Hey everyone,
Well here we are back in Atlanta after a trip up to Pennsylvania for a week to play the Pirates and the Phillies. While I wasn’t able to do much sightseeing on this past trip – one of our games in Pittsburgh was rained out and the weather was bad all week – so it’s definitely good to be back here in Atlanta for nearly two weeks. It’s very unusual for any team in the Majors to be home for more than a week, so this is a special chance for us to not only spend some quality time at home, but also pick up some wins against some great teams – the New York Mets and the Arizona Diamondbacks.
When in the airport I picked up a magazine that surveyed the best airports in the country. As someone who has traveled to more airports than I want to remember, I feel like I’m a pretty good judge of what cities are good to fly into, and what cities aren’t. Pittsburgh, for those of you who may be frequent travelers to the Keystone State, has one of the best airports in the United States. Last year, business travelers who wrote in to the magazine ranked it as the 9th best airport in the U.S.
I saw that Portland was ranked No. 1 (too bad Portland doesn’t have a Major League Baseball team), followed by Washington-Reagan, Tampa, and Milwaukee. I wouldn’t necessarily consider myself a “business traveler” in the same respect that you all do (the Braves travel on one of Delta’s chartered planes), but I’m interested in knowing from you: what is your favorite airport, and why? I have my top three:
#1 – Atlanta: it’s my hometown airport and we fly so much in and out of there that I feel like I know everyone at Hartsfield. Plus, there is nothing like landing at home.
#2 – Green Bay: Austin Straubel International. In the off-season, I go up to Wisconsin to see family and we always fly into there. You know those places where you land and you think “I have nothing but really good memories from this place and this airport.” Well, this is the one for me. Plus, it doesn’t matter if it’s February, May, or October….at least 50 percent of the people in that airport will be wearing Green Bay Packers gear at one time. Besides, I’ve always wanted to know who Austin Straubel is. Ha.
#3 – Pittsburgh: Totally underrated. That place has everything. I’ve heard people try to fly into their as a layover just because the airport has so many places to shop. It’s a tie between Pittsburgh and Charlotte, but since Pittsburgh’s a baseball town I’m going with Pittsburgh.
Off-days
On Monday, we had our first ‘off-day’ in nearly two weeks. Baseball players do different things on off-days. Some go fishing, some go golfing, and some just relax with friends and family. One thing we all do, though, is stay away from picking up a bat and a mitt. This time, I took the day to just drive around the northern Atlanta suburbs with my wife, Catie. When you travel as much as I do, you forget how nice it is to just spend time with the ones you love, even if it’s doing something as simple as running errands. Yesterday, we did just that. It was a great off-day.
The Season
On the baseball field, we are right in the thick of things in the National League East. We’re two games out of first place at the moment, but we’re in 4th place. The Marlins, Mets, and Phillies are all just a few games ahead of us. Even though we aren’t playing our best baseball, I’m confident that this home stand will be a great chance for us to pick up some games, especially because we are about to open up a four-game series with the New York Mets and we’ve been playing great baseball at home. Right now, we are one of the best teams in baseball at home, with a 16-5 record, and we need to capitalize on that. Tomorrow is actually Delta Day at the ballpark. I’m really looking forward to that because earlier this year I spent some time passing out free tickets at Delta’s Employee Block Party to as many kids as I could. I love seeing as many kids out at the ballpark as possible. Without a doubt, kids are our biggest supporters. It doesn’t matter if I hit a home run or I strike out with the bases loaded to a kid. They are always there supporting the Braves.
After we play the Mets and the Diamondbacks (who won the NL West last year), we head up to Milwaukee and Cincinnati, two teams in the NL Central that can really scare opponents. Certain road trips always seem to bring teams together, and Milwaukee seems to be one of those places. Maybe it’s because there isn’t as much to do in Milwaukee as there is to do, say, in New York or Washington, and because of that, guys on the Braves team seem to do the same thing. In Milwaukee, we tend to go out to eat after a game together at the same one or two restaurants, and the camaraderie then extends onto the baseball field. I’m hoping that will happen to us again this next road trip.
Enjoy your travels, wherever they may be. I’ll check back in with you all after Milwaukee. And remember, keep those comments coming.
Best,
Jeff
Delta is proud to be the Official Airline of The Atlanta Braves.
May 21st, 2008 at 1:51 pm
Hey Jeff,
Thanks again for the update! I’d have to say my favorite airport has to be Washington-Reagan National (DCA). You can’t beat the convenience of the Metro, the 5-10 minute maximum wait for security, and the views of DC upon take-off and landing! Not to mention the amazing architecture and design of the airport!
May 21st, 2008 at 2:27 pm
Our favorite airport(s)? Cool question because I’m curious to read ‘n learn about airports by others.
No specific order, heres mine:
DCA, SFO, ATL, MCO
Why:
To this day, I still love to watch planes takeoff or land. I’ve found these airports tend to have a great view of the active runway. I cant help it but its the kid inside me.
