KirstenL4W

Boyfriend returned on time Friday afternoon - actually about 10 minutes early. I was able to watch his plane land, because McCarran International Airport, the big airport with all the slot machines that is the first part of the Vegas experience for millions of tourists every year, has an observation parking lot. I’d show you on a map, but I’m not feeling very technologically savvy this evening, so I’ll tell you how to find it.

For locals:
Drive in either direction on Sunset Rd past the airport - that would be the 3-mile section between Las Vegas Blvd. and Eastern Ave. There’s only one place on the runway side of the road that you can stop at. It’s a parking lot near PT’s Pub. That’s the place I’m talking about.

For map geeks:
Go to your favorite mapping program. Search for Las Vegas Airport. Scroll around until you find the road that runs parallel to the two runways that run horizontally across your screen. That road is Sunset Rd. (BTW, this is best done in the hybrid map/satellite view.) Now, look for Escondido Street - it runs perpendicular to Sunset. Almost directly across from Escondido is a parking lot that has one long row of cars. That’s the place you’re looking for.

For airport geeks:
You can look up a map of the airport at AirNav - the airport code for Las Vegas is KLAS. Locate the 7/25 runways. You can’t see the surrounding streets on the map, but just south of the 7/25 runways, directly lined up with the A3 taxiway is the parking. Good view, eh?

So, what’s so great about looking at planes come and go?

I know some of you out there are avid plane spotters, so this is a great place to see planes close up, with only a chain-link fence to impede your view. But wait, there’s more! The tower, the one that controls takeoffs and landings on the 7/25 runways, lets you listen! They have a sign posted on the fence of that parking lot that tells you what station to tune your radio to so you can listen. It changes every now and then due to stronger signals from radio stations, but currently it’s at 101.1. You super plane geeks can determine which one of the many controllers that is from the AirNav page.

So, after my abbreviated work day (I overslept big time) and our company picnic (see, I said abbreviated!) I headed over to the parking lot and turned on the radio. I only had one thing to listen for - Boyfriend’s airline and flight number. Soon enough, I heard it. All flights coming in announce themselves, so it’s easy if you’re paying attention. I got to see Boyfriend’s flight land, taxi off the runway and all the way around the D Gates, where it disappeared from view, but only because I don’t have X-ray vision to see through the building. The gate was on the other side. But, I figured that by the time it made it to the gate, I should leave the parking lot and mosey on to the passenger pick-up area. Boyfriend still had a way to go - the 20 minute mad rush to deplane, a long walk through the terminal, a nice little tram ride, then utter chaos going through the baggage claim area towards passenger pick-up. I had plenty of time.

I got to passenger pick-up and cruised around a bit, keeping an eye out for Boyfriend. He’s pretty easy to spot. Not seeing him, and getting irritated with all the maroons driving around the parking area, I found myself a spot and walked over to the crosswalk. A quick phone call to Boyfriend revealed that he was just walking past the masses and heading towards the door, so I’d be able to see him in just a minute or two. I waited (im)patiently at the crosswalk until I was finally able to see him. Oh Happy Day!! I was thrilled to bits to have him back, and Boyfriend revealed how much he missed me too. (Awwww!) He said there was a woman sitting in the row in front of him who had hair similar to mine in color, cut, and even the amount of curl in it. He said it was tough to look at because he missed me so much. Isn’t he sweet? He’s gonna read this and get mad at me for making him out to be such a sap. Really, he’s not. He just blurts out “I love you” many times at random during the day and when I’m in another part of the house doing chores or blogging or something, he’ll come in just to give me a hug. Totally sweet, despite the very intimidating exterior.

So that’s it, Boyfriend’s back and we spent a very boring weekend doing nothing except enjoying each other’s company. And we are both very glad that we are not apart right now. Sappy, I know. Get used to it.

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