Over the past fifteen years our nomadic GypsyNester life has taken us all around the world, and in those travels we have been to countless airports.
Most of them were unremarkable and more or less immediately disappeared from our memories, but a few actually made a lasting impression. Detroit’s Metropolitan Wayne County Airport is one of those impressive few.
The first thing that struck us about it was the LED Tunnel that connects concourse A with B and C. This impressive walkway features nearly nine thousand feet of lighted glass panels that change constantly to correspond with a dramatic musical background.
We both vividly remember entering it for the first time after a long overseas flight and it was somehow soothing, yet invigorating at the same time. Even with the jet lag. Or maybe because of it?
We also love the beautiful fountain in the center of McNamara Terminal. The unique design was inspired by the lines on a flight map and makes a perfect spot to meet up with people so no one ever gets lost. Or maybe just make a wish and toss in a penny, or more, since the coins are collected and donated to local and national charities.
But in our opinion these are only one small part of what makes DTW a premier airport. For us to really like and remember an airport it has to have some great food options. If you have flown recently, no doubt you have noticed that on flights food is just not really much of a thing anymore. There is basically none on domestic routes, and even the international flights leave a lot to be desired when it comes to cuisine these days.
That’s one reason why we love the restaurants and food in the Detroit Airport. With everything from sushi to steaks, bistro to brew pub, gourmet to grab and go, or fast food to fancy, there are so many options to choose from.
There are also little tablets at the tables, or apps for your phone, that we love because we can select a restaurant on the touch screen, check out the menu, and then order with no waiting and have the food delivered in almost no time at all.
The vast selection of restaurants sometimes has us wishing we had more time at the airport, which means if we ever do get stuck in one of those inevitable delays we will have plenty of ways to pass the time. Now that is something we think really sets an airport apart from the rest.
But even with a close connection, we always try to at least find the time to grab a quick Coney Island. Seriously, I don’t think we could ever stop in southeast Michigan, even for a minute at the airport, and not have at least one Coney.
Of course, food isn’t the only thing that makes an airport stand out. Metropolitan Wayne County Airport also has a ton of shopping selections available. We always appreciate that for any last minute gifts or picking up those necessities that we forgot to pack.
With such a state of the art airport it is no wonder that Detroit has now become an international hub with direct, nonstop flights to many of the most popular destinations in Europe, Asia, Canada, and Mexico. Believe us when we say, it is so much easier to fly to Paris, or Rome, or Tokyo nonstop than it is making connections along the way.
Another unique feature that globe trotting GypsyNesters can love is the system they now have in place for scanning boarding passes to get directions to your departure gate. Passengers can even choose to see the information in various languages.
All of these things combine to make Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport one of our favorites anywhere in the world.
It’s almost like we wouldn’t mind having our flight delayed… well, almost.
David & Veronica, GypsyNester.com
