DCA -> MKE
Travel advice is so general these days that when my dad recently asked if I had seen a video about how to fit ten days worth of clothes into a carry-on, I replied with an assortment of methods I had seen in video form and saved myself two minutes and twenty seconds of fast-motion packing and bold typeface scrolling across the screen.
In an effort to combat such generality, here is a very specific travel guide on a route that you most likely won’t follow exactly, but might cross paths with at some point during your travels. There are not enough tags in the world to bring this knowledge to all who might find it helpful, but such is the knowledge problem. C’est la vie.
DCA -> MKE
DCA stands for District of Columbia Airport and took on Ronald Reagan’s name sometime after his presidency, I assume. I didn’t bother to look it up. It was hard enough to find out why airport codes exist as they do. Reagan airport is one of my favorite airports due to the ease with which you can access it through public transit, car, or possibly even a helicopter if you have the money. That last part is another assumption, but a solid one knowing all the things rich people can do with their money. Anyway, Southwest Airlines is in the old terminal and it is gorgeous in there. If you look up from your phone screen you can allow the architectural details lulling you into a mid-century dream.
For coffee and food, the terminal offers Dunkin’ Donuts as well as a sit down area with iPads to summon food cutting out a lot of human interaction. At Dunkin’ Donuts, you can get a medium (20 oz) iced coffee and a donut for just over $4. A bargain compared to the $6 bagels I’ve encountered in other airports. I enjoyed this budget win until I tasted my unsweetened iced coffee with cream and felt sad inside. I have not the palate to distinguish between beans that were fertilized with pig poop and those with cow poop, but I know when coffee doesn’t taste good. I alternated between a bite of donut and a sip of coffee until it was gone. I filled out the airport survey and asked for a Starbucks in the terminal because I’m basic.
The majority of plugs are with the iPad food devices and at 9:30 in the morning, they weren’t busy allowing me to top off my phone charge before boarding.
The flight from DCA to MKE is 1 hour 33 minutes, long enough for beverage service but short enough your body doesn’t remain contorted for too long in the seat. Milwaukee, whose airport code obviously takes after random letters in the city’s name (didn’t have to look that one up!), is a city I’ve never been to and have only vague sense of its identity. I was bummed the airport shops lacked That 70’s Show memorabilia, but that was made up for in the form of one of the most delicious cheeseburgers ever consumed. NorthPoint Custard, located outside of the secure area in the mall-like area connecting the concourses, served a fine meal. A single cheeseburger with real delicious cheddar cheese only set me back $10, with fries.
After satisfying that carnal need, I moved on to the next one: books. I was surprised and delighted to find a used bookstore within the confines of a large airport! How did it survive? How were there not more across the country to edge out those glossy magazine stores with shiny new books? I don’t know but I spent 45 minutes perusing the massive collection of books at Renaissance finding all sorts of wonderful things. A two volume edition of DeTocqueville’s Democracy in America? Check. Steinbeck, Hemingway, Chaucer below $10? Check. New releases probably traded in by airport patrons? Check. I picked up Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath because it’d been a while since I read East of Eden and I was ready for more dark sad things.
After securing another title, I returned to the secure area and found a coffee that redeemed Dunkin’ Donuts Tragedy from earlier in the day. Valentine coffee is all you want in a small scale coffee operation. They had both light and dark roast at 2 in the afternoon and the coffee was fresh and made with beans roasted in small batches.
Internet at MKE is available for 60 minutes at speeds of 5mbps for the low price of watching a sponsor ad. It’s just enough speed to publish a Medium post or check Facebook. Bon voyage.
