LAX is a bit of a ball ache with the massive queues but as an alternative - I can suggest breaking the journey up and getting an internal connection into John Wayne Airport Orange County.
So easy to get in and out of.
LAX was heaving when i went(2003) and the queues to staff ratio seemed like it was always just on the edge of getting out of hand. Luckily the heavy cop presence kept it borderline civil. Not sure if this was due to the events of 9/11 or a regular thing but for a US airport it seemed chaotic
Flown to LAX twice this year and took two and a half hours to get out of the place first time and two hours the second time. And that was before they did the ridiculous park and ride thing for uber and lyft. As someone said flying into Orange County is an alternative but only if you’re going to socal and I don’t like connecting if possible. Best US airport for me is Newark and would recommend it if going to NYC over JFK all day long.
Best airport I’ve flown out of/to is terminal 5. I know it’s an English thing to kick everything we do but they got it 100% bang on when they built it.
Yeah, so I'll kick Terminal 5. They didn't get it bang on at all. It is supposed to be the BA terminal, right? So when it first opened I came through it a few times, to/from PRG. Then, lo, behold, they found it wasn't big enough for all BA's flights. So they moved some to Terminal 3. Which ones? Alll the ones to/from the eastern side of Europe. And what was worse, for the first year or so we were even having to get on buses to the planes.. Everyone kicked shit out of BA for the buses, so eventually they got that fixed, but we are still stuck in T3, and it's shit.
On top of that, unless they have improved since the first year, I didn't find many places in T5 where you could just, you know, sit down, as opposed to going shopping for not very cheap "tax free" stuff.
You're welcome.:-)
So basically it's T3 that is shit, not T5 - which I agree.
Regarding seats at T5, I must be extremely lucky because I have always found one ... but then again, it is a lot easier in business class ;-)
LAX is a bit of a ball ache with the massive queues but as an alternative - I can suggest breaking the journey up and getting an internal connection into John Wayne Airport Orange County.
So easy to get in and out of.
LAX was heaving when i went(2003) and the queues to staff ratio seemed like it was always just on the edge of getting out of hand. Luckily the heavy cop presence kept it borderline civil. Not sure if this was due to the events of 9/11 or a regular thing but for a US airport it seemed chaotic
Flown to LAX twice this year and took two and a half hours to get out of the place first time and two hours the second time. And that was before they did the ridiculous park and ride thing for uber and lyft. As someone said flying into Orange County is an alternative but only if you’re going to socal and I don’t like connecting if possible. Best US airport for me is Newark and would recommend it if going to NYC over JFK all day long.
Best airport I’ve flown out of/to is terminal 5. I know it’s an English thing to kick everything we do but they got it 100% bang on when they built it.
Yeah, so I'll kick Terminal 5. They didn't get it bang on at all. It is supposed to be the BA terminal, right? So when it first opened I came through it a few times, to/from PRG. Then, lo, behold, they found it wasn't big enough for all BA's flights. So they moved some to Terminal 3. Which ones? Alll the ones to/from the eastern side of Europe. And what was worse, for the first year or so we were even having to get on buses to the planes.. Everyone kicked shit out of BA for the buses, so eventually they got that fixed, but we are still stuck in T3, and it's shit.
On top of that, unless they have improved since the first year, I didn't find many places in T5 where you could just, you know, sit down, as opposed to going shopping for not very cheap "tax free" stuff.
You're welcome.:-)
You’re not really kicking t5 tho, apart from not being able to sit down or budget shop. You’re kicking the decision to fly short haul from t3. Never flown from t3 so not really interested but the speed of getting through security at t5 is quicker than any other airport I’ve been too.
LAX is a bit of a ball ache with the massive queues but as an alternative - I can suggest breaking the journey up and getting an internal connection into John Wayne Airport Orange County.
So easy to get in and out of.
LAX was heaving when i went(2003) and the queues to staff ratio seemed like it was always just on the edge of getting out of hand. Luckily the heavy cop presence kept it borderline civil. Not sure if this was due to the events of 9/11 or a regular thing but for a US airport it seemed chaotic
Flown to LAX twice this year and took two and a half hours to get out of the place first time and two hours the second time. And that was before they did the ridiculous park and ride thing for uber and lyft. As someone said flying into Orange County is an alternative but only if you’re going to socal and I don’t like connecting if possible. Best US airport for me is Newark and would recommend it if going to NYC over JFK all day long.
