Originally Posted by
HoyaSFOIAD
I’m admittedly bittersweet about this. T3 was the terminal I “grew up” at. As a kid being there meant going somewhere fun. Be it my grandparents or on vacation. Every now and then I would travel with my dad for his work and stay with family friends. Being a kid and walking through T3 with my dad, who I adore, and all the businesspeople getting on the early flights made me feel like I was getting a glimpse into the “important grown up” world and allowed to be a part of it for a day. Even the architecture always felt no-nonsense and “grown up” to me, but in a good way. When he took me to the rotunda rcc for the first time I thought we must have been bonafide celebrities. Now I’ve been going through T3 for two decades as one of those “important businessmen” and have also taken my kids through on vacation just like I had been. I bounced on those walkways as a kid and I still bounce on them as an adult. Big rush of nostalgia these days for T3. Meant something special as a kid and even as an adult it’s pretty hard to be jaded. Maybe it’s my rose-colored bias but I think it has stood up very well to the test of time, especially compared to other older airport terminals. But, yes, it is probably time for a refresh and onto something new. Get those walkway bounces in while you can, get a drink from Hong at the UC bar (and tip her well!) when you can.
I feel a little bit this nostalgic too. I didn't grow up in the Bay Area, but I've been flying in and out of SFO and primarily T3 for the better part of 20 years. I remember as a kid sitting in the departures hall with my dad just looking in awe at the tube displays listing all the far-flung destinations that United flew to. When I was a college student flying back home to Denver for the holidays, I'd always stop at the Ghirardelli store across from gate 72 and pick up a harder-to-find flavor of chocolate for my mom.
T3 is so familiar to me, it really does feel like home. I feel like I know every nook and cranny of that building (though perhaps I didn't – never knew about the mezzanine E club until a few posts up!) The building is perfectly manageable and easy to navigate. The construction will be disruptive, but I know it'll be worth it. I think all of SFO's projects have turned out really well, which can't be said of other airports.