Wow, y’all. It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these. I’m committed to giving complete and honest ratings of all the airports I’ve been to this summer, so I’m going to do my best to remember all of the ones I’ve been in since Washington, D.C. Flying out of D.C. was kind of rough, but that was due to everyone deciding to fly United that day apparently. The bag tagging machine ran out of paper. It was a whole thing. But I made it out alive!
Flying out of D.C., sporting the usual thumbs-up.
Next up: DFW International Airport. Listen, I do NOT understand why people dislike this airport! I actually had a very pleasant experience both times I was there. Restaurants were conveniently located, security was a breeze, and people (TSA included) were really nice! I rate DFW an 8/10. Sorry, Mom and Dad. It was great. Also, pretty soon after landing I got to go to Buc-ee’s for the first time!!!
Me having a blast with the Buc-ee’s statue.
I have to be honest. I have no recollection of the Houston airport. It was a very short connection. I think I’ll rate it a neutral 5/10.
The El Paso International Airport was easy to navigate and filled with awesome art. It reminded me of my mom, who grew up in El Paso, and I felt at home even though I’d never been there before. Landing there was absolutely terrifying, but that was more of an airplane issue than an airport issue. I felt calm once I was off the plane and walking to baggage claim, and it almost felt like being in the Eugene airport again even though it bore literally no resemblance. Overall, I rate this airport a 7.5/10.
Here’s the thing about the Phoenix airport: I completely forgot to rate it the last time I was there, but I’m pretty sure it was my connecting airport to Kansas City at the very beginning of the summer. This was an oversight on my part, but I’m making up for it with a stellar review! I probably experienced the lowest level of stress in this airport. It’s just so easy to navigate, isn’t too crowded most of the time, and has fantastic restaurants! I ate at a place called Los Taquitos–if I recall correctly, I had carne asada tacos–and they were delicious! This was also the airport where I had my longest layover, and while that may feel like a nightmare for some, it was the perfect time to relax and finish writing one of my blog posts. The Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport gets the highest review possible: 10/10.
They really were some great tacos.
And finally, the last place I flew into: Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. I’ve had decent experiences with this airport in the past, and this time was almost as good except for a slight mishap with luggage and having to wait anxiously for an hour for my guitar to come through at baggage claim (Southwest Airlines was the only airline that didn’t let me check my guitar for the gate this summer). Aside from that, this airport made me feel nostalgic about other times I’d been there, namely my junior year HELM fall retreat and the time I visited my friend Lucy, who lives in Seattle. I was glad to be in a familiar place for my final camp destination, especially with all of the exhaustion I was feeling from an incredibly long travel day. I rate it an 8.5/10.
With that, my airport ratings for the summer come to a close! It has been amazing getting to travel to so many different places this summer. My favorite part of going to so many airports was texting the other interns, Sarah, and Brian when I was arriving or leaving, as well as receiving messages from Maggie and Allison when they were traveling on the same day as me. It was wonderful to be supported by my DPF family even when we were many miles apart. I rate this summer a 100,000/10, but what I experienced can’t truly be quantified by numbers. I can say now that this was the best summer of my life.