But what I love even more than the destination is the journey to get there. There is always an energy that exists in places like freeway gas stations or a busy train depot where people are packed up with their necessary belongings.
Of course the mack-daddy of all travel hubs is the airport, where the energy is more intensely condensed with its huge array of travelers. People are clutching their bags taking last minute trips to the bathrooms or gift shops, stocking up on candy or magazines as if by some horrific chance they actually do wind up stranded somewhere, like a desert island or Detroit (sorry Detroit), they'll be prepared.
I always make it my mission to really embrace the heightened madness of the airport and when I have finally reached my gate, I can sit in my uncomfortable metal and vinyl seat and just watch the herd of people go by.
Of course the mack-daddy of all travel hubs is the airport, where the energy is more intensely condensed with its huge array of travelers. People are clutching their bags taking last minute trips to the bathrooms or gift shops, stocking up on candy or magazines as if by some horrific chance they actually do wind up stranded somewhere, like a desert island or Detroit (sorry Detroit), they'll be prepared.
I always make it my mission to really embrace the heightened madness of the airport and when I have finally reached my gate, I can sit in my uncomfortable metal and vinyl seat and just watch the herd of people go by.
Recently we were traveling up from Sarasota with a layover in Atlanta and then finally finishing in Syracuse. With all this time spent at the airport, I found myself observing the plethora of fellow travelers and realized that most can be categorized into 6 simple groups....
1.) The Forever Athletic- These people will wear polyester, spandex, Lycra or any other highly synthetic material that is usually meant to be sweat in. However, these folks love to use the time spent getting from terminal to gate by power walking, weight-lifting with their bags, or doing crunches against the wall of a Pinkberry. If they are feeling particularly casual they will opt for a T-shirt or sweatshirt that commemorates a 10-k or half marathon they did (it doesn't matter if it was last month or 12 years ago) so they don't have to mention it...although they are begging to have the excuse.
2.) The Fashion Plate- There is no differentiation between their fancy wear and casual wear for these folks. Granted, some of these people are probably looking like the cast from Law & Order because they have a business meeting to go to. However, after seeing more than a few men wearing tight, collared, non-sweatproof shirts and jeans and several women nearly breaking their ankles running through the terminal trying to catch their connection to Dallas, I couldn't help wondering if maybe jeans and sneakers would've been a wiser choice for these ostensibly successful people.
3.) The Sleeper- They were either running late, got up too early, or are battling clinical depression. For them, what's good for the bedroom is good for a gate full of strangers, even if it means putting their bunny slippers on the conveyor belt at the security check. They will wear their stained overly-stretched out stretch pants or sweats so big and baggy, they could store their bags inside them. But come the time they get on the plane, when everyone's teeth are chattering from an overly air-conditioned cabin, you won't find them. They will have enclosed themselves into the folds of their Snuggie-outfit like a fruit bat.
4.) The Starer*- Are they looking at you? Do they know you from somewhere? Do you have something in your teeth or hair? Nope, those are just the "Starers", who dismiss the notion of personal space and societal norms by openly locking eyes with you and don't see any reason to look away. You try to give them the benefit of the doubt (after all, maybe they are lip readers or are new to the English language), but when you realize your mouth isn't even moving, you can't help but shift under the gaze.
*These people can also be confused for the "Magic Phoners" who are people engaged in a conversation using the latest in tiny-talk wear hidden in some orifice and are just waiting for the person on the other end to stop talking.
5.) The Baby-Wearers- Primarily mothers, these travelers don't just have children, they accessorize with them. Slung around their necks and shoulders or attached to their wrists via a kid leash, they are not prepared to let their kids go. Literally. If they aren't wearing their children, they will be loaded up with so many bags, purses, and gear they look like a walking ad for the latest Disney movie craze.
6.) The Hangin'-in-there Hippie- The 60s and 70s are long over, but don't tell these guys that. They will eschew anything not grown on specific organic and sustainable farmlands and drive around in their super corn-fed hybrid car. Unfortunately, Grandma's birthday is coming and their parents will stop paying for their iPhone bill if they don't fly home. So there they are, with their white-boy dreadlocks and thread-bare "I Don't Give a Crap" T-Shirt (that actually cost around $39.99 on Etsy). These guys and gals love to be a living reminder to all that see them of an era they never even existed in.
So be honest- are you guilty of being any of these? And did I forget any subcultures?
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