Good morning from Gate A3 of the Albuquerque International Sunport. This is the first airport I’ve been to that has free WiFi in the gate area; all the major airports I’ve been through in the last year such as Dallas, Detroit, and of course Miami International, charge for wireless.

I’ve not been to every airport in the country, but of those I have, I have to say that ABQ is one of the nicest in terms of accessibility and appearance. Rather than the usual glass and steel concourses that greet you when you arrive and you can’t tell if you’re in Detroit, Dallas, Chicago, or Los Angeles, the Sunport is done in adobe style with stucco on the exterior and the familiar sand and turquoise colors on the inside. The carpet in the gate area is patterned on the native style, and the tile in the concourse resembles the saltillo tiles that are typical New Mexico flooring. The gate areas have large windows looking out over the airfield, but off in the distance the last remnants of the Rocky Mountains are rising in the east, providing a nice setting for the rising sun. As airports go, this is a nice place to arrive, and it makes leaving a little wistful, reminding me of some of the reasons I enjoy visiting.

Thanks, Brian… and Marty and Walter… for the hospitality.