Killing 5 Hours in MSP Airport

Our first stop on our RTW is a five-hour layover in the MSP (Minneapolis-St Paul) airport. So, actually it’s not really a stop, more of an inconvenience. Yes, I have to say that MSP is actually quite enjoyable. First up was a wonderful vegetarian meal of corn arepas and good service. Next up was four more killing hours. I decided to take a walk to kill my 5 hours in the MSP airport.

A Walking Map

As I headed down concourse C, I discovered that the American Heart Association has actually mapped out a 1.1 mile trail through the airport, marked by green circles on directional signs. Alas, off I went. As I was walking, the same question that has haunted me in every airport I’ve ever been in continued.

Who Shops in Airports?

Who actually shops at Tumi, Edwin Pearl and the electronics stores? I mean, do you all of a sudden need a new set of pearls, a new bag, and a new set of Beats? Wouldn’t you have gotten those before you left? All I can think is the wheel broke on your bag, you cheated on your wife and need an apology gift, and your headphones broke. Could some one please ‘fess up if you’ve ever shopped at one of these stories while traveling?

Live Music!

MSP does have some wonderful attributes. There was a live harp player, a live piano player, and a hallway lit with rainbow fluorescent lights. Beyond the stores I mentioned, there is a nice representation of local Minnesota shops. A nice touch? An MSP employee art show showed the pride of the workers.

All and all, my one mile walk was quite enjoyable.

Time to Board

We finally decided to meander to our gate, and for the first time, I really felt the international feel of our journey. The desk attendant spoke three languages, the future fliers focused on devices of all types, and passports were required to board the plane. Delta did boarding right–they opened two gates to enter through as TSA looked us over. When we took our seats, Kelly grabbed the SkyMall magazine and discovered it was all in Chinese. Our adventure has really begun, and we successfully killed 5 hours in the MSP airport.