5 Hour Layover in ATL

 
 
Five Hour Layover in the Atlanta Airport
March 31, 2012

Most of us dread a long layover.  We either want to get where we’re going or just get home and the only thing standing in our way is endless sitting around an airport.  When I was informed that my sisters and I had been moved from a flight with a 2-hr layover to a flight with a 5-hour layover on our way to Europe I was not thrilled.  But with restaurants to enjoy, shops to browse, and even art exhibits to take in we decided to make the most of our time and enjoy our 5-hour layover in Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL). 

We arrived from Akron/Canton Regional Airport right around noon and decided the first thing we’d do was get lunch.  We wanted Southern food and chose to eat at Paschal’s Restaurant, located in Concourse C.  Our server was a feisty little woman that gave advice like ‘Oh, you don’t want that- this is better!’ and ‘You sure you can eat all that?’  We had a feast of gumbo, mac & cheese, fried chicken and cornbread.  Our server called out ‘You girls have a fun time now!’ as we left.

Next we headed to Xpress Spa in Concourse A for manicures.  We were lucky there are two locations because the one in Concourse C was already full.  Xpress Spa is an oasis in the middle of the airport.  They took our bags and stowed them in lockers.  We were all ushered to massage chairs, given warm towels to refresh, shown a selection of nail polish colors and then received a very pampering manicure.  I loved every minute of it and my nails looked great for almost two weeks.  I definitely plan to visit Xpress Spa anytime I'm in an airport where they are located. 

In the last hour before boarding I wandered around the lower hallways connecting the concourses.  Several art exhibits are displayed in these areas.  I enjoyed a collection of sculptures from Zimbabwe and a series of photographs taken in Antarctica.  Then the girls and I went to On the Border Mexican Restaurant in Course T, just up from our gate, to enjoy some big margaritas before boarding.

We could not believe how quickly the time flew by.  We didn’t even have time to browse any of the clothing & accessory shops, newsstands or gadget stores.   We spent a very fun five hours in between flights at the Atlanta Airport.  Great airport amenities definitely make a long layover bearable if not enjoyable.