Hoeks

Concourse A has a Uccello's "Coming Soon" / rendering, that mentions opening this summer. ALEtitde was quite busy on a Thursday afternoon a couple weeks ago, which was also good to see. Also adding a photo of the entrance of the new lounge. I haven't heard any recent updates, but look forward to the addition of International and customs.

One of the center isle vendors was open this weekend. “ALEtitue”, which includes a dining area, and a separate bar area with TV streaming sports. I believe serving food, and a full bar with beer taps. Couple Pics Below:

Saturday flight out of expanded A concourse (opened yesterday). Below are a few pics. The entire length of center isle, are shops/restaurants under construction. The gate agent mentioned they would start opening next week. I am so impressed, as this is such a transformative feel/experience. Certainly feels like a big city airport. Very bright, tall ceilings, tons of comfortable seating options with tables, and the width adds so much space. The existing gates are now boarded up and appears work as begun.

A direct connect as a gateway to Europe (Amsterdam/London/Paris) would be amazing! Not sure if demand (or ability to schedule into those airports) would be possible. It also seems like GRR could support a seasonal to Cancun/Caribbean destinations. Fingers crossed that direct, is the direction of International for GRR, otherwise it seems like it wouldn't be much of a difference between having to connect through ATL/NYC/etc. Really hopeful!

A couple quick photos from this past week. The first looking south through the expansion by gate 7. The second photo is looking east. What really surprised me, is how wide the expansion will be! Really excited for this to open.

I recently stayed in the Seaport neighborhood in Boston. I've stayed there a few times over the years, and each time, I can't believe how much has changed since the last time I stayed there. I know it is a different ball league (Boston vs GR), however it is truly impressive. And, the tallest structure is 22 floors, and most are in the mid range of size. The area is listed over 500 acres, but the bulk of the development is on 23 acres. Made me think of the similarities of the 13 acre parcel discussed on this thread (and the Charlies Crab site adjacent). If you haven't seen it, a link of the neighborhood is below: "The Seaport is over 500 acres, but it is more densely developed - one 23 acre section contains 3.3 million square feet of development, comparable in ways to Battery Park City or Hudson Yards in Manhattan." https://www.bostonseaport.xyz/

East is upgrading the trails at Manhattan park. The Fredd Bunn Trails at Manhattan park, will be 3 miles of interconnected trail loops "with varying degrees of difficulty with a starting point near the Manhattan park playground. The trails are being designed to allow walkers, joggers and mountain bikers the ability to enjoy the natural areas of the park simultaneously". Per the letter, the city has been working with the West Michigan Biking Alliance. The trail map also shows parking being added on Reeds Lake Drive (near the boardwalk portion of walking path).

2 weeks ago at takeoff. Helps with a comparison vs the old portion of A, and the B terminal. I was also there on Monday, and it looked like a few glass panels were up, where the addition meets the old. And lots of passenger traffic in both A and B.

Progress of GRR concourse A today.

Grove, set to return this fall! https://www.woodtv.com/news/grand-rapids/refreshed-grove-restaurant-reopening-in-grand-rapids/

This photo was from late last week...love the old painted signage!

ironyisadeadscene, I second the window seat. Seeing the horizon helps keep your bearings straight and you can see the outside conditions. Also, the closer to the front, the smoother the ride. When i first started traveling, I was a nervous flyer. I now travel quite often. Early on, what helped me is watching YouTube videos explaining turbulence, and what those sensations really are. Flights are often times smoother than driving on the road (and much safer). Reminding yourself of these things, and repetition will help. In terms of flights, it would be great if Delta added a direct LAX, SFO or SEA/PDX. Once international is ready, a London or Amsterdam would be great for a Europe gateway.

Depending on how long my trips are, I will often times take Lyft to and from the airport (typically only cost $16 one way). Like arcturus, many of the drivers say that are busy with airport calls. If you link your Lyft account to Delta Skymiles, each $1 on Lyft is 1 skymile, with promos that are 2x to 3x when used to / from airports.

I was in Chicago last weekend, and a few brave patios were open on January 5th! But it I agree that Grand Rapids in general could benefit from more outdoor seating.

Could lane dividers be added to the acceleration lane to stop that behavior, and help with the back up?