North Las Vegas, Nevada
Terminal D at DFW. (Yes, I'm praying my
wife never reads this.) … Terminal D is a true oasis in the desert!
Where else can you do all your
Christmas shopping, pick up the
latest DVDs and a pair of noise-canceling headphones, and down two
or three of the best margaritas in town? That's right, Terminal D
at DFW! (No disrespect intended to Terminals A, B, and C.) Imagine
three soaring stories of beautiful retail and restaurants, accented
by glorious sculptures and dramatic skylights. If it were not for
the pesky flight announcements, you'd completely forget you are in
an airport. Whenever I fly in to DFW, I anxiously await the
announcement of our arrival gate as my plane taxis in. If it's not
in Terminal D, I hang my
head in sorrow, but my hopes and prayers
are only temporarily dashed. After all, there's a 33 percent
chance that my connecting flight will leave from Terminal D. If
not, then things get
really interesting.
Do I have enough time in my layover to hop on the Skylink, get over
to Terminal D, soak in the ambience at the bar in Cantina Laredo,
and then make it back to Terminal A or C in time for my departure?
Sometimes I feel like
Tom Cruise in
Mission:
Impossible trying to pull it off (well, maybe not exactly
like Tom Cruise). I remember the time I had a three-hour layover in
Terminal D. I was safely ensconced in the luxurious Terminal D
Admirals Club, sitting there mesmerized by the soaring panorama of
touchdowns and takeoffs. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending
on your perspective), I had forgotten to adjust my watch to Central
time, and I missed my connection. Oh joy! I had another four hours
to bask in Terminal D's glory. … Happy travels, and may all your
DFW layovers include a Terminal D connection! - Corey Sommers,
Santa Clara, California
Some parts of the country call them diners, some
call them greasy spoons, others call them Waffle House or Denny's -
but I call them my kitchen, and there's no place like one of these
restaurants for me. The hours of operation accommodate my
crazy work and travel schedule. … Accessibility from the highway is
key. I can eat at the counter and chat with the short-order cook,
or I can get a booth and talk to my wife while I eat - either way,
I get to glance at the local color that I don't normally get to see
inside the airport, the hotel, or the office building where I am
working. Not to mention, I love the comfort food! I've probably
eaten in one of these establishments at every hour of the day.
Red-eye flights, client deadlines, time-zone changes, and the
travel hiccups that are bound to happen when you fly more than
100,000 miles a year mean that dinnertime isn't just at six p.m.
for me. … Pulling out of the rental-car lot in the wee hours of the
morning, I've learned to scan the highways for billboards or tall
signs calling me to these eateries. … I've visited 47 of the 50
states and … even adopted tastes that reflect some of the regions
where I've spent time. … Now, some people might wonder why I
haven't tried all of the great restaurants that so many cities have
to offer. … But that's just it - I have. I spend many nights out to
dinner either entertaining clients or meeting with coworkers, but
many of these dinners are just an extension of work for me. The
24-hour eatery is like my kitchen. This is where I go when I want
late-night
comfort food like eggs and hash browns or a greasy bacon
cheeseburger. And what about dessert? Well, I leave that to the
airports - I know where the ice cream stands are at just about
every major airport in the United States!