Best airport I’ve flown out of/to is terminal 5. I know it’s an English thing to kick everything we do but they got it 100% bang on when they built it.
Yeah, so I'll kick Terminal 5. They didn't get it bang on at all. It is supposed to be the BA terminal, right? So when it first opened I came through it a few times, to/from PRG. Then, lo, behold, they found it wasn't big enough for all BA's flights. So they moved some to Terminal 3. Which ones? Alll the ones to/from the eastern side of Europe. And what was worse, for the first year or so we were even having to get on buses to the planes.. Everyone kicked shit out of BA for the buses, so eventually they got that fixed, but we are still stuck in T3, and it's shit.
On top of that, unless they have improved since the first year, I didn't find many places in T5 where you could just, you know, sit down, as opposed to going shopping for not very cheap "tax free" stuff.
You're welcome.:-)
So basically it's T3 that is shit, not T5 - which I agree.
Regarding seats at T5, I must be extremely lucky because I have always found one ... but then again, it is a lot easier in business class ;-)
Ha ha I refrained from saying it but thought exactly the same 🤭
Dalaman has improved as an airport over the years, but I still have to contact my mortgage provider for an extension every time I step in. As for UK, I prefer East Midlands. Always easy for check-in and very quick getting out when you return.
LAX is a bit of a ball ache with the massive queues but as an alternative - I can suggest breaking the journey up and getting an internal connection into John Wayne Airport Orange County.
So easy to get in and out of.
LAX was heaving when i went(2003) and the queues to staff ratio seemed like it was always just on the edge of getting out of hand. Luckily the heavy cop presence kept it borderline civil. Not sure if this was due to the events of 9/11 or a regular thing but for a US airport it seemed chaotic
Flown to LAX twice this year and took two and a half hours to get out of the place first time and two hours the second time. And that was before they did the ridiculous park and ride thing for uber and lyft. As someone said flying into Orange County is an alternative but only if you’re going to socal and I don’t like connecting if possible. Best US airport for me is Newark and would recommend it if going to NYC over JFK all day long.
Best airport I’ve flown out of/to is terminal 5. I know it’s an English thing to kick everything we do but they got it 100% bang on when they built it.
Yeah, so I'll kick Terminal 5. They didn't get it bang on at all. It is supposed to be the BA terminal, right? So when it first opened I came through it a few times, to/from PRG. Then, lo, behold, they found it wasn't big enough for all BA's flights. So they moved some to Terminal 3. Which ones? Alll the ones to/from the eastern side of Europe. And what was worse, for the first year or so we were even having to get on buses to the planes.. Everyone kicked shit out of BA for the buses, so eventually they got that fixed, but we are still stuck in T3, and it's shit.
On top of that, unless they have improved since the first year, I didn't find many places in T5 where you could just, you know, sit down, as opposed to going shopping for not very cheap "tax free" stuff.
You're welcome.:-)
You’re not really kicking t5 tho, apart from not being able to sit down or budget shop. You’re kicking the decision to fly short haul from t3. Never flown from t3 so not really interested but the speed of getting through security at t5 is quicker than any other airport I’ve been too.
Budget shop? I don't want to shop at all, thanks, I want to get home. If I want to take some whisky home, I'd buy it from a serious ÚK shop but I cant because of the bogus bollocks about liquids as a "security risk" which just happens to be the main reason why World of Whisky is a profitable business. And if you read my post you'd understand that I didnt "choose" anything about T3. I am there because the fucking geniuses who designed T5 for BA somehow didn't talk to BA about how many flights they plan for. Anyway, BA solved the problem by starting Prague flights from LCY. Which is great if you are heading for SE7/9.
Speaking of which, Crossrail, another great British success that was supposed to whisk me from LHR to SEL, from this time last year...yah, we are hard on ourselves aren't we?
LAX is a bit of a ball ache with the massive queues but as an alternative - I can suggest breaking the journey up and getting an internal connection into John Wayne Airport Orange County.
So easy to get in and out of.
