Like most travelers, I loathe airports.
After avoiding United Airlines for years due to bad reviews, I jumped at a cheap fare this holiday, and the commute to New Jersey's Newark Airport that it required.
Last year, United's Terminal C reopened after a $120 million renovation spearheaded by airport restaurateur OTG. The transformation ditched the usual drab airport food options for an architecturally beautiful selection of 55 celebrity-chef inflected eateries ranging from ramen to Neapolitan-style pizza.
The ultimate airport skeptic, I came away from Newark's terminal-of-the-future absolutely delighted — both by the cuisines, and some thoughtful touches that make any travelers' lives easier.
Take a look inside to see how it taught me to stop hating, and begin loving the bright future of airports.
The new terminal was designed by architect David Rockwell, who has designed numerous high-end restaurants. The Global Bazaar, which has a number of rotating fast-casual eateries and a few fancier sit-down restaurants, is at the heart of the terminal.
It all feels very high-tech. There are no cashiers for any of the fast-casual eateries or convenience stores. Instead, everyone pays at self-check-out kiosks spread across the floor.
There are a lot of options, but some are only open at certain times. While Casciano's Deli serves up fresh Italian sandwiches at dinner time, the signage rotates in the morning to serve breakfast sandwiches at Poppy's Bagels.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider