Airport adverts

Yesterday's post bothered me because it was too simplistic. Ulster isn't perfect by any means. The U.S. has its advantages. So there isn't much nuance when I simplistically explain why I prefer Ulster.

That said, here's another non-nuanced observation of why I score Ulster more highly. I spent a lot of time in airports today (four total). U.S. airports are full of ads. The long corridors you walk through offer miles of ads for hospitals, consulting firms, insurance, whiter teeth... The eye-level digital billboards are occasionally interrupted by actual stores.

The Belfast airport is nothing but digital billboards promoting places to visit in Ulster: the Peace Bridge in Derry, Giant's Causeway, the Mourne Mountains, Irish golf courses, the Giro d'Italia, and so on. You get excited about being here. I remember the Dublin airport having similar billboards with giant photos of Irish people--some famous (Kenneth Branagh, Pierce Brosnan, Seamus Heaney) some anonymous (imagine freckle-faced kids and heavily lined, weathered farmer faces). Ireland is most famous for its hospitality, so you get a feel for the people you are about to spend time amongst.

In both cases, a different vibe than billboards using business jargon to convince you to hire a law firm or visit a world-class cardiac center.
9/15