Thelife- Some people leave time before their flight to relax at a lounge or sip drinks at a bar.
- Not me — the only place I go before a flight is the airport's bookstore.
Like many people out there, I'm a relatively nervous flyer. I can't sleep the night before a flight, I triple-check everything before I leave, and I even invested in TSA PreCheck after a few almost-missed flights due to over-crowded security lines.
While some people might deal with their anxiety by hanging out in a relaxing lounge where there's food and places to sit without crowds, or by drinking a glass of wine at a bar before a flight, there's only one place that really calms me down at the airport: the bookstore.
Ever since I was a little kid, I've loved reading, and I especially loved going into a library or a bookstore. As I grew up, I began reading recreationally less and less, but my love of bookstores never faded. There's something about the way it smells, the sounds — everything really — that lowers my blood pressure.
In addition to getting my first-ever library card as an adult, I've started bee-lining to the bookstore once I make it through security at an airport.
As any New Yorker could tell you, LaGuardia Airport used to be one of the worst places on Earth, but since it's been renovated, the experience has been significantly better. My personal favorite addition? The new branch of The Strand, an NYC landmark and popular bookstore.
Now, instead of sitting at the gate and fixating on my impending flight, I can get lost searching for the perfect book for my flight.
Plus, since I don't normally have the space to buy the numerous books I end up gravitating towards while at the airport, I can make a list of the titles and add them all to my requests from the library. That ensures I'll always have something to read, whether it's an e-book I downloaded immediately or a new series to check out when I'm back home.