The slow train to insanity

Your blog reading pleasure comes at the expense of my outrageously delayed train from Grand Rapids to Chicago. We are at least two hours behind schedule due to malfunctioning signals and track-switching equipment. This has extended the four hour ride into a 10 hour ordeal. The delay is seriously encroaching on all my plans for a productive day in Chicago. Aargh!

GRR Airport

The second leg of my transcontinental US tour was Grand Rapids, MI. My plane touched down around 8:00 on Sunday night. We deplaned onto the tarmac but only had a short walk into the terminal. At that point, I was pleasantly surprised. I had expected a small concourse, but was greeted by a very familiar scene: rows of plastic chairs, a long walkway lined with golf-related business ads and a large crowd at the baggage claim.

Stepping outside the building, I was again impressed by the modern structure confronting me. A large curved canopy extended between the parking garage across the street to the terminal building. Even though a conventional joist roof might have done the job, a cool pipe truss design emphasize the idea of the modern airport. Of course, I took lots of pictures.