21 July 2007

Travel blog...

Traveling is always an adventure. I am sitting in Atlanta Hartsfield airport awaiting the departure of Delta 546 to PBI. Even at this early hour (6am) the airport is humming. A family is asleep on the ground in the access tunnel, A host of footwear parades before me as travelers of every stripe march resolutely to and from their gates. While in line an overlarge gentleman wearing a shirt emblazoned with the cartoon image of Fat Albert's head began cursing the TSA screener for confiscating his toothpaste. While trying to avoid his anti-faustian tirade, I am reminded how well things work in modern airports. Everyone seems to agree on the rules, regardless of background. Perhaps this is the model for our global society? If in doubt, behave as you would in an airport.

9 comments:

ep417 said...

I think it might improve things if people started dressing for travel again, make it an event. Look good to get on a plane- don't dress as if you were boarding a cross town bus for you shift at the slag heap. Of course, then the airlines would have to start creating coach sections that actually resembled a cabin rather than the galley of a roman slave boat. And oh yes, people: CHECK YOUR DAMN BAGS! It makes things so much more efficient on and off the plane.

Missing the glory days of TWA Constellations......I remain....

Citizen Deux said...

TWA Constellations! Only my favorite airliner of all time!! Followed by the Lockheed L-1011 TriStar.

No dressing for travel is done. It is, perhaps, the sheer inhumanity of air travel which causes us to forgo our natural inclination to annhiliate one another and band together against the common foes, boredom and anxiety.

ep417 said...

yes, but when did the once glamorous world of air travel (see "jet set") become so inumane that we forget the thrill of taking flight? It is, and should be, something special, almost worshipful. Indeed, all travel shoud be. There was a time when even steerage held a certain allure. No more.

Citizen Deux said...

I think travel lost its allure when the tyrrany of time arrived. Now it is about getting to your destination as quickly as possible. The "down time" of the voyage is seen as wasted time. There are no amenities to speak of on aircraft (even in first class). There is no graciousness towards the passengers. This is simply the result of market forces. Travel is a commodity which is bought and sold.

sonicfrog said...

After seeing the movie "Airplane", Surely you can't possibly take flying in a plane seriously.

ep417 said...

Why, yes, I do. And don't call me Shirley. BTW, do you like turkish prison movies?

(now, now....you knew it was coming....)

sonicfrog said...

What took you so long?

ep417 said...

Damn it, Man! I am busy directing high school students from around the nation and Canada in original one-acts and hour long Pirate musicals which have a less than one week rehearsal time before performance, while at the same time trying to move to the great socialist empire of the UK! The first one was Sunday and Monday,(Jeff: "I've always wanted to be a pirate! It's my lifelong dream! A Pirate's Life! That's the life for me! I can swab the deck and trim the sails,(pirate chorus) but can he shout 'YOHO'?" Marco: "Well, if it were up to me, chu could get on my boat and ride all night long.....") and we started on the second one today! I can't be spending all my damn time in political arguments or musical theatre discussions with you, Deux, and Maggie! Baby, I gotta shooowwww to dooooooo.....

sonicfrog said...

oh yawn.........