Last Thursday we found our selves trapped at the airport in Ft Lauderdale…
My wife and daughter hated the place. They may be right, but it may also be the dreaded "headed home syndrome" - once you perceive the vacation is over any barrier or delay seems to be magnified out of proportion.
The building has that older low ceiling look. The only effort at style is a faux coral block
wainscoting and a few artificial plants. Long rows of seats, lots of grumpy people… Just like any airport here or abroad.
We got here early, with hopes of catching an earlier flight. the guy at the Delta front desk said that the flight was completely full, but the guy at the gate counter said they had lots of seats, but he couldn't help us since we had already checked our luggage. Catch 22. you fast come to think they are all lying. Of course it could be the Headed Home Syndrome again. Apparently the only standby's they were accommodating were Delta employees. (They continued with long public announcements about how the standby system works. This does raise questions about why the employees, who presumably know the rules, yet need the rules repeated, frequently.)
The daughter went in search of the airport post office. No one seemed to know where it was, and the signage was questionable. (She finally found it.)
The food and concessions are less than hoped for. the clerk in the Bakery and Deli positively rude. It all made sense when we found the sign saying the concessions were run by Delaware North Corp. the same group that badly handles the concessions and hotels at Yosemite. (not always badly. the Awanne is good, as is the Mt Broiler
at the lodge, but the food operations at Curry Village are always able to raise questions about the management skills, or rather the complete lack of skills demonstrated. Hour plus lines for pizza, with most of the public spaces roped off and unavailable on the Friday after Thanksgiving, with a full facility and full campgrounds. All because they didn't think there would be anyone in the park.??? Yes, they do the reservations for the camps and such and had the numbers available, they just don't use them.) Of course that was Yosemite, in California, and this is Ft Lauderdale in Florida. But there seems to be a similar management and organizational ethic at play.
On the other hand they have free wireless internet at the airport.
My wife says I fall victim to “headed home syndrome” on car trips… Somewhere on the way home I start driving faster, conversing less, as I sense the vacation is over and its now time to go home…
By for now, Randy
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