My American Summer. Arriving at Saarinen’s TWA Terminal in New York

In the vast, sweeping curves of the TWA Terminal at JFK Airport, Silvia S. Castello stepped onto the vibrant red carpet, the bold Chili Pepper Red cushioning each footfall with a luxurious give.

In the vast, sweeping curves of the TWA Terminal at JFK Airport, Silvia S. Castello stepped onto the vibrant red carpet, the bold Chili Pepper Red cushioning each footfall with a luxurious give. It was the early 1980s, and the terminal, with its iconic neofuturistic design by Eero Saarinen, felt like a portal into possibility — a stark contrast to the quiet elegance of her life in Milan.

This journey was a gift from her father, Virgilio, an interior architect whose refined aesthetic shaped Silvia’s sense of beauty and space. Virgilio saw architecture as more than mere structure; it was a bridge between experiences, a statement of presence. When he gifted Silvia this trip, it was not just a journey to America but a symbolic gesture — pushing her toward a new chapter. At the other end of that journey waited Richard, her fiancé, embodying the merging of two worlds: the European roots that grounded her and the American spirit that called her forward.

Built in 1962, the Saarinen’s TWA Terminal was a marvel of its time, capturing the jet-age optimism of a nation on the move. By the time Silvia arrived, it remained unapologetically bold, a masterpiece of concrete curves, soaring arches, and a futuristic spirit that felt both thrilling and daunting. The architecture seemed to hum with ambition, the glass walls and dynamic lines sweeping her forward as if nudging her into the future. Silvia couldn’t help but see it as a metaphor for her own transformation.

She paused on the crimson carpet, taking in the space that felt simultaneously grand and intimate, monumental and inviting. The texture underfoot was dense and plush, grounding her while drawing her onward. This careful balance — between rootedness and forward momentum — mirrored her own sense of being on the brink of something unknown yet undeniably promising.