Friday, March 26, 2004

Postcards from the airport
One of my favorite things about airports is the airport postcard. Every airport I've ever been in, I can always find at least one postcard touting the praises of that airport.

This is funny to me.

Are these airport postcards flying off those wobbly postcard racks, high in demand by busy travelers? How many people do you know travel through airports just to visit the airport? Does anyone make a vacation out of airport hopping? Are there photo albums of family vacations in airports?

"Aaah, here we are in the Baton Rouge airport. There was one terminal open and the bathroom was out back in a trailer. But we got a postcard. Thank goodness they had one!"

Who thought of the idea of airport postcards? I mean, someone has hit on a brilliant idea here. I wish I'd invented it. But what is the logic? I can't think of a single airport that is pretty enough for me to want a picture of it to remind me of my time spent there. And for the most part, I only see the insides of airports. Especially on a layover, I could care less what the outside of the building looks like. I'm not going to go through security unnecessarily just so I can get a good look at the outside of an airport, then hope to find a good postcard of it so I can always remember it.

Yet, I never find postcards of the inside of airports. Strange, if you ask me.

Of course, I buy these airport postcards. I think they're hilarious. I seek them out. I overlook beautiful landscape and city pictorals on postcards, just so I can find the ugly, annoying airport postcard. I send them to my friends, especially when I've only been in an airport for a layover. I like to capture the entire trip. And personally, sending postcards of airports is way more fun than trying to pick the perfect city postcard from wherever I am.

It reminds my friends that I am funny and annoying, and when they get an airport postcard from me they will be glad when I am home and not in airports where I can buy more postcards of airports for them.

Maybe I should make a vacation out of airports. So many good airport postcards out there, waiting for me to buy and send them . . .

C.T.

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