I spent the afternoon at Dallas-Fort-Worth Airport, unsuccessfully trying to get on a standby flight, then waiting for my originally scheduled flight.   While I waited, I walked about, amazed at the size of the airport.  The airport stretches as far as the eye can see.  Gazing out of the terminal, you can see several control towers in the distance.   A woman at the information booth told me that DFW covers more ground than Manhattan.  I had a difficult time believing it, but it turns out that it’s true.  I learned here that DFW covers more than 29.8 square miles (18,076 acres), whereas Manhattan covers only 22.96 square miles. The airport is so big, that it is necessary to travel between terminals on an elaborate tram system (“Skylink” covers a 5-mile route at speeds of up to 35 mph).

The vast grounds of DFW are overwhelming, but so is the interior.  It’s an entire city, staffed with 60,000 employees.   There must be hundreds of restaurants and stores.   Including this one, called “Lone Star Attitude.”  I noticed this store because I sat across from it waiting for my standby flight.  It was a bit creepy, looking at the cows dressed up in human clothes.  I think I’ll get over it, but I did wonder whether this was an effective form of marketing.  Perhaps only in Texas.

[Photos by Erich Vieth]