LAX was heaving when i went(2003) and the queues to staff ratio seemed like it was always just on the edge of getting out of hand. Luckily the heavy cop presence kept it borderline civil. Not sure if this was due to the events of 9/11 or a regular thing but for a US airport it seemed chaotic
Flown to LAX twice this year and took two and a half hours to get out of the place first time and two hours the second time. And that was before they did the ridiculous park and ride thing for uber and lyft. As someone said flying into Orange County is an alternative but only if you’re going to socal and I don’t like connecting if possible. Best US airport for me is Newark and would recommend it if going to NYC over JFK all day long.
Best airport I’ve flown out of/to is terminal 5. I know it’s an English thing to kick everything we do but they got it 100% bang on when they built it.
Yeah, so I'll kick Terminal 5. They didn't get it bang on at all. It is supposed to be the BA terminal, right? So when it first opened I came through it a few times, to/from PRG. Then, lo, behold, they found it wasn't big enough for all BA's flights. So they moved some to Terminal 3. Which ones? Alll the ones to/from the eastern side of Europe. And what was worse, for the first year or so we were even having to get on buses to the planes.. Everyone kicked shit out of BA for the buses, so eventually they got that fixed, but we are still stuck in T3, and it's shit.
On top of that, unless they have improved since the first year, I didn't find many places in T5 where you could just, you know, sit down, as opposed to going shopping for not very cheap "tax free" stuff.
You're welcome.:-)
You’re not really kicking t5 tho, apart from not being able to sit down or budget shop. You’re kicking the decision to fly short haul from t3. Never flown from t3 so not really interested but the speed of getting through security at t5 is quicker than any other airport I’ve been too.
Budget shop? I don't want to shop at all, thanks, I want to get home. If I want to take some whisky home, I'd buy it from a serious ÚK shop but I cant because of the bogus bollocks about liquids as a "security risk" which just happens to be the main reason why World of Whisky is a profitable business. And if you read my post you'd understand that I didnt "choose" anything about T3. I am there because the fucking geniuses who designed T5 for BA somehow didn't talk to BA about how many flights they plan for. Anyway, BA solved the problem by starting Prague flights from LCY. Which is great if you are heading for SE7/9.
Speaking of which, Crossrail, another great British success that was supposed to whisk me from LHR to SEL, from this time last year...yah, we are hard on ourselves aren't we?
You sound quite angry despite your issue seemingly resolved with flights from Prague going into LCY.
Crossrail. Hmmm, another one of Mayor Khan’s failures.
LAX is a bit of a ball ache with the massive queues but as an alternative - I can suggest breaking the journey up and getting an internal connection into John Wayne Airport Orange County.
So easy to get in and out of.
LAX was heaving when i went(2003) and the queues to staff ratio seemed like it was always just on the edge of getting out of hand. Luckily the heavy cop presence kept it borderline civil. Not sure if this was due to the events of 9/11 or a regular thing but for a US airport it seemed chaotic
Flown to LAX twice this year and took two and a half hours to get out of the place first time and two hours the second time. And that was before they did the ridiculous park and ride thing for uber and lyft. As someone said flying into Orange County is an alternative but only if you’re going to socal and I don’t like connecting if possible. Best US airport for me is Newark and would recommend it if going to NYC over JFK all day long.
Best airport I’ve flown out of/to is terminal 5. I know it’s an English thing to kick everything we do but they got it 100% bang on when they built it.
Yeah, so I'll kick Terminal 5. They didn't get it bang on at all. It is supposed to be the BA terminal, right? So when it first opened I came through it a few times, to/from PRG. Then, lo, behold, they found it wasn't big enough for all BA's flights. So they moved some to Terminal 3. Which ones? Alll the ones to/from the eastern side of Europe. And what was worse, for the first year or so we were even having to get on buses to the planes.. Everyone kicked shit out of BA for the buses, so eventually they got that fixed, but we are still stuck in T3, and it's shit.
On top of that, unless they have improved since the first year, I didn't find many places in T5 where you could just, you know, sit down, as opposed to going shopping for not very cheap "tax free" stuff.
You're welcome.:-)
Not just Eastern Europe, Cape Town as well. T3 has imporved (couldnt have got worse, i suppose). And there are plenty of places to sit in T5 .
LAX is a bit of a ball ache with the massive queues but as an alternative - I can suggest breaking the journey up and getting an internal connection into John Wayne Airport Orange County.
So easy to get in and out of.
