Back to Town

Got back into town late last night and something struck me: Memphis International is really creepy.

I know the airport authority is proud of their (fairly) recent renovations to the B concourse, but little ol' C looks like the perfect set for a slasher film. Even in the daytime, it's a little drab. Just brownish concrete block and tornado shelter bathrooms. Utilitarian. Institutional.

But when it's dark and there aren't many passengers around ... and all you hear are the echos of your own footfalls and the squeak of luggage as it rolls beside you down the long, empty corridor ... yikes!

I mean, install some art. Sell some more wallspace for ads. Just show some signs of life.

(For the record, I did see a few Memphis panels over the window, so that's a start. And yes, I do realize it was Sunday night, so not peak hours.)

I like the idea of John Kasarda's aerotropolis (cities have always been built around modes of transportation, after all) and I don't know how the energy crisis or the economy will ultimately affect Memphis International ... but the only thing I could categorize it as last night was a ghost town.