Inside United's Terminal C's recently reopened terminal — which cost $120 million in renovations
Like most travelers, I loathe airports.
After avoiding United Airlines for years due to bad reviews, I jumped at a cheap fare this holiday, and the commute to New Jersey's Newark Airport that it required.
Last year, United's Terminal C reopened after a $120 million renovation spearheaded by airport restaurateur OTG. The transformation ditched the usual drab airport food options for an architecturally beautiful selection of 55 celebrity-chef inflected eateries ranging from ramen to Neapolitan-style pizza.
The ultimate airport skeptic, I came away from Newark's terminal-of-the-future absolutely delighted — both by the cuisines, and some thoughtful touches that make any travelers' lives easier.
Take a look inside to see how it taught me to stop hating, and begin loving the bright future of airports.
The new terminal was designed by architect David Rockwell, who has designed numerous high-end restaurants. The Global Bazaar, which has a number of rotating fast-casual eateries and a few fancier sit-down restaurants, is at the heart of the terminal.
It all feels very high-tech. There are no cashiers for any of the fast-casual eateries or convenience stores. Instead, everyone pays at self-check-out kiosks spread across the floor.
There are a lot of options, but some are only open at certain times. While Casciano's Deli serves up fresh Italian sandwiches at dinner time, the signage rotates in the morning to serve breakfast sandwiches at Poppy's Bagels.
Most of the to-go options are in the $12-16 range. The cheekily named Notorious P.I.G seemed to be a popular option. If I was hankering for BBQ, I surely would've ordered food here.
What would the future be without a Coca Cola Freestyle machine? I've sworn off soda as of late, but anyone who's given the Freestyle a try knows it has a mind-numbing number of soda customizations.
The terminal is filled with tables and seating so you can hang out and get some work done. Because who needs to unplug when you can just plug in?
The number of outlets is a game-changer. I have spent too many layovers huddled around the only two outlets in a terminal fighting with travelers for power.
There are a lot of fine dining options — and you can tell a lot of attention was paid to the design of the restaurants. Each has its own flair. Like wine bar Oeno, which looked like a modern art installation plopped into the center of the concourse.
For something a bit in between, you could head to celebrity chef Josh Capon's Wanderlust Burger Bar. It seemed to be the busiest in the terminal.
Buckle up, because the future isn't cheap. The fish tacos at Surf, a restaurant serving Jersey Shore-inspired seafood, will run you $19.50.
As I am forever in the mood for ramen (who isn't?), I decided to try out Kaedama in the center of the Global Bazaar. There seemed to be 6,000 iPads in the terminal for ordering food at the various restaurants.
I must note that the reviews for many of the restaurants in the terminal are low and it seems the iPads may share some of the blame. One reviewer for nearby Vesper Tavern said the lack of interaction with waiters due to the iPad made the restaurant experience "sad and lonely."
I noticed similar comments on Yelp reviews for other terminal restaurants. I see their point, but can't say I agree.
No more trying to flag down bartenders or dealing with pesky humans. In the future, your beer magically appears at your table.*
Note: Your beer does not "magically" appear. A very friendly bartender was mixing and serving drinks. Tip your servers.
While you wait, the iPad is loaded up with games and newspapers. You can also scan your boarding pass to keep tabs on your flight. Turned out my flight was delayed by 45 minutes. Thanks United!
I got the $16 pork tonkotsu ramen. You could do worse; that price is comparable to Manhattan. The noodles were springy and the broth flavorful. However, I take issue with using pulled pork rather than chashu. Not a fan.
When you're finished, dine and ditch! Just kidding. Swipe your credit card and you're finished. No waiting while the gate for your flight closes before you get there.
Above Kaedama is a 40-foot art installation inspired by Tokyo's bright lights. When I was there, the mesh of 17,000 LED lights was showing a rotating selection of Hanukah decorations. The War on Christmas continues it appears.
With my flight delayed, I decided to continue exploring the terminal after dinner. The United Club is open to United Club pass holders and offers snacks, beer and wine, showers, and Wi-Fi. I am not a pass holder.
Bar Left is a good option if you're in more of a drinking mood. I wouldn't blame you with the state of the world these days.
There are dozens of stores, from shoe seller Johnston & Murphy to more expected vendors like luggage maker Tumi. This souvenir shop was subtly named America! Unfortunately, it didn't seem like many people were interested in what America! was selling.
Many of the shops sell locally sourced products like the Jersey Shore's famous salt-water taffy and beer glasses. I also discovered artisanal beef jerky and pork cracklings.
Not even Duty Free is safe from the consonant-and-vowel-stealing marketers of the future.
Are we in the Lower East Side? Because it's starting to feel like it. Thyme was developed by vegetable chef extraordinaire Amanda Cohen of Dirt Candy fame.
Perhaps Midtown is more your scene? Fine-dining superstar Paul Liebrandt's Vesper Tavern serves upscale pub food.
If you would like some old-fashioned cornflakes to take on the plane, you're out of luck. But can I interest you in Cibo's extensive selection of "superfood" products?
I opted for the cheapest water I could find. Hey, "responsibly sourced" water from upstate New York packaged in paper cartons doesn't come for free, you know.
After exploring, I found a place to get a bit of work done. The touch screen was tempting me with extravagant $15 ice cream shakes. A part of me hoped my plane — and my middle seat in Economy — would never arrive.
Wonderful terminal — now if only United could figure out how to run a decent airline, they'd really be on to something.
For reference: During boarding, 25 of us were told we’d have to check carry-ons, no doubt because so many people brought carry-ons to avoid United’s fees.
Thankfully, they checked the bags for free, but that was little help to me because I was carrying so much delicate photo gear. I ended up sitting with it in my lap for 6 hours. Fun!
Bonus: There's also an exclusive invite-only restaurant in the terminal. Alas, I was not invited. My colleague, Benjamin Zhang, on the other hand was luckier.
Check out what Zhang thought of United Airlines' secret invitation-only restaurant.