LAX was heaving when i went(2003) and the queues to staff ratio seemed like it was always just on the edge of getting out of hand. Luckily the heavy cop presence kept it borderline civil. Not sure if this was due to the events of 9/11 or a regular thing but for a US airport it seemed chaotic
Flown to LAX twice this year and took two and a half hours to get out of the place first time and two hours the second time. And that was before they did the ridiculous park and ride thing for uber and lyft. As someone said flying into Orange County is an alternative but only if you’re going to socal and I don’t like connecting if possible. Best US airport for me is Newark and would recommend it if going to NYC over JFK all day long.
Best airport I’ve flown out of/to is terminal 5. I know it’s an English thing to kick everything we do but they got it 100% bang on when they built it.
Yeah, so I'll kick Terminal 5. They didn't get it bang on at all. It is supposed to be the BA terminal, right? So when it first opened I came through it a few times, to/from PRG. Then, lo, behold, they found it wasn't big enough for all BA's flights. So they moved some to Terminal 3. Which ones? Alll the ones to/from the eastern side of Europe. And what was worse, for the first year or so we were even having to get on buses to the planes.. Everyone kicked shit out of BA for the buses, so eventually they got that fixed, but we are still stuck in T3, and it's shit.
On top of that, unless they have improved since the first year, I didn't find many places in T5 where you could just, you know, sit down, as opposed to going shopping for not very cheap "tax free" stuff.
You're welcome.:-)
You’re not really kicking t5 tho, apart from not being able to sit down or budget shop. You’re kicking the decision to fly short haul from t3. Never flown from t3 so not really interested but the speed of getting through security at t5 is quicker than any other airport I’ve been too.
Budget shop? I don't want to shop at all, thanks, I want to get home. If I want to take some whisky home, I'd buy it from a serious ÚK shop but I cant because of the bogus bollocks about liquids as a "security risk" which just happens to be the main reason why World of Whisky is a profitable business. And if you read my post you'd understand that I didnt "choose" anything about T3. I am there because the fucking geniuses who designed T5 for BA somehow didn't talk to BA about how many flights they plan for. Anyway, BA solved the problem by starting Prague flights from LCY. Which is great if you are heading for SE7/9.
Speaking of which, Crossrail, another great British success that was supposed to whisk me from LHR to SEL, from this time last year...yah, we are hard on ourselves aren't we?
You sound quite angry despite your issue seemingly resolved with flights from Prague going into LCY.
Crossrail. Hmmm, another one of Mayor Khan’s failures.
Well it was nearly midnight after an evening trying to forget about what I'd just seen on Valley pass a few hours earlier.
Crossrail has fuck all to do with Mayor Khan, but you already know that, and there's a thread for it.
LAX is a bit of a ball ache with the massive queues but as an alternative - I can suggest breaking the journey up and getting an internal connection into John Wayne Airport Orange County.
So easy to get in and out of.
LAX was heaving when i went(2003) and the queues to staff ratio seemed like it was always just on the edge of getting out of hand. Luckily the heavy cop presence kept it borderline civil. Not sure if this was due to the events of 9/11 or a regular thing but for a US airport it seemed chaotic
Flown to LAX twice this year and took two and a half hours to get out of the place first time and two hours the second time. And that was before they did the ridiculous park and ride thing for uber and lyft. As someone said flying into Orange County is an alternative but only if you’re going to socal and I don’t like connecting if possible. Best US airport for me is Newark and would recommend it if going to NYC over JFK all day long.
Best airport I’ve flown out of/to is terminal 5. I know it’s an English thing to kick everything we do but they got it 100% bang on when they built it.
Yeah, so I'll kick Terminal 5. They didn't get it bang on at all. It is supposed to be the BA terminal, right? So when it first opened I came through it a few times, to/from PRG. Then, lo, behold, they found it wasn't big enough for all BA's flights. So they moved some to Terminal 3. Which ones? Alll the ones to/from the eastern side of Europe. And what was worse, for the first year or so we were even having to get on buses to the planes.. Everyone kicked shit out of BA for the buses, so eventually they got that fixed, but we are still stuck in T3, and it's shit.
On top of that, unless they have improved since the first year, I didn't find many places in T5 where you could just, you know, sit down, as opposed to going shopping for not very cheap "tax free" stuff.
You're welcome.:-)
You’re not really kicking t5 tho, apart from not being able to sit down or budget shop. You’re kicking the decision to fly short haul from t3. Never flown from t3 so not really interested but the speed of getting through security at t5 is quicker than any other airport I’ve been too.
