It’s hard to think of anything more awkward than Robert Mueller and Donald Trump Jr. waiting for flights at the same gate in Reagan National Airport, as Politico captured in a wondrous photo this morning. But the real kicker for anyone who’s ever flown out of DCA is that the almost-encounter occurred at Gate 35X.
Spotted: Robert Mueller and Donald Trump Jr. both waiting for their flights this morning at the 35X gate at DCA. And yes, there is a photo. https://t.co/gKUSO7QhOU pic.twitter.com/tvcoyLMnDW
— POLITICO (@politico) July 27, 2018
For those not in the know, Gate 35X in Terminal C is widely considered one of the worst airport gates ever, anywhere, of all time. We hear the Gates of Hell are quite lovely in comparison. You see, 35X isn’t a proper gate but an inhumane cattle-herding pen with an escalator that takes you to a bus terminal that takes you to your remotely parked airplane. Even DCA itself calls 35X “infamously congested” with 6,000 passengers making their way through each day. It’s basically one gate serving as an entire concourse. And if you were going to have an awkward run-in, of course it would be there.
The good news is that airport officials are building a new 14-gate concourse that will replace 35X’s horrid bussing system. The bad news: it’s not slated to open until 2021. In the meantime, take a look at just how much people hate 35X:
https://twitter.com/mattyglesias/status/1022901351972577281
https://twitter.com/JamesFallows/status/1022906513709572096
https://twitter.com/lukezim/status/1022904578025709568
Abandon all hope, ye who enter here. #DCA #35X pic.twitter.com/93QoGqOVAW
— Wandering Uterus 🪸 (@hoopylinz) December 23, 2017
BREAKING: Obama to close Guantanamo Bay detention facility, move terrorism suspects to DCA Gate 35X #notreally https://t.co/cylFoEUhnu
— gary leff (@garyleff) June 9, 2016
https://twitter.com/DCameronSmith/status/850861731236777985
Jessica Sidman covers the people and trends behind D.C.’s food and drink scene. Before joining Washingtonian in July 2016, she was Food Editor and Young & Hungry columnist at Washington City Paper. She is a Colorado native and University of Pennsylvania grad.
