[As much as I enjoyed writing this, I subsequently realized that the part of the experience involving repeated forays out into the rain were the result of extremely unusual amounts of rain falling over several days. The LA Times reported that the airport received 11-times its average amount of rain over the past 7 days. So perhaps our experience was abnormal, at least the “walking in the rain” part of it.]

Over the weekend, we mentioned to a longtime friend that we were going to be flying into the local airport in Long Beach, California (“LGB” for those who enjoy airport acronyms).

She was enthusiastic about this small airport, and explained how she much preferred landing there instead of in the huge LAX airport in Los Angeles. Easier to deal with, she said.

Well, our Hawaiian Airlines flight landed in Long Beach about 7:30 p.m. Tuesday night. The experience to follow was, well, to be blunt…terrible.

First shock. No covered jetways here to protect from the elements. It’s back to the old days I can recall at Hawaii airports, where the open stairways were maneuvered up to the door of the aircraft. This was a major surprise last night since (a) it’s a lot colder here in Long Beach in February than at home, and (b) it was raining.

The flight crew made an announcement before we deplaned, warning that it was raining, the ramp was wet, it was likely to be slippery, and we should cling for dear life to the hand rails. Well, maybe they didn’t put it quite like that, but it was close!

Okay, we made it down the ramp in the rain and expected that we would be able to quickly enter the terminal to escape the precipitation, especially since we weren’t dressed for either wet or cold.

But, no. We were instead directed along the outside of the terminal building, yes, still in the rain, and sent to the left towards the baggage claim area which was in a separate building requiring, once again, walking in the rain to reach it.

So we finally arrived, damp and cold, and waited, and waited, for luggage to start appearing on Baggage Claim #2.

In the background, a recorded message bragged that this is considered the “preferred” airport by many area travelers.

That bit of news came as I made the next discovery. There are no restrooms in the baggage claim area. Get off your five hour flight from Honolulu, stand in the rain, skip through the puddles to baggage claim and…well, if nature calls, there’s a temporary sign, with arrow pointing into the darkness, advising that the nearest restrooms are located in the ticket lobby.

And, guess what? That requires going out into the rain again. So I joined the queue of people heading brightly lit lobby across the open courtyard, and then returning. Both ways requiring another minute in the cold rain.

So far, well…so far.

Okay. We finally retrieved our bags and went to look for a taxi. There was a large arrow pointing out into the dark and the rain, toward “ground transportation.”

Well, that was the last signage to be seen. So we had to go on safari looking for the taxi line. By now, the rain had thankfully tapered off, but we were reduced to stopping people on the sidewalk in front of the terminal asking where we would get a taxi. No one we talked to had any idea. All they could say was, “welcome to Long Beach!”

After standing there for several minutes quizzing passersby and feeling stupid, I spotted several taxis out on the other side of the airport access road, near the parking lot.

We walked toward the nearest taxi, and the driver looked up and pointed into the darkness around the corner of the building.

So off we went, dragging the suitcases through a few more puddles, to finally see a taxi stand, hidden out of view from anywhere near the terminal. And, as mentioned, there was no visible signage.

I guess this airport isn’t really here for first-time visitors, but for seasoned local travelers who know where they’re going.

Or perhaps it was just that there were signs and directions somewhere along the way that aren’t visible after dark.

Whatever.

To our friend, I have to say that this small airport’s “charm” wasn’t evident to us.