Often people refer to airports as hell, but really they’re more of a purgatory.
Airports and purgatory are similar in the sense that there’s nothing to do there – except to wait around for what seems like forever. Like purgatory, nobody is happy to be stuck in an airport, and yet, there’s a sense of better things to come.
But as of late, I’ve found a positive aspect about spending time in an airport: the amazing newspaper selection.
One of the biggest limitations of newspaper circulation is the problem of proximity. Remember, a newspaper is unsellable after 24 hours, so it’s not feasible for papers to distribute too far outside of their market base.
Therefore, I’m in newspaper hell over in Fiji. Because the island is so isolated, there are absolutely no newspapers here except for Fijian papers – which, to say the least, aren’t great.
So I was actually excited about flying home this week because I haven’t cracked a decent paper in three months.
Suddenly, the prospect of a 10-hour layover in the LAX airport doesn’t seem so daunting; it will give me a chance to finally read every inch of the renowned Los Angeles Times. Living in London, Ontario, it’s impossible to get a copy of the LA Times. Yes, I know you can read it online, but it’s just not the same.
So while my travel companion Hart opted to take a nap in the LAX lobby, I dash off to the airport general store.
At the newsstand I feel like a kid in a candy store. Racks and racks of America’s finest papers filled the store. The smell of newsprint fills the air. Geography isn’t a problem at this paper shop because flights from all over the world are coming in – so it’s stocked with papers from every corner of the U.S.
Although tempted by both the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, I pick up my first copy of the LA Times. I headed for the nearest bench and open my paper with the excitement of a child opening a Christmas present.
For a few hours I actually enjoy my layover, while I read a great column by Steve Lopez (the reporter who inspired the Jamie Foxx movie The Soloist).
Which leads me to wonder: maybe purgatory wouldn’t be so bad if it just had some quality reading.
Airports and purgatory are similar in the sense that there’s nothing to do there – except to wait around for what seems like forever. Like purgatory, nobody is happy to be stuck in an airport, and yet, there’s a sense of better things to come.
But as of late, I’ve found a positive aspect about spending time in an airport: the amazing newspaper selection.
One of the biggest limitations of newspaper circulation is the problem of proximity. Remember, a newspaper is unsellable after 24 hours, so it’s not feasible for papers to distribute too far outside of their market base.
Therefore, I’m in newspaper hell over in Fiji. Because the island is so isolated, there are absolutely no newspapers here except for Fijian papers – which, to say the least, aren’t great.
So I was actually excited about flying home this week because I haven’t cracked a decent paper in three months.
Suddenly, the prospect of a 10-hour layover in the LAX airport doesn’t seem so daunting; it will give me a chance to finally read every inch of the renowned Los Angeles Times. Living in London, Ontario, it’s impossible to get a copy of the LA Times. Yes, I know you can read it online, but it’s just not the same.
So while my travel companion Hart opted to take a nap in the LAX lobby, I dash off to the airport general store.
At the newsstand I feel like a kid in a candy store. Racks and racks of America’s finest papers filled the store. The smell of newsprint fills the air. Geography isn’t a problem at this paper shop because flights from all over the world are coming in – so it’s stocked with papers from every corner of the U.S.
Although tempted by both the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, I pick up my first copy of the LA Times. I headed for the nearest bench and open my paper with the excitement of a child opening a Christmas present.
For a few hours I actually enjoy my layover, while I read a great column by Steve Lopez (the reporter who inspired the Jamie Foxx movie The Soloist).
Which leads me to wonder: maybe purgatory wouldn’t be so bad if it just had some quality reading.
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