Yesterday we flew home through LaGuardia, the new LaGuardia, I might add. It really is quite incredible what they've done there. Admittedly, I haven't been in all its concourses since its renovation, but everything I've seen is an immense improvement over what used to be the case.
We were flying American, and after a slower path through security than would have been ideal (I'll spare you the truly boring details) we arrived at the main food court area with maybe 45 minutes before boarding. We found a cluster of chairs and began filling water bottles, going to the bathroom, assessing lunch options... By the time all that was done it was 20 minutes to board and I decided we had better head out to our gate, which was the last one on the concourse. As we headed out, I saw that there was one of those moving walkways. Mindful of the ungodly length of the terminals at the new JFK and also my mom's experience having to walk over a mile while switching planes at Charlotte back in November -- and almost missing her flight -- I suggested we hop on the moving walkway to make better time. Mary refused outright and said she was going to stick to walking on normal ground, with the clear intent of getting more steps in (I know her well. It was all about getting more exercise). Turns out, it was a short walk before we got to the gate due to clever design, so she was "right."
Or was she? What Mary did in this case was more or less like picking a stock that happens to do well. Her decision was not evidence-based, though in principle she's right to aim for more exercise. But if we had had a really long walk we might have not made good time (though we were safe from the POV of actual boarding, there was no real risk). But the decision wasn't well thought through. From a risk management perspective it was better to hedge by using the moving walkways, just like it's better to diversify a portfolio.
OK, maybe she was just right. But I will never, ever tell her that. Good thing she doesn't read my blog.
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