Random travel observations

Yesterday's trip to Boston was the first time I'd flown in several years. Airport security, once merely annoying, is officially "ridiculous." Gone are the days of running your briefcase through the X-ray and parading through the metal detector, with the occasional random "wanding." Nobody gets through without removing overcoats and shoes and running them through the X-ray machine as well. Long lines are formed as people stop to strip for the government. Yesterday morning was mostly business travelers lined up in their socks, waiting like sheep for their turn with the TSA (who were actually quite courteous). The return trip featured more families, and I felt sorry for people trying to help their kids remove all manner of footwear, backpacks, and parkas for radioactive review.

There was an almost surreal experience at Logan yesterday afternoon: the fire alarm went off and part of the B Concourse became smoky from a kitchen accident (as far as I could tell). Amidst blaring alarms, smoky corridors, and firemen in full regalia rushing around, passengers didn't batt an eye. Everyone continued to dutifully remove their shoes and coats, open their laptops, and march through the scanners, nonplussed by the surrounding chaos.