costume, but perhaps that’s another story, too.
So what do you do when you are stuck in an airport, alone, for three hours? I quickly realized that airports cater to this sort of circumstance. First, there are the numerous places you can stop for a meal, a quick bite to eat, a snack, etc. along with a beer or cocktail to pass the time. I took advantage!
Then there are the newsstands - magazines, paper backs, the latest NY Times best sellers - something for everyone including snacks, sodas, and water. Luckily I had plenty of reading material with me. I had just finished All the Answers by Kate Messner (terrific!) on the plane and had Jodi Piccoult's new book, Leaving Time, waiting anxiously on my Kindle.
But perhaps my favorite pastime in an airport is people watching and eavesdropping on interesting conversations. You can learn so much! I quickly discovered that the guy sitting across from me on his cell phone was taking a risk with a new business. I got a lesson in how to use a calm voice to keep customers happy from the woman behind me. I was reminded of the importance of being specific from the woman who asked the sales person at one of the newsstand/convenience kiosks where she could find a beauty shop. It turns out all she wanted was hair spray. A beauty shop was not to be found, but hairspray? Yes! And I must say, I was tempted to sing along with the gentleman listening (and singing) to music on his ipad even with earbuds.
Then there was the little girl who looked up at her mother as they were walking toward the gate and said confidently, “Mommy, I think I want to be a giraffe!” I’m hoping she was referring to a Halloween costume, but perhaps that’s another story, too.
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