Quick! It’s an emergency! You just got an urgent call about a family emergency and had to rush to the airport with barely time to grab your wallet and your passport. But now, you’re stuck at the airport with nothing to read. What do you do??
And, no, you did NOT have time to grab your bookbag, or the book next to your bed. You were . . . grocery shopping when you got the call and have nothing with you but your wallet and your passport (which you fortuitously brought with you in case they asked for ID in the ethnic food aisle). This is hypothetical, remember….
Since the only people I would rush to see in an emergency live close by, there’s little chance I would be in this situation. For the sake of the meme, I’d say I’d be on the phone and/or pacing, if the situation was so urgent.
For me, airports aren’t always the best place to read. That doesn’t mean I won’t, or don’t, read in airports. An early flight out of Reagan National can be relatively quite. A layover in Atlanta, in the middle of the day, isn’t.
Even with a backpack containing several paperbacks, a suduko book, a couple of magazines, a deck of regular playing cards, my iPod, my Palm, and a canasta deck, I’d probably be walking around, in the shops, and people watching. If it’s going to be a long flight, it’s practical to stretch the legs: I can always read on the plane.
Another deciding factor is whether I’m traveling with someone or alone. Canasta, anyone?
Oh Canasta! I *love* to play that game …
So do I! My best friend and I played several rounds of canasta in a hotel lobby because there was more space than the hotel room. It’s a great way to pass the time, people watch, and strike up conversations with total strangers who wander over.
In reality, I think I’d be more likely to read on the plane and people watch and wonder around in the actual airport myself. You’re right, a lot depends on the activity going on around me at the time.
People watching is always a good standby, especially at airports!