So here’s the truth, I love a good airport. There are some major differences between a good airport and a crappy airport. I was in two crappy airports (Nashville and St. Louis)and two good ones (Boston and Philadelphia) over our mid south trip.
Let’s talk about what makes a good airport:
- Free wireless – I am a person that arrives 2 hours early for domestic flights and between 2.5 – 3 for international flights. Free internet makes life so much easier and more enjoyable.
- Lost of food options – I don’t have anything against Chili’s Too but places like Vino Volo (see the bottom of this post) are always welcomed.
- Ample seating – I realize this may come down to the airline, but seriously I pay a lot of money to fly. I want a place to chill until it is time for my flight.
- Information – It’s really nice to have people around just in case you need to ask a question. This spring while I was in the Denver airport there were these sweet old men all around at information booths. My luggage pinched my finger, and I could not get it to stop bleeding. I asked for a band aid and they were more than helpful.
Obviously if you can avoid a layover it’s preferred but sometimes there is no way out of it. There are no direct flights between Nashville and Boston. I had several options but I chose the Philadelphia airport for our layover. Having previously spent two days once at PHL, I knew it was a great place. While I couldn’t get the free wireless to work, I was able to find a great place to hang out. Among the other stores and restaurants in “The Marketplace” was Vino Volo. This was my first time at a Vino Volo, but it was lovely and won’t be my last. We had an almost three hour layover, so it was great to relax in this environment. First the seating. It was like someone put a patio in the airport.
Next, the menu has several options for tastings. I had the three tastes from South America, and Jeremy had three tastes from the Mediterranean. We also shared a cheese plate.
Vino Volo was a great tasting experience. After our tasting, I imbibed in a glass of Montepulciano D’Abruzzo. It’s one of my faves. Maybe vino alone can make a good airport.