Budget shop? I don't want to shop at all, thanks, I want to get home. If I want to take some whisky home, I'd buy it from a serious ÚK shop but I cant because of the bogus bollocks about liquids as a "security risk" which just happens to be the main reason why World of Whisky is a profitable business. And if you read my post you'd understand that I didnt "choose" anything about T3. I am there because the fucking geniuses who designed T5 for BA somehow didn't talk to BA about how many flights they plan for. Anyway, BA solved the problem by starting Prague flights from LCY. Which is great if you are heading for SE7/9.
Speaking of which, Crossrail, another great British success that was supposed to whisk me from LHR to SEL, from this time last year...yah, we are hard on ourselves aren't we?
Best - I think Doha airport in Qatar is hard to beat. The old separate business/first class terminal was hard to beat but then they built a new one. Was lucky enough to be able to use the first class lounge at the newer terminal and the food and choice of wines was literally first class.
Worst - I used to travel a bit to Africa and found Lagos quite a depressing place to arrive at but the airport wasn’t that bad. I think the airport on Sakhalin Island in the East of Russia was of a pretty low standard given the amount of money being made from oil in that region.
Just a quick shout out for Berlin. Schonefeld was awfull when I went there a while back - barely any services at all. And Tegel is bad too. It'll be interesting to see how the new airport works out, but the ones they have look more suitable for the Isle of Wight than a major city
LAX is a bit of a ball ache with the massive queues but as an alternative - I can suggest breaking the journey up and getting an internal connection into John Wayne Airport Orange County.
So easy to get in and out of.
LAX was heaving when i went(2003) and the queues to staff ratio seemed like it was always just on the edge of getting out of hand. Luckily the heavy cop presence kept it borderline civil. Not sure if this was due to the events of 9/11 or a regular thing but for a US airport it seemed chaotic
Flown to LAX twice this year and took two and a half hours to get out of the place first time and two hours the second time. And that was before they did the ridiculous park and ride thing for uber and lyft. As someone said flying into Orange County is an alternative but only if you’re going to socal and I don’t like connecting if possible. Best US airport for me is Newark and would recommend it if going to NYC over JFK all day long.
Best airport I’ve flown out of/to is terminal 5. I know it’s an English thing to kick everything we do but they got it 100% bang on when they built it.
Yeah, so I'll kick Terminal 5. They didn't get it bang on at all. It is supposed to be the BA terminal, right? So when it first opened I came through it a few times, to/from PRG. Then, lo, behold, they found it wasn't big enough for all BA's flights. So they moved some to Terminal 3. Which ones? Alll the ones to/from the eastern side of Europe. And what was worse, for the first year or so we were even having to get on buses to the planes.. Everyone kicked shit out of BA for the buses, so eventually they got that fixed, but we are still stuck in T3, and it's shit.
On top of that, unless they have improved since the first year, I didn't find many places in T5 where you could just, you know, sit down, as opposed to going shopping for not very cheap "tax free" stuff.
You're welcome.:-)
You’re not really kicking t5 tho, apart from not being able to sit down or budget shop. You’re kicking the decision to fly short haul from t3. Never flown from t3 so not really interested but the speed of getting through security at t5 is quicker than any other airport I’ve been too.
Budget shop? I don't want to shop at all, thanks, I want to get home. If I want to take some whisky home, I'd buy it from a serious ÚK shop but I cant because of the bogus bollocks about liquids as a "security risk" which just happens to be the main reason why World of Whisky is a profitable business. And if you read my post you'd understand that I didnt "choose" anything about T3. I am there because the fucking geniuses who designed T5 for BA somehow didn't talk to BA about how many flights they plan for. Anyway, BA solved the problem by starting Prague flights from LCY. Which is great if you are heading for SE7/9.
Speaking of which, Crossrail, another great British success that was supposed to whisk me from LHR to SEL, from this time last year...yah, we are hard on ourselves aren't we?
Just a quick shout out for Berlin. Schonefeld was awfull when I went there a while back - barely any services at all. And Tegel is bad too. It'll be interesting to see how the new airport works out, but the ones they have look more suitable for the Isle of Wight than a major city
Bournemouth airport rocks...but only for it's proximity to home. I've been lucky enough on a couple of occasions to have been pulling up outside home literally less than 25 minutes after we've touched down. And also after about 2 hours too sadly.
