Joe's totally right about the Kansas City airport. KCI is awesome.

About as far away from the places where actual people live as it could be while still accurately calling itself a Kansas City airport, however. If you get in a fatal accident while driving out there the next person who sees your body will be a 32nd century archaeologist.

KCI is about to get renovated to make it less convenient, but with more amenities. The location will be the same.

Beautiful piece by Joe. Nails why I moved back to KC after living in DC. In DC everyone I met spoke glowingly and wistfully about their hometown. This really is an exciting time to be back in KC and Joe is actually off in his perception of a lack of downtown!

Joe's totally right about the Kansas City airport. KCI is awesome.

Isn't MCI the airport where they do security at the gate or something weird like that? You can't really walk around. I did not like that airport. Also was sort of shitty in that it was brown and not very nice.

Nails why I moved back to KC after living in DC. In DC everyone I met spoke glowingly and wistfully about their hometown.

Well, when the weather is 100 degrees in a swamp, wouldn't you think longingly of elsewhere?

If you get in a fatal accident while driving out there the next person who sees your body will be a 32nd century archaeologist.

So that's why Derrick Thomas died.

Isn't MCI the airport where they do security at the gate or something weird like that? You can't really walk around. I did not like that airport. Also was sort of shitty in that it was brown and not very nice.

Yea, they cluster the gates, so every 4-5 gates has its own security. Its actually convenient, because generally, none of the lines are very long. But once you get in, you're kinda stuck inside these cages. They've added some bathrooms and packaged sandwiches and water, but it still sucks. The proposed renovations will go the traditional one terminal layout most airports have.

Ah, 70s art deco. Can you tell everything in KC was built in the 1970s?

The location of KCI sucks, but aren't most airports out in the boonies? I would think most people don't want to live by an airport, so any proposal to build one near the city center would be thwarted (and is it even allowed post 9/11?)

The location of KCI sucks, but aren't most airports out in the boonies? I would think most people don't want to live by an airport, so any proposal to build one near the city center would be thwarted (and is it even allowed post 9/11?)

Reagan National airport is really conveniently close. Philly's airport is just down the highway. Midway is inside the city, O'Hare is in the burbs but the burbs are jammed full of people and they have rail line into the city, though not into the suburbs but I believe they are building one or havee, so it is pretty convenient. My experience with airports have been that they are either in the metro area or very close to them.

I've driven to or from about a dozen or so airports in America so far and the only one that felt like it was out in the boonies was Stewart Airport in Newburgh. Though if I ever use Dulles before the new metro line is built I might feel that it was out in the boonies as well.

Nails why I moved back to KC after living in DC. In DC everyone I met spoke glowingly and wistfully about their hometown.

Well, when the weather is 100 degrees in a swamp, wouldn't you think longingly of elsewhere?

Yeah, but if he just hops over the state line, it was 115 in Kansas less than a week ago. DC's only made it up to 106, and Kansas City's recorded temperatures as high as 109. Take away Death Valley and the desert regions of the Southwest, and most of the record breaking Summer temperatures in the U.S. are in the Midwest and Plains states.

Though if I ever use Dulles before the new metro line is built I might feel that it was out in the boonies as well.

Dulles is only about 35 - 40 minutes from Kensington, and you can always find easy short term parking. That limited access road is the main reason that driving there's not as bad as O'Hare.

I have found flying to KC from DC a pleasure. Republic Air offers non-stop flights on the Embraer 190 jets (no middle seat!) from DCA to MCI. It's easy in, easy out.

Yeah, but if he just hops over the state line, it was 115 in Kansas less than a week ago. DC's only made it up to 106, and Kansas City's recorded temperatures as high as 109. Take away Death Valley and the desert regions of the Southwest, and most of the record breaking Summer temperatures in the U.S. are in the Midwest and Plains states.

Yes, but DC is a swamp. It's disgusting. The Midwest and Plains states are also fairly shitty, but not as shitty as DC (or Atlanta!).

The location of KCI sucks, but aren't most airports out in the boonies? I would think most people don't want to live by an airport, so any proposal to build one near the city center would be thwarted (and is it even allowed post 9/11?)

The airport name is MCI. This is almost certainly only bothering me.

As I understand it, a lot of it has to due with noise restrictions and clear paths around the runway. Also, just from a practical point of view, airports require lots of land. Land very close to major cities is quite expensive. NRT in Tokyo, for example, can take up to two hours to get to Marunouchi.

San Diego's airport (not very large) is very close to downtown, around 15 minutes drive, just for a counterexample.

NRT in Tokyo, for example, can take up to two hours to get to Marunouchi.

True, but there are two major airports in the Tokyo area, and Haneda is much closer to most destinations in the city.

Thanks to the Ted Williams Tunnel (baseball-related!), it's now really easy to get from Logan to downtown Boston. Boston started a high-speed bus line, called the Silver Line, that gets you from the airport to South Station in five stops. And obviously the drive by car is pretty easy too.

The airport name is MCI. This is almost certainly only bothering me.

It wasn't bothering me, but it was making it difficult to follow along on the thread. :)

Yes, but DC is a swamp. It's disgusting.

I always find it funny that everyone seems to have a perverse pride in their place being the worse. I mean the number of midwesterners who like to #####/brag about the ability to have to turn on the heater and air conditioner on the same day has always been a source of bemusement.

I mean the number of midwesterners who like to #####/brag about the ability to have to turn on the heater and air conditioner on the same day has always been a source of bemusement.

In my condo building in DC, there is always at least a one-week hiatus twice a year when neither the air nor heat is operational due to convector issues, which sometimes makes for one or two quite uncomfortable days in late April and early October.

The airport name is MCI.

The IATA airport code is MCI, which I believe stood for Mid-Continent International. The name of the airport is Kansas City International.

Yes, but DC is a swamp. It's disgusting.

Speaking of airports, DC is now so much of a swamp that people are now unable to leave.

Yes, but DC is a swamp. It's disgusting. The Midwest and Plains states are also fairly shitty, but not as shitty as DC (or Atlanta!).

I'll agree that Atlanta is the east end of an incontinent westbound mule, but the only advantage that the Midwest and Plains states have over DC (besides the lack of Dan Snyder) is their cheap cost of living and a lot of good college football. I'll admit those aren't minor advantages.

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Speaking of airports, DC is now so much of a swamp that people are now unable to leave.

Well, when Congress names your airports after Ronald Reagan and John Foster Dulles, you've got to expect a little pushback from above.

having travelled a fair piece i can share that most airports have improved considerably

right now the only place i travel that i find tedious is st. louis. airport stinks. weather stinks. and the people are all dour because they know their city is dying and nobody has any answers.

luckily thanks to the last point my visits become less and less frequent.