Airport Adventures:
MINNEAPOLIS AIRPORT

by David A. Shogren

"While driving to Iowa from Duluth in 1972 we hit a major snowstorm in Minneapolis. The Airport was close so we made the attempt to sleep there. The "anti-sleeping" benches made it nearly impossible but I did manage to cut all circulation off to my right arm for three hours while in a semi-conscious state. Muzak, sweeping machines and bad coffee made for a Kafka-esk experience.  After awaking, I spent the next several hours worrying about the possibility of amputation as I had no feeling my arm.  I still suffer some nerve damage and Raynaud's Syndrome. Now, all these years later, a successful medical education professional instead of a struggling student, I make it a point to never fly Northworst. The former "Chamberlin Field" still has the same torture chamber benches which makes it another great reason to avoid the airport and the city. Rental car sleeping is a winner as long as it's warm out and there is no concern about CO poisoning, The vibrating alarm on the cell phone makes a great wake-up call. Probably the best sleep I ever got was in a vehicle during a huge thunderstorm in St.Cloud. But that's another story."

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The Budget Traveller's Guide to Sleeping in Airports has been online since 1996

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