Pink Kentucky

Check-in and security were a breeze here in Minneapolis. I found the TSA agents here at MSP to be pleasant and polite, which is usually the case about 25% of the time.


Given the issues in London and at Glasgow Airport these past few days, I'm surprised that part of my Airworld adventure today went smoothly. Terror level is Orange, but I can't recall if that's up a notch or what it was before this past week.


Northwest actually upgraded me. Codeshare partnership on SkyTeam pays off once again! When I checked in, there were at least 6 other First Class seats unassigned. I believe I lucked out in picking a flight with few business travelers on it - probably today being a Sunday morning and all.


This airport is quite large, but due to its layout, it has a much smaller feel. The waiting areas and concourses don't feel claustrophobic (like in Philadelphia or at that cesspool of a terminal, Delta's International JFK operation).


I am a bit of a map and geography freak. I always have been. I knew all of the state capitals when I was 4 or 5 years old, and I used to love playing this game called Agent U.S.A. on my Commodore 64. Something about maps transfixes me. I even associate states with their colors from a childhood map (i.e. for some reason Kentucky to me is pink, New York is orange, Kansas and Florida are yellow, Nebraska is green, and Oregon is purple).


So, naturally, I spent about 5 minutes staring at the Departures board, just to see what odd places Northwest flies from here. I spotted a bunch of cities that we saw during the Great River Road trip - such as Bemidji, MN; Moline, IL; Davenport, IA; and La Crosse, WI. Then, there's the regular service to places like Casper, WY and Sioux Falls, SD.


We're about to board. I'm looking forward to having a few hours of a weekend when I'm back in Boston. Just enough time to set up my new Wii!