No daily flights out of Gary

This morning I found myself conducting my first interview for WLPR.  I departed my hotel and went straight to Gary-Chicago International Airport.  As I turned off I-65 onto US 12 and headed west, the scenery eventually became disturbing.  The potholed streets of Gary were lined with abandoned houses and businesses.  A once vibrant city was in a shambles as poverty and crime overtook it.  Yes, there were signs of improvement, like the new baseball stadium downtown, but the decay was overwhelming.

Over at GYY, there were no flights leaving this morning.  There would be none arriving this afternoon either.  Billed as Chicago's third airport, there hasn't been a commercial flight into or out of Gary since Skybus ceased operations in April 2008.  The parking lot was filled with snow.  The terminal was locked.  The tarmac was empty.

But the airport director was positive about future plans for GYY.  He gave me good sound for an upcoming story and sounded hopeful about new developments at the struggling airfield.

Back at the station, progress was being made.  The audio editing and broadcast booths were coming together and I was able to download my audio from the Gary interview onto a computer terminal in what I assume might be my office.  (A guy can dream, can't he?)

Although I brought enough groceries to eat in every night this week, I had a craving for Taco Bell.  So that was dinner in my hotel room tonight.  I forgot to buy a newspaper.  I wanted to check out apartments.  

Maybe I'll go to the mall after work tomorrow.  I need to buy a birthday present for someone.