Not really a fan of US airports for the same reasons as others - massively officious and inefficient immigration procedures and I hold a special hatred for Dulles. Mostly because when I flew out of there on a Friday afternoon I failed to realise that half of Washington decamps back "home" at that time, including 90% of the check in staff it seemed. The only time I've missed a flight and I never want to again.
I was on the first charter flight into Trivandrum in Kerala when it started opening up to packages back in the day. Other than waiting 2 hours for them to find a set of steps to fit the plane after we landed...perhaps they should have thought of this first...it was quite a surreal experience.
Because it was opening the region up to mass tourism they made quite a song and dance out of it. Literally. It was like being in a Bollywood movie, with bands playing and dancers doing their stuff and local dignitaries greeting us all individually with a garland and bindi spot.
We walked out of the main terminal, and being one of the first out, and I was collared by a national TV crew who interviewed me about how great it all was. Stood right next to an elephant. I have no idea what I said as I was beyond tired and a bit shell shocked to receive the attention but I still like to claim that I was broadcasting to 100m plus people...
Best : ok, not a Airport per se, but i find Terminal 5 at Heathrow just so relaxing and airy and easy and spacious - all things you dont associate with British airports.
As an Airport, maybe Luxembourg, because it also has all of the things mentioned above.
Worst: For me, the worst has been Patras in Greece - just soulless and intidating with all the military aircraft surrounding the runway that they cant afford to fly,you could literally walk off the plane, down the end of the runway and off you go into the country.
However, i am due to go flying internally in Zambia later this month, so, no doubt that might well change by then.
JFK is also the pits, full of scummy officious people who make you feel like you are just a lump of meat.
JFK is one of the reasons (as well as the spurious taxes you get charged at NY hotels) that i will not return to New York again.
After sampling the delights of Zambian provincial airports (loads of Chinese development) , i can say that Patras is still the worst.
Best-Heathrow Terminal 5. 5 minutes to get through security and everyone was so friendly! Close second is Indianapolis, incredibly clean and usually not too busy.
Worst-LAX. Dirty, crowded, confusing to get around, lack of signage made me and my family almost miss our connection home
Comments
Regarding seats at T5, I must be extremely lucky because I have always found one ... but then again, it is a lot easier in business class ;-)
As for UK, I prefer East Midlands. Always easy for check-in and very quick getting out when you return.
Worst - Boston Logan
Speaking of which, Crossrail, another great British success that was supposed to whisk me from LHR to SEL, from this time last year...yah, we are hard on ourselves aren't we?
Crossrail. Hmmm, another one of Mayor Khan’s failures.
And there are plenty of places to sit in T5 .
Crossrail has fuck all to do with Mayor Khan, but you already know that, and there's a thread for it.
Worst - I used to travel a bit to Africa and found Lagos quite a depressing place to arrive at but the airport wasn’t that bad. I think the airport on Sakhalin Island in the East of Russia was of a pretty low standard given the amount of money being made from oil in that region.
Not really a fan of US airports for the same reasons as others - massively officious and inefficient immigration procedures and I hold a special hatred for Dulles. Mostly because when I flew out of there on a Friday afternoon I failed to realise that half of Washington decamps back "home" at that time, including 90% of the check in staff it seemed. The only time I've missed a flight and I never want to again.
I was on the first charter flight into Trivandrum in Kerala when it started opening up to packages back in the day. Other than waiting 2 hours for them to find a set of steps to fit the plane after we landed...perhaps they should have thought of this first...it was quite a surreal experience.
Because it was opening the region up to mass tourism they made quite a song and dance out of it. Literally. It was like being in a Bollywood movie, with bands playing and dancers doing their stuff and local dignitaries greeting us all individually with a garland and bindi spot.
We walked out of the main terminal, and being one of the first out, and I was collared by a national TV crew who interviewed me about how great it all was. Stood right next to an elephant. I have no idea what I said as I was beyond tired and a bit shell shocked to receive the attention but I still like to claim that I was broadcasting to 100m plus people...
Worst - Corfu. Always crowded and unpleasant.
Worst-LAX. Dirty, crowded, confusing to get around, lack of signage made me and my family almost miss our connection home