It's hard to do backflips over something like an airport, but there are exceptions. Dig deep enough and you'll find airports that are really well designed, super convenient, and architecturally beautiful places. There are airports like Washington D.C.'s National Airport (sometimes referred to by foreigners as "Reagan National").

In my opinion, National Airport (DCA) is the coolest airport in America.

To start with, I absolutely love the location. In a world that's full of ugly, sprawling airports located about a thousand miles from city centers, it's refreshing to fly into airports like National.

Think about it. If you're going to Washington, where do you want to be? Probably near the monuments. The museums. The capitol. The white house. You probably don't want to be stuck out in the far outlying exurbs, which is where Washington's other two airports (IAD and BWI) are located.

National is located directly across the river from everything the capital city has to offer. Five minutes by taxi and you're at the Smithsonian. But you don't need to ride the taxis! There's a Metro subway station at National, so in fewer steps than it would take you to get to the baggage claim in some airports, you're on a modern subway train whisking your way under the river and into the beating heart of the capital. That, my friends, is Convenience (yep -- with a capital "C")!

I fell in love with flying into National on my very first ever airplane trip, back when I was 14 years old. I was utterly enthralled by the approach as the plane slowly settled down towards the ground. The most common approach at National has always been to follow the Potomac River as it dropped down from the Shenandoah mountains towards the city. As the plane approaches the runways, you can look out and see the Washington monument, or if you're on the other side of the plane, you can see the Pentagon and the towering office buildings of downtown Arlington. In my opinion, this approach is one of the most scenic in America.

Even flights that approach from the east offer some stunning vistas, though with less power and impact of the westward approach. When flights approach from the east, they fly over the Chesapeake Bay and you can often spot sailboats or freighters out on the water as you fly over tranquil coves and inlets.

But why am I wasting time talking about the approaches?! The real beauty of National Airport is the terminal itself.

How many airports can truly be called "beautiful"? Not many! Most are antiseptic places of mediocre, uninspired design. They are places that are as square as a factory with windowless corridors and sharp corners. They are ugly. They remind me of badly designed high schools. Or jails. Or warehouses. Or worse. They have all the aesthetic charm of a pile of rubbish. But not National Airport!

When I walk through the airport's main concourse I feel like I'm in a holy place. The high vaulted ceilings with its high arches reminds me of nothing more than the feeling of peace that I feel when I walk into a cathedral. The tall wide expanses of glass stretching upwards create a very bright, welcome, comfortable feeling as the sunshine glints off the brightly polished tile floors. This is an airport that was designed by an architect -- by a person with vision and a sense of humanity and a sense of aesthetics -- it was designed by somebody who understands how to make a space both functional and habitable, it was not designed by an industrial box designer (although that guy got the design contract for about a hundred other ugly U.S. airports).

National Airport is even more beautiful to me when I think about how usable the terminal really is. I hate having to pass through airports that were badly designed with no sense of respect for the passengers -- like those ridiculously long walkways in Atlanta's Hartsfield Airport, or the insanely inconvenient midfield terminal at Washington's Dulles Airport -- those are bad airport designs. They're a slap in the face and a flip of the bird at people who have to endure the agony of using the facility. (Can you tell I have strong opinions about this?)

National Airport has fairly short piers off the main concourse. The walkways are generally as short as they can possibly be, not only from each other, but also from the ticketing and baggage claim areas. The only moderately distant hike that you'd have to make would be if you were coming in on a USAir shuttle and had to connect to Northwest or one of the other airlines using gates 1 through 9 (which are located off an arch shaped corridor at one end of the airport).

20 years ago I detested having to drive to National to pick up anyone. The parking was a mess! With the renovations that happened several years ago, new parking garages were built and I must say that they are some of the most attractive and functionally convenient garages of any major airport I've ever used. (At least for short-term parking. For long-term parking, I recommend one of the commercial satellite lots off Route 1 in nearby Alexandria -- surprisingly, parking is really no more expensive there than at lots around outlying airports like IAD and BWI).

Another reason I love using National is because there are so many boneheaded yuppies in Alexandria who complain about noise from National. My view is that if somebody is stupid enough to move in next door to an airport (keep in mind that this airport was built between 1938 and 1941 -- a good 40-50 years before the yuppie invasion), they deserve all the noise they get, so I like knowing that I'm contributing to the market demand for more flights at National. No, I don't suffer fools. Never have, never will. I just wish spineless local pols would have the huevos to tell the yuppies to friggin' move if they're so put out.

I've been known to rail about idiots who put shopping centers inside airports, but if ever there was an airport where it almost works, it's National. If you're one of those folks who just must exercise the credit card in the airport, you'll absolutely love National Airport! There are tons of stores, including some upscale brands -- like Brooks Brothers or Brookstone. While most cities with souvenir shops in their airports seem to have a dire poverty imagination, figuring that all a traveler could want would be tacky T-shirts, badly stenciled coffee cups, or baseball hats from the local sports teams, National has some moderately imaginitive shops, including one for the Smithsonian and another for the National Geographic Society. There is also a store called America that's got some predictably lame political and nationalistic flag waving stuff, but it actually seems particularly appropriate and local in flavor when you look out those big windows and can see the capitol across the river...

Of course there are dozens of little eateries, snack shops, and restaurants, most of dubious quality but indubitable name brand recognition. Have a Starbucks coffee, a Cinnabon, or a burger at TGI Fridays. Last time I passed through, they also had a small brewpub operated by Virginia Beverage Company where you could buy a palatable pint. I wonder if it's still there...

I like National. In fact, it's as close to being the perfect airport as I could imagine an airport being. Well, maybe there are a couple of things I could improve...

Some people tell me that they'll never fly on small planes. Well, I do, and there are some airports where I feel much safer on a small ATR or Fairchild than I do on an MD-80 or a Boeing 757. National is one of those airports and the reason is simple: short runways. When a jet comes into National, it always feels like the pilots reverse thrust the engines practically before the wheels touch down. Not that I'm complaining -- I love that feeling of instant stopping when I'm on roller coasters, and I don't mind it too much on a plane either -- especially since I've flown into National enough times to expect a fast braking as the plane touches down.

The other thing that I could wistfully ask for would be international flights. All flights in and out of National are domestic flights (yes, Air Canada does fly into National, but they do so via other cities in which you clear customs -- National is not your port of entry).

Minor nits in the scheme of things. Overall, National is by far my favorite airport in the Washington D.C. area and it is one of the most aesthetically beautiful and functionally usable airports anywhere.

I love flying into National Airport. Of course I consider Washington "home" since it's where most of my family and friends live, but I also love the airport for what it is: a stylishly sophisticated airport that welcomes visitors with beauty and convenience. Definitely a great first impression for people coming to see the nation's capital!

By the way, if you fly into National Airport, keep in mind that when Congress decided to inflict the "Ronald Reagan" name on National Airport a few years ago, they also mandated some new rules for flights into the airport:

1. Vegetarian meals will consist of ketchup.

2. A portion of all ticket revenues will be routed to Iranian terrorists.

3. First class ticket prices will be reduced for wealthy passengers so that air travel becomes more convenient for the poor.

4. All travel documents must be shredded.

5. I don't recall.

If you want official info about the airport, their web site is: mwaa.com/national

Have a good flight!



Recommended: Yes

Best Time to Travel Here: Mar - May