(CNN) If you're a frequent traveler based out of Washington, DC, there's a good chance you are familiar with Gate 35X.

Deemed by Washingtonian magazine as "the worst airport gate ever," 35X is an American Airlines gate at Reagan National Airport's C terminal. It's the gate where Robert Mueller and Donald Trump Jr. were spotted waiting for their respective flights last summer.

And this is the gate where Sen. Elizabeth Warren found herself Thursday night. Running for president may appear glamorous, but the reality can be much more mundane. Candidates often find themselves stuck in airports, dealing with flight delays and scouting out the terminal's best food options -- just like the rest of us.

Spotted: Elizabeth Warren selfies (and FaceTiming?) at be airport pic.twitter.com/45AWQgFbik — MJ Lee (@mj_lee) May 9, 2019

But why is gate 35X so bad? To board your plane, you must first descend a set of escalators that lead you to a crowded room, where seating can be hard to come by. Here, you wait for the airline to announce over the PA system which of several doors you should head to. There is, of course, a subsequent mad dash to said door. But that door doesn't lead you to the aircraft -- it leads you to a bus. When the bus is filled to capacity, it makes a slow, winding journey across the airport to your plane.

Warren was getting on the only direct flight that day to Charleston, West Virginia, ahead of a campaign event the next morning in Kermit, a town more than 80 miles southwest of the capital. She planned to use the backdrop of the small town to highlight the country's opioids epidemic, and her newly released plan to tackle it.

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