Why the new wave of airports will make you wish you could stay
God, it’s good to breathe crisp Swiss air. Yeah, I know, right? Clean air is about as much a Swiss stereotype as a man in lederhosen skipping through the foothills with his milking cow on a chocolate wrapper. And yet here I am, in the middle of an airport, and there’s fresh air to be had. Now, let’s backtrack a second, because my talking about fresh air in the overcrowded human terrarium you associate with long queues, bawling children and a mash of announcements in at least two languages sounds paradoxical.
But when you’re in Swiss International Air Lines’ Zurich Airport Dock E, and the SWISS First Class lounge specifically, you have an entire rooftop bar overlooking the Alps from which to huff on as much pure grade-A Swiss oxygen as you like. And that’s not even on the menu in front of me, but more on that later.
Having just been disgorged from the belly of an Airbus, fresh air and espressos are compensating well for my 10-hour flight – in Business Class with its over-achieving wine list. I only have six hours here, but there’s something strange about this layover. For the first time in, well, ever, I don’t really want to leave the airport.
Airports are places I universally level as being one and the same; from Rio to Hong Kong, they’re a convolution of travelators, security checks and aerobridges through which you trudge as quickly as possible to go places, specifically, anywhere but there. The airport is never the place; rather it’s the warren of tunnels through which a million and one people cross paths on their ways to more important places, and god forbid you should have to stay in one for any longer than a few hours.
Bu hikaye GQ India dergisinin November 2016 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye GQ India dergisinin November 2016 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
The 30 Best Watches Of 2024
Rounding up the best shapes, materials, complications and sizes from this year's horological novelty treasure chest.
Wes Lang's Heroes of Love...
Last month, LA-based artist Wes Lang unveiled The Black Paintings, a monumental series of works that play like storyboards to a raucous midnight horror movieand a spiritual quest. Here, GQ collaborates with the artist on a fashion story that brings his stylish characters off the canvas.
The Miraculous Resurrection of Notre Dame
In 2019, a fire nearly destroyed the crown jewel of France-and the nation set a breakneck five-year deadline to bring it back from the ashes. This is the story of how an army of artisans turned back centuries to restore Notre-Dame by hand, and wound up reviving something even greater than the cathedral itself.
"IT'S NOT ABOUT BEING PERFECT. IT'S ABOUT BEING REVOLUTIONARY."
Beyoncé Knowles-Carter talks business, legacy, art, and family
The Wedding Singers
Madboy Mink's dynamic duo, Saba Azad and Imaad Shah, redefine festive style.
A Watch Is More Than Just a Pretty Face
As collectors look to make their grail watches stand out, they're turning to unique vintage bracelets and paying thousands on thousands for straps on the secondary market.
The Fluidity of Cartier
Why Gen Z stars are obsessed with this historic maison.
A Princess with Passion
From restoring monuments to reviving hereditary crafts, Bhavnagar's Brijeshwari Kumari Gohil has her sights on the future.
THE FUTURE SOUNDS LIKE AT EEZ
The Coachella-slaying, multi-language-singing, genre-obliterating members of Ateez are quickly becoming load-bearing stars of our global pop universe.
DEMNA UNMASKED
He's the most influential designer of the past decade. He's also the most controversial. Now the creative director of Balenciaga is exploring a surprising source of inspiration: happiness. GQ's Samuel Hine witnesses the dawn of Demna's new era, in Paris, New York, and Shanghai. Photographs by Jason Nocito.