Want cheap fun? Hang out in an airport. What’s your pleasure?

When I was a child I fell in love with art departments. My dad was an art education professor who would take me to work with him, set me up in an art room with loads of supplies, and leave me to create. The smells were heaven.

For Ethan Gilsdorf, airports first struck his fancy as a kid. He has George Carlin, one of my favorite comedians, to thank for that. Gilsdorf recalls hearing Carlin’s line, “You know, there’s a spy in the airport: Your job: find him” as the one that enticed him to see airports as places worthy of spending some time.

Gilsdorf wrote about his airport love in an essay in the New York Times. For him, layovers, are sheer pleasure. He also sees that airports are a haven for transition from one place into the unknown. When you land at an airport, there is familiarity of the scene where you can go to the toilet, get something to eat and find something to buy before you step out into the unknown. Here are some of the things Gilsdorf loves about his airport visits:

  • sitting in an airport bar watching a ball game
  • browsing magazine stands
  • people watching, even in the baggage claim area. The family reunions get him every time
  • looking at the airports version of art
  • airport architecture
  • listening to conversations

Here is something I love. Moving sidewalks. I never get tired of them.