Airports are one of my favorite kinds of places. That first scene in Love Actually, about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport always being a place of hope and love, that's how I've felt about airports since I was old enough to take in the wonderful atmosphere around me. I know, flying can be a hassle. There are long lines and at the end, people telling you to put your computer, your belt and your shoes in a bucket. Even with all the weirdness that is the security process, airports are exciting. They're the first step in your travels! Adventure!
When we lived in Charlotte we did more flying than usual since we were in our own little corner of the county. Flying from Charlotte to Kansas City where our parents live was always so easy; just hop from one major airport to the next. But, while I was living in Charlotte I had a couple occasions to fly to Michigan. I went to my family's big Thanksgiving shindig in Bay City and my brother graduated from college in Marquette.
Neither of these cities are near large cities with large airports. They are however, near fun little airports that resemble an outdated living room more than a hub for international travel.
The Marquette airport is on a former Air Force base and therefor one drives on the airport's property for probably a solid five minutes before actually seeing the little building where half a dozen gates (maybe) are located. The airport closest to Bay City is in Saginaw, the next town over. Saginaw's airport has as I remember 4 or so gates and a gift shop. In Saginaw I beat the security personnel to the airport and had to wait to even do through the metal detector. While flying in and out of one of these small airports can be strange for those of us used to massive campuses of terminals, there are perks.
The first thing you'll notice is that whoever is tasked with dropping you off or picking you up will probably not have to pay to park or wait in a long line to pull into the correct curbside area. A small half-full parking lot is much more the norm. Once inside the airport you probably won't find a Cinnabon or a Starbucks but you won't have to search like a detective for bathrooms and your gate won't be in a different zip code. Remember that the adventure of travel begins the minute you leave home.
Boyfriend and I have a couple family-oriented trips back to Missouri planned this summer as well as plans to have more visitors in Indiana. Unlike last summer-4 weddings and a move to a new state, this summer should be a relaxing, low-key one.
When we lived in Charlotte we did more flying than usual since we were in our own little corner of the county. Flying from Charlotte to Kansas City where our parents live was always so easy; just hop from one major airport to the next. But, while I was living in Charlotte I had a couple occasions to fly to Michigan. I went to my family's big Thanksgiving shindig in Bay City and my brother graduated from college in Marquette.
Neither of these cities are near large cities with large airports. They are however, near fun little airports that resemble an outdated living room more than a hub for international travel.
The Marquette airport is on a former Air Force base and therefor one drives on the airport's property for probably a solid five minutes before actually seeing the little building where half a dozen gates (maybe) are located. The airport closest to Bay City is in Saginaw, the next town over. Saginaw's airport has as I remember 4 or so gates and a gift shop. In Saginaw I beat the security personnel to the airport and had to wait to even do through the metal detector. While flying in and out of one of these small airports can be strange for those of us used to massive campuses of terminals, there are perks.
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| Sawyer International (yeah, Canada) Airport in Marquette, MI |
The first thing you'll notice is that whoever is tasked with dropping you off or picking you up will probably not have to pay to park or wait in a long line to pull into the correct curbside area. A small half-full parking lot is much more the norm. Once inside the airport you probably won't find a Cinnabon or a Starbucks but you won't have to search like a detective for bathrooms and your gate won't be in a different zip code. Remember that the adventure of travel begins the minute you leave home.
Boyfriend and I have a couple family-oriented trips back to Missouri planned this summer as well as plans to have more visitors in Indiana. Unlike last summer-4 weddings and a move to a new state, this summer should be a relaxing, low-key one.
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