Pulling up to the curb with a sign above reading "Passenger Pick up & Drop Off," all the anxiety begins to settle in. Nearby, screeching breaks begin to sound and a sea of cars continue to zoom by. Trying to unload our luggage in a hurry, just to avoid the staff equipped with whistles and bright orange vest ensuring that no one stands there for more than 20 seconds. Everyone grabs a bag and enters the metallic, stainless steel and dusty glass building. We aren't even half way through the rotating doors when we hit the crowd. Thousands of passengers are crammed into one giant hall, all trying to check their luggage. As we push our way to our airline a woman repeats, "First class passengers form a line at the desk, everyone else forms a line at the kiosks!".
Taking in a deep breath as the anxiety begins to settle in even more as we move our way through the line to check our baggage. After placing our bags onto the rotating conveyor belt, we ascend to the security checkpoint. Employees repeating, "All laptops and 3oz liquids must be taken out and placed in the bins." Rolling my eyes and placing my shoes and laptop into the plastic bins with a silent sigh; I walk through the new and improved metal detector to get my dose of radiation for the day. Emptying the gray bin of my belongings, I rush to place everything back into my bag and attempt not to get yelled at for taking too long. Staring at the monitors looking for our gate, I take a deep sigh wondering if our destination is worth the inconvenience and the anxiety. .
When I was young, I loved to sit in my stroller and watch millions of people hurrying to and from their departure gates. The view fascinated me because I never fully understood what airports entailed. I would always smile at the employees who drew a slash mark across my boarding ticket. Thirteen years later, I despise airports. Even their architecture makes me cringe every time I walk in through the rotating doors.