May 21st, 2008 at 4:14 pm
Here are my top 5 favorite airports (relatively in order):
#1: New York – JFK (John F. Kennedy International Airport). It’s huge. It has great facilities. It has lots of flights. And lots of planes too! I just love JFK. After all, I live in New York
#2: New York – LGA (LaGuardia Airport). It’s not nearly as big, but it’s 10 minutes away from my home. Its facilities are not as substantial or numerous as JFK, but there are a lot of flights from LGA that suit my need. Plus, it has the Marine Air Terminal!
#3: Atlanta – ATL (Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport). I don’t know why I like this airport so much. Maybe it’s the train (people mover). Perhaps the Q-Doba in Concourse E. Maybe it’s Concourse E! I just don’t know. It’s probably Delta’s vast presence there that draws me to ATL.
#4: Houston – IAH (George Bush Intercontinental Airport). I’ve connected through IAH while flying CO on my last three vacations. It’s a huge airport like JFK, but everything is internally connected like at ATL (except you don’t have to walk so far). There are some pretty cool things in the airport itself, too.
#5: Panama City, Panama – PTY (Tocumen International Airport). I’ve only been there once, but the way the airport is laid out is so simple and accessible. The shops there are actually reasonably priced! And you have great views of aircraft movements (I guess I’m like TriStar_Fan, I love planes too!).
May 21st, 2008 at 5:09 pm
Everybody’s mentioning larger airports. My home airport, Greenville/Spartanburg (GSP) is one the best have ever seen. Where else can you stand in a garden with fountains and sculpture (admittedly not avant garde) and watch landings and takeoffs? Easy approach by car, convenient parking, even a pretty decent restaurant.
May 23rd, 2008 at 5:54 pm
Ok. Definitely not the nicest airports (aesthetically), but one very high up on my list is the “airport” on the island of Bocas del Toro in Panama. It’s essentially a small building with one main room and a few offices. Security comprises of a the metal-detecting wand. Checked luggage may be scanned, but I don’t know where. Carry-on items are not. The only scheduled airline service to there is on Air Panama (and get this, they fly (as of July 2007, that’s when I went) Fokker F.27-200′s! Yep, HP-1541PST was built in 1966! (On a more serious note, that aircraft was in an accident in October, and was written off. Great plane that lived a long life, RIP)), Aeroperlas (regional carrier of TACA; they fly Shorts 360 aircraft!), and flights to Costa Rica on tourist airline Nature Air.
Theoretically, you could arrive at the airport and be on the plane within 10 minutes. However, it took us 2 hours because the aircraft was delayed coming in.
Anyway, more about the airport: there are rows of seats like at any other airport. After you go through “security” a little bit before your departure time, you sit in the holding area, which is the same as the general area except they’re separated from everything else by the ribbon barriers (is that the right term? I’m not sure; it’s like the ones they have at cinemas). Then you go outside and board. There are mostly private aircraft here, ranging from Cessnas to King Airs to even a Dassault Falcon or 2! Of course, the largest aircraft I saw there that day was our Fokker. Turnaround time is very quick. There’s usually always something to see on the tarmac.
May 24th, 2008 at 10:11 pm
Jeff!! Great game tonight!! Lets do it again tomorrow!! I think Hartsfield is pretty neat to walk through and see all the different people and art thats in there. I always try to walk from my gate and not take the train just to stroll through. Second would be Chicago but thats just cause Im from there and its easy to get around and well hmm I know there is good food coming!! haha The STL airport is a bit strange the way its set up its definitely not my favorite.
Hey tell those Tomahawk girls to get some shirts up in 433! haha jk We are so left out up there! lol
Later!
Desi
May 26th, 2008 at 7:31 pm
I’d say that my favorite airport has to be Orlando(Delta Terminal) because everything is very clean and it’s fairly new too. Also, I like ATL because of how it’s a Delta hub and easy to get around. My third favorite has to be Greenville/Spartanburg because it is small not too much of a hassle with passengers and very clean and nice with great landscaping.
May 29th, 2008 at 1:48 pm
To name a few of my favorite airports:
-Columbus, OH (CMH). My home airport & it’s always been easy to get through. The terminal is always clean, well lit & welcoming. I just wish we could get some more mainline Delta flights back.
-Charlotte, NC (CLT)
-Orlando (MCO)
-San Juan, PR (SJU). I’ve gone there a number of times & it always has a tropical feel to it. The terminal’s nicer than ever thanks to extensive renovations a few years ago.
-Washington, DC (DCA)
Delta hubs:
-Cincinnati (CVG). A nice terminal & a great place to connect when flying with Delta. We usually end up flying through ATL, but I always enjoy getting to go through CVG & I hope it’s a Delta hub for many years to come.
-Atlanta (ATL). Despite being a huge airport, it’s easy to navigate. There are plenty of spots to stop & eat & watch the action going on around the airport.