Comments from Midway airport

I consider myself a fairly seasoned traveler, but there are always new
things to learn. Here is a sampling of what I learned today.

1. Although flying is no longer the special event that it was say in
the fifties (when people dressed for a flight like they dressed for
church), at least one young boy still gives it the respect it
deserves. He showed up at the airport in his Iron Man costume. And,
no, he didn't set off the metal detector.

2. A pint glass at the airport pub actually is smaller than a pint and
still costs $6.75, plus tip.

3. Unlike Philadelphia airport, there is not a standard delay of 20-30
minutes when boarding every flight. So, if your flight is scheduled to
leave at 4, you really do need to be at your gate at 3:30 for them to
start boarding. If you show up at say 3:37, they will already have
boarded the entire A group and the first 50 people in the B group. You
will be stuck in the middle of 18 high school cheerleaders going to
some meet or competition.

4. Funnel cake is not just for county fairs. Nuts on Clark now serves
funnel cake and it is very good.

5. My watch no longer sets off the metal detector. I feel much safer.

6. The expert line at security actually goes slower for a number of
reasons: (a) everybody has a laptop and smart phone, which they are
using instead of getting their stuff into the bins; (b) the xray
machines have a shorter conveyor belt, which causes a log jam; and (c)
there are only two xray machines.

To those critics who wanted me to list the things I actually like
about the Midwest, here is the first one: my flights usually leave
midway on time or early. Don't worry, Philly, they still have an
unusually long wait at baggage claim.