Here’s a great use of an in-city airport:

Burke Lakefront Airport (BKL), a general aviation airport on Cleveland’s downtown waterfront, will be hosting a farmer’s market with more than a dozen local vendors.

Each Thursday from 11:30 am until 2:30 pm, from now through October, vendors selling fruits and vegetables, locally-made ice-cream, baked goods, cheese, honey, jams, jellies and more will set up on the sidewalk in front of the terminal.

Organizers also promise cooking demonstrations, live entertainment, and free parking.

Have you seen something new at your airport?  Let us know!

Categories: Shopping
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A couple of fun and possibly useful notes:

Southwest Airlines begins service between New York’s LaGuardia Airport and both BWI and Chicago’s Midway airport at the end of June (2009). To celebrate, the airline is sponsoring the Southwest Porch in New York City. It’s in Bryant Park, at appropriately enough, the park’s southwest corner and has porch swings, rocking chairs, Adirondack chairs, umbrellas, and space for about 175 people.

Also, those crisp white Westin Heavenly blankets and pillows that travelers on some United flights have been getting to snuggle up with are now being made in a travel-size version that the rest of us can buy.

And, if you’ve been irritated by all those new (and old) checked baggage fees airlines are now charging, keep in mind that some hotels, most notably the nationwide chain of Kimpton Hotels,  offer a $25 room credit if you show a receipt for a checked bag.  Kimpton’s “We’ve Got Your Bag” promotion has been extended indefinitely.

Categories: Fees
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Last night was Aviation Geek Night at the Alaska Airlines training center in Seattle.  A dozen folks who follow Alaska Airlines on Twitter (http://twitter.com/alaskaair) were invited to experience what it’s like to pilot a $30 million dollar aircraft and get some Flight Attendant safety training.

We didn’t get any face time with these guys:

But flight attendant instructors Megan, Claudia, and Clinton assured us that real flight attendants were well trained in how to defend themselves – and passengers – against bad guys.

We did get to practice putting out an on-board fire and learned how to open and set aside the 40 pound window exit.

Then we each had a chance to slide down the emergency chute.

All skills I’m glad I’ve practiced and, of course, hope I’ll never get to use.

At the end of the night, I did get a chance to sit in the captain’s seat of the flight simulator.  Capt. Bill Morgan calmly and gently guided me and co-pilot Kenji_Onozawa through a landing at Reagan National Airport and Seattle-Tacoma Int’l Airport.  Good thing Kenji was cool and capable.  Because it turns out, I was too short to reach the brakes on the airplane and, once on the ground, I got nauseous guiding the plane to the gate.

Still, they let me graduate with a newly minted Certificate of Geekiness, which I will be carrying with me next time I fly.

Categories: Safety
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If you’re heading to New York City this summer, be sure to check out the NYC-ARTS.org Web site being unveiled today by the Alliance for the Arts.

It’s part of an initiative to spread the word about 800 or so New York area cultural organizations and features interactive maps and tons of information about free admission days, discounts, and special events.

Included, for example, is a link to the Louis Armstrong House Museum, which is located in Corona, Queens, about ten minutes from LaGuardia Airport.

The famed trumpet player’s house contains all the furnishings from when Armstrong and his wife Lucille  lived there and on guided tours visitors can hear audio clips from the recordings Armstrong made of daily life, including practicing his trumpet, enjoying a meal, or talking with his friends.

Through July 12^th, the museum is displaying some of the 500 collages Armstrong created while on tour.

Categories: History
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The summer music series called You are Hear is back in swing at San Francisco International Airport (SFO).  From now through the end of the summer, travelers will be treated to live performances at three locations inside the airport every Friday between 11 am and 3 pm.

The concerts will be held post-security in Terminal 3 and pre-security in Terminal 1 and in the International Terminal.

This Friday, the line-up includes Faye Carol (jazz and soul vocalist), the Del Sol Quartet (classical, modern, and world music) and J. Boogie’s Dubtronic Science (sould, hiphop and afrobeat.)

Here’s a link to the complete summer You Are Hear schedule at SFO.

Categories: Music
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